Got the gunners all painted and ready for their perch in the back of the Huey. I made boom mics for the helmets and add the comms wire which I’ll attach to the bulkhead when they are mounted.
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I’ve finished the 1/35th scale Dragon UH-1D that I’m building as Medal of Honor winner Maj. Bruce Crandall’s helicopter from the battle of Ia Drang known as Ancient Serpent Six. I think it turned out great and makes a good representation of the helicopter he flew in the battle.
Part 2 of the build video is also up on my YouTube channel Green Iron TV
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I agree. It turned out great. Your decals look perfect on it.
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You should consider donating it to the National Medal of Honor Museum. I may do one for Roy Benavidez, whom I knew.
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Thanks guys, I was such a fun build, and I really enjoyed researching this subject. It always amazes me how so many builders don’t take a few minutes to even do basic research on subjects.
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A beautiful build!!
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An eye-catching build indeed.
Now if I may offer a few small pointers. I don’t know how old you are but I find an Opti-Visor essential in spotting small things. The decal on the door is upside down. If it hasn’t been clear coated you might be able to lift it off and rotate it.
The red decal on the roof could use a hit of Decal solvent to snuggle it down. As it is now you can see underneath it.
Gaps under those roof scoops - you might be able to fix them. If you don’t care, that’s fine too.
I know my models are less than perfect, but I find it’s like writing - even the best writers have proofreaders to catch mistakes, we all gloss over our own work. Sometimes it takes an outside eye to catch these things.
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I hope it works. Still no RTV at the local Hobby Lobby.
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As an aside, I have this one in the stash - does anyone know if it can be built into a decent German Army version?
I’m aware that Dragon did do a dedicated German version.
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There’s a fairly decent walk around of one. You can compare photos with the kit parts to see what differences there are, i.e. antennae, those square fittings on the tail boom, the wire cutter…
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Yes, all the parts are in the box for a German HEER UH-1D version. You just have to know what parts to add or not as the instructions don’t tell what versions(s) they all are for or not.
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Thanks both; sounds fun(!)
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Yep those door handle markings were super difficult to see against the white backing paper, and of course I didn’t notice them until after it was matte cleared and I looked at a close-up picture. The red stripe was hit with decal solvent, but it was just a thick decal that didn’t want to lay down over those complex curves.
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According to Scalemates, the Panda version is derived from the Dragon kit, so as others have said, the parts are there for a Heer version. Reviews seem mixed, but I reckon with your determination, Brian, a fine Heer version could emerge one day!
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It is the other way around. Panda came out with the kit first. Dragon bought the molds when Panda went out of business and added PE, pre-painted for the IPs and seatbelts, and new decals to it. All the plastic in the kit is the same.
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Well, you may not be surprised to hear that’s it’s for another project portraying me in 1/35 - again - I can hear the groans from here. It was my ride from Static HQ to Mobile HQ (at Northern Army Group) when I got sacked on exercise; yes, me - the British Army’s finest sacked. A long and boring story as mine so often are, but I’ll wait until the project gets underway - some time hence I’m sure!
It also involves a Diopark Mercedes which will be used as a staff car which luckily I’ve in the stash:
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Thanks for the clarification; identifying what is what for the German version will be the tricky bit I suspect.
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Yes, I knew that but got my words jumbled!
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Making of a Bundeswehr UH-1D.
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Plenty of Dragons “Huey” available at MBK shop.
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