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Is there a better UH-1B/C in 1/48?

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  • Member since
    February 2013
Is there a better UH-1B/C in 1/48?
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Thursday, July 18, 2013 4:12 AM

Hey again

I thought I'd have a go at assembling the Revell Huey Hog I've got...

...and it's terrible!!!  The ESCI UH-1D that I've been working on, and nearly finished, is a dream to work with compared to the Revell kit.

For a start the roof doesn't fit, I'll have to bend the side walls of the front of the fuselage to fit it!

So, I've decided to scrap it and leave it in my "bits box". 

Disappointing because I was looking forward to building a 'Nam gunship.

If I wasn't trying to do something rather unorthodox (which requires the fuselage to be so that I can separate the two halves) I could probably make the kit work but it is just generally horrible.  Revell have a cheek selling it still (and I'm a moron for buying it).

So, is there a UH-1B/C kit out there in 1/48 by any other manufacturer that is any better?

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Thursday, July 18, 2013 4:46 AM

Just come across a 1/48 UH-1B kit by Seminar - is it any good?  I can kit bash the weapons on it with the weapons from the Revell kit if necessary.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Thursday, July 18, 2013 5:41 AM

Scratch using 1/48.  

I've crunched some numbers and a 1/35 UH-1C is only 3 or so inches longer and only about 1 or 2 inches wider than the 1/48 UH-1D I've got, so it won't be too much bigger, in fact the extra space inside should be helpful.  Just hope it's not too much heavier, I can always build it up as a static kit if it is.

I'm gonna buy an Academy UH-1C Frog off ebay and equip it with the miniguns/rocket pods that come on the sprues.

I know the model kit hobby has died out a bit but surely there's a market for a proper decent 1/48 UH-1B/C?!

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Friday, July 19, 2013 1:54 AM

Hobby Boss does a C model that is fairly new. Runs $13 at Squadron

http://www.squadron.com/product-p/hy85803.htm

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Friday, July 19, 2013 5:19 AM

Thanks.  I've seen that one.  Looks about as good as the Revell kit.  I could kitbash the two I guess.  I've got a 1/35 Academy UH-1C Frog on order though so that "should" be better for what I want, assuming it arrives (the site I bought it from said it's in stock but I'm not holding my breath), the one I had on order from an ebay seller turned out to be bogus because he hadn't checked his stock...

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Friday, July 19, 2013 9:28 AM

That kit has been out since the mid-90s but was pretty good (or so I was told). It was the one variant I never ended up getting. I had bought their Super Cobra, Bell 47 USCG chopper and the OH-58Ds, all of which were very nice.

Back in the 1990s they issued each of their helicopters in two versions; the UH-1C came as a Heavy Hog and also as a virtually identical "Frog".

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 19, 2013 3:33 PM

I have a 1/48 scale uh-1n,  i scratched the interior for the uh-1n i used to work on while I was with air rescue.  If you are tempted to throw it against a wall, don't,   just send it to me,   i'll rework it and display it my self

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Lafayette, LA
Posted by Melgyver on Friday, July 19, 2013 10:02 PM

The only way to make a decent 1/48 UH-1C is old fashioned model building!  Hard work, sweat, tears and now some resin parts!  Cobra Company has a detail set to help out the old Revellogram Huey Hog.  Way back in 1985 Pete Harlem put out a book to detail the Monogram Huey Hog kit.  Lots of good detail pictures and drawings of UH-1C's and their components.   It seems ironic that the most used Helicopter in the last 50 years has only one kit that deems worthy of build, the Academy UH-1C in 1/35 scale.  We have no quality 1/48 kits of any version and the work horse of the Vietnam War the UH-1D/H represented poorly by the ancient 1/32 Revell and 1/35 Panda/Dragon kits.  I think Academy could score big time with a good UH-1D/H and AH-1G if they would produce them before all the Vietnam Vets have joined the WW II guys upstairs!  Maybe my son will get to build one after I'm gone!  

Clear Left!

