CH-53E Model: How to build Academy's CH-53E model - Paperback

by Glenn Hoover (Author)

If you are a new modeler who jumps right into the build without any prep work or if you are an experienced modeler who hates prep work and keeping track of the pieces and progress, this book can be a big help. See a 16 page sample along with photos of finished models and other books at glennhoovermodels.com. Spiral bound versions are also available on my website. This book contains detailed instructions on building the CH-53E Helicopter 1/48 scale model from Academy. I take the model kit instructions from Academy and break them up into individual steps. I reorder the steps so that the small pieces (antennas, etc.) are assembled last which reduces the risk of damage when building the model. The steps are organized to insert the paint and decal steps in the best spot. I also incorporate Eduard's Photo Etch BIG4875 in with Academy's instructions. As most modelers know, it can be tricky to go back and forth between the model kit instructions and the PE instructions. I took out the guess work and did that for you. The PE steps are colored in yellow making them easy to skip if you just have the basic model. This book provides a little history of the Marine Super Stallion, photos of the model kit contents including the photo etch frets, a detailed list of tools that I used to build this model, along with a list of paints. The actual instruction section contains 869 steps that tells you what to dry fit, glue, and/or paint for each individual piece. Each step instruction shows the source (i.e., either Academy's or Eduard's instruction) along with a block for you to mark that you completed the step. If the last column contains an X, that means there's a photo in the back with more details about the step. The major instruction sequence for this model is
1. Rotors
2. Interior Bulkheads
3. Cargo Area
4. Instrument Panel
5. Cockpit
6. Ramp
7. Exterior Fuselage
8. Cargo Area Floor and Ceiling
9. Wheel Wells
10. Engine Exhaust
11. Primer
12. Machine Gun
13. Pylons
14. Wheel Wells
15. Exterior Photo Etch
16. Main Engines
17. Paint
18. Decals
19. Wheel Assemblies
20. Bottom and Side Antennas
21. Winch, Open Doors
22. Top Antennas and Open Windows
23. Tail Section
24. Final Rotor Assembly
I provide an index of the individual sprue parts that show where in the book the part is mentioned. This index was a great way to make sure that no pieces were overlooked. Finally, there are several pages of in-process photos with assembly tips and the final photos of my build. This book is a great checklist to make your build go smoothly. Of course, you can feel free to use different tools, paint, weathering, etc. or even add your own diorama. It took me over 3 months to write the first cut of this book then another 2 months to do the actual build to test my instructions. I make tweaks to improve the instructions and add the photos. I did a lot of research and didn't see anything this detailed about a model build. Most articles or videos concentrate on parts of their build or just give a summary review. I wanted to go down to the piece level and take you thru the whole build. Anyway, I hope you find this book useful.

Author Biography

I'm a retired Systems Engineer (SE). I spent 35 years with an Aerospace & Defense company along with 6 years in the US Navy before that. As an SE, I wrote hundreds of user manuals, test instructions, system requirement and system design documents, etc. I've been retired for a few years and fell in love with plastic modeling. I decided to bring my SE experience to modeling by creating this very detailed instructional series. I'm also a member of the Delaware Valley Scale Modelers IPMS Region 2