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CD48181 - 1/48 UH-1N


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On 9/14/2020 at 8:17 PM, Rod D said:

Sorry, I just saw this now.  This is the one I was talking about.  Also, in Squadron/Signal UH1 In Color by Wayne Mutza, a dark sea blue UH1N is shown and captioned.

https://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h63bf2591#h63bf2591

 

I agree that many kits call out for the color navy blue when it should be engine gray.   Fujimi US Navy helicopters are typical of this.  The most glaring error I have ever seen is the Italieri UH1N with markings form the USS Tarawa.  The instructions call for a green color.  Sadly, one ARC submission shows this otherwise nice Twin Huey painted green ( http://www.arcair.com/Gal1/701-800/gal735-UH-1N-Chirico/00.shtm ), which is totally wrong. Shame on Italeri!

 

Rod.

 

My turn to apologize for a delayed reply!

 

So, I don't have the Squadron book you mentioned but I'm curious if the image there is a photo or a color profile drawing/painting?

 

I ask because looking at the photo in your link, I'm 99.999% sure that it's another case of "Engine Gray" FS 16081 with unusual lighting and probably some unfortunate tweaks in the reproduction (original and/or digital).  Note skin tone of the officer standing by the cabin, which gives you some clue that the brightness and contrast are abnormal.  Then take a look at the star & bar on the tail: insignia blue FS 15044 would show a lot less contrast with the fuselage color if it really was FS 15042 overall (remember during the overall GSB era post WWII the Navy dropped the insignia blue portions entirely since the colors were so close).  I also found this page with another photo of the same Huey, also dated 1975, which has better lighting and shows the gray pretty clearly:

 

Navy & Marine Helos

 

I'm still not say able to say definitively there weren't any Navy Hueys in overall sea blue, but I don't think this is an example of one.

 

I've got the Italeri UH-1N you mentioned, and have noted the erroneous green callout in lieu of 16081 gray.  To be fair, there were some Marines UH-1s in a similar green scheme (see 2nd photo in the link above), and in certain light conditions FS 16081 can have a somewhat "greenish" appearance.  In others it obviously looks distinctly "blueish" - aside from the HH-1N discussed above, scroll through the helos link and check out the Seasprites!  Honestly, if it weren't for published Mil Standards and FS 595 I'd be willing to believe there were blue Seasprites and Green Navy Hueys all over the place!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/3/2020 at 5:33 PM, Quixote74 said:

I ask because looking at the photo in your link, I'm 99.999% sure that it's another case of "Engine Gray" FS 16081 with unusual lighting and probably some unfortunate tweaks in the reproduction (original and/or digital).  Note skin tone of the officer standing by the cabin, which gives you some clue that the brightness and contrast are abnormal.  Then take a look at the star & bar on the tail: insignia blue FS 15044 would show a lot less contrast with the fuselage color if it really was FS 15042 overall (remember during the overall GSB era post WWII the Navy dropped the insignia blue portions entirely since the colors were so close).  I also found this page with another photo of the same Huey, also dated 1975, which has better lighting and shows the gray pretty clearly:

 

 

For some reason I am not getting notified of these posts.  Anyway, I would agree that lighting affects the color of the photograph, and that these were probably Engine Gray, consistent with other USN helos.  It was the author of the book who said it was sea blue.

 

Rod.

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