Egilman

Ok, the Models.... First up the 1994 Revell #4334 Mash 4077th Bell H-13H Helicopter.... It's an oldie and looks to have had some fairly rough treatment in various stashes over the years.... The Sprues.... Three sprues and a bare frame, two sprues and the frame are in hard olive green plastic and one sprue of clear..... Not too many parts, 70 in all... Instructions.... Decals.... The kit obviously models a fairy tale aircraft, no US military aircraft ever carried the word "MASH" on it's side.... As well as the helicopters used during Korea and even on the TV show were not H-13H's which is what the model depics.... The H-13H was first acquired by the Army in 1955, (it was a follow-on design to the H-13G which was first acquired by the Army in 1953) way too late to see service in Korea... It's main features (over the "G" model) were a 250hp up-rated Lycoming engine and upgraded landing skids.... You can tell the Lycoming engine by the valve covers, they are smooth with the Lycoming name embossed on the surface..... (exactly what the kit has) So that decidedly places this model in the post Korea/Vietnam era.... Avionics are all over the place for this thing from next to none to everything you could find in communications... Upgrade kits (for the real bird) are numerous as well from various armament packages to full on cabin heating systems the opportunities for scratch detailing are great.... The Kit has some deficiencies which I will get into during the build portion of this thread) Outside of the MASH lettering and Caduceus, the decals allow you to represent an H-13G or H model from almost any period after the Korean war... (as long as your not modeling a specific aircraft) Overall it looks to be a decent kit... The Kit offers two different schemes Mash Medevac.. And a high vis red & white scheme... Personally I'm now leaning towards something Ft Rucker.... (a nice red or red & green instrument training bird would be nice as well) Next up, the MRC HTL-4 Onwards...

Your a good man brother... but don't be surprised if he brings it anyway... It's the principal of the thing.... I would....

Well a little history is in order.... While the helicopter received some attention, (and use) during World War II ( Kolibri FL282, Sikorsky H-4, H-5 & H-6), it was not until the Korean War that its practical battlefield value was put to the test. One of the most famous designs to emerge was the utilitarian Bell Model 47, (though in its military H-13 Sioux form) The Model 47 proved the consummate workhorse used in a myriad of military roles including medical transport and observation. From 1946 to 1974, some 5,600 were produced. The Model 47 can still be found in air spaces of today. The H-13 Sioux helicopter was acquired by the Army in 1946. It was the first Army aircraft named for an Indian tribe, a tradition that is still in use today. The H-13 was the primary Army helicopter used during the Korean War for all tasks (e.g. wire laying, liaison, reconnaissance and training), but most famously for Medical Evacuation (MedEvac) as portrayed in the Movie/TV series MASH. In the early 1960s at the beginning of the Vietnam War, the Army had 861 H-13's in its inventory. Although more advanced helicopters were the primary platforms in Vietnam, the H-13G thru S models proved useful as an observation helicopter and flying gun platform for the cavalry, infantry and air assault divisions. It was replaced with the OH-6A Cayuse and the OH-58 Kiowa in 1968/69 The Bell Model 47/H-13 Sioux sprung from the mind of Arthur M. Young. After graduation from Princeton University in 1927, Young searched for a suitable invention to develop. In 1928 he returned to his father's farm in Radnor, Pennsylvania, to begin twelve solitary years of efforts to develop the helicopter into a useful device. Young's private experiments with helicopter design had mostly involved small scale models. After twelve years on his own using the models, in early 1941, he took his results and models to the Bell Aircraft Company in Buffalo, New York, and the company agreed to build full-scale prototypes. With Bell behind him, he was issued the key patent, the rotor stabilizer bar (also known as a flybar) assigned it to Bell, and moved to Buffalo to work with them. In June 1942 he moved his five-person team to Gardenville, New York, a hamlet on the north border of West Seneca, New York, where they could work in relative secrecy. The first test flight of his prototype Bell Model 30 occurred in July 1943. Design and refinement continued and on March 8, 1946, the company received Helicopter Type Certificate H-1 for the world's first commercial helicopter, the Bell Model 47. The Model 47 improved on several facets of the original. Seating was increased to two and power was derived from either a Franklin- or Lycoming-branded engine, now increased in output power to as much as 300 horsepower. Bell sold the United States Army on the design and the type was adopted for service in 1946, too late to see operational service in World War II which officially ended in September of the previous year. The US Army designated the military version as the H-13 "Sioux" (in the US Navy as the HTL 1 thru 5 series) Video below is an HTL-5.... The type was featured heavily in the Korean War. (1950-1953) The Model 47 was also a civilian marketplace stalwart where it's simple construction and contained flight characteristics ensured it a lengthy reach as a multi-role utility mount. The Model 47 was even attributed with several helicopter flight records including a 1949 claim of reaching 18,550 feet for a helicopter, a 1950 feat seeing a Model 47 pass over the Alps and a 1952 world distance record of 1,217 miles from Hurst, Texas to Buffalo, New York. During the Korean War the Model 47/H-13 gained its classic appearance, including the bubble canopy and skeletal tail section. The type was used in the MEDEVAC role and as an airborne observation platform. It was the Model 47D that introduced the classic bubble canopy design. The Model 47D-1 appeared in 1949 It supported seating for three. The Model 47E introduced a Franklin powerplant with 200 horsepower output. Then came the Model 47F and the Model 47G which utilized a three-seating arrangement and "saddle bag" fuel tanks. Bell was granted foreign license production with the governments of Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. Agusta produced the aircraft in Italy while Japanese manufacture was through Kawasaki Heavy Industries (as the KH-4). British mounts were produced by Westland Aircraft. Most Model 47s are no longer in direct military service but survive through various civilian endeavors - primarily in Agriculture, Tourism and the Museum industries. Nevertheless, they remain a classic, highly recognizable design that is almost universally recognized as the first "Whirlybird" The Bell Model 47 has been used/produced worldwide with many on public display as showpieces. Next up the models....

