Blue Thunder – “the flying eye”
The Flying Eye (original title: Blue Thunder) is a US-American action movie that John Badham made for Columbia Pictures in 1983. An offshoot of the film was the television series The Flying Eye by ABC. The film, starring Roy Scheider, was released in cinemas in the Federal Republic of Germany on February 5, 1983, and thus appeared before its release in the United States on May 13, 1983.
In the film and the series, Blue Thunder is a high-tech weapon with the ability to record even quiet noises at long distances, to use a thermal imaging camera to record or target people even through walls and to fly almost silently thanks to the “whisper mode”.
In fact, the helicopter is merely a heavily modified Aérospatiale Gazelle. The Gatling cannon used is so heavy that the light gazelle had to be fitted with a counterweight in the rear fuselage; otherwise normal flight operations would have been virtually impossible. The fuselage shell, which is bulletproof in the film, is made of lightweight sheet metal and plastic panels, as otherwise the helicopter would have become too heavy.
Two copies of Blue Thunder were built for the film, one served as a replacement. A flightless dummy was also built for close-ups of the actors. Blue Thunder actually had a flight permit from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as without this permit, no permission would have been granted for the flight scenes over Los Angeles. The mock-up went to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Florida and became part of a sightseeing tour there until 2009, the actual helicopters were sold to a company in New Mexico. There, one was converted for another film, dismantled after the shooting and sold in parts, just like the second one. In the pilot episode of MacGyver (“Explosion Underground”) Blue Thunder has a small guest appearance.
Matching kit components
Kit
The original model was created according to available documents. On a large 5-axis milling machine, the master model parts were milled in Uriol and then prepared so that the required negative moulds could be produced.
The production of all GFK / CFK parts is done in 18 moulds. High-quality resin systems are used to produce high-strength, very light-weight components, which in the end produce all the parts necessary for the construction of the Blue Thunder.
The stern is resin bonded to the hull as a separate part and is designed for the installation of a highly effective Fenesrtron from Jürgen Schwing’s design. As in the original, the Fenestron is driven free-running by a stainless steel tube. Storage is done via 3 bearing points.
A set of frames made of high-quality aircraft plywood is resin-coated in the fuselage and takes over the tank, landing gear and turbine or electrical mechanics.
The finished model has doors that can be opened.
Windows are fitted from the inside and fixed with superglue.
The landing gear is time-shifting (right and left side) and is attached to the frame set with aluminium clamps.
The special feature of this model is the position of the turbine. The turbine can be found at its original position on the model.
This way the whole area of the turbine fairing and the exhaust pipe could be reproduced exactly like the original sale.
A special mechanism from Heli-Factory holds the turbine in the turbine fairing. This made it possible to create a completely free cockpit for the scale conversion.
Optionally the fuselage can be upgraded with stern linings with rivet replicas, quick lock replicas. This is done after assembly and the first preparation for painting.
Further optional available additional equipment like cockpit, interior seating, landing lights, armament etc. can be ordered separately depending on the model and let your helicopter become a unique scale replica of your dream helicopter.
To optimise the weight, the new tail boom is constructed in CFRP / GFRP and is extremely light with extreme torsional stiffness.
The Blue Thunder is built with the scale “Gazelles” rotor head 3 blades with a scale 3 blade swashplate.
The model is completely assembled by us. You can choose between:
– Model ready to build, as an extension model with the desired 3D special parts according to your wishes
– Model ready to fly with drive, the desired 3 D special parts according to your wishes and the lacquering ..received.
You can choose between turbine or electric motor drive.
Turbine version with Jakadowsky PRO 6000
Electric version with chipper Q 100
We mainly use remote control components from Futaba, PowerBox, Bavarian Demon, Hacker, and Jeti. The desired attachment of 3D option special parts will be considered according to your wishes.
Mechanics
Mechanics HF-Gazelle-Blue Thunder for Jakadofsky turbines PRO 6000 or electric drive with Q 100.
Robust mechanics especially designed for the Blue Thunder and the position of the turbine.
Stable GRP side plate screwed onto aluminium bars milled from the solid form the base frame of the mechanism.
An original bevel gear set from Jakadowsky is placed between the distance bars, which was manufactured with high precision and is driven by a main gear made of high-strength plastic. This main gear is designed for the desired speed of the rotor head for the Gazelle and is specially milled for us from the solid. This ensures 100 % concentricity. The plastic main gear wheel then engages with the pinion of the centrifugal clutch of the Jakadowsky turbine or electric motor.
High-quality bearings complement the mechanics and allow for a long service life.
Main rotor head speed 930 rpm.
Fenestron rear rotor speed 9800 rpm.
Mechanics for 12 and 15 mm main rotor shafts
All parts “Made in Germany”!!!
Rotor head
Rotor head Gazelle:
Scale replica of the 3 blade rotor head with rigid blade bearing shafts.
Replica completely made in metal on high-precision 5-axis-machining machines for us according to our drawings and layouts.
Extremely good-natured and precisely controllable rotor head with extreme attention to detail and reproduction of the scale view of the rotor head.
Blade handle mount 14 mm
Rotor head for 12 and 15 mm main rotor shafts
Rotor head completely assembled and painted
All parts “Made in Germany”!!!
Swash plate:
Swashplate scale replica for Gazelle with driver
Version for 4 servos
Replica completely made in metal on high-precision 5-axis-machines for us according to our drawings and layouts.
Swashplate completely assembled and painted
Swashplate for 12 or 15 mm shafts
All parts “Made in Germany”!!!
Rotor blades Gazelle :
Rotor blades 3 pieces finely balanced with a mounting of 14 mm
length 1150 mm
width 75 mm
Drive
The … blade Fenestron is completely made of aluminium and has a gear with a bevel gear combination 1:1 with a diameter of 23.3 mm. The bevel gears have cyclo-palloid gearing module 0.6
And the tooth flanks are inductively hardened.
The … blade Fenestron is completely made of aluminium and has a gear with a bevel gear combination 1:1 with a diameter of 23.3 mm. The bevel gears have cyclo-palloid gearing module 0.6
And the tooth flanks are inductively hardened.
Scale parts
Available as optional 3 D pressure parts or made of stainless steel tube:
Complete cockpit with front seats, Copilot workstation
LCD monitors for the cockpit
Lighting with position lights incl. holders
Landing lights fixed on both sides
Extendable landing light
Cabins door handles
Cable Cutter
Windscreen Wiper
Scale exhaust pipe made of stainless steel in curved design
Antenna Set
Armament
