PeepingBear
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Posts posted by PeepingBear
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Squadron Signal's AH-64 Apache Walk Around book (# 5552) by Jonathan Bernstein (himself a former(?) ANG AH-64 pilot) shows a profile of 68977 "Rigor Mortis". The picture is a bit small, but one can recognise a painting of Iron Maidens' Eddie as BoB pilot on the vertival tail. The aicraft's name is not viosible on the starboard side. So far I have been unable to find photos of "Rigor Mortis" on the WWW and there seem to be no decals, which is a shame.
Having the angry Eddie pilot portrait (https://www.google.com/search?q=iron+maiden+eddie+pilot) reproduced as a custom-made decal should be possible, but without knowledge about font, size and placement of "Rigor Mortis" this feels insufficient.
BTW, you are aware about the asymmetric loadout used to extend the flight range of the Apaches of TF Normandy? One external fuel tank, 2 x four AGM-114 Hellfires and one 19 shot Hydra 70 FFAR pod. The fuel tank is of the same type as used on H-60 Blackhawks.
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On 10/3/2025 at 11:19 AM, Ben Brown said:
Now that I'm back on my computer, here's what it looked like when I saw it yesterday. So is it an OH-6, or an olive drab civil bird? [...]
Ben
I think that the smaller aft doors, the "cheap" front seats (no comfy upholstery for hard-assed aviators...) and the external power receptable (under the right side of the front right seat) strongly hint at an ex-military OH-6A. Cool that someone is keeping such oldtimers airworthy!
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Hello from Germany,
as already written, there are principally three kits of the H-34 in "quarter scale" (1/48): The old and not to detailed Revell kit from the 1990es (with an underscale rotor head, a overly simple cabin and cockpit but with nice raised rivets all over the fuselage), and the kits from Gallery (Trumpeter) and Italeri, both from the 201x years. Pictures of their sprues and of the modelling instructions can be found here: https://www.super-hobby.com/products/H-34-US-MARINES-re-edition.html (Trumpeter) and https://www.super-hobby.com/products/H-34A-Pirate-UH-34D-U.S.-Marines.html (Italeri, an early H-34A with the landing gear of sub-variants I and II, their kit of the German SAR variant has type III landing gear) The Gallery/ Tumpeter and the Italeri kits are/ were offered in serveral versions with the V-shaped landing gear struts (H-34G.III) but also with the L-shaped lower struts (older variants H-34G.I and-II, furthermore, the motor exhaust is farther down for variant I and II and higher up for III).I crawled all over and around a H-34 in a German museum and we had a Chocktaw as our Heeresflieger air field gate guard. My photos, the Schiffer book on the H-34, the old German F-40 series booklet and my memory let me think that both the Italeri kit and the trumpeter kit will yield really nice models.
Italeri offers parts for the collective controls (left hand side sticks), Gallery forgot these. Italeri reproduced the cooling vent slits at the aft end of the "dog house" correctly with several "stiffeners between the slits, Gallery has just one central "stiffening" line. See e.g. https://b-domke.de/AviationImages/Choctaw.html#H-34G-II (farther down the aft end of the dog house is shown) or https://modellbau360.eu/walkaround-h-34-g/ or http://originalundmodell.de/originale/h-34g.htm for walk around pictures.
Gallery's detail is a bit sharper, but the detail of Iteleri's kit is not mushy, fully acceptable. Gallery offers a detailed Wright R-1820 engine, Italeri just shows the parts visible under the belly. I think Gallery used a German example, because their kit shows the three rows of vent slits on the starboard side upper tail. (I think this is for the cabin heating, there is an exhaust tube on the port side.)
Both kits wait in my stash, the Italeri kit is now open beside my keyboard, I must say it looks very buildable. On German modelling forums one can read that the panel lines of Italeri's kit do not match from one fuselage half to the other, annoying, but rather easily fixed.
Verdict: Gallery/ Trumpeter ranks top (say an A- school grade), but rather closely followed by Italeri. The old Revell kit is of definitely inferior detail with some hard to improve weaknesses - just a collector's item.
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Excellent picture! Thank you for sharing.
