Vietnamese Snake

[John1]

On 2/13/2023 at 12:38 PM, Jeff said:

THANK YOU !! For NOT folding the seat belts like an airliner as everyone else does, your way is SO much more realistic than the perfect folded belts like an airliner... I see neatly folded belts on 'operational" modeled aircraft, and think , by the time they unfold them to sit in the cockpit the enemy will have them....  thanks for your attention to that detail... looks great !

LOL, thank you for noticing!  That's always been a pet peeve of mine, no idea why.  The effect wasn't as good as I'd hoped, it's tough to get PE to completely look like fabric.  In retrospect, a different medium would have been best for this build.   

[John1]

One thing I enjoy on my builds is taking a deep dive into my subject.   Most of the time, I find a treasure trove of info online.  This time, pictures of Vietnam War Cobras weren't as common as I had hoped.   In the case of the Cobra, I found many good reference shots perusing FB forums focused on the Army aviation in the Vietnam War and multiple smaller websites dedicated to specific units, usually run and maintained by the vets themselves.    Figured I share a few of the pictures in this thread.  To the best of my knowledge, I don't recall having seen these before.

 

The "Thousand Yard Stare".   Items to note - the pilot is wearing the late-war USAF style survival vest.  Also note the multiple maps stuffed between the glareshield and canopy.  Also note the aluminum colored housing for air-conditioning system behind the seat (more on this later). 

"Hot" rearming.   Note the guy in the OD green Jungle Fatigues (bottom only in this picture).   As a cold war grunt, those fatigues were still authorized for wear until sometime in the very late 80's when they were replaced by the warm weather BDU's.   I still think they were the best hot weather field uniform the Army ever came up with.   Light, amazing cool and would dry out quickly when you inevitably got them soaked (from sweat or just being out in the rain).    It was a sad day when I had to put mine away forever. 

 

Near miss (I hope).  The website provided no info on whether the gunner was hit or not.  Looks like the side armor stopped some of the blast.   Note the color of the seatbelts.   These belts were found in multiple colors.   New, they were a sort of metallic grey/white shade.   As they weathered, they could end up browish or a green grey.   I plan on going back and weathering my seatbelts a bit to tone done the uniform color on them.

 

Another shot of the gunner's cockpit.  Note the repaired bullet holes.   Again no info on whether the gunner was hit but if you look at the holes on both sides, if he wasn't he was truly the luckiest guy in Vietnam. 

 

Thanks for following along on a post that has very little to do with modeling. 

 

[easixpedro]

Brilliant pics!  Thanks for sharing.  And SOOOOO many details to soak up.

 

I know seat belts are a bit of a live wire.  Can't say how they did it back in the day, especially in country, or other forward bases.  But I can say that forever in NavAir, it's part of the daily turnaround checklist that the Plane Captain (= crew chief) puts the belts in place.  It's part of the check list and one of the first things they do after ensuring the ejection seats are safed. Literally, after every flight they clamber up into the cockpit and do that.  I know they were doing that in the 60s in Vietnam and we were doing it in Afghanistan too.  So best bet is always check your references for what you're building...

[Alain Gadbois]

Excellent work on the cockpit!

Tried to build the Revell kit when I was a teenager but, with the Squadron book as reference, found it had so many flaws I couldn’t fix that it was turned into a sf model!

A few years later (late ‘80s) visiting NYC, on the sidewalk in front of an army surplus store, there was one of these gunner gunsights complete with its articulated arms. Of course I recognized ii immediately!
Price tag was around 75$. Didn’t have that cash on me as a poor student and also wondering how I could bring it back across the border into Canada riding on a Greyhound bus!

Still a bit sad letting that opportunity go by…

 

Alain

 

 

[John1]

Still slowly plugging awayon the cockpit. Next up was the rear cockpit deck behind the pilot's seat.   The original ICM kit part is about as basic as you can get.

Note the housing circled in yellow (picture from another ICM Cobra build over on ARC).   This housing is a manifold system for cockpit environmental control system (AKA - ventilation system).  The early Cobras deployed to Vietnam had nothing but ambient air to try to cool that cockpit.   Must have been great sitting under all that plexiglass, in fully flying kit, on a 100-degree day with 99% humidity.   After major complaints from the field, Bell quickly developed an air-conditioning system that was introduced in all new-build Cobras and retrofitted to those in the field.   

 

Externally, you can tell if a Cobra has the A/C unit installed by the presence of a circular air inlet just aft of the cockpit on the port side.

 

 

The new A/C system was a hit.   To say it put out cool air was an understatement as this picture taken by a gunner during a mission in Vietnam shows. 

The A/C system was doubly impressive because each seat had ventilated cushions that were fed cold air by prominent duct hose connecting to the top of each seat's back cushion.  Note also the early XM-177/CAR-15 rifle wedged into the corner of the gunner's cockpit.   These much sought-after weapons were introduced late in the war and were primarily issued to helicopter pilots (mostly scout / Cobra crews) and special forces.   Originally supplied with the first generation 20-round "box" magazines, very late in the war, the Army switched over to 30-round magazines which were much preferred (for obvious reasons).  Here's a stock Vietnam era CAR-15:

I'll be adding one of these to my cockpit later in the build.

