I’ve finally got around to starting the USMC UH-1N build I was talking up on here a couple of years ago…
I’m using the Italeri 1/48 AB212/UH-1N kit as a base, I am adding 7 shot M260 rocket pods from CMK kits (they look better than the Revell UH-1 kit pods I was going to use), and 1 Armycast UH-60 M134 minigun (with PE flex chutes, not sure how I’ll get on with those, and resin ammo boxes), and 1 Italeri Ma Deuce (from a MH-60G kit) along with scratchbuilidng/kitbashing the mountings…
Hopefully the minigun/ma deuce/rocket pod assemblies will look something like this -
Now that I’ve started though I’ve got a few questions re. the interior, and I know there’s a lot of you guys on here (particularly Rotorwash, Melguyver and HeavyArty) that know your Hueys.
I’ve not really got any pictures of a USMC UH-1N interior, and also as I plan on mine being one with markings/colour of a 70’s/80’s UH-1N (i.e. in Field Green with white markings) I’m wondering if I’m barking up the wrong tree by looking at photos of modern-ish UH-1N’s, the grey scheme ones?
Can anyone provide some good shots of a UH-1N interior, so far all I’ve found are 2 on a walkaround here, but they don’t show the very rear of the cabin behind the doors?
Should I be painting my interior the usual grey (Vallejo Model Air 050 is what I normally use)?
Things to do in this kit, that are not in the instructions, would be to rescribe the hull bottom, that is totally smooth, cut out the hell hole, and build the cable strike protection system “knives”.
Like I said - I hope that helps you, good luck with your build and have a nice day
The interior color depends on when you want to build it fom. Before the early to mid-'80s, the interior would still be overall grey. When NVGs became popular in the early-mid '80s, the interiors were painted either all flat black, or flat black in the whole cockpit.
As a side note, Cobra Company has a UH-1N Weapons set that includes the weapons you have and their complete mounts. It looks really nice and would be much easier than scratching them. http://www.cobracompany.com/35013.htm
Thanks HeavyArty, that’s a great help, I have 2 pics of two subjects in green, the one on Wikipedia pictured at NAS Whiting in '82 (158774) and another of a UH-1N from USS New Orleans (159203) apparently taken in '77 both have the white high vis markings I like, so I’m guessing the '77 one would be overall grey inside, whilst the later '82 one would probable have a black cockpit with grey cabin or overall black inside.
This is the one from the USS New Orleans -
Don’t know if the weapons (and the way they are mounted) I’m putting on would be historically valid but I’m going to use the old “artisitic licence” excuse there…
As for the Cobra Company parts, they’re 35th, I’m doing a 48th model, and Cobra Company no longer ship to the UK anyway, or so I’ve been told, I have the parts I need anyway, well apart from the rockets pods, still waiting on those but they’re making their way across Europe apparently…
Whoops, missed the 1/48 part. I would guess the overall green helos would still have overall gray interiors, including the cockpit. The black interiors were done as helos went in for rebuild/overhaul. The new grey/green/black camo was also applied during the same rebuilds. So, if still green, most likely gray interior. The correct weapons loadout for the time of the overall green helos would be M23 doorgun mouns w/M60D MGs, just like Vietnam hueys.
Thanks HeavyArty. I’ll paint the interior my usual grey then, should get around to that today…
I didn’t think the weapon loadout would be correct for the period but I’ll go with “artistic licence” for that. I just don’t like the grey colour scheme of more modern UH-1N’s and I do want to build this one armed.
Ok well here’s some progress pics, nothing special, just a basic paint job on the interior and basic helo built -
It’s coming together well although the “dog house” on the top needs a bit of filling and seam filing. I also think my interior is sitting a little too far forward?
And…
…I think I may have made a cock-up by putting the seats in the rear of the cabin as I’ll have to remove those and the poles to install the ammo boxes and flex feed chutes…
Luckily I’ve not sealed the fuselage up yet, it’s all just taped together. I’m also wondering if I should stick a couple of pennies under the interior floor (if there’s even room!) as I’m not sure it’s sitting right.
Still not sure on the colour either, the two paints I’ve tried today, one of which claims to be field green (the one I used on my UH-34), aren’t really what I’m looking for and they both matched each other, I could not tell the difference - they were Vallejo Model Air 22 Camo Green and 71.093 Field Green!
I’m waiting on Tamiya XF-58 to see if that’s more the colour I’m looking for…
Ah Ok my kit might have a fit issue then because if I have the back walls of the cabin flush with the rearmost side of the door openings the swashplate doesn’t sit properly in the opening at the top of the “doghouse”/engine cover w/ever that parts called.
