H-21C cabin color question.

Modeling Subjects Helicopters
1

Actually several…

I am building a 1965 era Vietnam helicopter. I cannot find any color photos of the interior of the cabin, which looks to be all exposed metal. Would dark gull gray be correct? Red webbing?

I have several pictures of the engine compartment on a few restored versions, that look to be chromate green.

The several cockpit shots I found are gray with red seat panels.

The exterior is camouflage, Italeri would have it be SEA three color except that the dark green is OD. That seems funny.

Any help would be much appreciated.

2

I am not well versed on the H-21 but… US Army helicopters from that era usually had the Dark Gull Gray interior standard for that time period. They were sent to Vietnam in overall OD

and I know that I have seen where they had a camo pattern of Black sprayed on. These B&W pics show a camo pattern of at least two colors…

Although this one appears to be OD/Black/Green

3

And here are a ouple interior shots for you… take your pick…

4

Stik, thanks a lot for posting those pictures - a great reference for me when I finally get to building one of those! Have a nice day

Paweł

5

Stunning, just takes my breath,

Thank you so much, and I’ve got the interior.

There was an 1820 (B-17) engine in a harness at the rear end of the cabin.

6

That’s another kit I would love to see done in 1/48 by Revell… they probably have the old

Aurora molds in a warehouse somewhere…

7

According to “Army Aviation in Vietnam, 1961-1963” written by Ralph Young:

External color- Overall Gloss Olive Drab FS. 14087.

24" “ARMY” lettering- Gloss White FS. 17875.

8" high legend “U.S. ARMY” and the radio call sign- Gloss Yellow FS. 13538.

Interior- Gloss Gray FS. 16440.

Seat frames- Lusterless Gray FS. 35440.

Early seat webbing and cushions- olive drab.

Later seat webbing and cushions- red.

Rotor blades- Flat Black FS. 37038 on the undersides; light gray (FS. unknown) on the tops.

In theater in 1962, the “ARMY”, 50" and 30" National Star Insignias on all but the fuselage top (30") were overpainted in Flat Olive Drab FS. 34087.

The fuselage top Conspicuity stripe was originally Gloss White, but other colors were used in particular red.

There were two camouflage patterns applied to the H-21C.

The first was applied to 8th TC and 57th TC H-21C’s. On top of the two OD colors listed above, tan and light blue-green. In the 57th there was no apparent pattern from aircraft to aircraft. FS. colors are noted unknown.

The second, from late 1963 to mid 1964, was tan over OD, predominately tan.

I hope that is helpful to all H21 modelers.

8

Bondoman- the Shawnees were sent over in Gloss Olive Drab with High Visibility national markings and “ARMY” on the sides, plus a broad white conspicuity stripe on the top. The markings were soon overpainted in flat OD which accounts for the “camouflage” look in earlier b/w photos.

In late 1962- 1963 the 57th and one other unit, IIRC, added a light blue-green and tan pattern to that existing mess.

In 1963-1964 the remaining H-21s were painted a flat OD/ tan camo with more tan than green. It’s in a book I have somewhere, will have to look it up.

The early webbing was OD, it was changed to red later.