Metal Earth: Black Hawk

The workhorse that everyone can name, which is unusual for a workhorse.

The UH-60 replaced the Huey and has been carrying people and equipment around since 1979, in more variants than anyone outside the programme can keep track of. It is squat, wide and deliberately survivable, designed so the airframe absorbs a hard landing rather than the people inside it. Familiar enough from thirty years of news footage that the silhouette needs no caption.

Laser-cut stainless steel in flat sheets, assembled by folding parts and twisting tabs through slots. No glue, no solder, no paint. The main rotor head and the wheel struts are the delicate parts; everything else goes together at a reasonable pace. Bring tweezers. Finished in bare steel on a stand.

Perfect for: The former serviceman who says he does not want anything for his birthday.

Laser-cut steel | No glue required | Age 14+