Seems as if there are a number of diecast model makers trying their luck at the helicopter market. Earlier today, we learned that Oxford plans on testing the “choppy” waters with its first ever helicopter – a Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly HR.5 Utility Helicopter (WD001). Based upon the US Army’s Sikorsky S-51, the Dragonfly entered service with the Royal Navy in 1950, immediately employed in an air-sea rescue role. A number were also used by the Royal Air Force for casualty evacuation. It was replaced in British service by the Westland Whirlwind, another derivative of a Sikorsky design, in the late 1950s. Fifty-one civilian WS-51s were produced. Examples were used by Pest Control Ltd for crop spraying and others were flown as executive transports by Silver City Airways, Evening Standard Newspapers and Fairey Aviation. Exported aircraft operated in Japan, Belgian Congo, Mexico and Norway.

Interestingly, the Oxford model is not expected until the 3rd quarter of 2019, so if you intend on pre-ordering this item, understand that you may have to sit on your hands for at least a year before it materializes.