Yep a Bell 222... Airwolf.... Beautiful birds.... Currently they fly a Bell 430...... An even more beautiful bird...

Thank you brothers, will be continuing on shortly....

Better than when he was Lost in Space, but back then you didn't care that he was the only sane one on the show, (at least he was out of tights) Some of those shows you see today and wonder how they ever made it on TV.... SkyKing, Batman, The Green Hornet, Highway Patrol.... Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea..... Although Gunsmoke, Route 66, Adam 12 and The Rifleman hold up well, (better than most crap on TV today, well all of those are better than todays TV, at least they had a point)

This is going to be a quick build, two of the most recognizable helicopters in the world..... First... The kits The first is the MRC/Academy HTL-4, my kit is the 1997 edition of the kit which depicts an HTL-4 (navy designation of the H-13D) on floats and decaled as a US Coast Guard S/R bird, no other options offered... The second is the venerable Revell 4077th Mash H-13H kit first released in 1994 and shown decaled for the TV show version of the helicopter... (but it also depicts a red painted Arctic Search -n- Rescue bird as well) They both build into reasonable models with the MRC/Academy being the most accurate and versatile of the two kits, The Revell is the more well known kit though obviously given the licensed connection to the TV show M.A.S.H. This will be an actual side by side build predominantly out of the box, The MRC/Academy kit has the extra part options to build an actual US Army Medevac D/E version or an original "Cobra" version (two underslung .30 calibre M1919A4 machine guns which served as a test aircraft and never saw combat) The MRC instructions only show the USCG version on floats, so I have downloaded the Fujimi instructions which show all the versions the kit is capable of being built into without the floats...... If you want to build an accurate Korean War Medevac version of an H-13 get the Academy version of the kit, it will be accurate... On the other hand, if your interested in the Vietnam version of the H-13, (G thru S models) buy the Revell kit... Although inaccurate for a Korean War medevac version, the kit will build into a very good representation of an OH-13H or with a little work, an "S" model with a few aftermarket accessories and some plastruct you can build any post Korea/Vietnam War version of the H-13 Sioux.... Me? I'm going to build mine into an OH-13G, straight up army brass taxi, probably late '50 Europe configuration...... (part of the '50's old boys club, you really didn't realize you were a brand new, freshly minted general until they assigned you your very ownest own personal helicopter) The one I have in mind is a Major General's bird from USAEUR..... Any way, a quick little project to get my hand back into hacking and gluing.... Then we move on to the baddest of the bad..... EG

