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A few questions re: Revell/Monogram 1/48 UH-1B/C Huey Hog kit


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I just bought this kit for a good price new in box. I know Monogram released a Huey in the very late 1950's or very early 1960's. Is this the same basic kit from then or at some point along the way did Monogram retool the kit? I know it was originally a med evac version and over time parts were added for the attack version. My knowledge of the Huey is very limited. I know the tail boom changed on the early versions along with the rotor blade widths. 

 

I am wanting to do a HAL-3 Seawolves aircraft so how accurate is this kit for an early HAL-3 bird?

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I believe it has always been the same old kit, no updates.  The kit is a mish-mash of B and C features.  It has C blades, but both left (C) and right (B) fuel fillers, I think it also has a C model air intake, narrow elevators and tail of a B as well.  It isn't very accurate as either.

Edited by HeavyArty
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5 hours ago, jpk said:

I just bought this kit for a good price new in box. I know Monogram released a Huey in the very late 1950's or very early 1960's. Is this the same basic kit from then or at some point along the way did Monogram retool the kit? I know it was originally a med evac version and over time parts were added for the attack version. My knowledge of the Huey is very limited. I know the tail boom changed on the early versions along with the rotor blade widths. 

 

I am wanting to do a HAL-3 Seawolves aircraft so how accurate is this kit for an early HAL-3 bird?

The original kit was actually worse than the "Huey Hog" kit you have.  You are actually in luck wanting to do a HAL-3 bird as the kit will build into a decent B modal with some help.  most HAL-3 birds were old Army UH-1B's.  The tail and sync elevators that come in the kit are B model features and cannot be easily converted to a UH-1C without the Cobra Company upgrade set.  That being said, to make a decent B model all you need to do is replace the roof mounted pitot tube with a nose mounted one for the B and find a donor kit for a new rotor.  The 540 rotor that comes in the kit is accurate for a UH-1C but the B model used the earlier 204 head and blades.  They are totally different with the 540 head being a simple door hinge design with a 44ft main rotor with a 27 inch chord and and the earlier 204 head having upward facing blade counterweights with a 44ft main rotor and 21 inch chord.  The easiest thing to do is to find a ESCI 1/48 UH-1D and cut the main rotor down from a scale 48 ft to a scale 44ft. and add the blade counterweights.  The air intake isn't a problem as the later particle separator filter seen in the kit was also put on B models, including most HAL-3 birds and is not unique to the UH-1C/M.  The B model has a right handed fuel filler as well.  You can build an early HAL-3 bird with the M16 quad M60C armament that comes in the kit, but most HAL-3 ships carried the M21 system with the 7 shot rocket pods (either M157 or M158) and the M134 miniguns.  Lots more details but that should help you get started.  Good luck!

  Ray

 

Here is a typical HAL-3 UH-1B.  Red circle shows blade counter weights on 204 rotrohead, orange shows the particle separator in the Huey Hog kit and the yellow circle shows the nose pitot.

image.thumb.png.b633a664c98960c31749b55cb919f324.png

 

 

 

Edited by rotorwash
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5 hours ago, rotorwash said:

The original kit was actually worse than the "Huey Hog" kit you have.  You are actually in luck wanting to do a HAL-3 bird as the kit will build into a decent B modal with some help.  most HAL-3 birds were old Army UH-1B's.  The tail and sync elevators that come in the kit are B model features and cannot be easily converted to a UH-1C without the Cobra Company upgrade set.  That being said, to make a decent B model all you need to do is replace the roof mounted pitot tube with a nose mounted one for the B and find a donor kit for a new rotor.  The 540 rotor that comes in the kit is accurate for a UH-1C but the B model used the earlier 204 head and blades.  They are totally different with the 540 head being a simple door hinge design with a 44ft main rotor with a 27 inch chord and and the earlier 204 head having upward facing blade counterweights with a 44ft main rotor and 21 inch chord.  The easiest thing to do is to find a ESCI 1/48 UH-1D and cut the main rotor down from a scale 48 ft to a scale 44ft. and add the blade counterweights.  The air intake isn't a problem as the later particle separator filter seen in the kit was also put on B models, including most HAL-3 birds and is not unique to the UH-1C/M.  The B model has a right handed fuel filler as well.  You can build an early HAL-3 bird with the M16 quad M60C armament that comes in the kit, but most HAL-3 ships carried the M21 system with the 7 shot rocket pods (either M157 or M158) and the M134 miniguns.  Lots more details but that should help you get started.  Good luck!

  Ray

 

Here is a typical HAL-3 UH-1B.  Red circle shows blade counter weights on 204 rotrohead, orange shows the particle separator in the Huey Hog kit and the yellow circle shows the nose pitot.

image.thumb.png.b633a664c98960c31749b55cb919f324.png

 

 

 

Thanks for that info. Very helpful. I had bought the simple Hobby Boss UH-1C and was going to use the R/M kit to supplement. The R/M kit looks a whole lot better than the HB kit. I'll Keep an eye out for the ESCI kit. Are the different armament parts available either in a kit or aftermarket? Plus decals seem to be an issue.

