It’s time to meet our mighty new Chinook

Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.

We really do know how to put on a Workbench show for our readers and in this week’s edition, we have something very special for you, a real heavyweight new tooling subject for your delectation, in the shape of our new Boeing Chinook HC.1. One of the most important aircraft to see Royal Air Force service in the post war era, the Chinook is also one of the most visible military aircraft to members of the public, be that as an Airshow display act, or on our TV screens as they provide support in a variety of military and civilian situations. One of the best loved aircraft currently in RAF service, we are delighted to have the Chinook joining the 2024 Airfix range later this year.

For this latest in our series of designer interviews, we have the pleasure of speaking with the well-known, and now Workbench veteran contributor Paramjit Sembhi for the first time this year, as he kindly takes the time to guide us through this latest design project, pointing out some of the many challenges he overcame along the way. You will also be pleased to hear that he’s also supplied us with a Wokkatastic selection of design screenshot images to help illustrate many of the points raised, helping to give us a clear understanding of why this will be a major addition to the current Airfix kit line up. We will begin though, by looking at the incredible history of this most distinctive of aircraft and how it’s already created a service legacy which is unlikely to be equalled by any other aircraft in the years to come.

Chinook – Is this the most useful aircraft ever designed?

As the box artwork presentation for the new Chinook has already been circulated in support of this new kit’s announcement, we thought it appropriate to include here.

When it comes to describing an aircraft type which possesses role versatility as standard and is able to turn its capabilities to a seemingly endless list of taskings, surely there’s no other aircraft currently in service that comes close to matching the operational flexibility of the mighty Boeing Chinook. A heavy lift helicopter which has proved just as proficient in providing medivac support for British troops in the deserts of Afghanistan, as it is serving as a ‘Damfixer’, when the retaining wall of a dam is about to fail and needs the urgent placing of shoring ballast, the Chinook is an invaluable aviation asset and one which has worked its way into the affections of both military personnel and the general public alike.

Following the end of the Second World War, the pace of aviation development and innovation was unrelenting amongst the victorious Allied powers, with captured German technology providing both valuable data and a new technological impetus in the search for ever faster aeroplanes. Alongside this quest for speed and highlighting the ever-evolving nature of aviation, the emergence of rotary power may not have captured the imagination of the public in the same way as record setting jet fighters were doing, but military planners quickly recognised the many potential benefits a reliable, effective and helicopter would yield. 

As this work continued somewhat in the shadow of more glamourous jet powered projects, helicopter technology slowly matured to a point where rotary power was ready to announce its credentials as arguably the most versatile aviation assets the world had yet seen, with the ability to perform tasks which other aircraft types were simply incapable of doing.

During the 1950s, the first reliable helicopter types began entering service across the world and immediately displayed the versatility which would make them invaluable in taking on many military and civilian tasks. Proving equally effective in delivering troops and supplies into areas which were simply inaccessible to other aircraft types, as they were at rescuing grateful holiday makers from the sea when getting themselves into a spot of trouble, the helicopter has established itself in so many ways and whether operating in a military or a humanitarian role, really have no equal in the world of aviation.

The unmistakable sight of an RAF Chinook, the Royal Air Force are the largest operator of the aircraft outside the United States.

An aircraft which possibly underlines the qualities of the modern helicopter more effectively than any other type, the mighty Boeing CH-47 Chinook has already been in military service for over sixty years and shows no sign of disappearing from our skies any time soon. The distinctive tandem twin rotor configuration of this heavy lift helicopter cleverly counteracts the effects of engine torque by having each of its huge rotor blade stacks turning in opposite directions, thus negating the need for the tail rotor we traditionally associate with helicopters. 

An extremely impressive machine, the Chinook made its first flight back in 1961 and since that date, has gone on to become one of the most effective aircraft designs of the post war era, one which can operate in almost any environment, no matter how inhospitable the terrain. Clearly, this has made the Chinook invaluable when performing a great many roles and certainly when it comes to British military operations where troops are on the ground, they won’t go unless Chinooks are there to support them.

Britain’s links with this magnificent machine go all the way back to 1967, as the RAF’s admiration for America’s impressive new heavy lift helicopter led to an order being placed for 15 new aircraft to replace their own Bristol Belvedere tandem rotor military helicopters. As it transpired, this order would later be cancelled as a result of ongoing defence spending cutbacks and it would be a further ten years before this interest was revived.

