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Correct colors for USMC UH-1c?


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Gents,
 I found a Hobbyboss 1/48 "easy assembly" kit for this helicopter at Hobby Lobby for 6 bucks on sale, couldn't pass it up. Turns out there are absolutely no color call outs in the instructions, except for "olive drab" on the USMC version, which, I'm no expert but it MUST be USMC Field Green right?
 And, not sure about the blades, were they black on top and olive drab on the bottom? Seems like I read that once, but not sure and couldn't find any info on it doing an internet search.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Michael Smith

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You mean a UH-1E.  The UH-1E was the Marine version of the Huey used in Vietnam.  The first Echos off the line at Bell were based on the B model, while all later Echos were based on the C model Huey.  The major differences between the Echo and the B/C models were aluminum frame (Echo) vs. magnesium frame, rotor brake on the Echo, different communication equipment (i.e. different instruments), and the rescue hoist mounted above the right cabin.  The hoist was usually removed in country, however, the housing for the hoist remained and identifies UH-1E, UH-1L (Navy), TH-1L (Trainers), and HH-1K (Rescue) helos from all Army Hueys.   Yes, the correct USMC color is Field Green (FS 14097).

 

The blade colors changed over time.  The black tops and OD bottoms is correct.  They originally had yellow tips.  Later, to aid visibility and avoid collisions, white stripes of varying widths were added on the topsides. 

Edited by HeavyArty
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2 hours ago, HeavyArty said:

You mean a UH-1E.  The UH-1E was the Marine version of the Huey used in Vietnam.  The first Echos off the line at Bell were based on the B model, while all later Echos were based on the C model Huey.  The major differences between the Echo and the B/C models were aluminum frame (Echo) vs. magnesium frame, rotor brake on the Echo, different communication equipment (i.e. different instruments), and the rescue hoist mounted above the right cabin.  The hoist wase usually removed in country, however, the housing for the hoist remained and identifies UH-1E, UH-1L (Navy), TH-1L (Trainers), and HH-1K (Rescue) helos from all Army Hueys.   Yes, the correct USMC color is Field Green (FS 14097).

 

The blade colors changed over time.  The black tops and od bottoms is correct.  They originally had yellow tips.  Later, to aid visibility and avoid collisions, white stripes of varying widths were added on the topside. 

Thank you Gino. I'm just going by what the box says the model is, a UH-1C  😉 It's definitely not an exact replica of anything, helicopters would be pretty hard to fly with no collectives and no pedals  😉  Basically bought it just for a test bed for some new weathering techniques.
 Assuming this imaginary helo was ever actually in Vietnam,. would there be heavy red clay dust around the skids and the lower part of the aircraft?

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1 hour ago, micalee said:

Thank you Gino. I'm just going by what the box says the model is, a UH-1C  😉 It's definitely not an exact replica of anything, helicopters would be pretty hard to fly with no collectives and no pedals  😉  Basically bought it just for a test bed for some new weathering techniques.
 Assuming this imaginary helo was ever actually in Vietnam,. would there be heavy red clay dust around the skids and the lower part of the aircraft?

 

Gino is correct about the weathering. 776 did not deploy with Uh-1E, UH-1N. There transition to the Huey was in 72, so they would not have deployed to VN.

I would say have fun and enjoy the build since it is a test bed.

Edited by Tank
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When MAG 16 was at Phu Bai they did not have PSP (Pierced Steel Planking) although they did have revetments and despite peneprime sprayed surfaces (tar sprayed dirt and rock to reduce brown outs resulting from aggregate dust and to limit FOD) they still had fairly dirty skids since you got the kit to practice weathering techniques. You can see some good amounts of fouling and wear on these slides including spilled fuel. This is before MAG 16 moved to Marble Mountain Air Field MMAF outside of Da Nang. The last slide here shows how dirty the tail became with soot from the exhaust.

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide++1.JPG

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide+copy.jpg

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide++2.JPG

 

 

If you want to skip Vietnam and go with Kit decal options here's your Huckleberry @ NAS Glenview, Illinois 2 AUG 1974. If you need Hi-Res I have these in original format which is 1600x1800.

Glenview+-+NAS+Illinois+2+AUG+1974.jpg

 

Edited by snake36bravo
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On 7/17/2019 at 10:29 PM, snake36bravo said:

When MAG 16 was at Phu Bai they did not have PSP (Pierced Steel Planking) although they did have revetments and despite peneprime sprayed surfaces (tar sprayed dirt and rock to reduce brown outs resulting from aggregate dust and to limit FOD) they still had fairly dirty skids since you got the kit to practice weathering techniques. You can see some good amounts of fouling and wear on these slides including spilled fuel. This is before MAG 16 moved to Marble Mountain Air Field MMAF outside of Da Nang. The last slide here shows how dirty the tail became with soot from the exhaust.

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide++1.JPG

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide+copy.jpg

 

1967+Vietnam+War+35mm+Slide++2.JPG

 

 

If you want to skip Vietnam and go with Kit decal options here's your Huckleberry @ NAS Glenview, Illinois 2 AUG 1974. If you need Hi-Res I have these in original format which is 1600x1800.

Glenview+-+NAS+Illinois+2+AUG+1974.jpg

 

thanks Snake these are great, and the QL404 is indeed the model I'm making, those are the kit decals. Hope they're decent, never used Hobbyboss decals before

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