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Hi,
after dry-fitting the 1/48 Monogram AH-1S (well F) cockpit into the Fujimi Fuselage, let me say it fits quite well, but needs support or correct positioning: Fujimi has horizontal ribs at the level of the cockpit floor inside both fuselage halves, these perfectly adjust the Fujimi cockpit tub, but the side panels are too narrow, leaving ca 1 mm gap to the inner fuselage sides. OTOH, the Monogram tub fits nicely against the inner fuselage sides, but there is nothing to place it correctly. Either eyeball it and use fast setting glue or put some fine sqare plastic rod in place first, against which the Monogram part can be settled. -
BTW, some examples of built 1/72 models
Hajo Lippke's MH-53J on Mdellversium (German website), based on the Airfix kit is a really nice example of a possible kit bash.
Craig 'modelling minion' shows several really detailed step-by-step phots of his aifix H-53 project
Somchai 'Blackeyes' built a clean IDF Yasur showing the engraved panelling of a Fujimi kit nicely.
Christian Schmidt updated Fujimi's kit to the GS variant (ca. year 2000)
Oliver Zwiener built a HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant from the Fujimi kit
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The sketch of the IRB is from the F-40 book "CH-53G".
The new composite main rotor blades Italeri tried to represent in their CH-53E kit (top in thy picture) have a too narrow chord, the blade root is too thin, the trim tab is not wide enough and the slanted aft ends (both inner and outer) have the wrong angle. The blade root extension (correct for the CH-53E) can easily be shortened and the angle of the aft blade tip can be corrected easily. The inner slanted aft edge is harder to correct.
The two painted old style blades are from a Fujimi kit, alas I made the yellow "lift here" marks in the wrong place...
Possibly laminating thin sheet styrene over the (thinned down) old style blades is a way to arrive at the correct shape or one could try to 3D print or resin cast the blades in top/ bottom halves, with a thin net/ mesh sandwiched in between?
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Look here in this older thread for pictures:
page 9 showing the different main blades in 48th scale (farther down)
HTH
Jan
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If you desire to build a modernised H-53 with improved rotor blades, you could look for Italeri's MH-53E kit, this has seven rotor blades that can be used for a conversion, their shape is not perfect, but... Furthermore, you also get the larger external drop tanks (total capacity 4,921 L), the kits only offer the older and smaller external tanks (tot. cap. 1900 L?)
BTW, the discontinued Eduard PE interior detail set is also for this kit, well who can see the detail is wrong for an old school H53 without a microscope...
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Hi,
if you visit this (German) Aviation website and register (for free), you can see the pictures I published for a comparison of all three kits: https://www.flugzeugforum.de/threads/1-72-ch-53g-bausatzvergleich-airfix-fujimi-italeri-auch-revell-bilek.53083/
Google translate will help with my German text.
Best wishes and a happy new year 2025!
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Hello,
Academy's CH-53 kit is of Fujimi origin, not a bad choice. See photos of the spues here:
Super Hobby Webshop ACA # 12575 CH-53D 1/72
Italeri's CH-53 is, AFIAK, their own mold, see details here: Super Hobby ITA # 1035 CH-53 1/72
For a walk around, see here: Burkhard Domke's CH-53G walkaround photos
IMHO the best 1/72 scale starting point is the old Airfix kit: 145 parts, if I counted correctly, details and dimensions are rather nicely done, the outer fuselage is covered in rivets, like the original. Cockpit detail is ok: all controls, alas only decal instruments and switch panels (same for all available kits, there is (was?) a PE set available, see: Eduard MH-53 PE set. The side door and steps look good, there is a part for the cabin roof and the landing lights (to both sides of tha nose landing gear) are clear parts.
Fujimi takes second place, 116 parts, the engraved lines are really nice for a kit from the 1980es, the vertcal stabilator looks a tad thin, but this can be corrected with easy scratch building, if one feels inclined. Fujimi's engines are a three piece affair, not the easiest to glue "straight". Venting grids have sharper detail than the Airfix parts. Fujimi and Italeri do not have a cabin roof.