Now looking to replace, or upgrade the capabilities of the RAF’s Westland Wessex fleet, the British Government approached Boeing again in the late 1970s and this time, placed an order for 33 new Chinook aircraft, machines which were essentially equivalent to the US CH-47C variant. The honour of being the first Royal Air Force Squadron to operate the new Chinook was No.18 Squadron at Odiham, with British aircraft carrying the designation HC.1 (Helicopter Cargo Mk.1), and they would soon start to show the British public just what this incredible machine was capable of.

An aviation behemoth, Paramjit’s new Chinook design will be a welcome addition to the Airfix range this year.

No sooner had Britain’s Chinooks entered service, that events on the other side of the world would result in an early overseas deployment for the helicopter, one which would be the start of an incredible story for one particular aircraft and indeed the wider reputation of the Chinook as a military aircraft. Five of the RAF’s new Chinooks were loaded aboard the requisitioned container ship Atlantic Conveyor for the Task Force voyage down to the South Atlantic, each one stored on the deck of the ship and wrapped in Driclad PVC covers as a protective measure. Chinook ZA707 was offloaded at Ascension Island prior to continuing the voyage to the Falkland Islands and famous ‘Survivor’ ZA718 was in the air when the Atlantic Conveyor was struck by Exocet missiles and destroyed, with the remaining Chinooks lost. ZA718 ‘Bravo November’ would be the only Chinook subsequently available to the British Task force, but her historic exploits are certainly the subject of a future edition of Workbench.

An indication of just how successful the RAF’s Chinook force had proved to be over the years, the fleet has benefitted from almost constant upgrade and additional procurement, with the aircraft unquestionably becoming an essential component of Britain’s military capabilities. This upgrading of capabilities has kept the Chinook at the forefront of world helicopter technology, and currently, it appears the only aircraft capable of replacing a Chinook is another Chinook, a situation which doesn’t seem likely to change for many years to come. 

As for operating the aircraft, it’s definitely the RAF’s Chinook Display Team who have ensured the aircraft’s position in the affections of the UK public, as this amazing machine can do things no aircraft of this size should be able to do, appearing to defy both gravity and the laws of physics during any display routine. The sheer power this helicopter can call upon allows it to display incredible agility in the air and despite its generous size, can be thrown about the sky in an impressive manner, courtesy the impressive power to weight ration it possesses.

And then there is the distinctive noise the aircraft is famous for, the blade slap which results is a loud Wokka Wokka noise, something which understandably presented the Chinook with the nickname by which many thousands of people refer to it – the Wokka. The noise is so distinctive that everyone knows a Chinook is in their vicinity when they hear it, so sneaking up on your crowd, or indeed more importantly, when approaching a landing zone, is something a Chinook crew can never rely upon.

One of the most successful aviation designs of the post war years, despite the fact that the Chinook has already been in RAF service for more than 42 years, an ongoing sustainment programme will surely see it continuing in service for many more years to come.

The noise is produced by the compression of air between the two overlapping, contra-rotating rotor disks, however, it’s interesting to note that despite the fact we all know and love this distinctive sound, crews inside the aircraft actually can’t hear it, because all the other noises in the aircraft effectively drown it out. Chinook crews have described how travelling in a Chinook is an experience you’ll never forget and how it does vibrate quite a bit. Indeed, it has even been quoted that travelling in a Chinook is a bit like riding on a cement mixer.

With the latest Chinooks being some of the most advanced aircraft in current RAF inventory, despite the fact that that the aircraft has already been in British service for 43 years, the Chinook Sustainment Programme will ensure these aircraft can continue serving the nation for at least the next sixteen years.

An impressive aircraft in every respect, we are delighted to have our scale tribute to the Boeing Chinook HC.1 joining the range this year and have entrusted its design to one of our most talented designers, a man who is not only familiar to thousands of Workbench readers, but also happens to be something of a TV and YouTube modelling sensation, Mr Paramjit Sembhi.

Chinook HC.1 – from design to the Workbench

This scan data image shows how no aspect of the Chinook’s design can escape the inquisitive gaze of a LIDAR scanner.

From a Workbench designer interview perspective, this latest contribution by Paramjit was both memorable and unusual, in that it was conducted face to face in the café at Hornby HQ, one of the rare occasions when we both happened to be in the same place at the same time, and what a nice change it was. After enjoying a whistlestop tour of the impressive WonderWorks, which is now such a popular visitor attraction in this part of the country and with a hot chocolate and still warm piece of lemon cake in hand, we both settled down to the actual business of the day.