Mel

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Friday, July 19, 2013 11:40 PM

Thanks Mel.  I agree, looking around I am shocked at the lack of kits for not just Huey's but various other iconic helicopters.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Saturday, July 20, 2013 4:47 AM

@ ap me - if you would like the Revell UH-1 kit drop me a PM (for some reason I can't send you one?!).  I don't think I have any use for the Revell UH-1 kit because my other 1/48 Huey is a UH-1D and that's supposed to have the XM-23 M16 door gun system, or at least it will do when I get around to ordering them from Cobra Company.

I don't think there are actually any parts on the Revell UH-1 that I'd want.  Bear in mind though that I've tried assembling the fuselage so the stabs have had some poly cement on them and the hand grabs are attached (for the moment, hopefully they won't break off), the fuselage also has had magnets stuck to the inside to hold the 2 halves of the fuselage together (and also the nose on) but they can easily be removed and the kneadatite/super glue tidied up I'm sure.

You'll need to cover shipping costs though, let me know where you live in your PM and I'll check prices with Royal Mail.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Saturday, July 20, 2013 11:22 AM

Actually, I think the fact that the best UH-1C kit is in 1/35 makes perfect sense and not at all ironic.

Prior to Desert Shield/Desert Storm and subsequent Global Wars on Terrorism in the 21st century (just using this official term and not intended to stir up any politics), Vietnam War modeling was the most popular genre for modern armor modelers.

The helicopter would look right at home in an armor style diorama dropping off air cavalry troopers in a hot LZ or a wrecked bird with an M113 on scene.

Most of the 1/35 scale helicopters like the OH-6 Cayuse, AH-6 Little Bird, UH-1, AH-1, UH-60, AH-64 and the little Bells are often synonymous with modern armor modeling. I've seen a really intrinsic Black Hawk Down diorama with a crashed helicopter, HMMWVs and 5 tons.

The main problem with modeling helicopters in this scale is they tend to be fairly big.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 20, 2013 8:53 PM

thanks for the offer, but I already have a uh-in the one I was assigned to a uh-ia/b and a very old husky hh43, I like working on then, but I have no room to keep them   plus, I work mainly with 1/1000 scale starships

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Saturday, July 20, 2013 9:42 PM

Rob Gronovius
The main problem with modeling helicopters in this scale is they tend to be fairly big

Aren't they just.

I was sizing up a MH-53 the other day and in 1/48 scale it's almost 2ft long, god knows how long it would be in 1/35 scale!! Surprise

ap me
thanks for the offer, but I already have a uh-in the one I was assigned to a uh-ia/b and a very old husky hh43, I like working on then, but I have no room to keep them   plus, I work mainly with 1/1000 scale starships

OK no worries, if anyone does want the kit drop me a PM, I don't have any use for it.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Sunday, July 21, 2013 1:10 AM

The first helicopter I flew in was a Chinook and I would have loved one in 1/35 scale; that is until I saw the kit in the flesh...much too big for me to do anything with it.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Sunday, July 21, 2013 1:31 PM

Lol, yeah, a 1/35 CH-47 would be nearly 3 feet long!!

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 21, 2013 4:05 PM

hummmmm?  just how much detail could you put into a helo that is 3ft long

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 21, 2013 4:14 PM

on second thought, I might take you up on your offer.  I live in lakewood colorado us80214.  tell me what will cost.   and post a pic or 2 of it, so I can see what it looks like, I might have it already.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Monday, July 22, 2013 2:56 AM

Well when it's assembled it looks like this -

Or this

Mine came with the decals for the 1st pic, but you can order the other set of decals from Revell themselves, I did that and they sent them for free all the way from the US, but I'd like to keep those because I may do a UH-1N in 1/48 sometime in the future.

I'll check with Royal Mail to see how much it's likely to cost for shipping to the US.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Monday, July 22, 2013 3:29 AM

OK, I've checked with Royal Mail (on their website at least) and it appears shipping to the US will cost approximately £18 GNP which is $27.51 USD.  Other postage providers here in the UK I've looked charge roughly the same.

