Greetings All,
A few years back (and after about a 10 year hiatus from building), I decided to jump back into the hobby. Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to tackle the (horrible) Panda 1/35 UH-1N. I had daily access to the real thing, so coming up with reference material wasn't a problem. Long list of fixes on the aircraft, here goes:
-Stole much of the main rotor gearbox, drive shaft, tail rotor and main rotor parts from the MRC UH-1C gunship
-Converted it from a "stab bar" Huey to SCAS (no stab bar)
-Sanded most of the HUGE rivets off and replaced with Archer Transfer rivets
-Used Cobra Company's UH-1N update, as well as part of their weapons set
-Scratchbuilt the tailboom mounted chaff/flare dispenser housings (dispensers were stolen from the 1/35 AH-1W)
-Scratchbuilt the IDAS mounts (Improved Defensive Armament System) for the rocket pod and crew served weapons. Mainly paperclip wire and plastic sheet.
-Rebuilt cabin interior to reflect absence of soundproof lining.
-Used Floyd Werners EXCELLENT auxiliary fuel bladder inside.
-Stole many parts from the 1/35 OH-58D Kiowa, including the "disco ball" jammer.
-FLIR used from 1/35 MH-60.
-Legend Productions M134 minigun to depict the GAU-17.
-AMS Resin intake/exhaust covers.
-Removed/replaced the mesh engine screens.
-Scratchbuilt the 42 degree gearbox cover at the base of the tail, replacing the solid kit part with mesh screen and a scratchbuilt tailrotor driveshaft underneath.
-Scratchbuilt wirestrike guides on the windscreen with wire and plastic sheet.
-Maketar masks were used to spray most of the markings.
The aircraft depicted (BuNo 159202) was the first Huey I ever crewed, and I depicted her on the day of that flight. Sometime later, I decided to build an OOB Huey from the same kit, just to see the comparison of an "accurate" vs. un-fixed build. Hope you all enjoy the pics!
-Ski
Reworked:
OOB:
A few more to follow....
Ski