1/35 UH-1H Huey By lmagna

[CDW]

When printing your own decals, something that helps solve the transparency issue is to print the decals on white decal paper, not clear. However, this can cause other issues, particularly if you don't want a white background. But it does take care of transparency.

[lmagna]

Thanks Alan

 

I didn't think of trying my local hobby shop. They seldom have much more than basic supplies these days, (Unless you are into RC cars) that I seldom check in anymore. 

[lmagna]

I think I would tend toward the white Craig. Painting a white background would present just as many problems as trimming the decal as close to the edge as possible.

[lmagna]

Sorry I didn't see your post Denis. This whole thing switched pages on me and I lost track of what was going on!

 

Thank you for your offer to work this out for me but I am still hesitant to get you involved and possibly wasting your time on what by your explanation seems to be an iffy method.

 

I was wondering if decoupage or Mod Podge could be another method of producing the nose art? Has anyone tried this method in plastic modeling?

 

Just throwing stuff out there for now.

[CDW]

I've seen that ace of spades insignia on the nose of Huey models before, but don't recall if there was a king of diamonds along with it. 

[popeye the sailor]

white decal paper is one of my cheats.   when I did the decals for the Andrea Gail,  I changes the background to Emerald Green....that allowed the name and stern placard to be printed.   don't know what happened to the numbering.......I think my black was running low.  as long as you can stay with the color spectrum and can match the paint your using,  the cheat works great.  using odd colors is a lot harder,  unless you know the pigment measurements.  another problem is putting the decal on a darker surface........all colors are made up of at least three common colors {can be any three colors}.  in school,  you must have learned about two color mixes....blue and yellow make green.....etc.  the transparency occurs when the decal containing like colors is place on a surface,  the surface color possessing one or more of the same color combos.  the decal disappears    I think I have it right........hope I'm making sense.  it all boils down to the DPI level and the fact that printers can't print white.   there are printers that can........but I can't afford one   

[popeye the sailor]

we're com'in in too fast Capt............trim the pitch or we'll shatter the rotors!   

 

[Old Collingwood]

Lou  wonder if these  two  pics will  help  shot my me,  sorry about the quality  not my camera,    its one of the last airworthy flying  Huey NAM vets   gorgeous heli.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Real nice photos OC. That is a beautiful bird.

[Old Collingwood]

2 minutes ago, CDW said:

Real nice photos OC. That is a beautiful bird.

Hope they are of use to Lou.    real  amazing  piece of kit  up close  and so  wide  no wonder they could seat  - what  8 - 10  in kit?

 

OC.

[lmagna]

57 minutes ago, CDW said:

but don't recall if there was a king of diamonds along with it. 

My mistake. My memory said JACK my fingers apparently said KING!

 

I have looked for some time off and on and have not seen the Blackjack nose art anywhere on line yet. i have seen a few Ace of spades noses but not the combo.

[CDW]

1 minute ago, lmagna said:

My mistake. My memory said JACK my fingers apparently said KING!

 

I have looked for some time off and on and have not seen the Blackjack nose art anywhere on line yet. i have seen a few Ace of spades noses but not the combo.

I looked it up and what I recalled was an ace of spades on a Marine Huey, Monogram 1:48 scale.

[lmagna]

Thanks for the pictures OC. I agree, they are great pictures. I have not been that close to a Huey in 50 years, I'm jealous.

 

It looks like some students are getting the grand tour, even getting to go on board leaving their packs on the ground.

 

If the day was not too hot we could lift 13 combat troops plus crew. Didn't carry that many very often and never unless necessary.

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Thanks for the pictures OC. I agree, they are great pictures. I have not been that close to a Huey in 50 years, I'm jealous.

 

It looks like some students are getting the grand tour, even getting to go on board leaving their packs on the ground.

 

If the day was not too hot we could lift 13 combat troops plus crew. Didn't carry that many very often and never unless necessary.

I remember that  scene from the Arnie  film  Predator  where there must be getting on  to ten of them in a Huey.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

18 minutes ago, CDW said:

I looked it up and what I recalled was an ace of spades on a Marine Huey, Monogram 1:48 scale.

It seems like the ace of spades was much more common than I realized. I have seen it a number of times in my browsing sessions as well. I don't know if it is the same chopper or not but it always seems to be a gunship. You do know what the Ace Of Spades meant back then don't you?

[Old Collingwood]

Huey's  in Predator  - 

 

 

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Yeah that's about right. Those are N models and I suspect some of it is for Hollywood like the lights and stuff. I am not certain as I have never even seen a N model outside of pictures. If you tried hanging a radio for music in a Huey it had better have good speakers! There was a reason for those headsets and mics! 

 

But believe it or not we could and sometimes did listen Armed Forces Radio. They played pretty good music most of the time. But only crew with headsets could hear.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

You do know what the Ace Of Spades meant back then don't you?

Back then? It still does, right? It's the death card. Your time is up.

[Old Collingwood]

21 minutes ago, CDW said:

Back then? It still does, right? It's the death card. Your time is up.

Aint gonna like that  - but  understand the meaning.😯

 

OC.

[lmagna]

I didn't know that the concept was used outside of Vietnam.

Shows what a fossil I am.

[lmagna]

I found a picture of the nose art! Well not a picture exactly, but probably even better for printing and such.

I think the rest of the wording I would need will be relatively simple in comparison.

[CDW]

With that photo, you should be able to crop out the cards and print them on white decal paper. A piece of cake.

[CDW]

Jack of Diamonds is a messenger who brings important news.

Ace of Spades is the symbol of death.

Combination of the two cards is obvious...

[popeye the sailor]

you mean....like this??

[popeye the sailor]

now to get it down to scale.  what are the measurements of the front apron {between the glass?}

[CDW]

Battle of laDrang Valley - November 1965

 

You're a 19 year old kid.
You are critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .
Its November 14, 1965 . LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.
As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But.. It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.
He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's
flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army.

[popeye the sailor]

brave man 

[lmagna]

7 hours ago, CDW said:

Jack of Diamonds is a messenger who brings important news.

Now that was something I was never told. I always wondered about the Jack of Diamonds instead of the Jack of Spades as our unit was called the Blackjacks. Now I know. Kind of like the "Flying Dutchman" of a few weeks ago on the P-51. I feel like a 50 year old light just went off in my head!

 

7 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

now to get it down to scale.  what are the measurements of the front apron {between the glass?}

Exactly 20mm chin window to chin window including the frames. It would not have to be exact as it was a squadron emblem that was on all of A Company 2nd and 3rd Platoon Hueys and each one was hand painted. There were no decals so no two were exactly the same size, even though they were close. I think that someone somewhere possibly had a stencil. To  be honest, until I started thinking about this build I never gave it much thought. They were there and I didn't pay all that much attention as almost every chopper had one.

[popeye the sailor]

so about 18 mm {won't add the frames    I'll try some in a few different sizes and show ya what I come up with 

[lmagna]

Freeman and another pilot Major Bruce Crandal, his commanding officer, flew over 14 hours in and out of the LZ bringing supplies troops and evacuating wounded. They used up several Hueys rather than wait around to have them refueled or repaired. Freeman was able to complete 22 trips and Crandal 14. They are credited with evacuating over 75 causalities in that 14 hours. 

 

As many other medal winners in Vietnam they had to wait until 2001 and 2007 to receive their Medal Of Honor from President George Bush. If you pay attention in the movie "We Were Soldiers Once And Young" they are included in the story although my personal thoughts on the matter was that their involvement was underplayed and should have had a bigger part in the movie. But then I am a Huey person and may be biased.

Edited January 18, 2020 by lmagna