So that's a ball park figure, let me know if you do actually want the model ap me and I'll take it down the actual post office and try to confirm the actual cost.

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Monday, July 22, 2013 3:30 AM

Edit - should read GBP above, not GNP, that's a typo lol.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Lafayette, LA
Posted by Melgyver on Monday, July 22, 2013 12:57 PM

Rob, I meant that it was ironic we only had one quality Huey model out of all the Huey kits produced and it was the most used Helicopter of the Vietnam War! Not the fact the kit was a UH-1C. It's my favorite since my Unit was the 174th AHC and we had C's and M's. The Sharks sported the Flying Tigers famous Sharks teeth.

Clear Left!

Mel

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Monday, July 22, 2013 5:55 PM

ap me

hummmmm?  just how much detail could you put into a helo that is 3ft long

IIRC the fuselage was almost 2 feet long. The blades were really long. I know Trumpeter does at least two variants, a CH-47A and a CH-47D. I have no idea which model I flew in, 1985 summer camp at Fort Bragg, so probably whichever variant was used at that time.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, July 22, 2013 11:57 PM

I think the D was the model in use at that time...

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 3:18 AM

Ah dammit!  The 2nd 1/35 Academy UH-1C "Frog" I ordered has fallen through as well, I had no communication other than from paypal regarding the purchase so I emailed the seller (in S. Korea) asking him if the item is in stock and if it's not to provide a refund and he's refunded the monies, suggesting it was a bogus advert in the first place, i.e. it's not in stock.

Getting fed up with sourcing this model, it seems the only one's I find are from S. Korean sellers, I've had 1 on Ebay turn out to be a dud, this last one from a site called ECKorea turned out to be a dud also and everywhere else seems to have sold out of them.

The price isn't all that favourable either, the ones that are supposedly available (2 or 3 on Ebay) go for something like $40!

The only other 1/35 Academy UH-1C I can find is the Heavy Hog variant, and that's available from a seller I trust (i.e. not S. Korean) but it doesn't come with the minigun/rocket pod combo of weapons I want.  Sad

  • Member since
    May 2012
Posted by SKEATA on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 6:08 AM

Hi  

There is 1/35 Academy UH-1C I in a shop in Melbourne Australia for $37.99 Aus

They are a reputably shop I've been told ,I personally have not bought any thing off them , they have been around for a long time !

Don't know about freight costs ,I'll leave that to you

I,ll pass it on if you like ?  ( trying to upload site , to send

Skeata


  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 8:08 AM

Thanks.  I just found a French seller who has it on their website, and I've emailed them asking for confirmation that it is in stock, and they've responded saying it is.

So I'll order from them. Other other 2 I ordered were only £22 ($33.99ish) though, this one is going to cost me 39 Euros, something like £33.  Sad

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 24, 2013 7:43 PM

hi, save the stamps,  I have this kit,  thanks for answering so quickly, but there it is....sll

  • Member since
    May 2012
Posted by SKEATA on Thursday, July 25, 2013 6:59 AM

That is approx $56 Aus plus postage ! Though it's a day trip to France if stamps are to expensive  (LOL)  TravelBeer   

  • Member since
    February 2013
Posted by Raven Morpheus on Thursday, July 25, 2013 7:20 AM

Yeah, 10 Euros of that 39 Euros is the cost of shipping from France to the UK!  It only cost rotorwash something like $16 to send an ESCI 1/48 UH-1D kit from the US to me in the UK!

@ap me - no worries, I half expected you to decline the offer (I would too given the availability of the kit brand new and the extortionate shipping cost from the UK to the US).  I think I might have found a use for it though - I need to learn how to use my Badger 250 airbrush to do the camo on my Jolly Green Giant (if it's at all possible with such an airbrush, which is more like a spray gun), so I'll use one half of the fuselage of the 1/48 Revell Huey Hog as a test subject.

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