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Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1H WIP (Update 6/29)


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I decided to start my KH UH-1 today as I received my AM from Eduard this weekend.  This will be probably be a rather long build, as I do not get a whole lot of bench time between work and family, and my first grandson being born this past Wednesday night.  I will post pictures here, and added to my signature below will be a link to my Flickr album where all the pictures will be available.  The idea is to replicate as closely as possible the aircraft my Dad flew in Vietnam, 66-16261, also pictured below in my signature.  So, without further ado, here we go!

 

First up are some pictures of the sprues and box and AM.

 

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Then there were some pin ejector marks I needed to fill in the seat parts.  There are several, but I don't see that these are avoidable, so I'm just going to take the time to fill the ones that could be seen.  Its not much of a start today, but I am working night shift last night and tonight so I slept most of the day, then had to put up the model I was working on and clean the bench.

 

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Edited by JesusNut
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So, I ran into my first minor problem while assembling the seats.  I did not pay attention closely enough to the instructions for the PE seatbelts from Eduard.  The slots on the seat sides for the seatbelt to thread through are not in the right place.  They are too low and too far back. The instructions from Eduard show this and instruct us to fill the old slot and cut new slots.  I did not catch it before I glued it all together.  I will have to figure something out.  If anyone has any ideas, please share.

 

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Another question has come up.  The Eduard details set show cutting off the open topped map box on the rear of the center console and replacing it with a PE case that is closed.  It also sticks up way above the console.  Can anyone (Ray?) provide any pics of a Vietnam era Huey showing the back of the console?  And let me say, it was hard grinding off the instruments and knobs and controls on the IP and center console to make way for the Eduard IP and console.  Kitty Hawk did a fantastic job on those two.  I only decided to do this because my painting skills will not do it justice.  And unfortunately, the IP decal is in all black, which does not fit pre-NVG Hueys.

 

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Nice to see you've made a start. As for the pilot seatbelts, can I suggest you measure and cut them into two pieces. You can glue it into the existing hole and then there is plenty of room for the second piece to be glued inside between the cushion and seat side. It looks like it comes through but it doesn't.

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5 hours ago, AndrewPerren said:

Nice to see you've made a start. As for the pilot seatbelts, can I suggest you measure and cut them into two pieces. You can glue it into the existing hole and then there is plenty of room for the second piece to be glued inside between the cushion and seat side. It looks like it comes through but it doesn't.

 

That is an excellent idea. Thank you Andrew! 

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17 hours ago, JesusNut said:

Another question has come up.  The Eduard details set show cutting off the open topped map box on the rear of the center console and replacing it with a PE case that is closed.  It also sticks up way above the console.  Can anyone (Ray?) provide any pics of a Vietnam era Huey showing the back of the console?  And let me say, it was hard grinding off the instruments and knobs and controls on the IP and center console to make way for the Eduard IP and console.  Kitty Hawk did a fantastic job on those two.  I only decided to do this because my painting skills will not do it justice.  And unfortunately, the IP decal is in all black, which does not fit pre-NVG Hueys.

 

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To me, looking at my kit and this issue - the center console actually sits too low,  doesn't seem to be enough depth in it from ground up, angle is right but it seems it is just too shallow in height. My observation and I'm sure people will disagree.

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4 hours ago, UH-1Mad said:

 

To me, looking at my kit and this issue - the center console actually sits too low,  doesn't seem to be enough depth in it from ground up, angle is right but it seems it is just too shallow in height. My observation and I'm sure people will disagree.

 

I cannot speak to that, so I will leave that to the experts.  I'll have to look at it all put together and see what it looks like with the seats in place.

 

3 hours ago, Floyd S. Werner, Jr. said:

Don't forget Werner's Wings items.

Floyd

 

Floyd, is the center console going to be in your correction set?  I am planning to get the stencils set at a minimum, but wanted to wait for the correction set.

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6 minutes ago, JesusNut said:

 

I cannot speak to that, so I will leave that to the experts.  I'll have to look at it all put together and see what it looks like with the seats in place.

 

 

Floyd, is the center console going to be in your correction set?  I am planning to get the stencils set at a minimum, but wanted to wait for the correction set.