 

 

Anyway - back to modeling.   The ECS manifold shown on the kit part above is shaped incorrectly.   The actual manifold is oriented more horizontally rather than vertically, as the kit part is positioned.    Here's a good shot from an original maintenance manual that shows the actual shape of the manifold:

The flanges shown above are behind the cockpit decking and aren't visible.  

 

My fix to this was to cut out the kit manifold, sand it to a more representative shape and glue it horizontally onto the deck.   I then filled the gap above it with putty and once dry, textured it with an Xacto knife to replicate the quilted soundproofing fabric.   I also cut out the molded-on wires from the junction box present on the back wall, replacing them with some lead wire from better appearance.   I then added a resin avionics box on the deck directly in front and a first-aid kit on the wall above.   Both of these parts come with the SH version of the kit and are very well molded.   The only extra items I added were a few placards on each box.   

 

Last bit of work for this update was to add the raised framework at the top edge of the cockpit and some vertical ribs.   Not perfect but it is much better than the featureless plastic of the kit interior.    

Pretty crude but once the cockpit is installed, it's going to look just fine from the angle you'll be viewing at.  I'm also going to hit this area with a dark wash to highlight these bits. 

 

Here's the cockpit glued into the left side of the fuselage.   Note the reoriented A/C housing and the ribs on the cockpit sidewall.     The consoles immediately next to the pilot's seat are extremely bare but that's per the real thing.   As I get further along with the build, I'll add a few items clutter the area up.   Also, they won't be quite as apparent once I add the side armor plates.     

 

 

 I removed the top part of the gunner's sight for the time being.  With all the handling coming up, didn't want to risk damaging such a delicate part. 

 

 

Also going to add a bit of clutter on the deck behind the pilot's seat.  

 

So that's it for now.   Any critiques or comments are more than welcome.    Thanks for checking in! 

 

[John1]

Fuselage halves are joined.   Not a horrible fit but not Tamiya-esque quality either.   Just took a bit of putty and some sanding.  Once I get the halves painted and some other bits added, I'll go about adding the cockpit parts that I knocked off.  I also noted that somehow the handle of the fire extinguisher got broken off as well.    Still looking for the gunner's AC duct hose.   I'm truly at a loss to explain how a piece that large can simply disappear.  Highly recommend leaving off the weapons sights and other small cockpit bits until you have the fuselage buttoned up.    Also, don't forget to add some weight to the nose cone.   I used some 1/8" lead solder crushed up and glued in place.   Hopefully it will be enough. 

 

The kit provides some decent PE intake screens (I think these come with the basic ICM kit as well).     Once they were glued in place, I gently pushed each section of screen into the intake opening underneath.   That's a pretty pronounced feature of the real screens. 

 

 

 Also just noted that the top of the pilot's instrument console should be all black, not the Dark Gull Grey I went with.  That's an easy fix, as will be the repair to the fire extinguisher handle.  

 

Next up will be the initial paintwork.   As the old saying goes, you could get your Cobra in any color you wanted, as long as you wanted Olive Drab!  However, there were multiple shades of OD that seem to be used on Cobras (and all Army helos in general).   

 

The basic shade is a brownish tinted OD, as shown here:

 

 

And here:

Note that the newer applied coats of OD had a slightly glossy tone.

 

However, once they were in service for an extended time, they started to show some pretty heavy weathering.

 

To add the variations available, later in the war, you started to see a more green-ish tinted OD show up.

Note the recent (I assume) bullet hole in the leading edge of the stub-wing.  

 

I've got some decisions to make, this will be especially difficult since I don't have a specific subject to build.   Originally Werner's Wings was planning a 32nd sheet that included "Suzy Q", the story of which is in the intro on page one of this build.   First Suzy got dropped from the sheet because WW couldn't find enough details on the markings.  Then WW decided to drop the 32nd scale sheet entirely and just offer up a 48th sheet instead.   That was pretty disappointing.  So now I've got a build without a subject.   I'm still fixated on building a very late-war Cobra, with the "toilet bowl" exhaust but the kit doesn't offer any decals options and so far, none of the other available aftermarket sheets do either.   

 

I've decided to order a sheet from ASK decals (never heard of these guys before).   This sheet offer's two subjects from Fox troop, 4th Cav - the "Centaurs".  Both are circa 1972 ships (despite the sheet's info, which also got the unit wrong as well).   Neither has the toilet bowl mod but IMO, it's highly likely that they would have been fitted with this since it was pretty much standard by summer/fall of '72.   Here's the sheet I've got inbound:

And to wrap this post up, here's a nice shot of the Centaur's flight line on Tan My Island, late summer of '72.    Note the ubiquitous shark mouth and the light green toilet bowls and in some cases, tailbooms.  Not sure if this is green primer or just tinted OD but it makes for an interesting scheme.  At the time this picture was taken, F/4th CAV was one of the last US Army Cobra units still flying in Vietnam. 

 

So that's it for now, thanks for following along with yet another rambling post!

