BY BILL ENGAR

ATLANTIS #M1025 -- RANGER CHOPPER MODEL KIT -- ASSEMBLY REQUIRED, PAINT AND GLUE (OPTIONAL) NOT INCLUDED -- 25 STYRENE PLASTIC PARTS MOLDED IN YELLOW AND CLEAR -- 25 PARTS -- FUSELAGE LENGTH APPROX 6-5/8" -- ROTOR DIAMETER APPROX 7-1/8" -- MADE IN USA -- MSRP $US16.99

Atlantis' Ranger Chopper is a former Monogram snap-together kit first released in 1980.  Your choice of floats or skids!

Atlantis Models has released its snap Ranger Chopper.  This former Monogram Models kit first released in 1976 is an excellent replica of a Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter.  There aren't many civilian helicopter models, so this one's a little unusual.   Bell Jet Rangers have been featured in lots of movies over the years.  Stick around and we'll provide plenty of references with hit movies and TV shows where the "Ranger Chopper" has starred.  Spoiler:  Some of them are spectacular!!!).

Atlantis' Jet Ranger is molded in yellow and clear plastic.  We count 25 parts.

Monogram Models released a number of meticulously engineered snap-together kits known for their realism.  They pioneered the original "SnapTite" brand so that younger or inexperienced hobbyists could produce a replica comparable to the results a skilled modeler would apply to a more difficult "glue-kit."  They really didn't cut corners or make many compromises when engineering these kits.  The model has features like many of Monogram's regular airplane kits of the era such as fine raised panel lines and recessed lines for the doors (including the left-side cargo door).

The "glass" is crystal-clear.

Markings are water-slide decals, not stickers.

Even though this kit was engineered primarily with younger builders in mind, it still has a number of details that more experienced modelers will like such as the cyclic controls and seating for five as on the actual Jet Ranger.  The model is portrayed on the box cover with floats but it also includes much more common skids.  Other options include spotlights and a loudspeaker (originally the Ranger Chopper was released as a police helicopter which would likely have a loudspeaker and spotlights in real-life).

The cyclic controls are probably the smallest and most fragile parts in the kit.  Those are optional spotlights below.

The optional loudspeaker even has a simulated "horn."   It's one of the little details that make these kits appeal to more than just young or beginning modelers.

This is a fun little model that can be quickly built in an evening with no paint or glue needed.  Kids comfortable building Lego sets with small parts should be able to put this together with minimal supervision.  For more mature builders or youth with more careful supervision, we'd recommend careful use of a hobby knife or razor blade to remove parts from the sprue and trim down sprue attachment points.  Trimming some parts to facilitate proper fit will be needed.  Glue isn't required but we like using a little when assembling snap-kits for a more permanent assembly.  The instructions suggest adding a little paint to certain components to enhance realism.

The model has fine raised panel lines and engraved lines at door openings.

The front interior has an instrument panel and seats.

The rear interior's seats have an upholstery-look.

A modeler desiring more of a contest-type build can expect to use some modeling putty to fill gaps and sinkholes.  You could create your own custom paint scheme or do something really wild like stretch the fuselage to make a Bell 206L "Long Ranger"  such as Ross Perot's around-the-world Spirit of Texas record-maker.  In our Bonus Features, we'll include photos of some additional famous Jet Rangers from TV and movies.

Atlantis refers to this as a 1/72-scale kit.  Some of Monogram's sources and Scalemates refer to it as 1/64-scale.  To clear up the confusion, we decided to measure it ourselves and came up with a fuselage length of 6-5/8" and a rotor diameter of 7-1/8 ".  Running that by some scaling-math compared to published dimensions of the Jet Ranger results in a scale of 1/56 for both measurements.  This model is the same scale as Atlantis' F-94C.

Atlantis also sells this model in a large pack of 24 kits for Make-and-Take events at a substantial discount compared to single boxed kits.  It's perfect for parties or model contest activities!

Instructions are simple pictograms.  Optional parts include your choice of floats or skids.  The loudspeaker (#11) and spotlights (#14) are also optional.

We did some dry-fitting of parts.  Perhaps the trickiest part of construction is during Steps 1 and 2, cockpit and interior construction.  You can wait until any point during building to snap the rotor assembly into the cockpit assembly; in fact, it could wait until the end after you've got the fuselage complete and rotor painted.  The cockpit top (Part #4) is a bit tricky to fit into Part #2 (cockpit front) without some trimming of the tabs where the parts join.  The "T"  on the top piece needs to be slimmed down a little as do the tabs at the top of the Cockpit front.  If you glue the cockpit assembly together (just a small bit of glue is helpful), this assembly will be a lot easier to fit between the fuselage halves in Step 6.

Just three parts make up the cockpit and interior.  The "T" on the top piece needs some trimming as do the two tabs that "hug" the "T".

From the bottom.  A little glue where the cockpit front meets the cockpit rear and top piece will make handing the assembly much easier.

Note that the cyclic control sticks and windows need to be fitted before installing the cockpit.  This view just provides an idea about how the cockpit assembly fits inside the fuselage.

This is a really fun model kit and the price is low!  We like the options and as-molded, it looks nice with minimal effort.  With a little work, the modeler can decorate the basic model with their own custom scheme.  The Jet Ranger is just a cool aircraft with a prominent place in American culture thanks to its use in movies and TV shows.  Atlantis Models is an American company.  All kits are made and packaged in the USA.  The 2Modeler Guys give this model kit Four Enthusiastic Thumbs Up!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THIS MODEL KIT TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!

BONUS FEATURES

BELL'S JET RANGER: THE UGLY DUCKLING!