With the Boeing Chinook being such a familiar subject to so many people and how this will be the first time a Chinook design project will have been undertaken exclusively by an Airfix designer, we wanted to start by asking Paramjit what research material he was presented with at the start of the project and indeed, if he had the chance to actually see a Chinook in the metal?

Paramjit told us that as always, researcher Luke provided him with a comprehensive research file at the outset of the project, including data produced from a recent trip where he completed a LIDAR scan of an RAF Chinook. Since taking on his role, Luke has become extremely proficient in scanning the subjects future Airfix design projects will be based around, learning how to use this advanced technology effectively, and by liaising with the rest of the Airfix team, tailoring the information he gathers to the specific requirements of an Airfix designer. 

Now, rather than engaging the services of a professional external scanning company, Luke simply hires the equipment and not only obtains exactly what his design team will be looking for, but also filling his diary with scanning appointments to maximise his time with the equipment. This usually involves scanning subjects which are on the long list of potential subjects the Airfix team work through each and every year, but might also include follow up visits to current projects which the designer responsible for it may just require a little additional information, or scan data.

Chinook scan detail overlayed onto Paramjit’s new Chinook design.

With regard to the Chinook project timeline, although Paramjit was heavily involved in the early stages of the design phase, Luke arranged for the two of them to visit RAF Odiham and have access to an actual Chinook in the maintenance hangar, something Paramjit found incredibly beneficial. With a long list of information verification requirements in hand, Paramjit was able to secure all the references he already needed and a host of others he thought he might need later in the project, coming away with a ton of photographs and a great many measurements he needed in order to check data he was a little unsure about.

The Odiham visit day proved to be crucial to the success of this Chinook project, not to mention the fact that it was such a privilege to be allowed access to the base and to get so close to one of these impressive aircraft. Luke and Paramjit would like to place on record their sincere thanks to the Media and Comms team at RAF Odiham who kindly made their visit possible.

Just for some project timeline balance, we went on to ask Paramjit if he had still been working on previous design projects whilst engaged in designing the new Chinook?

As we have all now become aware after completing several of these designer interviews, the majority of the Airfix design team will normally have several different projects at various stages of development at any one time and this proved to be the case for Paramjit and his Chinook. He informed us that he had just about finished everything related to the F-35B Lightning II Starter Set kit’s design and only had a few things left to do on the 1/48th scale Buccaneer S.2B, however, the Fairey Gannet was still very much on his current project radar whilst working on the Chinook. 

More Chinook design delights, this image shows where Paramjit has moved on a stage to plot out all his detailing, with each feature requiring of his design attention in the near future.

Although he had completed the latest phase of its development journey and it had been sent away to have all his recommendations implemented, the Gannet was now out of his hands for a while, allowing him to devote all his attention to the design of the Chinook, even though he knew he would have to break away once the Gannet returned, to review and assess the project one final time, or potentially complete test builds using the latest round of components. Until then, it was Boeing Chinook design tasks all the way.

For members of the current Airfix design team, commitments linked to earlier design project now also include doing things just like this, a designer interview for inclusion in an edition of Workbench, but also additional video interview sessions to be posted across our vibrant social media and community channels. As they will have already moved on to other new projects which are very much in the ‘Top Secret’ category, it’s a wonder they don’t make the odd leak mistake when placed in front of the camera and asked to talk about their latest designing endeavours. I wonder how many times the media team have had to make subtle edits when interview secrets have been inadvertently mentioned and who are the worst offenders in this regard. 

Moving on to a more design specific question, we wanted to ask Paramjit which aspects of his time spent with Chinook proved to be the most challenging and why?

For a project such as this, we assumed there would have been quite a few challenges Paramjit needed to overcome and once he got going, that proved to be just the case. When speaking to any of our designers, their eyes actually light up when describing how they managed to overcome a particular design challenge on their latest project and how no matter how experienced they might be, each and every new project allows them to come away with additional knowledge, or a slightly different way of approaching a common design problem.

They will also often throw in such industry terminology as ‘Draft and Undercut’, words which the Airfix team are all too familiar with and deal with on a daily basis, but are terms which are a little confusing for the rest of us modelling lay folk. Both common terms when referring to the injection moulding process, Draft is essentially how a designer has to try and avoid making parts which include sharp angles at 90 degrees, because this will create problems during the production process. Incorporating less severe angles will avoid the possibility of breakage, warping or the cosmetic distress of parts during the moulding process, something which will potentially harm the reputation of the new kit.

Just a design screenshot of a new Chinook fuselage half, however, this image represents as significant design stage for Paramjit and the culmination of many hours of work at his computer.

