Hello Guys…I bought a italeri 1/72 uh-1d “sleek”(I think that is a uh-1h don’t a D". I search in my reference and I have 3 questions.
Whats is the Viet Nam aviation green color? Olive drab or field green? (This helo suppose is olive drab, but in the academy bronco instruction booklet show field green like color for the aircraft from the viet nam era). The aviation use differents green colors for aircraft and helos?
I search and search and didn’t find in any place, pictures that show the weapon subsystem like italeri instructions (mini gun and rocket luncher). I had not found any picture that shows if the weapon system is located in front beside the doors. The Italeri istruction show the subsystem in front, but the pics in the internet show all the subsystems behind besides the doors.
for last…this kit don’t have the amunition belt. Does anybody know how made this belt (scratch or something) and what is the position inside the helicopter?
Thanks in advance
carlos
Color of helos in Vietnam was OD Green. The color was later changed to Helo Drab Green, which is a darker green, in the mid to late '70s. The Italari kit is wrong. The US did not use any D or H model Hueys as gunships. All US D and H models were Slicks, that means troop carriers with only M-23 M60 MG door gun mounts on either side.
Italeri must have been looking at an Australian Bushranger gunship when they made this model, which were UH-1D and Hs with miniguns and rockets up front and dual M60 MGs on an M23 gunmount in the rear position.
Gino has it right, except for a few specilized birds(such as recovery and firefly) only used the XM-23 “door gun” system. Both D and H models where used in Veitnam, D model production stopped in 1967 when it switched to the H model. Most D models over time went through re-build and were brought up to H standards, little external differences exist, mainly the movement of the pitot tube to the roof and the deletion on the antenne on the nose… The major difference was the engine, D models used the T53-L-11, while the H used the T53-L-13. Cobra Company makes a set of door gun in 1/48th scale.
I have just bought some figures to fit in my 1/72 Nam Hueys, which I can recommend. You can get a set of 2 pilots and two door gunners, all in different poses PLUS you actually get 2 x M60’s complete with mounts and ammo chutes. They’re made in white metal and are prety well detailed. I’ve also just bought some soldiers to go in them. You can get sets of guys sitting which you can have with feet dangling over the edge of the Huey. The company is a UK based company but they do ship world wide at reasonable rates. I’ll have a go at getting some pics up so you can see what they’re like. Here’s the link http://http://www.shqminiatures.co.uk/Ranges/Vietnam/Vietnammain.php?UID=2006101910223886.29.234.97
I’m sure surgical tubing was used on the M-60’s but definitely not “standard”. They used everything from nylon and canvas webing straps to bungee cord. Whatever was avaible and the gunner preferrence.
