Purchase these Items

Products mentioned in this Article

--None--
 

 

Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
includes one plastic rotor sprue suitable for the Huey & Hueycobra helicopter.

The new plastic rotors have been designed to be much lighter the previous all-metal version and easier to assemble and attach to the model. Casey has done a great job designing the new rotors; which includes all the parts for required for all of the Huey variants and the Hueycobra gunship. It has also made our lives simpler in terms of the manufacturing and packing.

Check out the Plastic Helicopter Rotors in the online store here...
The Main Rotor
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)

Assembling The Huey Main Rotor
The first step is to identify the correct components of the sprue needed to construct the rotors for the Huey. The image on the right highlights the components required. The components highlighted in green are the parts needed for the main rotor while the part highlighted in red is the tail rotor.

Next, cut each component off the plastic sprue and clean them up. The best way to cut the parts off the sprue is with a sharp hobby knife; some of the parts are quite delicate so using a pair of hobby cutter could damage these parts.

You can find all the tools you need in the GF9 hobby range.

Check out the GF9 hobby range in the online store here...

Below: Cutting the parts off the plastic sprue.

Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Once all the components have been successfully removed from the sprue, carefully cut off any excess plastic with your hobby knife.

Right:
The rotor mast for the Hueycobra (left) and the Huey (right).

Tip: Casey was kind enough to label each of the rotor masts for the Huey and Cobra on the sprue itself (just in case).
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Below: Cleaning up the required components.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Tip: Before starting to assemble the main rotors, attach the rotor mast to something you can hang onto; a small wooden block or an empty paint pot are perfect for this. This provides a means of support while you attach the other components to the mast.

In this example, a small amount of Blu-Tac has been used to attach the Huey rotor mast to a small wooden block.
The main rotor consists of an upper and lower rotor blade; the lower rotor blade has a square hole on the end that attaches to the mast. This can be seen in the upper portion of the image on the left. The top rotor blade has a cap on the end where it attaches; this can be is seen in the lower portion of the photo on the left.

Right:
The lower and upper main rotor blades.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) The main rotor blades also need to be orientated correctly when attached to the rotor mast. An example of the correct orientation for the main rotor blades can be seen in the example on the right.

Left: The correct orientation for the main rotor blades when attached to the rotor mast.
The components fit together extremely well due to the outstanding job Casey did with the design. Only need a very small amount of hobby glue is required to fix the rotor blade to the mast.

Below: The lower main rotor correctly attached to the rotor mast.
Once the lower rotor blade is in place, the upper rotor blade can now be attached.

Below: The attached upper rotor blade.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Finally, attach the rotor stabilising bar to the top of the rotor assembly.

Right: Attaching the rotor stabilising bar.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Below: The fully assembled main Huey rotor.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Assembling The Hueycobra Main Rotor
The first step is to identify the correct components of the sprue needed to construct the rotors for the Hueycobra. The image on the right highlights the components required.

The components highlighted in green are the parts needed for the main rotor while the part highlighted in red is the tail rotor.


Next, cut each component off the plastic sprue and clean them up. The best way to cut the parts off the sprue is with a sharp hobby knife; some of the parts are quite delicate so using a pair of hobby cutter could damage these parts.

Left: The required components for the Hueycobra main rotor.
The main rotor of the Hueycobra is even simpler to assemble than that of the Huey. Since it lacks the rotor stabilising bar of the Huey, the small square peg on top of the upper rotor is not required and can be removed.

Below: Cutting the small square peg off the top of the upper rotor.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Make sure you have the upper and lower rotors are correctly orientated as shown above in the Huey example above.

Tip: Remember, you only need a very small amount of hobby glue to hold the rotor blades in place.

Below: Attaching the rotor blades to the Hueycobra rotor mast.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Below: The fully assembled main Hueycobra rotor.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
The Tail Rotor
Assembling The Huey Tail Rotor
Once the Huey main rotors are assembled; its time to move onto the tail rotor. Begin by cutting tail rotor off the plastic sprue with a sharp hobby knife, and then remove any excess sprue that may still be left on the end of the rotor blades.

Below: Removing and cleaning up the tail rotor.
The tail rotor attaches to the tail rotor mount on the tail section.

Below: The tail rotor mount.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Below: Attaching the tail rotor mount to the tail section. Below: With the tail rotor mount in place, the tail rotor can now be attached.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
Assembling The Hueycobra Tail Rotor
On the Hueycobra, at the tail rotor cap attaches to the top of the tail section.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101) Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
The tail rotor can then be attached to the tail rotor cap.

Right: The tail section of the Hueycobra complete with tail rotor.
Plastic Helicopter Rotors (VSO101)
The Plastic Rotors On The Hueycobra & Huey Frog
The new plastic rotors on the Huey 'Cobra'
The new plastic rotors on the Huey 'Cobra' The new plastic rotors on the Huey 'Heavy Hog'
The new plastic tail rotor The new plastic tail rotor
The new plastic rotors on the Huey 'Heavy Hog'
Using magnets

Remember, you can use the magnets included in the helicopter box sets to attach the rotors to your helicopters; this is a much simpler method of attaching the main rotor to the miniature and make for easy removal for transportation.

Learn more on how to use magnets on your models here...


Last Updated On Friday, August 4, 2023