Anyone have info/pics of Vietnam era DHC-3 / U-1A Otters?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Recently I got to talking with my Dad about his time in Vietnam. (Better late than never) He was an aircraft mechanic in the 255th Transportation Detachment of the 54th Air Company, and he worked on the U-1A Otter.

I would like to surprise him with a model of an Otter. There isn’t much out there for Otter kits, but I recently scored one in 1:72 by Hobbycraft. But, it apparently is kitted to be an RCAF version. (It’s still in the mail) So I will have some work to do to make it look authentic. I think I will practice on the 1:72 kit and then get the Hobbycraft 1:48 to give him.

I’ve found a few good pictures around the 'net, but I want to make it as authentic to what he worked on as possible. And yes, I could pepper him with questions. But I’d like to keep this on the down-low.

Anybody know where I can get some good info about the Otter? Specifically 1965-66 era Vietnam Otters? I found an Oct. 1989 issue of Scale Modeler (not Fine Scale Modeler) that has an article in it, but I missed the on-line auction.

Any suggestions?

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We had an Otter in our CAL ARNG unit at that time, and I saw lots of them at Ft. Eustis. They were gloss OD and sometimes with day glo, and in that time they were transitioning to the later flat OD. I rode in a couple, it was kind of like being in a blimp, big and slow. They were all pretty much the same in terms of appearance.

Here’s a picture someone sent me.

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My dad went to mechanics school in Fort Eustis. Then they went to Fort Ord, the 255th was formed, and off to Vietnam they went.

Thanks for the info and picture John. I really appreciate it! From the few pictures I’ve found, it seems that the exteriors were all pretty much the same, like you said. I guess I’ll make sure I have enough OD and let her rip! Ha-ha.

I think I’ll try my hand at making decals for this. I’ve seen a few pictures of Otters that have a five digit tail number starting with a 5. Dad’s b-day is May, so I think I’ll make a custom tail number as his birth date.