And thus I have my chariot in the sky....
Okay, an eventful yesterday. In Orlando, I found the bbi Elite Force UH-60 Blackhawk transport helicopter, more or less made famous in the movie “Black Hawk Down”. Anyway, bbi did a masterful job of recreating the large copter, right down to the most minute detail.
Here's an overhead shot of the UH-60 Blackhawk.
First up, some dimensions: From nose to tail rotor, the chopper is 35 inches long. Fuselage width from wing tip to wing tip is 13 inches. From the landing wheels to the top of the main rotor, the Blackhawk stands 8.5 inches. Main rotor has a diameter of 35 inches. Didn’t bother weighing it, but its actually not that heavy(it is mostly open space inside after all.) I’d wager somewhere around 5 pounds, though probably a little more.
The Blackhawk holds 2 pilot figures up front, with seats for 12 figures in back. There is room left over for some gear in addition(or extra figures if they don’t mind sitting on the floor).
Both cockpit doors open, revealing a very detailed instrument panel. Bbi, did a wonderful job detailing this cockpit with all of the gauges, displays, switches and assorted what-not you might find in an actual UH-60. The cargo doors, one on either side, slide back, revealing the rows of seats. On the right side door, there is a winch(non-functioning) with a small rope for the squad inside to drop to the ground with(its not very long though, so a little tinkering can give a more accurately scaled rope).
Graphics on the chopper are what you you’d expect on a military aircraft, right down to the serial numbers and manufacture dates on the main rotor blades. All lights are simulated with either red or blue clear plastic pieces, a very nice touch, in my opinion. The two massive external fuel tanks do come off, though, I’m not sure if they really are supposed to be jettisoned like an airplane’s external tank.
All in all, for $60, you do get one massive helicopter. As with bbi’s vehicles you do get one figure(would be nice to throw in a small Ranger stick, but...eh, can’t have everything).
Here's an overhead shot of the UH-60 Blackhawk.
First up, some dimensions: From nose to tail rotor, the chopper is 35 inches long. Fuselage width from wing tip to wing tip is 13 inches. From the landing wheels to the top of the main rotor, the Blackhawk stands 8.5 inches. Main rotor has a diameter of 35 inches. Didn’t bother weighing it, but its actually not that heavy(it is mostly open space inside after all.) I’d wager somewhere around 5 pounds, though probably a little more.
The Blackhawk holds 2 pilot figures up front, with seats for 12 figures in back. There is room left over for some gear in addition(or extra figures if they don’t mind sitting on the floor).
Both cockpit doors open, revealing a very detailed instrument panel. Bbi, did a wonderful job detailing this cockpit with all of the gauges, displays, switches and assorted what-not you might find in an actual UH-60. The cargo doors, one on either side, slide back, revealing the rows of seats. On the right side door, there is a winch(non-functioning) with a small rope for the squad inside to drop to the ground with(its not very long though, so a little tinkering can give a more accurately scaled rope).
Graphics on the chopper are what you you’d expect on a military aircraft, right down to the serial numbers and manufacture dates on the main rotor blades. All lights are simulated with either red or blue clear plastic pieces, a very nice touch, in my opinion. The two massive external fuel tanks do come off, though, I’m not sure if they really are supposed to be jettisoned like an airplane’s external tank.
All in all, for $60, you do get one massive helicopter. As with bbi’s vehicles you do get one figure(would be nice to throw in a small Ranger stick, but...eh, can’t have everything).