I am looking for a 1/32 Vietnam slick Huey.
Yes, it is the only one in 1/32 scale. It isn’t that bad of a kit. With some TLC and elbow grease, it can come out looking great.
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I’d be happy to see that.
I built a couple of these back in the early 80’s for some team guys, Almost everyone in my SF company were Vietnam vets. They thought I did a great job, (I did too actually) but this is a pretty horrible kit.
The seats are works of fiction - not even close to the right proportions, and almost rest on the cabin floor.
I was doing one for a friend of mine a few years ago. Here he is:
Unfortunately Jim died right after I started the project, and I lost my mojo on it. It was to be his bird:
At the time the photo was taken some general had taken offense, so the nose art on all the birds has to be censored. I recently met a guy from Jim’s company prior to that when the nose art was complete.
Here’s a photo showing the stock seats, then one I have narrowed slightly, and finally one that is the correct width, I think the tape was my attempt at adding texture. It must be - I’ve done it before and it looks good when painted.
The windows in the doors are incorrect as well. Someone sent me a spare to see if I could splice together a good one, but again - the whole mojo thing…
It is indeed the only 1/32 offering. I don’t know if you absolutely need one in that scale, or how much accuracy you’re looking for, but if I had it to do over I would not even bother with this one. I will finish it one day if God lets me live long enough. There’s one in a museum in Dallas with the same nose art. The museum is closed to the public. (How is that even a thing?) But I happen to know a guy who knows a guy…
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Yes, it’s the only Huey in 1/32 but the kit is off. I used to have one and ended up selling it cause the nose section is inaccurate. If you can find one, get you a dragon UH-1D. It’s not perfect either but much better option.
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To some, the nose is too rounded and bulbous. It also has oversized blobs for the pilots’ door hinges (easily fixed). The guns on the “attack” version are fictional since most (almost all) US long-bodied Hueys were slicks and they poorly represent the M16 armament system (dual M60s per side). The rest of it is pretty good. With some TLC, it can really look great. Cobra Company and Fireball Modelworks made some update sets for the interior, decals, and proper M23 doorgun mounts as well.
You can compare the nose for yourself to decide if it is acceptable. It looks pretty close to me.
Not mine, but a pretty nice example.
There are lots of examples of great-looking Hueys built from the kit. I have built a few and still have one in the stash to do. In many ways, it is still better and more accurate than the Dragon kit.
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To me, door handles aren’t even an issue. That’s like cast on bin handles on old M60 series kits - you just live with it. Shave them off and replace them and move on. So many armor kits have issues like that it’s not even worth mentioning.
I have heard about the nose issue before. I didn’t mention it because while there, it doesn’t jump at me. But the two photos above clearly show the window diescrepancy. They are so evident one wonders what Revell was thinking, I have to think the mismatch must be to compensate for some other proprortional issue in the fuselage as well, I will eventually reconfigure the entire doors. I find them unacceptable, as with the seat and other cockpit details,
Again with that statement. That’s sort of a default throwaway statement one could make about any kit produced. They all need TLC - it’s called basic modeliing skills - seams properly joined, alignment of parts, good paint finish, decaling…
These are almost polar opposites. That’s like saying with 2000 grit polishing sandpaper and a blowtorch you can make a Gremlin look like a Torino,
When it’s time to bust out the rotary saw and the stock of scratchbuilding materials, we’ve ventured far past the TLC stage…
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As usual, we just disagree.
Have to agree with @18bravo
Revell:
Windshield not high enough (to short distance between upper and lower edge)
Caused by nose in front of windshield being too high, the top surface of the nose
slopes too steeply where it meets the windshield. The proportion in height between the nose window and the solid part above is wrong, solid part is too high.
I also get the impression that the height/width of the opening in the side is wrong,
too high compared to length
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What is the best ways to make the windows clearer? That’s my main issue at this point.
Dip in Future, or its new incarnation, Pledge Multi Surface Floor Polish.
There are various polishing compounds and films you can use but that’s the fastest method.
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The A pillar is also too wide and inaccurately widens toward the top.
And we haven’t even touched on the rotor head…
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I also have doubts about the width/height of the window aft of the A-pillar.
Methinks the whole fuselage is too high in relation to length but I would need to
see 90-degree sideviews or preferably drawings to issue a definitive judgement.
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The old Revell is on my will-build list. Found one in original box a few years ago. These may be old, and not up to today’s standards, but I am having as much fun with the models of my youth as I do with some of the modern gee-whiz kits of today.
The thing is, I have been wishing for 1/35 aircraft for eons. (I’d prefer 1/32 armor, but I think Tamiya, et. al, have killed that dream.) Now that we are getting 1/35 ACFT, I may 
start collecting 1/35 copters.
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And that is one of the great things about model building. I still enjoy an old Tamiya Centurion once in a while. I know what the faults are, and can fix them or not according to my whims. But for me to say it “isn’t that bad of kit” would be intellectually dishonest.
It happens quite bit on this site. Perhaps my skillset just isn’t up to par with Gino’s.
I’d still love to see an example.
As an aside - WTF is going on with the site. I never posted this:
The site has been doing weird things like this for weeks now, although it eventually fixes itself.
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Glitches in the matrix?
I often see a greyed out version of my post above the real post and it also disappears after a while.
Maybe your id temporarily got added to my post while I was editing to add the 'Methinks …" part since I posted it as a reply to your post about the A-pillars and not as a reply to the whole topic?
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Is there a better alternative Huey in 1/35th?
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That’s what I was driving at when I posted this:
But I generally don’t like to be the guy steering folks to other scales or kits for some unknown reason. Better seems to be a subjective term on this forum, but you may want to check out the Dragon UH-1D in 1/35.
Like any kit it has its issues, (probably needs TLC) but the first thing you’ll notice is the large sliding doors have correct windows, and the A pillars are correct. The armored cockpit seats alone make it a much better start.
A plus is you’ll find a plethora of figures, accessories, and upgrades for it.
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Thanks. I saw this preorder. Any thoughts about what is to be offered?
1/35 Trumpeter UH-1B Huey Helicopter - PREORDER - Squadron.com
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None. New release - haven’t built it. Different version than the Revell kit obviously. It depends on what you want to build. I will say that previous speculation from last year that this was a completion of a Kitty Hawk project is more than likely not true. Go figure.
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If you are looking for a short-bodied Huey in 1/35, you currently have two options. Both are pretty good. Both come with four crewmen as well.
For a UH-1B, get the SAR/Seminar Model. It is out if production, but pops up on eBay often.
There is also the MRC-Academy UH-1C. It comes in a few different boxings w/different weapons options.
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