RAAF No. 9 Squadron “Bushranger 72“ Huey - Vietnam 1970 - ***Finished with Pics***

[mark.au]

A radical departure for me on this one.  Well, reasonably radical let’s say…. A helicopter and Vietnam - there’s nothing more synonymous with Vietnam than a Huey, is there?

 

This project has come about through one of the biggest satisfactions I derive from my website, that being form time to time I come into contact with family members of the pilots or units I feature who usually express gratitude their loved ones’ stories are being told, and sometimes offer further information and materials to further enhance the site.

 

In this case, the connection was a little more indirect but it came to pass that I began a correspondence with the son of an Australian soldier in Vietnam wounded in action and desperately needing medivac.  His unit was under fire, and quite surrounded; the medivac choppers couldn’t get in to the LZ.  Then, an Aussie gunship in full “Bushranger”mode arrived on the scene and laid down a storm of suppression fire sufficiently effective that the medivac could land and get the wounded trooper out.
 

I am building this model of an Aussie Bushranger for the son to give to his father.

 

In using the Italeri kit I have a few modifications and scratch building challenges, but I’m reasonably confident I can manage it.  I have also included some Reskit enhancements, which added up with the cost of the kit still has the total come under the price of the Kittyhawk kit, which is rarer than hen’s teeth in Australia anyway.

 

And last night I made a start, beginning with the little kit within a kit of the armoured seats.  Made from PE and resin, they are fiddly as all get out but look good when assembled.  I still have all the belts and fittings to add but so far so good.

 

 

 

As this is a subject I know little about, and scratch building the some of the Bushranger weaponry will be a challenge, all suggestions and corrections are gratefully received!  Below are a couple of pics of both the "Ned Kelly" configuration which was essentially the proof of concept and then on the right, the "Bushranger" configuration eventually adopted as standard.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by mark.au

[bigbadbadge]

A very interesting project and a great reason to build, looking forward to seeing this unfold.

Great start on the seats Mark.

Chris

[Bell209]

I like what you've done so far! Get yourself a set of these https://www.hobbylinc.com/aires-m60-7,62mm-machine-gun-resin-plastic-model-aircraft-accessory-1:48-scale-4678. I do have some info on the Bushranger setup somewhere. PM me for any specific questions.

 

Be careful with the decals, too - ESCI and Italeri had/have a habit of producing pregnant wallabies, rather than roos as insignia. Hawkeye Models make a nice set.

[mark.au]

12 hours ago, Bell209 said:

I do have some info on the Bushranger setup somewhere. PM me for any specific questions.

Thanks!  I’ll be sure to take you up on that.  I do have some of the Hawkeye decals, so that’s covered.  I need some of those M60s as well as the mini guns.  It think I can scratch the rest, except maybe the ammo feeds.

 

@bigbadbadge - Thanks Chris, should be an interesting one for sure.

[mark.au]

Today, it occurred to me that for someone with such a well known antipathy towards cockpits a helicopter must seem an unexpected subject.  Almost the entire model is cockpit… 🤦‍♂️😂

[mark.au]

PE is such a tricky medium to work in but for some components like the armoured seats it really gives the best results.

 

 

 

...apart for the wonky seat belt guide, that is...  CA glue is quite unforgiving.

 

I've also been moving forward on a few of the other subassemblies in preparation for paint.  I'll get to that over the weekend and then I'll be a bit stalled on the interior until some bits and pieces I've ordered for the weapons systems arrive.  There will be plenty to do though; both propellor sub assemblies for example.

[bigbadbadge]

The PE seat armour does look good, looking forward to the rest of the cockpit progress.

Chris

[mark.au]

4 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

The PE seat armour does look good, looking forward to the rest of the cockpit progress.

Chris

Thanks Chris.  In looking at the photos this morning I notice I let my enthusiasm get the best of me in last night’s session and made a tricky paint job for myself.  The armour is OD whereas almost everything else is a light grey colour. It would have been better/easier to have painted the seats OD and then brush paint the grey frame on the seats had I not now glued them in to the cockpit floor.  Oops.

Edited November 25, 2021 by mark.au

[bigbadbadge]

1 hour ago, mark.au said:

Thanks Chris.  In looking at the photos this morning I notice I let my enthusiasm get the best of me in last night’s session and made a tricky paint job for myself.  The armour is OD whereas almost everything else is a light grey colour.  would have been to paint the seats OD and then brush paint the grey frame on the seats had I not now glued them in to the cockpit floor.  Oops.

 

It happens to the best of us fella  I often make errors like that, I put it down to tiredness, that's my excuse anyway 😉

You will be fine doing it I am sure, are you painting the armour first then brush painting the frames?

Chris

[mark.au]

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

are you painting the armour first then brush painting the frames?

I think I’ll paint the OD first then a gentle wrap around mask on the seats to paint the overall light grey and then brush paint the legs and frame.

[Pappy]

G'day Mark, dod the Bushranger/Ned Kelly aircraft have dual controls?

 

Pappy

[mark.au]

10 hours ago, Pappy said:

G'day Mark, dod the Bushranger/Ned Kelly aircraft have dual controls?

