Blue Thunder
 The info here is provided from the best Blue Thunder site I have ever seen. It has fantastic behind the scenes information and the entire scripts for 2 sequels!!!!!!! Please visit this site for more information.


Blue Thunder was a very unique film because it dealt very intimately with helicopters, which are often perceived as annoyingly loud and bothersome, complex and expensive forms of transport. But those qualities are characteristics of one of the most useful machines ever developed. A machine that can be used in many tasks and most useful in utility form as an air ambulance.
A few different helicopters were used in the film and this article explains the aircraft seen.

















LAPD Helicopters
These helicopters were the original civilian workhorse of the gas turbine generation. The helicopters dressed up as LAPD choppers were really used in such a role. They were Bell Model 206 Jetrangers, a civilian development after Bell failed to win an army contract with it during the Vietnam War. The Jetranger cruises at around 115 knots and can carry 5 people, including the pilot. It has a single Allison gas turbine engine and a simple two-blade main rotor.
The Jetranger has been updated over time as the A, B and finally BIII model. Bell has often taken criticism over this model because it has remained almost the same since the late 1960s when it was first sold. A stretched version called the Longranger was offered and a twin-engine development called the Twinranger was eventually dropped during the 1980s. Its legacy lives on in the Bell Model 427 and in the past few years Bell has announced a new Jetranger revamping called the JRX.
Murphy and Lymangood fly in another Jetranger in the film. This is a low-skid version of the model with a traditional Bell paint scheme of the time.







Cochrane's Attack Helicopter
The helicopter flown by Cochrane was a Hughes 500, a small and agile little helicopter that won the US Army's requirement for a light scout helicopter during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, escalating costs forced the army to re-open the competition and Bell was able to meet their needs the second time around.
However, Hughes continued their development until being taken over by McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation, being owned by Boeing and then having the program offloaded independently to be known as MD Helicopters. MD Helicopters now continues the 500 series program with their 530 model and larger brothers and sisters.
The Hughes 500 can fly up to 125 knots, has a small diameter five-blade main rotor and a diagonally-mounted Allison gas turbine engine. Its small size and lighter body give it great agility and it is used in a large number of roles. The all-around windows give it great observational ability.
The original Hughes 500, called the Hughes 369, was nicknamed the "flying egg" because of its shape. It was also called the "Loach" and formally called the "Cayuse" and designated the OH-6 by the US Army.








Blue Thunder
The star helicopter of the movie was a modified French Aerospatiale SA.341G Gazelle helicopter. This model was developed as a light observation helicopter for European defence forces. It features an advanced three-blade main rotor system, a shrouded tail rotor system built into the tail itself, and high visibility cabin windows.
The Gazelle cruises at 146 knots and is considered quite fast considering it is only powered by a single gas turbine engine and seats as many as a Jetranger. Another unique feature of this helicopter is that the shrouded tail rotor is made up of a dozen or so small fan blades that spin at very high RPM. This results in a harmonic effect with the main rotor that produces a loud, whiney sound, commonly known as "shrieking".
A lot of myth surrounds the Gazelle as being very touchy in the air, and should only be flown by very experienced pilots. Some Gazelles have an automatic stability system but many have crashed because of rumoured design issues with wind and the pioneering tail rotor system of the time.
The Blue Thunder version had modifications that included an entirely new retrofitted cabin canopy. This change removed the soft, round cabin and replaced it with an agressive, insect-like attack helicopter canopy. This was perhaps one of the most important styling points to make the machine appear menacing. The designers also added the mockup moving minigun that fired water and fitted dummy accessories to the sides of the aircraft.
There were also a series of minor cosmetic changes here and there. Although the result looked fantastic and very believable, and even regaining FAA airworthyness, these all added weight and the resulting impact on the aircraft's performance led to clever camera filming techniques being employed to make it look fast.
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PHOTOS can be found HERE.

1/7th Scale Blue Thunder
 $2695
 Imported from the Netherlands
Allow 4-6 weeks delivery
  • General Specifications:

    • 1/7th scale
    • High quality fiberglass parts with molded details and textures
    • Length:84 1/4 inches
    • Width:19 inches
    • Height:17 inches
    • Typical empty weight (no mechanics etc):11 lbs.
    • Recommended blade length: 875MM blades
    • Recommended mechanics: 90 size or LARGER
    • Quality vacuum formed parts
    • Quality resin parts
    • Kit shipping dimensions 43.5in X 21.5in X 18in