An undercut is where any element of the design which includes features which protrude in any direction may cause problems during the manufacturing process, essentially hooking the design into the tool and not allowing it to eject following moulding. Take this figure 1 for example – the main straight sections are fine, however, the area below where the head angles off to the left creates a void known as undercut.

This particular problem can and often is overcome by including side actions into the tooling, however, this can be quite a complicated process and will most certainly increase the overall cost of the project. In order not to have a host of unnecessary side actions linked to any model’s tooling design, that design must be sympathetic to the perils posed by undercut and avoided wherever possible.  

In addition to embracing all the usual manufacturing limitations faced by an Airfix designer, Paramjit told us how the shape detail of the Chinook proved really challenging in certain sections, particularly towards the rear of the aircraft and whilst this might only seem to be a small detail, was difficult to replicate in design. Looking more like surface creases than anything else in the design screenshots shown here to illustrate the point, getting this detail correct was really difficult and something he’s proud to have overcome successfully. 

Another Chinook Challenge for Paramjit proved to be the sand filters which fit over the intakes of both engines, not only in accurately representing the required levels of detail, but also how the shapes could be designed whilst at the same time maintain a sensible combination of part count and size of component. As an avid and extremely active modeller himself, Paramjit is always looking to improve on design features he has come across during his own extensive modelling experiences, things he thought could have been designed more effectively at the time, but is now in a position to actually do something about. 

Just one of many Chinook design challenges Paramjit faced, replication of the engine sand filter design did take some overcoming, particularly when understanding the manufacturing constraints all Airfix designers have to adhere to. 

As the Chinook was his first helicopter design experience and helicopters have been a popular build subject for him over the years, he was determined to make his mark and provide solutions to modelling frustrations he himself had felt when building helicopter kits, providing those building the new Chinook in the future with some thoughtful assembly relief through clever design.

One aspect of the Chinook’s design which illustrates this perfectly is how Paramjit replicated the circular windows of his latest project. In order to make this delicate, yet distinctive feature more modeller friendly, he designed these parts in a slightly unusual manner. Usually, the raised lip or rim detail of the windows would be moulded as part of the main fuselage components, something which has traditionally made the fixing and painting of these parts really quite challenging. 

Instead, Paramjit has designed the rim of the windows to be part of the window clear part itself AND in addition to this, has designed these parts to fit from the outside of the model, rather than the more usual need to fit them from the inside, prior to assembly of the main fuselage parts. This will allow the entire model to be assembled and painted prior to fitting the windows in place, before finally adding the windows as a final stage, making the entire process simpler and hopefully resulting in the building of a more pleasing representation of a Chinook. Only a modeller will appreciate these little design features, but Paramjit always has an eye out for opportunities where he can include these little innovations and improvements.

Another challenging Chinook design feature Paramjit drew our attention to was his work on the rear loading ramp, a feature of the kit which really does give it interest and character, but also proved difficult to replicate in design. Understanding how the engineering worked on a real Chinook proved critical in overcoming this particular challenge and how to replicate it in scale, something the research trip to RAF Odiham proved crucial in supporting. 

A pair of images which allow us to see some of the complex shape detail Paramjit had to incorporate into his Chinook design. 

The resultant design includes parts to allow three different configurations of the loading ramp to be modelled, either in the fully closed position, with the ramp lowered, or with the ramp lowered and auxiliary ramps deployed. Looking closely at the screenshot images Paramjit supplied to illustrate this point, you can also clearly see the many shape/crease shapes which created so many challenges for Paramjit, particularly as we also now have a better understanding of the manufacturing perils his design must embrace and avoid – all clever stuff we rarely consider when enjoying our latest model build.

Having described some of the challenges you faced, could you please tell us which elements of the Chinook’s design you are most pleased with?

We often find that when conducting these designer interviews, in the majority of cases, the challenging aspects of the design and how a designer overcame them also happen to be the things they are most pleased with and that certainly proved to be the case with Chinook. Paramjit told us that his window design, the loading ramp detail and all the complex shapes across the length of the fuselage of the new model were all pleasing achievements, but how on a design project of this complexity, there were also many more details to discuss.

He described how the offset detailing down the dorsal spine of the aircraft was really quite difficult to get his head around, but once he figured it out, was again pleased with how it turned out. The detail Paramjit managed to incorporate into the area around the loading ramp and also at the back of the cockpit has also turned out to be particularly pleasing and more widely, how the kit goes together in a logical and enjoyable manner are again aspects of the design he is proud of.