 

Pappy

Hi Pappy, you mad3 me check because I’d assumed they did but hadn’t thought to check!  From what I can find in various photos is that yes, they were dual control but very happy to be corrected if that’s not the case.

[Pappy]

13 hours ago, mark.au said:

Hi Pappy, you mad3 me check because I’d assumed they did but hadn’t thought to check!  From what I can find in various photos is that yes, they were dual control but very happy to be corrected if that’s not the case.

 

G'day Mark,

 

I am not 100% sure but I thought that the observer (left seat) did not have a collective (stowed) orc yclic installed, the torque pedals remained. This may have been more typical of a post Vietnam machine  hence my question. There would also have been optical sights installed.

 

Also, if you hadn't noticed, the forward window in the right cabin door was usually removed to gain access to the fuel port. Your pic actually dshows this quite well,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Pappy

[mark.au]

Thanks for the input Pappy, I hadn’t noticed that about the window though it is quite obvious when pointed out!  Thanks.

 

On the controls, I’m not completely sure, but I think I can see a cyclic in the left seat in this pic?  Perhaps it was something done later as you suggest.

 

[mark.au]

I had a pretty good weekend's modelling and was able to bring the cockpit more or less to ready-to-install...

 

 

I used an Eduard detail set for the seatbeltswich worked well with the Reskit seats.  The Reskit box included seatbelts as well, but they weren't painted and I must admit to taking a little bit of the easy option in going with Eduard's prepainted ones.

I used some old intrument decals for the centre console - not completely certain that worked out as well as if I painted them but my enthusiasm in installing the seats too early meant painting wasn't a viable option.  It looks good enough I think.

 

 

To get by my faux pas on the seats, I airbrushed the OD and then brush painted the light grey around it.  I used the airbrush for the rest of the grey interior.  I also fabricated the ammo box for the miniguns that will be mounted on the sides of the fuselage.  It's a bit tall, and I may not use it in the end.  It's held there by a bit of blutack at the moment.  I've been lucky enough to source one of the few remaining Bushranger conversion kits remaining and that includes the ammo box, as well as the other mounting hardware for the various weapon systems.

 

 

It's all a bit cramped in the cockpit now - I have test fitted and can close the fuselage around the the cockpit but to be honest, I'm not sure a scale pilot could fit in there!  It will look good behind the kit plastic windows though.

 

Next up will be some airframe modelling - it's time to work on the airframe to get things ready for the fuselage closing.

 

Cheers;

Mark.

[Fritag]

Great project Mark.  I've no doubt you'll do it full justice and the cockpit is a great start.

 

Steve

[mark.au]

On 11/29/2021 at 8:11 PM, Fritag said:

Great project Mark.  I've no doubt you'll do it full justice and the cockpit is a great start.

 

Steve

Thanks Steve, I hope so!

 

While I await delivery of some bits and pieces I need to finish the interior I’ve begun work some of the exterior.  First, I worked on the engine cowling.  There were two areas of focus, the first being the various vents.

 

 

The quality of the plastic moulding is a little suspect but with some PE and a bit of clean up I think it’ll look convincing enough under paint.  The other area of attention was the exhaust.

 

 

This was a bit trickier.  I wanted to use a Reskit resin exhaust but it was made for the Kittyhawk kit and so required a little adjustment to sit correctly. More at issue though, was the plastic because the moulding was soft and the seam was difficult to eliminate.  I solved the problem by cutting a disc of plastic stock, inserting it into the exhaust shroud and then cutting an ID such that it created the flange seen above, slightly wider than the exhaust itself.  After a bit of finagling it got it how I wanted it.  Painting will require a steady hand and some fancy masking though.

 

Next I decided to tackle the rotor assembly.  I used a Reskit resin kit for this too, again designed for the Kittyhawk kit though that’s much less of an issue in this case.  The kit itself is quite exquisite in its detail and quality of production.  The instructions are clear and I found the assembly to be straightforward.  At least, straightforward in terms of knowing what was required.

 

 

Now, it’s fair to say my old(er) eyes are about at their limit at this level of detail.  There’s twelve individual pieces in the photo above.  Each one required removal from its casting block and I’m quite proud that in doing so I only broke one.  Reskit thoughtfully provide spares for most of the very delicate parts, which helps take some of the pressure off when handling such small and easily broken parts.  I will try and do it justice when it comes to painting it.

 

 

I’m quite happy with how it went together, a much less fraught exercise than my usual efforts with small resin and CA glue!

 

Theres some other airframe work to do so I have plenty to get on with before becoming stalled out waiting for the postman.  I’m also becoming a bit obsessed with learning Gilmore’s “Comfortably Numb” guitar solo so there’s that to keep me occupied too.

 

Thanks for reading, cheers.

[bigbadbadge]

Interior is looking good Mark, as is the cowling with vents and exhaust. The rotor head also does look exquisite. 

Great work

Chris

[Rob S]

On 11/23/2021 at 7:39 AM, mark.au said:

A radical departure for me on this one.  Well, reasonably radical let’s say…. A helicopter and Vietnam - there’s nothing more synonymous with Vietnam than a Huey, is there?