I’d have to move the “doghouse” forwards a little, and that’s not possible.
Wonder what, if anything I can do to fix that (without taking the interior apart). Hopefully it’ll just resolve itself tomorrow when I glue the fuselage together…
That kit is not perfect by any means, but I see you are moving along. Regarding your questions about color and loadout, since you are using artistic license, I don’t think it really matters. Personally, I prefer the gray interior on those high vis Field Green UH-1N’s. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
Thank rotorwash, it’s the best UH-1 kit I’ve built in 1/48.
As well as putting a “dirt” coat onto the interior, using Flory Pro Modellers dark wash (which again didn’t quite work the way I wanted it to, it’s seems stubborn to rub off), I sealed the fuselage up today, all apart from the 2 parts of the roof as I need to put the windows in the cockpit doors…
The roof seems to fit quite nicely now that I’ve done that, although I’m sure the swash plate/rotor assembly is still too far forwards.
No pics though, not enough light, we have a rainy day in my part of the UK!
Finally picked this model up again and made some more progress on it today, will see if I can post pictures tomorrow.
Don’t know if it’s of any interest to anyone but I found out what the more modern UH-1N in Marine Field Green that I’ve been looking at for source reference’s is-
It’s BuNo 158270 of HMLA/T-303 Atlas Mag 39 MCAS Camp Pendelton. It was painted that way in 2011 for it’s final flight and in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Major Stephen W Pless of VMO-6, who flew a UH-1E during the Vietnam war out of Quang Nai.
Anyhow I put a coat of Mr Hobby Aqueous FS34097 on the model and it looks good, I will probably be going with representing 158270 now as it’s easier to print black decals than white. I only need to print a few anyhow as I already have the Marines decal courtesy of the kit’s decal sheet.
Sitrep - this is where I was before start of play today -
My camera seems to have over exposed the image a little or increased it’s brightness somehow, the green is a little darker than that and doesn’t look patchy to the naked eye.
This afternoon/evening I spent a short while painting all the bits and bobs you can see unpainted in the picture above. including the nav lights, added the tail gearbox assembly and radio aerial and I’ve laid down a coat of Future, just hope it doesn’t go all “orange peel” like it did on another model I did recently…
Looking at the model and then looking at my reference photos the green actually doesn’t seem all that far off (the photo above doesn’t look how it looks to the naked eye).
I’ve tried to add as many of the avionics lumps and bumps as I can, there’s actually a couple of bits underneath you can’t see in the photo above, and I realise that the fin on the top at the front is erroneous however I don’t feel I can take it off neatly enough.
Going to make a start on the weapons system next, and get the rotors all assembled and painted black.
Sitrep - getting there, although the rocket pod mounts seem to be a bit on the low side, can’t really do much about that though. I also know the interior color is wrong, as it should be black, I’d already sealed it up inside the fuselage before I changed my mind on exterior livery…
I’ve tried the best I could with what I have on this, I added as many lumps and bumps and vanes as I had parts for, but I don’t claim any accuracy. I armed it with the M134 (or whatever they’re called these days GAU xx!?), Ma Deuce and 7 shot rocket pods, rather than the M60s the actual UH-1N is armed with as I didn’t want to use up my only copy of Cobra Company’s XM23 system on this build.
I also don’t seem to be having any luck (again) with decals or clear parts, the windows don’t look great in person and the decals (even the kit one’s) have silvered on me, although they don’t look too bad in the photos. My bottle of Future doesn’t seem to be doing it’s job properly and my Windsor and Newton flat varnish has gone a bit gritty on the main rotor blades (although again you can’t see that in the photos)!!
Also there’s a light on the underside at the front, which the Italeri instructions appear to tell you paint red, I’m not sure that’s correct and I only thought about it after I painted it, so I’ve left it as is…
Not many markings on the actual UH-1N so mine also doesn’t have many.
And finally the underside, note the “hell hole”, (might go back and paint it black on the inside) -
Spoke too soon about the silvering, don’t know what happened but now the model has sat for a while the silvering appears to have disappeared…
I guess the layers of Microsol, Future and Windsor and Newton Galeria Flat varnish I put down this morning must have done something after drying some more!?!
Alright , Soldier , What’s the problem here ? She looks good enough to fly . But , Why the Blazes is she so small .I couldn’t even get my shiny boot in there" LOL.LOL.LOL
Really , She looks great , Wish my " slick " looked that good " T.B.