Specific weak points of Italeri's kit:
- fat "holes" on both lower sides of the cabin (the inner halves of the sponsons are part of the fuselage halves in this kit)
- wrong anti-clockwise rotating direction of AT-rotor (true: clockwise, if viewed from the port side)
- overly simplified AT-rotor head
- missing upper "star" of the main rotor head
- wrong (rounded) shape of the aft ends of the engine frontal gear coolers
- wrong shape of the main landing gear wells
- the windows over the forward end of the sponsons should be a tad narrower
- the "bumps" (warts) on the inspection platforms/ covers of the main rotor gear box (middle of the dog house sides should be aft on the left (port) side, a bit more forward on the right (starboard) side
- instead of rivets (correct) there is a tight network of lines all over the fuselage, look ok, hen finished, but just ok...
- oleos of the landing gear are a tad long (as if the helicopter weighs less than real)
None of the kits has side wall detail in the deeper parts of the cabin, US forces flew the H-53 sometimes without any sound proofing mats --> all ribs and stringers visible; using "quilted" kitchen paper tissue (painted some light greenish silvery grey) to simulate the sound proofing could be an easy fix. None of the kits has benches running along the cabin side walls.
Hope this helps!
I am a proud former member of the Medium Transport Helicopter Regiment 15, stationed in ETHE (Rheine Bentlage), their workhorse was the CH-53G. mTrspHschrRgt 15 was disbanded in 2013, the German CH-53 are no longer part of Army Aviation, but flying with our Luftwaffe.
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Just in case someone arrived here because of his/ her desire to convert an A-37 to a T-37. Oldmodels Decals (NZL) produces a really nice set of decals for the T-37. I ordered the set and really like the graphics, alas I do not yet know about ease of application. You can find the decals here: https://jaysmodelkits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=85_140_87&products_id=2974
Having hands-on experience both with Monogram's and Trumpeter's A-37 kits, I would recommend the Trumpeter kit as a starting point for this conversion - there is more than a bit of hacking and slashing to be done and the recessed lines of Tumpy's kit will help with any subsequent sanding, fillling etc.
The pictures in Lorebor's Britmodeller post are a good information source about what to change.
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Hello,
you might also want to think about these decals:https://www.hahen.com/epages/64625185.mobile/de_DE/;ClassicView=1?ObjectPath=/Shops/64625185/Products/48022
HaHen produces really nice sets, well researched and printed.
https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X48248
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CH-53G was the original variant, more or less equivalent to the American CH-53D. The German Heeresflieger (Army Aviation) got 112 machines between 1972 and '75. There were three operational regiments: HFlgRgt 15 in Rheine, HFlgRgt 25 in Laupheim, and HFlgRgt 35 in Mendig, each with >30 helicopters, a small number was used at the Heeresfliegerwaffenschule in Bückeburg and as test aircraft. Mendig was disbanded in 2002, their machines were handed over to the other two regiments. In the year 2012/13 the Luftwaffe took over all German CH-53, this was a problematic change, leading to a severe loss of know how, since an unexpectedly large percentage of army aviation personnel preferred not to become Lufwaffe...
The variant GS was a technical upgrade until 2002, resulting from out of area experiences (UN missions, the Balkans) to cope with the new mission demands: improved rotor blades, external tanks, engine air particle separators, GPS, improved night vison capabilities, partial cabin armour, defensive sensors. 20 helicopters got this upgrade.
The variant GA was a further technical upgrade for 40 helicopters from 2010 to '17 focusing on navigation, secure communication and SatCom, ECM, FLIR, a full exchange of cables and reinforcement of the fuselage (due to old age). The aimwas to extend the CH-53's lifetime until 2030.
So: GA is the latest upgrade.
Google should be able to translate thie: https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ausruestung-technik-bundeswehr/luftsysteme-bundeswehr/sikorsky-ch-53
The German Wikipedia srticle laso has more detail: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_CH-53#Bundeswehr
HFlgRgt 15 (later mTrspHubschrRgt 15) was my reserve post until its decommissioning in 2013 (but I was "only" observer/ navigator on the Bo 105)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittleres_Transporthubschrauberregiment_15
HTH
Ian
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The olimp resin conversion is not hopeless, but do not expect Aires-like detail and fit. Furthermore, It offers no instrument panel, you need to change that by scratch building.
