Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt

'Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt' - 'Every life counts', as the tag line of the German television series says. This helicopter is an MBB/Kawasaki BK117, which was developed from an earlier helicopter of Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm, the Bo 105, and has since been further developed into a variety of similar machines under the Eurocopter label. They're seen everywhere these days, having become the favoured types for use by the emergency services. This 1:72 scale model depicts the fictional helicopter at the heart of the drama.

I'd never heard of this series, Medicopter 117; it sounds as if it might have been fun. The drama was set in the Alps which must have provided all sorts of accidents and disasters to rescue people from. However, it may have suffered the usual fate of so many high concept series, in becoming more soapy as time went on - which is to say, the plots might have begun to move their focus from the technicalities of rescuing, towards the ups and downs of the crew's relationships. I got the impression that the challenges became more and more outlandish; they had to delay broadcasting one episode with a terrorism plotline, because the attack on New York's World Trade Center had just happened. It continued for seven seasons. When it finished, the producers basically said they'd run out of new things to rescue!

I believe two helicopters were used in the course of the series, D-HECE and D-HEOE. Revell's model features the main one used - or rather, I should have said models, plural, because they also produced a kit in 1:32 scale. It regularly performed real life rescue work, as well as spending time flying for Medicopter 117. It's still flying now, apparently, servicing North Sea oil platforms.

When I got the kit, I didn't know anything about all that, and thought it was a real rescue helicopter. I wanted it as one of the large complement of models required for a layout I'm gradually (ie. at glacial pace!) putting together. An aerodrome with a generically German background, rather than a model railway. I have a variety of scenarios in mind, each involving a different mix of vehicles and aircraft; this helicopter is for a modern German airfield scene, and would sit alongside aircraft belonging to the (real) ADAC organisation. So far I've already built a good number of vehicles, both for the airfield and for the townscape behind. This BK117 just happens to be the first model aircraft I've made specifically intended for the layout.

So, what is the kit like? Well, it isn't too complicated, and mainstream manufacturers like Revell are usually good at making their models buildable - I'm sure they would have wanted kids to have success putting it together. I quite enjoyed it, though I did find myself up against a few obstacles. One is to do with Medicopter 117 having such a jazzy paint scheme, as you can see. There are a multitude of small decals to place, especially around the tail surfaces. There were a few I decided to paint instead, for better or worse (maybe worse!). And there are some curved ones which have to be wrapped around the underside, which is usually quite tricky, getting them to lie flat. But I can report that the decals actually went on well, there were just a few gaps on the tail fins which had to be touched in with paint.

More of a problem is the colour scheme, rendered both with paint and with decals. I could see potential mismatches, so I went out and got the exact colours specified, from Revell's own range of acrylics. The red paint turned out to be close to the red of the decals, but the yellow was very different - the decal yellow is distinctly more orangey. Worse, the density of the yellow decals isn't great, so it's affected by the underlying red. Look, for my purposes it's not a problem, I think the model is attractive as it is, and I think it'll fit in well in my scene. But if you're looking for authenticity, I'd suggest using something like Tamiya's flat yellow; it's matt, but you'll be glossing the whole kit anyway I would think (I gave it a coat of Pledge ie Johnson's floor polish, which gives a good look to the transparencies, unlike spray varnish).

What else? A few little niggles, most of them only arising through my not paying attention or being sloppy. Here's an issue which crops up with so many kits, especially these days: the level of interior detail. The kit doesn't have an excessive amount at all, to be honest, and I did think, when asked to apply the decals for the instrument panel, that at least that was purposeful, because being a typical helicopter there's a good acreage of glazing at the front end. I thought the instrument panel would be prominent, but to my surprise even that is almost impossible to see. Maybe it would have been worthwhile making it possible to pose the kit with an open door. To no great end, I'd spent some time carefully painting seats etc.

I do have one more serious complaint. I have no idea how many modellers this would affect, but I'll bet it wasn't only me. And it's a problem which is likely to concern any helicopter kit like this one, where the real life aircraft has these spindly skids for undercarriage. The one thing a model manufacturer must ensure, for just about any kit, is that with reasonable competency on the part of the modeller, the completed model must sit happily on its own two feet (or wheels, or floats, or skids), without subsiding under its own weight. At 1:32 scale the other Revell kit may not have a problem, but at 1:72 scale these skids are flimsy. What Revell needed to do was mould a tight fit for them into the fuselage. As it is, it's much too loose, and it took me several tries before I persuaded the structure to stay firm. A smart approach to moulding those parts, that's all that was needed.

Now I've got that off my chest, I'll about turn and simply say, this is a very cute kit, and I look forward to making more of these little machines. If only there were 1:72 scale model figures of the attractive cast, to stand alongside it!