JACK PEARCE MAY be the man with the best hand-eye coordination in the hobby today. CTT readers will be familiar with many of the products that he’s visually supercharged over the years.
He has been installing lights – flashing and otherwise – as well as other visual effects into die-cast metal trucks, cars, and fire apparatus. You can now add helicopters to his resume.
Jack has taken an off-the-shelf 1:43 scale Bell Jet Ranger (from White Rose Collectibles) and added lights, movement, and sound.
The light package includes a constant red marker light, a cabin light, a floodlight under the nose, and two red flashing beacons.
To power the rotor, Jack uses a 30-rpm, 110-volt motor installed beneath the “landing pad.” The mechanism will fit through a 3- by 3-inch opening in your benchwork.
Jack has signed up with Innovative Train Technology to create a sound board for a Bell Jet Ranger. Turned on, the circuit re-creates the sound of a chopper revving up for flight.
The helicopter’s base is 51/2 inches square, but the turning blades require an overall footprint of 9 by 9 inches. I can see some of the more creative folks in our hobby kitbashing a rooftop-landing pad with this chopper.
If you have the space, and aviation is part of your hobby mix, contact Jack and see what he can do to enhance your O gauge layout or airfield.