If you are talking about the overhead panel, yes.  If you are talking about the one between the seats on the floor no.  

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9 minutes ago, Floyd S. Werner, Jr. said:

If you are talking about the overhead panel, yes.  If you are talking about the one between the seats on the floor no.  

 

I was talking about the floor console, but the upper console will work too.  Trying to get some sub-assemblies together for the interior.  Looking forward to the correction set.

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12 minutes ago, JesusNut said:

 

I was talking about the floor console, but the upper console will work too.  Trying to get some sub-assemblies together for the interior.  Looking forward to the correction set.

 

Eduard covers that pretty well with their pre-painted set but of course it is flat.

Floyd

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  • JesusNut changed the title to Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1H WIP Update 12/3

Small update from today.  I added the Eduard Interior Cargo PE set to the cabin floor.  For the pictures, I placed the seats and center console in place, but they are not glued.  I am now trying to decide if I am going to wait for WW to release his correction set or just go ahead with building the kit.  I am really excited to get going with this project, so I am torn.  

 

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29 minutes ago, Floyd S. Werner, Jr. said:

It looks great.  I'd build two.  LOL
Floyd

 

Thanks Floyd!  That is actually one of my thoughts.  This one is going to be the primary aircraft Dad flew, but I also want to do the aircraft he was shot down in, maybe as a little diorama after the fact.  

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  • JesusNut changed the title to Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1H WIP Help 12/4

Question for the people who have built this kit and the Huey experts out there.  In the enclosed picture, the directions show C15 and C87 as being placed in B15.  Is this an either/or or do both get placed?  I know C15 is the cargo hook, but what is C87 supposed to be?  

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  • JesusNut changed the title to Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1H WIP (Update 12/11)

Quick update from the past week.  I only took one picture, but I also spent time playing with the camera trying to learn how to adjust manual settings.  I felt this was the best picture of the group.  But I digress.  I have just about all the sub-assemblies for the interior built and will be putting down primer this week.  A story about the footlocker on the crew chiefs side.  Dad was telling me about how his crew chief brought his footlocker out to the helicopter and replaced the seat with it so he could keep his helmet and flak jacket in it, along with some other items like a 150' rope and spare mags for his M-16.  On the day Dad got shot down, they found that the footlocker helped stop a round that would have hit the crew chief had it just been the standard seat.  As a matter of fact, it split an M-16 magazine and then split one of the cartridges inside, but was spent and did not light off the powder.  After this incident, the rest of the companies' CE's and DG's installed their footlockers in the helicopters.  Just another interesting story of soldiers improvising to get the job done.

 

So, apparently there was some problem with the forum and my description did not post with the picture above and it is giving me an error telling me it cannot be edited because it has been too long or it has been moved or deleted.  

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12 hours ago, rotorwash said:

Interesting story.  Vietnam Huey crews were great a timprovisong.  I love the foot locker.  it looks great!

    Ray

 

Thanks Ray!  There are so many great stories out there of servicemen improvising.  We all know the big ones like the C-rat cans on the 60's.  I love to hear those, both the ones that worked and the ones that didn't, but had hilarious results.  Dad told me some wild stories about his time over there!  

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2 hours ago, CharlieUH-1H said:

Man that case looks really nice!

what stirene caliber you use brother?

 

Thanks Charlie!  I used .020 sheet styrene I believe.  I found the basic dimensions online and just mathed it out.  It was actually really easy.  Then for the hinges and hasp, I used the PE that came with the kit since I was not going to use the parts to make up the grenade/ammo box near the front of the cabin.  Worked out perfect.  The handle is .010x.030 strips, I think.  

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5 hours ago, JesusNut said:

 

Thanks Charlie!  I used .020 sheet styrene I believe.  I found the basic dimensions online and just mathed it out.  It was actually really easy.  Then for the hinges and hasp, I used the PE that came with the kit since I was not going to use the parts to make up the grenade/ammo box near the front of the cabin.  Worked out perfect.  The handle is .010x.030 strips, I think.  

Thanks for the info brother

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  • JesusNut changed the title to Kitty Hawk 1/48 UH-1H WIP (Update 6/29)

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