[John1]

Base coat of paint is on.   I'm still using Model Master enamel (RIP), their OD is on the green side of the spectrum, so I added about 30 percent Dark Tan.   This is just the base coat, depending on what I finally end up with for a final subject, this will probably be changed for the final scheme. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to see in this picture but I added a Claymore mine pouch to the rear shelf behind the pilot's seat.  Many pilots used these bags to store a few extra magazines for their M16/CAR-15.  If they went down, they could just grab the bag and start running   I had one back in my grunt days, used it for my shower / shaving kit.    I'll have to take a better picture, I was quite proud of my work, added the shoulder strap from lead foil    Nasty things, those Claymores.  A plastic box stuffed with C4 and filled with a thousand or so tiny ball bearings.  You could set it up with trip wires or command detonate it.   Here's the real bag. 

 

That's it for now, thanks for checking in. 

[John1]

Back to doing some small work in the cockpit.    Primarily consisting of adding the pilot / gunner's side armor plates.   These plates were of ceramic construction and were an early version of the Kevlar armor that is so common today. I believe they were proof against 7.62mm light machine gun rounds, which was the most common AA threat early in the war.  Later, the NVA started to widely introduce 12.7 heavy MG's and 23mm cannons.  The only way to stay safe around those weapons were to stay away from them.   Aside from the armored seats and side plates, the only other protection afforded the crew were the "Chicken Plates" introduced mid-war for helo crewmembers. 

 

Heavy, hot and uncomfortable, they still saved hundreds of US lives during the war. 

 

The SH kit offers resin plates that are more detailed than the plastic ones in the ICM kit.   They also offer exquisitely molded "grimes" lights which are mounted on the inside of each right side plate.  The pilot also gets a PE map holder for the inside of his plate, I'll be adding some maps to this later on.   I coiled up some thin copper wire to represent the power cords for these lights.   Sorry for the poor detail picture, I can't seem to get the contrast on my old point and shoot to work well with the OD paintjob.    

 

 

I also dirtied up the sides of the armor plates.  If you look at the pics I posted above, these plates always seem to have a grimy patina about them.   Guessing it was just from dirty hands holding onto the plates when the crew entered the cockpits.   I used dark grey pastels for this effect. 

 

Also added pastel "dust" to the glareshields to make them a bit more realistic. 

 

Also added the stub wings.  More on those in a future post.

 

At this point, the cockpit is 90% done.  Just need to add back the gunner's sight and some other bits that were knocked off due to handling.  I'll wait on these until right before I'm ready to install the canopy.    Last items headed to the cockpit will be the pilot's sidearms, a few maps and the beautiful resin flight helmets that come with the SH kit.

 

I noted before that SH provides PE intake screens, where the ICM kit has nothing except recessed sections.   Makes a big difference IMO.

Note again the washed out colors.  Not sure why my camera is struggling with an OD paint job. 

 

So that's it for today, thanks to those of you who are following along! 

 

 

 

 

[Shoggz]

I'm not a big helicopter fan, but I am a fan of your meticulous and detailed builds John.. and this is yet another one!

 

Great work sir.

 

Can I put a vote in for a Tamiya Spitfire next?  

[Uncarina]

I’m learning a lot here! Between your personal recollections/research and your build there’s always a depth to your work I really appreciate.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[John1]

13 hours ago, Shoggz said:

I'm not a big helicopter fan, but I am a fan of your meticulous and detailed builds John.. and this is yet another one!

 

Great work sir.

 

Can I put a vote in for a Tamiya Spitfire next?  

Funny you mention a Spit.   I've got the Tamiya IX next in the queue.   Found a subject that is quirky enough to suit my tastes.    

The only picture of this aircraft shows it based in Italy late in the war, in a ground attack role toting a 500 lb bomb, absolutely filthy.   I love it!    Only thing that might change my plan is the very nice looking Takom AH-64E that arrived last week from Sprue Brothers.    Decisions, decisions....

[John1]

12 hours ago, Uncarina said:

I’m learning a lot here! Between your personal recollections/research and your build there’s always a depth to your work I really appreciate.

 

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks Tom.   Sorry to keep "dirt roading" this build.   Once I decide on a subject, I become a bit obsessed with everything about it.   

[Uncarina]

No need at all to apologize! I respect your dedication.

 

Sincerely,  Tom

[Shoggz]

5 hours ago, John1 said:

Funny you mention a Spit.   I've got the Tamiya IX next in the queue.   Found a subject that is quirky enough to suit my tastes.    

The only picture of this aircraft shows it based in Italy late in the war, in a ground attack role toting a 500 lb bomb, absolutely filthy.   I love it!    Only thing that might change my plan is the very nice looking Takom AH-64E that arrived last week from Sprue Brothers.    Decisions, decisions....

 

Or, maybe park the Tamiya and go bigger!

 

Researching the specific aircraft I want to build my 1/24th scale Spitfire as, I came across this on the Hannants website:

 

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KW124001?result-token=1T9pv

 

Would be great to see what your attention to detail would bring to a bigger canvas!?

[Iain]

Brilliant project John - both the build and the background information/images - hugely inspirational!

 

I have the Special Hobby release too - superb value with all the extras IMHO.

 

Iain