Ive been asked by my husbands unit to make a helicopter cake for their next event at the end of July. I've only done 2 other carved cakes but nothing 3D like this. I'm so out of my league here but they really want me to try and will pay good $$ for it.

It's the chinook, the one with two rotors on top.
http://www.armybase.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/CH-47F-Chinook-helicopter.jpg

I'm going to need a sturdy base that I can "attach" wheels to. Do I use wood?
How about the rotor system? The blades are really long. So I'm worried that using gumpaste will be too heavy and lead to breakage.

When I cover it in fondant should I do it in sections? Or try to do the whole thing at once?

The details I think I can do...it's just getting a study support system to hold the thing together.

Any tips or pointers are greatly appreciated!!

and away we go (tho' jackie gleason I doubt ever flew in a chinook!)

scale drawing!!! http://www.boeing.com/rotorcraft/military/ch47d/images/ch47art.gif

so there's your measurements, now just scale it down.

YES, to wood base -- and I'd use real wheels from some model (not everything has to be edible!!)

then take a 9x13 and slice down the middle long way so have two 4.5 x 13 pieces (or any size sheet cake and cut same way)

stack these two just like normal and then carve to get basic body shape.

to wood base attache with screws - 2 dowels -- one short one to go up to support front rotor, longer one in back for taller rotor.

the back rotor housing/fin would be RKT shaped around the dowel

for the blades I just use thin cardboard cut to shaped and held in place with a small brad

now of course if you want to get fancy there are ways to motorize all this so the rotors spin, lights flash -- "duff" it up!

Thank you so much for the diagram and tips...
I did a trial run this week and found out that I need to cover the fuselage in fondant first then cover the front and aft pylons. The fondant kept tearing when trying to do the whole thing. Made the blades out of super thin bolsa wood. I feel sooo much pressure to get the details right since these guys built them, work on them and fly them. Thankfully I was able to get up close and personal with the new fox model last night and took tons of pics to help with the detail work.

great!

post pictures!

There is a decorator who does these, www.azcakes.com (Elizabeth Bradley). If you check her website under Grooms cakes you will find one. I hesitate to post a picture without her permission.. Anyway, I purchased one of her stands for a helicopter (she used to teach that class), but lazy me... I have yet to make the cake The stand is awesome though.. hth