Bell's Jet Ranger originated as the YHO-4, their candidate for the US Army's Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program of the early 1960's.  It lost to Hughes' YOH-6A.  Initially the OH-6A was seen as the superior helicopter at a better price.  Bell turned to civilian customers to sell a commercial version of the YHO-4 but no executives seeking a corporate helicopter wished to be seen exiting an aircraft the likes of which had earned the name "ugly duckling" during its military evaluation--and looked the part.

Bell's YHO-4 was a candidate for the US Army's Light Observation Helicopter program.  It was a loser--but only until receiving one of the most famous engineering beauty makeovers of all time.

Hughes' YOH-6A was chosen by the US Army for its (first round!) LOH contract.  The Army eventually bought 1,420 of these.

Bell decided to completely repackage the YHO-4, assigning industrial designer Charles Wilfred Butler to the project.  His company was busy; Butler designed the interior of the Concorde at the same time.  The YHO-4 was repackaged radically, inside and out, using engineering strategies borrowed from the automotive industry.  Bell decided to give the new helicopter the name, Bell 206 Jet Ranger, as a ode to their popular 47J Ranger.

This is a 1965 non-flying mockup of the Jet Ranger 206.  To put this in perspective, NASA's Gemini Missions were just beginning in 1965.

A Jet Ranger with teeth:  Wearing a military uniform, the OH-58D Kiowa could carry miniguns or Hellfire missiles.  Its standard configuration was  observation/scouting.

The redesign was highly successful and beginning in early 1967, enthusiastic customers took delivery of their new, futuristic-looking Bell Jet Rangers.  Over 100 were sold the first year.  The military story of the new Jet Ranger would get an unexpected chapter.  Hughes couldn't deliver enough OH-6's for the US Army with the Vietnam War escalating and the LOH contract was reopened.  Instead of dusting off the YHO-4, Bell simply militarized the Jet Ranger.  Modifications were still made and the Jet Ranger became the OH-58 Kiowa.  Well over 2000 of these were purchased by the US Army.

A Bell Jet Ranger always comes to mind first whenever anyone mentions a news helicopter.

Likewise the typical "police chopper" always seems to be a Jet Ranger

Bell could build an excellent helicopter as demonstrated by its iconic Model 47 / H-13 Sioux and UH-1 "Huey."  The Jet Ranger certainly lived up to the reputation created by its famous forbearers.  Jet Rangers made excellent news helicopters, corporate transports, charters, and public safety helicopters used by law enforcement, utilities, emergency services, firefighters and others.

MOVIE AND TV ACTION STAR:  BELL'S 206 JET RANGER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

Scenes from 1974's "Dirty Larry Crazy Mary" make up one of the most intense helicopter sequences ever filmed.

The Jet Ranger during the beginning credits sequence of "The Towering Inferno" (also 1974) is on-screen for nearly five minutes straight.  The Towering Inferno was essentially Titanic-in-a-building over 20 years before there was a "Titanic" the movie.

The Jet Ranger was featured in many TV shows and movies, way too many to name.  The Towering Inferno's opening credits sequence featured beauty shots of a Bell Jet Ranger flying from the Marin County Coast area to downtown San Francisco.  Edited practically in realtime, the sequence outlasted the glacial theatrical entrance of the refit Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture!  In addition to filling the credits sequence, the helicopter provided a dramatic entrance for star Paul Newman.  The Towering Inferno is acknowledged as the final Hollywood Blockbuster from the "Old Studio" system.  Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers cooperated to make this movie in an unprecedented arrangement and they relied on a Bell 206 Jet Ranger to open the film.  Towering Inferno was the biggest movie of 1974 and won EIGHT Academy Awards including Best Picture!

Santini Air's Jet Ranger was "the other helicopter" in TV's Airwolf--one of TWO TV series featuring "Super-Helicopters" in the 1980's.

Here's a Ranger Chopper taking the freeway.  The movie is Terminator 2.  The helicopter was flown under a freeway overpass--the Pacific Coast Highway--at freeway speed, in this case 70 miles-per-hour.  This was not a movie set.

One of the craziest helicopter sequences in any hollywood film (made with actual helicopters, not models or mockups or computers) is the chase between the 206 Jet Ranger and 1969 Charger in Dirty Larry Crazy Mary (1974).  The viewer needs to remember that no special effects work of any kind was done.  It was all phenomenal low-level flying.  It's easy to forget that there was an unseen camera helicopter in close proximity at high speed as well, all taking place below the tree line on either side of the road.

Unlike Dirty Larry Crazy Mary, there were some scenes in 1991's Terminator 2 where a Bell Jet Ranger had special-effects stand-ins during the police helicopter chase-sequence in that movie.  But there were plenty of in-camera stunt-flying scenes including a spectacular chase filmed on the Terminal Island Freeway near San Pedro CA where a real Jet Ranger was used.  Chuck Taburro, an experienced Vietnam War helicopter pilot, flew the overpass scene.  The overpass had a 20-foot clearance and the helicopter is nearly ten feet high from skids to rotor--and that's only if it's sitting plumb-level.  Clearance for the stunt was only five feet above and five feet below at most!  The scene was filmed with the helicopter flying at 60 knots--over 70 miles per hour--and there was no under-cranking of the camera to speed up the action on the final film.

One famous Bell Jet Ranger that wasn't in a movie or film was Ross Perot's Spirit of Texas.  Perot was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in 1992, formerly a successful businessman.  Perot's Spirit of Texas, a 206L (extended "Long Ranger), N3911Z, made a record around-the-world flight.  The helicopter required 56 fuel stops and took 29 days to make the flight.

Ross Perot's "Spirit of Texas" was a Bell 206L "Long Ranger" modified with a 151-gallon auxiliary fuel tank to fly around the world.  Even with the extra tank the flight required 56 fuel stops.