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As I mentioned earlier I had bought the HB kit before the R/M kit. I compared the fuselages and if the particular aircraft I wanted to model had the latter boom, it looks like a pretty straight swap putting the C boom on the RM kit. They match up very well. 

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23 minutes ago, jpk said:

As I mentioned earlier I had bought the HB kit before the R/M kit. I compared the fuselages and if the particular aircraft I wanted to model had the latter boom, it looks like a pretty straight swap putting the C boom on the RM kit. They match up very well. 

Post a pic of the specific aircraft you are wanting to build and i can give more specific help.  It is true that many late B models got UH-1C tailboom replacements so you could either be looking at a UH-1C or a B with the C model tailboom.  The ESCI kit has a M21 system which is not accurate for the D/H but will fit nicely on your gunship build.  The HB kit is severely lacking in both detail and accuracy, but the tail is accurate for the UH-1C.

   Ray

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I really don't have a specific aircraft in mind. This is just a start of assembling info and possibly parts when I find a aircraft I want to focus on. Looking for photos  and any other stuff I can find. 

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57 minutes ago, jpk said:

I really don't have a specific aircraft in mind. This is just a start of assembling info and possibly parts when I find a aircraft I want to focus on. Looking for photos  and any other stuff I can find. 

You mentioned  "the particular aircraft I wanted to model had the latter boom".  I assumed this meant you knew what aircraft you want to build.  Take the two HAL-3 birds below.  Both are UH-1Bs, but the foreground bird has the original B model tail like the Huey Hog kit while the one in the background has a replacement UH-1C tailboom like the HB kit.  It is true that many HAL-3 B models had the replaced C model tail but you can build either one if you want.  Personally, I'd use the Huey Hog kit and make one with the old style tail but the HB kit does fall together so you could also build it with, rotors and interior parts from the Huey Hog kit.  

Take

81463951_NewHuey2014(259).thumb.jpg.f837616d634c9c0fb362fbd5c591e584.jpg

 

Just in case the differences aren't clear, the C model tail is to the left and the B model tail is to the right. the B model tail is narrow chord with a light on the end of the tail.  The UH-1C has a wide chord cambered tail with position lights on either side of the tail.

 

1224091165_BvsCtail.thumb.jpg.0aa8986c40c7e3062a6811702249d81f.jpg

 

Another big difference between the two is the synchronized elevators.  C model is on the top, B model on the bottom.  The B model has a symmetrical narrow chord sync elevator with a strake on the top to break up airflow over the top.  The UH-1C has an asymmetrical wide chord sync elevator with no strake and is identical to the sync elevator used on the UH-1D/H.  Even when the UH-1B got a UH-1C tailboom replacement, it retained the narrow chord symmetrical sync elevators.

 

 

143103955_UH-1CvsUH-1Bsyncelevators.thumb.jpg.ee4e6a61dd9aad7add6404dec66b7fc6.jpg

 

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I apologize if I misspoke as to which version and subject I wanted to build. I have not decided yet. Thanks for lots of good info. What I'm going to do going forward is acquiring an ESCI D for the rotors and armament. I will hold the HB kit in reserve in case the airframe I decide to go with has the C boom. In which case I will remove the C boom and apply it to the monogram kit. Is there a good internet source for photos? Thanks again for your input.

 

Just curious. Were the C booms sent as a kit to mod the B's or were they from retrieved damaged C's? Were the mods carried out locally or to some depot level facility?

Edited by jpk
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3 hours ago, jpk said:

I apologize if I misspoke as to which version and subject I wanted to build. I have not decided yet. Thanks for lots of good info. What I'm going to do going forward is acquiring an ESCI D for the rotors and armament. I will hold the HB kit in reserve in case the airframe I decide to go with has the C boom. In which case I will remove the C boom and apply it to the monogram kit. Is there a good internet source for photos? Thanks again for your input.

 

Just curious. Were the C booms sent as a kit to mod the B's or were they from retrieved damaged C's? Were the mods carried out locally or to some depot level facility?

In 1965, the UH-1B was replaced in production at Bell by the UH-1C.  After that date, all replacement tailbooms were UH-1Cs with the wide chord tail.  Therefore, whenever an old B model needed a new tailboom after 1965, it got a UH-1C tail.  This was done both at the depot level and the unit level from what I can tell.

 

As far as refs, I have thousands of UH-1B/C photos.  Regarding HAL-3, you can't do better than this: https://seawolf.org/resources/picture-collections-part-1/  There are thousands of photos here and it is the official website of HAL-3.  There is a TON of info there.  Hope that helps.