Kitty Hawk had announced a new AH-1W NTS kit in 1/48 scale, then they closed shop. Hopefully someone buys their molds and CAD so the kits reappear.
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Hello Dai,
a sure guess is the early / initial variant. The West German Luftwaffe used the Sabre in the 50es / 60es. When I was an active soldier at the end of the Cold War, I saw both varaints of RAL 6014 side by side, the earlier shade was a tad lighter, slightly more yellowish. The later / "younger" shade was definitely darker. BUT: This might not be due to different pigments, but a consequence of aged colour on the older specimens.This also goes along nicely with the scale effect: Especially smaller scale models look more realistic if painted in slightly lightended colours, because small objects cannot reflect as much light as larger ones, thus the small models seem darker unless their colours are made lighter with a few percent of white or really pale grey.
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Hello Mason,
and thanks for authoring this very nice walk around book.
I bought it at Aviation Megastroe (Amsterdsam NLD), read it and took the liberty of writing a review for the German modeling scene: https://www.modellversium.de/presse/artikel.php?id=1239Happy New Year!
Ian
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You should contact Abt. X (Dpt. X) of Revell, they are very customer oriented. Currentliy Revell offers "1/72 DGzRS Berlin & Bundeswehr Westland Seaking, Revell 05683", usually they have spares available for several months after the sale of a kit started.
I always offer to pay replacement parts and postage, as of yet they never sent me a bill.
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34 minutes ago, Grissom said:
Hi Ray,
[...] So the entire backrest seat cushion is a diffuser outlet for the ECS? Genius! [...]Cool idea indeed, when I was shown this in an AH-1F several years ago, I thought (and still think) how much I would like such a system in my car.
Cheers
Ian
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This thread is getting better and better!
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@ Hawkwrench/Tim: You are a heretic! 😉
@Rotoreash/Ray: Thanks for the additional pics, really helpful.
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Thank you so much for these HQ pics!
W. Mutza's Sqn WA is nice, but your pictures are priceless! With ICM's new big AH-1G coming and Special Hobby's 72nd scale 'Nam Cobra on the market, it's just great to have such comparisons available.
Personally I plan to convert Fujimi's AH-1S (already started hacking away) and your photos will help me very much. Is there any chance you could give us some more pics of the left side and underside? E. g. the tail, because the AH-1S/F's much bigger blister over the 90deg gear needs to be shaved off and replaced with a quite smaller cover and it would be nice to detail the underside witth som drain tubes etc.
Cheers,
Ian
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On 5/9/2019 at 11:45 PM, dnl42 said:
Nice work on that.
When you write "solid 3 -footer", you much be talking about some smaller distance measurement...
Yea!
He meant three scale feet. That is one lovely model of the 53. Especially if one knows about the old-school quality of the kit: Not bad on details but definitely not a "shake and bake" assembly.
The Super Jolly Green Giant saved many a pilot, your model is a fitting memory. -
Hi from Germany!
Are you asking for the "dolphin scheme", offically calle norm 76?You will need Basaltgrau RAL 7012 (close to FS 36081 gunship grey) and Weissaluminium (white aluminium dope) RAL 9006 (FS 37178) and Leuchtorange (DayGlo orange) RAL 2005 (close to FS 38903) for the wingtip tanks. Do not become misguided: Our F-4F Phantoms and F-104G Starfighters were not painted Silbergrau RAL 7001 (silver grey) on the underside but with aluminium dope. Still, that colour weathered to a smudgy grey rather quickly, as did the Leuchtorange, which became bleached cloudy yellow-whitish.
Considering the scale effect (a slight lightening of all colours with white to adjust for the much smaller model surface) and any weathering you will get a true replica even if you use FS colours.
These are good websites for colour comparison:https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Colour_alternatives.asp
https://hobbylandbg.com/colourtable
https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/urbans-color-reference-charts-part-i/
HTH...
Task Force Normandy 1991. Apache Serial numbers.
in Helicopter Modeling
Posted
Hello Jabba,
yes, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1091apache/ confirms your information "left inboard". https://www.jalopnik.com/desert-storms-opening-shots-came-from-this-daring-helic-1753466057
This was already disussed on ARC in 2014, makin it even sadder thet there are no decals yet:
Another thread about the fuel tanks: