Panda's 1st Cav Huey question,,,,,

Hiya Swede!

DO NOT BUY THAT KIT!!

There I said it and more here will tell you its rotten! Oversized rivits and icky stuff all over!

For 1/35 MRC is your best bet! and there is a 1/35 Nam crew set out there by Dragon....I think it is discontinued but it shows up on ebay and some folks still have it on the back shelf.

( Oh man...I just remembered your doing a UH1-D model ....RATS!....are you sure you want to stick with 1/35 scale? )

NOW....

I believe the Panda kit your talking about did come with the SAME CREW KIT ( cuz its distributed by the same folks ...marco polo or Dragon...me thinks? ) and if that is so that means it comes with the Crew of four, granades, M60 mount kit and guns! ...So that means getting the Panda kit may be your best bet?....I would check ebay for all that stuff.

Hope that helped!

Hey Troy.
Why not try to find the old Revell 1/32 kit?
It wasn't THAT bad. Could be better.
As far as the crew kit goes. I believe they are back in production for the time being. I saw them listed on one of the retailers website. Can't remember which one, but I did see them listed.
They are good about running them for awhile and then stopping and then running them again.

Randie

Yep! I found the Nam Helo crew set on a few different sites....Swede has mail!

Some even still had the Panda 1/35 UH1-D.

That kit will work if the rivits are carefully sanded down and one does not look for the minor inaccuracies?....I think?

I think Cobra Company has got a correction/update kit for some of it.

Randie

Panda 1st CAV UH-1D does come with the Dragaon Helo crew set, however, to model the door gunners positions, you need two of the Dragon crew sets. Each comes with a 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot, 1 door gunner with flex mount for M-60, and 1 seated M-60 gunner holding the MG as if it is hanging from tubing from the roof (same guy in their OH-6 model kit). Don't know why they did it this way, but you need two Helo crew sets to get two flex mounts for M-60 door guns. As for the Panda kit, it is poor, but will work and it is the only 1/35th UH-1D. The old Revell 1/32 UH-1D is a better kit, and the Dragon Fex mounts and figures could be used on it as well. (scale is close enough)

You may want to check the Panda Kit numbers. The first ones issued didn't have crews or M-60's. I think they just started putting the Dragon Helio Crew kit it lately. Seems I saw this in a cataloge somewhere, but CRS at the moment. Cobra Company has the 1/32 M-60 door mount kits for the old Revell kit. The soundproofing looks a lot more realistic in the Revell kit as well as the transmission assy and a host of other details. If only they could have gotten the nose profile right!

QUOTE: HeavyArty wrote: ..and 1 seated M-60 gunner holding the MG as if it is hanging from tubing from the roof (same guy in their OH-6 model kit). Don't know why they did it this way...

Some Crewmembers elected to have their M-60's suspended from a nylon strap, so they could lean out the door and affect fire under and behind the aircraft. Maybe that explains the DG figure you were referring to?
Frank

Oldhooker, I know the reason the figure is as it as. That is how I placed the figure in the OH-6 model with a piece of string from the top of the door frame. What I can't figure out is why Dragon only put 1 M-60 flex mount in the kit. Huey slick should have flex mount on both sides, I have never seen one on just one side.

HA! I know the REAL reason why they had the crew that they did.....

That set was originally designed for the 1/35 Loach kit! .....look at the artwork its figures were designed for....OH-6A "Miss Clawd IV" Outcast - Low level hell!

I found the Kit # for the Panda UH-D with Crew members. This was in the Dec. 03 Squadron Supplement. PS35006A. I don't know if it was initiated by Panda or a Squadron Special. I think I'm going to have to use the Panda "shell" and the "guts" from Revell and a bit of scratch building to make a "good" UH-1H. May have to rob some stuff from an MRC UH-1C too. Really hate to scavenge from such a good kit! If I procrastinate long enough maybe MRC will come through. More like after spending a year on a project, then someone makes it!

I forgot to mention the real reason the Army went to the post type door gun mounts because too many skids, rotor blades, other helicopter parts were getting holes in them from gunners and crew chiefs with "free" 60's. The mounts made putting a hole in part of the copper just about impossilbe because of travel stops. Some of the very early "D"s had "free" 60's and most of the "Charlie" models did to.

What 's wrong with the Panda HU-1D apart the RIVETS....? I read something 'bout the rotor but I couldn' t remember what...!
Anybody knows something more precise than: awful, pure junk...etc. ?! Thanks...

Mike.
I have never actually seen the kit outside of the box..
I do know this. Cobra Company had a correction kit ALMOST before the kit was released!!!!! I can't remember what all is in the kit. I do know that doors come to mind. Just from what I understand, a fairly inaccurate kit. I don't really know, just what I've heard.

Randie

I have the kit. Basically, manyof the parts are too thick or detail too heavy. This is due to it being the Italeri 1/48th scale kit that was upsized to 1/35 scale. For example, the rear crew seat uprights are about a scale 6" tube, it should be only about 1 1/2 " tube. Also, Instrument panel is decal type with no relief on it at all. Other parts are too thickly molded as well. Most of the interior problems are corrected in the Cobra Company update set seen below.

With some work, it can still be made into a great model. Again, the only UH-1D/H in 1/35th scale.

I looked at my kit a few days ago and the main rotor blades are Bell 212 or "N" model blades. The main rotor mast, tubes, levers, stabilizer bar assy and swashplate are not well represented. The transmission is a joke. The soundproofing is over exagerated and doesn't have the access panels on each side and in front of the transmission walls. I forgot to eyeball the instrument panel but I know the 1/48th kit has a "212" or "N" model panel. It has the wider "212" or "N" model tail rotor blades. The top engine cowl had the wrong shape side vents and looks too tall. Lucky I'm not home to look at the kit while I'm writing this or I would run out of room. Just buy an MRC UH-1C and look at the difference in quality and detail. Then they didn't include the most used piece of equipment on the UH-1D/H. The two M-60 door guns and mounts. They have a beautiful picture on the box and zip inside! For the price they are asking it's robbery! To compare it to MRC's Huey or Revell's old Huey it''s not even apples or oranges! It's a rotten tomato!

Right on Mel ....
By the way, I hadn't noticed the nose was wrong on the Revell kit. What's wrong with it?
Paul

Paul,

It's a little too blunt for lack of a better discription. I think the center of the nose from the horizontal back up to the windscreen is too flat. And I dont thing the windshield is position quite right. Just something about it that doesn't capture the "real" Huey shape. Sorry I'm so picky, but after a tour in Nam and 7 years crewing a Medevac UH-1H (before they became Victor's) I loved "my" Huey! Just ask the wife! She was happy I gave up my other "love" way back in "81". For Christmas of "87" she surpised me with Phillp's print the "Long Green LIne", a flight of Hueys coming up a valley, I still get goose bumps and hear those "poping " blades when I look at it. She even has it hanging in the den in a beautiful red oak frame made by a Vietnam Vet pilot friend of mine. Not too many people can say the wife lets them hang a picture of their "old girlfriend" on the wall in their home! Yea, I'm a sick puppy! Love those Hueys! Didn't I send you an "air to air" shot of one of our Cajun Medevac's? Just look at the nose and you will see what I mean. Take care! Aways check your six!

Yup....He's right......The 1/32 scale Revell Huey has nose problems too....but it all depends on how you look at it.....it is JUST a model and 1 out of 5 might even notice.....nothings perfect.

I have to agree with Papa-Echo-64 here. Every model will have some inaccuracies. No model is perfect. Some are better than others. Some are more of a challenge. All can be built into something that looks good. As long as you are satified with the way your models is what really matters. Getting wrapped around the axle about the minor details is more frustrating and not what the true spirit of modeling is. As long as you are hving fun building your representation of the subject, you are good. Don't get me wrong, I try to make my models as accurate as possible, but they are not totally accurate in every respect. Bottom line...Since I am rambling...Please yourself and be happy with your models.

.... Which brings us to ask ourselves; "Do I prefer Detail over Accuracy.. or visa-versa?

As Charity will cover a multitude of sins, so will Detail cover a multitude of inaccuracy's, in my way of thinking. I done a diorama of the 1/32nd Revell kit one time, and to camouflage the incorrect nose profile, I cut out and scratch built the Battery Door, and mounted it raised, with three crew members looking inside.... with one of their shirts laying at the base of the windshield. Like that, the inaccuracy was completely unnoticeable.

On the other hand, the correct profile means little, when the rivets are the scaled size of door knobs!! Yikes! [:0]

Detail wise, the 1/32nd kit steals the show. Do like Mel, and use a little bit from each one!

Frank

Guys,

My gripe is one company can do it right at a respectable price and another does it poor and charges the same price with no accessories. I don't expect perfection just give me a product worth the money. MRC does it with their UH-1C's. Full flight crew and 3 or 4 weapons configurations with the Shark kit. Panda's Huey should be about $15 at the extreme for what they give you! Revell is excused because I was still in High School when they put out their Huey. If you can't be passionate about something, maybe it time to grab and shovel and start digging a hole to crawl in! I still want a "good" UH-1D/H/V to build straight out of the box!

I agree with Mel.
MRC can do it cheaper, compared to quality, and a hellovalot better. And you can't use the excuse that it's because it's imported. If I'm not mistaken, so are the MRC's!!!
It's just a matter of MRC getting off their butt's and doing a decent D/H/V version of the Iroquois!!!! I'd buy one or two or maybe even THREE!!!
I would like to see MRC do some 1/35 figures, also. Maybe some seated and some departing from a chopper.

Randie