Once the two main fuselage parts have been assembled, two additional parts are fixed to the top and bottom of the Chinook in the next build stage, effectively removing any possibility of seam/join lines being an issue and even at this very early stage of the build process, resulting in an appealing and accurate representation of a scale RAF Chinook.

Design screenshot images which show how effectively Paramjit has managed to replicate the detail around the rear loading ramp, such a distinctive feature of the mighty Chinook.

Another really appealing feature of the new kit and something modellers will hopefully come to appreciate is how Paramjit has replicated all the external aerial and antenna details which give the Chinook its personality, but how he has done this very much with the modeller in mind. For an aircraft which was subjected to regular upgrade and improvement, there are additional components within the kit which are optional and only required by the particular variant you intend to model. In order not to fill the kit with a series of unsightly holes which may not all be required and might therefore need to be filled, Paramjit has solved this problem with some more design innovation.

He has incorporated a selection of drilling jigs into his design for use across various sections of the model kit, locking into position by using raised detail on the kit and providing the modeller with the support and confidence that they are making holes in the right place. All these jigs are included as part of the component frame designs and are another illustration of how a modeller actively engaged in product design has attempted to provide support for fellow modellers on his latest project.

In addition to all of the above, Paramjit described how detail representation both inside and on the more visible exterior surfaces of the Chinook are aspects of the new kit’s design with which he is particularly pleased.

As the café was getting a little busy and with Paramjit’s celebrity status beginning to attract visitor attention, we decided to cut our interview short and get back to real work, but not before taking the opportunity to ask one final question. As you now have this blog chance to send a message to modellers who will be looking forward to building the new Chinook, what, if anything, would you like to say to them about it?

More design detail, this time showing how Paramjit addressed the issue of replicating the windows of the Chinook.

Providing the certainty any modeller will appreciate, Paramjit has included some drilling jigs to aid with the assembly options this impressive new kit supports. 

On hearing this, Paramjit immediately thrust a partly assembled test build Chinook into my hands and said, ‘Squeeze it!’ As the Chinook has a well-earned reputation for being a rugged performer, Paramjit was determined that everything about his new design should be robust and in that regard, he has succeeded in some style. Despite squeezing the model with increasing commitment, it didn’t budge, much to Paramjit’s delight. This is one robust model and those tackling it in the months to come will surely come to appreciate this rigidity.

When adding all the fine external details Chinooks are also famous for, that’s a different matter altogether and some care will certainly be needed in order to not have a misplaced finger result in the damage of parts, or an aerial snagging on the sleeve of your jumper requiring a little remedial action. Despite this normal modelling peril, this is a beautiful scale representation of an RAF Chinook and Paramjit hopes everyone’s going to love it.

Other features he hopes modellers are going to appreciate are the little innovations like the way the main assembly join lines have been hidden beneath other parts and how his window design will hopefully make the build process and painting just that little less challenging for most modellers. The impressive levels of internal detail visible through the rear cargo door and through the large, clear cockpit section at the front will hopefully allow for some creative modelling expression to take place and give the finished kit genuine appeal. With the included jigs, replicating different variants of this famous helicopter should also be much less challenging and not simply left to the skill of the individual modeller.

This final selection of Chinook design screenshots shows some of the impressive internal detail Paramjit has managed to incorporate into his design.

Although we have left this subject for a forthcoming update, Paramjit also described how he was pleased with how his rotor blade design turned out and how the discernible droop which is such an appealing feature of the Chinook, but how this did require some clever thinking in a design sense, something we intend to investigate further. In summary, Paramjit described how he was fully aware that he was taking on a post war aviation icon when designing the Chinook, but how he was determined to create something he could be proud of and something modellers would enjoy building.

We won’t have to wait too long now to enjoy the delights of Paramjit’s latest design project, however, he is fully aware that it’s going to be the modelling world which will ultimately judge whether this is a valuable addition to the 2024 Airfix range. He does hope that will prove be the case though and that modellers will appreciate the little details a fellow modeller has managed to incorporate into the design of his latest Airfix project.  

Paramjit did also show us plenty more interesting Chinook design details which we elected to save for a future project update, but for now, we would like to thank him once again for giving us his time so generously and for allowing us this insight into his latest new tooling design project. We are particularly grateful for the fascinating selection of images he sent us which illustrate many of the points raised so effectively, images which were taken straight from his actual design files Chinook – Thank you PJ.

Even though we completed this interview a couple of days ago now, I still can’t get the taste of that delicious warm lemon cake out of my mind. We really do need to conduct all future designer interviews in the Hornby Hobbies café.

We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence. 

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