   Ray

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I had an original issue Monogram when it was first released (I was very young, my brother...an excellent builder...built it for me...in fact it was an "A"....not even a"B".

I also had a later version and several features were changed, including the cabin roof part. I believe the rotor mast height was shortened. I believe the rotor blades were widened at the time the ambulance version was turned into the "Hog".

The later 1980s USAF decaled version (which did not have the correct side exhaust engine of the AF "F"s) had the wrap around air filters seen on the Navy aircraft.

 

It would be fun to see side by side comparisons of the various generations of the same basic kit.

 

See the various versions of the kit on Scalemates:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-pa50-jet-helicopter--234287

Edited by JohnEB
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30 minutes ago, JohnEB said:

I had an original issue Monogram when it was first released..I think it was an "A".

I also had a later version and several features were changed, including the cabin roof part. I believe the rotor mast height was shortened. 

IIRC, the later 1980s USAF decaled version (which did not have the correct side exhaust engine of the AF "F"s) had the wrap around air filters seen on the Navy aircraft.

It would be fun to see side by side comparisons of the various generations of the same basic kit.

John,

  I can help with that.  Original A model kit on top, "USAF" kit middle, original Huey Hog next and latest Huey Hog kit at bottom.

 

PXL_20210726_021835811.thumb.jpg.7d7802f27952bfe02e730ff5240ed7ee.jpg

 

Kit contents:

PXL_20210726_021916287.thumb.jpg.333ec43023ab0129760c7e78fff1c2e2.jpg

 

Only the Alpha kit is really different.  Here is what's inside.  It is a very basic kit.

 

PXL_20210726_022133606.thumb.jpg.d82cb1b8e992dab546cc74f9d8f86f5e.jpg

 

The USAF kit is the same basic kit as the Huey Hog but with a roof mounted rescue hoist and no weapons.  I trust everyone knows what's in the Huey Hog kit.

PXL_20210726_023043660.thumb.jpg.f08d48ff9ee22498245c760a4f137340.jpg

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Thanks. Neat to see...

 

Look at the "A" kit, notice the different rotor head with the weights hanging down...

Also, notice the raised bar that crosses the right side roof window. If that is correct in "A"s, does anyone know its purpose?

It seems that basic kit has been in production since 1959.

Revell likes to get a lot of use out of its molds, they have been producing the H-19 kit since the mid '50s...and the battleship USS. Missouri for even longer.

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Nice comparison between the first edition and latter ones. Monogram essentially retooled the entire kit. I had the early kit but that was around the time when it first came out. Shows how old I am. It looked like some parts had been painted in your A model. Then I realized it was molded in two colors...lol.

Edited by jpk
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6 hours ago, JohnEB said:

Thanks. Neat to see...

 

Look at the "A" kit, notice the different rotor head with the weights hanging down...

Also, notice the raised bar that crosses the right side roof window. If that is correct in "A"s, does anyone know its purpose?

It seems that basic kit has been in production since 1959.

Revell likes to get a lot of use out of its molds, they have been producing the H-19 kit since the mid '50s...and the battleship USS. Missouri for even longer.

Actually, the Alpha model kit is a completely different mold.  Yes, the "china weights" are the blade counterweights and hang down on the A model.  In the later B model they face upwards.  The rotor mast on the A is also shorter.  The "raised bar" across the right side of the roof is an aerodynamic strake.  There was also a strake on the bottom of the left fuselage.  They are designed to break up symmetrical airflow over the fuselage during flight.  

You can see the strake on top and the downward facing blade counterweights as well as the short mast on this bird, UH-1A 58-2091 at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.  Look closely and you can also see the tear drop shaped stabilizer bar weights that were carried over form the OH-13.  The UH-1A also has a 15 inch narrow chord main rotor blade compared to the 21 inch blade on the UH-1B.

 

 

 

PICT4460.thumb.JPG.4f5ae4ba208a557a4768487bef4faade.JPG

 

Here is UH-1B  60-3554 at the US Army Aviation Museum showing the taller main rotor mast, upward facing blade counterweights, later stab bar weights and shorter strake on the roof which does not extend across the greenhouse window.

 

1118865057_UH-1B60-3554small.thumb.jpg.9967291b4f367e4ee601b8e2565f3e5e.jpg

 

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Rotorwash...

Many thanks for the tutorial...and I like to think of myself as a helicopter guy.

 

As a kid growing up on a military base in Japan, I saw my first UH-1, in the spring of 1963. One landed in a field adjacent to  my school...whether it was a precautionary landing or a "show and tell" exhibit I don't know. As a second grader, I didn't think to write down the serial.  🙂

It was resplendent in pre-Vietnam full color markings, and thanks to my Monogram model, I knew what it was.

 

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