 

This project has come about through one of the biggest satisfactions I derive from my website, that being form time to time I come into contact with family members of the pilots or units I feature who usually express gratitude their loved ones’ stories are being told, and sometimes offer further information and materials to further enhance the site.

 

In this case, the connection was a little more indirect but it came to pass that I began a correspondence with the son of an Australian soldier in Vietnam wounded in action and desperately needing medivac.  His unit was under fire, and quite surrounded; the medivac choppers couldn’t get in to the LZ.  Then, an Aussie gunship in full “Bushranger”mode arrived on the scene and laid down a storm of suppression fire sufficiently effective that the medivac could land and get the wounded trooper out.
 

... 

 

As this is a subject I know little about, and scratch building the some of the Bushranger weaponry will be a challenge, all suggestions and corrections are gratefully received!  Below are a couple of pics of both the "Ned Kelly" configuration which was essentially the proof of concept and then on the right, the "Bushranger" configuration eventually adopted as standard.

 

 

 

 

Someone who could probably answer any questions you have is Kym Manuel.  

 

He wrote a Book many years ago now that is much sought after and of course now impossible to get a hold of but as far as I know he is still active on Flikr and Twitter. 

 

[Fritag]

11 hours ago, mark.au said:

Next I decided to tackle the rotor assembly.  I used a Reskit resin kit for this too,

 

11 hours ago, mark.au said:

I will try and do it justice when it comes to painting it.

 

Nice eye-straining mini-epic of assembly Mark.  It’ll look great under paint.  

[heloman1]

Just found your build, great work on the cockpit/cabin, bummer with the armour plate painting! I've looked at the Reskit MRH, it looks very good. Don't worry with the Kittyhawk Huey. I have several ESCI/Italeri kits and there isn't that much difference in my opinion.

I remember back in the mis sixties, we had a B/C land on HMS Bulwark, somewhere along the Barrier Reef coast. We zapped it but the pilot noticed during his before flight inspection and rubbed it out before departing.

As a point of interest, I have almost completed the Kitty Hawk SH-2F converted to a Vietnam era gunship. plus their Panther in Bulgarian Navy markings. They both have their challenges.

 

Count me in for a seat...

 

Colin

[hendie]

just caught up wit this thread.  Great reason for a build and I'm sure the son will be thrilled with the result.

I like what I'm seeing so far and shall be following along with munchies and fizzy juice at the ready

[mark.au]

On 12/6/2021 at 10:47 PM, Rob S said:

 

Someone who could probably answer any questions you have is Kym Manuel.  

 

He wrote a Book many years ago now that is much sought after and of course now impossible to get a hold of but as far as I know he is still active on Flikr and Twitter. 

 

Thank you for the tip, I’ll see what I can find as I tend to put more detail in my website articles than the models.  I’ve been pleased to find a couple of good on line references too; the Aussie Bushranger Hueys have an interesting story in themselves.

 

8 hours ago, heloman1 said:

Just found your build, great work on the cockpit/cabin, bummer with the armour plate painting! I've looked at the Reskit MRH, it looks very good. Don't worry with the Kittyhawk Huey. I have several ESCI/Italeri kits and there isn't that much difference in my opinion.

I remember back in the mis sixties, we had a B/C land on HMS Bulwark, somewhere along the Barrier Reef coast. We zapped it but the pilot noticed during his before flight inspection and rubbed it out before departing.

As a point of interest, I have almost completed the Kitty Hawk SH-2F converted to a Vietnam era gunship. plus their Panther in Bulgarian Navy markings. They both have their challenges.

 

Count me in for a seat...

 

Colin

Thanks Colin, too bad that pilot found the zap!  Thanks also on the Kittyhawk kit info, I’m not finding fit too bad (yet) but some of the detail is soft - if there’s not a lot of difference between it and the Kittyhawk kit I saved myself about $60AUD in going with the Italeri!
 

7 hours ago, hendie said:

just caught up wit this thread.  Great reason for a build and I'm sure the son will be thrilled with the result.

I like what I'm seeing so far and shall be following along with munchies and fizzy juice at the ready

Welcome aboard, and thanks, I hope he’ll like it too.  I do hope the fizzy juice has some hops associated with its production.

 

[heloman1]

Mark. I just had a look at both kits together. Yes the Kitty Hawk kit looks better detail wise. You get an engine to detail if you wish. The transparent parts have bulged cabin windows, which I don't think were fitted to Vietnam era Hueys. The main rotor head is crisper, as is the cabin detail. The tail boom is moulded separate, so maybe HK were thinking of other variants, we may never know!

I also had a look at the Italeri N kit, which I was thinking might be a new tool. However, not it's the D kit with new engine housing. If memory serves me the D kit was released around 1982, the box art for the N state 2010, so the moulds have stood up well.

I purchased the Big Ed PE set, which set me back more than the kit cost!

 

Colin

[jcchow66]

I'm not a builder of helos, but love the story behind this one and will be following this one.