I'd love to be a fly on the wall listening to the cabinet maker discussing his shipping issues with the shipper.... Now that would be high action/drama..... Good man he's making it right.... Excellent news brother...

Yeah, that last pic really shows how strong that hinge was doesn't it....

They were bombed up on deck after spotting, the procedure was developed during the early years on the Lex and Sara, the bomb racks on the aircraft were not strong enough to handle the moving the aircraft around the deck and represented a hazard to the ship if one was accidentally dropped... It's why they developed bomb elevators to raise the ordnance to the flight deck.... It was that way on all the carriers of the period, arming the bombers and torpedo planes was one of the most dangerous tasks on a carrier, it cost the Japanese dearly at Midway.....

OUTSTANDING...... your execution of a weathered non-specular blue paint job is very very good, one of the best I've seen yet... Too bad there isn't a 1/24th Corsair to go with it.... (but I've heard rumors that trumpy is working on one)

Fine work, you know if the admiralty commandeers it and re-purposes it, that is the absolute tacit seal of approval.... To me that always made the 2nd effort worth it.... Good Job... Nice lookin' box btw....

Sounds to me that the case maker has some serious considerations to make as far as his shipping department is concerned.... I'm sure he will make it right, sounds like a good chap, so look at it as providing a service to his in finding out and correcting his delivery.... I'm sure he knows how frustrating this has to be for you.... I think in the end, you will be more than pleased....

I know the draw of showing all the features, but so you have a clear picture historically, wings folded, no bombs nor extended flaps..... Weapons were only installed during mission ops, they made the plane too heavy for arrested landings on the carrier deck.... also the wings were usually in some state of fold when not on the flight deck or undergoing maintenance.... It's an interesting aircraft and a must have to fill out a prewar flight deck....

Hey brother just arrived, looking for my usual spot....

I remember when I was a young man working in several shops that had exactly that type of gas heater, some worked, some didn't, but when they worked they worked well.... Nice job duplicating it......

Those are two males, so it is a territorial thing, Get out in the woods up here and you can see Hawks and Eagles do it all the time during mating season..... This is mating season here..

He mitered it, 45 degree cut

Beautiful, tasty execution as well.... Need to do another... like grandma's cookies, you can't do just one.... {chuckle} Anyway, wonderful job on an aircraft that been difficult for some.....

I only wish they could read english, that would be a great help to them I suspect....

They would be fools not too, imho.... (at least until 3d resin printing catches up)

Oh I fully understand... Fully!

Or maybe a helmet, a solid one, Kevlar would work.... {chuckle}

Kinda what I thought as far as the look.... Good look though.... The Royal Navy removed it from service in 1804, not only was it a bear to fire, it brought fire to bear on sails and rigging and powder... Reports have it as a veritable blowtorch when fired, the blast would reach 9 feet, (with fully charged barrels that is) I believe the Pawn stars clip was only partially charged.... The last authentic one sold at auction in England, (in firing condition) went for 25k pounds, the 30k dollars they were throwing around on the show as a price would be a bargain if the gun was real and not a reproduction....... Personally if I owned such, it would NEVER get fired.... Worth too much to even let powder near it...

They were strictly a Royal Navy weapon for close quarters fighting, repelling boarders and the like..... There is no record of them ever being used in any other military capacity, (the RN removed them from service in 1804) except in Napoleonic war fiction.... Like the Richard Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell...... Check it out.... (pawn stars season 13)