Unboxing and Build: Butler Printed Models 1/56 UH-1 "Huey"

I had recently acquired some 28mm US Vietnam Era figures, and I was searching to see what else was available for that era, in scale. While not as well supported as WWII for example, there is still a representative selection available for the combatant of your choice. And for the Grunt in Vietnam, no more iconic vehicle than the ubiquitous UH-1. I found one offered by the above mentioned Butler Printed Models, 

offered as a kit of several pieces due to size and complexity, so I thought I'd give it a go, visualizing it on a telescoping stand just above a gaming tabletop, ready to unload a squad....

A few weeks went by and my order was printed, shipped, and delivered. In my mailbox today:

Getting it upstairs and revealing the contents was a like Ralphie unwrapping his Red Ryder:

Nestled securely in it's cocoon of paper was the kit, comprised of 6 parts:

The smallest, bagged.

-------------------------------------------------

Surface finish is typical of much being printed, lightly corrugated at best, badly fish scaled at worst. This had some of both.

The tail boom will take a lot of sanding and filling to get it where I want it.

(Sorry about the focus!) The fuselage sides will need "bondo" too, and a clean-up of those window frames.

The portion of the cabin in front of the rear compartment is solid - which while tempted to grind it out and detail it, I'll just build it OOB for this iteration.

Some bits are a little "hairy" and will need some xacto clean-up.

Looks like I'll be lightly modifying the small bits as well, they're a bit crude.

While most of the shapes and proportions seem right on, the main jet exhaust is...not. That's going to be cut off, a large hole drilled, an exhaust inserted, and the fairing built up around it.

There's no framing around the main canopy, and only partial above the pilot and copilot stations, so that'll need some work after I get it smoothed off. I might better off in the long run just sanding it smooth and supplying my own framing.

I'm going to need to stock up on my detail sanding supplies, so I may only update the build periodically. There's a lot to be done, but I can already visualize the final result....Stay Tuned.

Well, now it's July. Let's see if we can advance this a bit. I don't feel like gluing the rotor in a fixed position,  as is. It can be improved, and made rotatable and removable for transport and storage without too much trouble. First, drill a #55 hole into the Huey body, and into the rotor hub.

I used some steel rod from the scrap box to make a shaft, and glued it into the body.

This allows the entire assembly to spin and be removed.

The rotor itself needed some work.

There was a defined "step" which I filed, then sanded.

Before

After.

I also wanted to improve the rods connecting the rotor mast to the stabilizer bar, so I cut off the "stubs" on the kit rotor shaft, and will install more correct replacements once the assembly is dry.

Before

Crudely hacked off. A bit of filing required.

Rotor assembly drying in situ.

New supports fabbed and installed.

Now, the tail rotor. It needs some contouring like the main rotor to start.

Also, the big hub has to go. And I need some way to attach it.

Drill oversize and insert a plastic tube, glue in place. 

Hack away at the ugly hub.

File it down, but leave enough meat for strength. Cut off excess tube, file end smooth and square. Make a pin from scrap box plastic rod. Drill tail to accept pin. Cut pin overlength, melt end with a hot knife to make a shoulder.  Sand to suit. Install....

Not quite as clunky. Moving on...

A teaser:

Jet exhaust. The kit was supplied with a vestigial stud, neither the right size nor orientation. Cut off the stub, drill a hole, insert tube. How hard could it be?

I now know why my drilling for the main rotor shaft drifted. The solid center isn't. Once yiu break through the skin it will drift left or right as it glides over the solid center. Resign your self to some hot knife work.

Once you get to the desired diameter, slip in and glue the exhaust tube of your choice.

Just be ready for more bondo ;-).

First layer of Squadron white putty, sanded, and sandable grey primer. About an 80% solution. Hope it can get it to 100% in two layers.

To make a convincing windscreen, it first needs to be really, really smooth. Good start.

Squadron putty and sandable grey is working, so let's get to it:

Putty, sand, paint, repeat

Side 2, round 1

I am going to take a different approach fir the side windows. Rather than putty/sand/smooth, I'm going to put "glass"in them, backpainted. Here's the next step, semigloss black where things will need to be black.

Now for some color....

Decals off my inkjet printer

Rather than putty, sand, and paint the side windows, since they were ~ flat and rectangular, I chose to make clear window inserts and back paint them black:

Reasonably convincing. The smaller panes will get gloss black/gloss clear treatments like the large curved panes. While I was at it I scribed the remaining door frames and outlined them with black wash.

-Windscreen framing-

Another place the kit fell short was in the framing for the Windscreen. While it made for easy sanding, it leaves out some prominent detail

Prototype

Kit

Clearly, I couldn't leave that stand ;-)

Using and old model railroad trick, you can use a tailor's pounce wheel to make rivet patterns on ~ soft materials 

The material of choice in this case comes from the Luthier's bag of tricks: adhesive backed heavy foil, used to shield cavities in electric guitar bodies

Cut off a couple of squares, lay them face down on your cutting mat, and start making rivet patterns.

In this case, smallest was best.

Make lots, scrap is inevitable. Cut off strips of rivets with a scissors (it has a tendency to twist and curl if you use a straightedge and an xacto knife) to the desired width. I stuck the strips to some tape strips on some foamcore I use as a spray booth base. 

Now you can hit it with some primer

Next, OD.

I'd better go "glaze" that windscreen before I stick these on!

I picked the most even pair for the upper and lower, curving as needed.

Then, center and sides

I'll settle for that. It did what I wanted.
I might do a bit of touch up and light weathering, but that will probably wait until I get my pair of door gunners. Until then, aurevois from the central highlands...

On the Bench - 06/29/2020: ADMD Strikes!

Sitting at home waiting for the TV Repairman to arrive. Yes, in home TV service is once again A Thing....

This has caused a flare-up of my Attention Deficit Modeler Disorder, flipping between 3 projects.

1. A new addition to my 1/56 gaming arsenal, an American M8 / M20 armored car.

It's ready to prime. A nice, quick building, well fitting little kit, it will make a good add to my Jeep and two M4s.

Primed, painted, decaled. Now for some weathering 

Next, the successor to the Zero that wasn't. 

A vintage Tamiya kit I had always wanted to build years back. Had to wait a bit to get that transparent blue/green for unpainted interior spaces, but it's progressing nicely. 

I am thinking about this as my prototype 

Third, and waiting until I want to go Spraying,  the infamous Hornisse

I now have the colors, I just need to do a lot of masking and spraying.

How is Your ADMD, and what's on Your Bench?