Hey Ryan!!!

[Spanky]

Ryan,that sure looks like a nice kit.I'd love to have one but no room for something that big.
spanky

[Ryan K]

Spanky,

Here is a Wessex that looks very nice.

http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/4155-132-westland-wessex-hc2/

[Herk]

I have seen two box designs for the Testors HH-43.  One uses the old Hawk painting the other a photo of a completed model in SEA camo. If the Testors kit is a reissue of the Hawk kit, you have a good base to start with for detailing.

I built the Hawk version back in the early 70's - I think I have it somewhere in the boxes up stairs.  It was a simple kit - no engine, no interior behind the cockpit bulkhead beyond the floor.  Markings were correct for a LBR bird (many of the ones sent to SEA were not camoed).  The HAWK kit came with a gear system so that the rotors meshed correctly (were intended to be rotatable).  TRIVIA: The blades of the Husky were wood not aluminum.  Actually this helped in SEA with bullet strikes when they went for rescues in country (off base).

Regards

[Ryan K]

Look good Spanky. That's why I started at the tail working forward, too let others figure out the issue.

@Steve, correct no white Flat Iron UH-72's (yet). The white UH-72's belong to the Navy up at Pax, if I remember correctly. Testor has a nice starting point for a HH-34. Well at least in the box it looks nice.

[Spanky]

Ryan,here's a picture where I hogged out the plastic on the fuselage where the screens go.I used a very small round burr bit in my Dremel tool,it was a slow tedious process and I must emphasize slow.I've enclosed a picture.Moving right along now to more fun things.
spanky

[Herk]

Ryan,
From what I have read, FLAT IRON looks like a primarily ARMY mission that started at Ft Rucker using the call sign FLAT IRON.  The paint scheme appears to be used for any helo preforming the CFR or Medievac missions in CONUS.  (Current talk on the web is about the Lakotas there doing the mission, but not painted white with the red band.)  This mission seems to be "restricted" to  helos designated for administrative activity.
FLAT IRON seems to be the ARMY approach to what the Air Force did with the HH-43s under the call sign PEDRO. Would be interesting to know if the Army H-34's did the heat & smoke suppression (using rotor down wash) like the HH-43 did after dropping the fire suppression kit and firefighters. I know the AF Hueys were not stable enough to do this procedure.  As far as I know neither the CH or HH-3's or 60's have not been used in the firefighting mode but participate in the MAST program. 
When I was in central Alabama (north of Ft Rucker) in the early 70s where our HH-43 also participated in the MAST program until it was retired in 73 (no replacement at that time).
Would be an interesting build to have a FLAT IRON H-34 next to an AF HH-43 PEDRO.
Regards,
Steve

[Ryan K]

No problem. Lots of Flat Iron huey photos in the link.

Look forward to seeing the progress. As for the open vents on the nose, not sure how I want to tackle it. Open up each one, one by one, it's a pain did something similar to the vents on a Tamiya T-34 once. The other is to chop it all out and then just readd the braces back.

[Spanky]

Holy Moly Ryan! Those are some great pictures,thanks man. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some modifications on the kit.I am opening up the areas on the nose for the screens which is a very tedious task as well as being a delicate process. I'll be posting photos in the WIP section as I progress.
spanky

[Ryan K]

Should have known it was my boy Ray that had them not me.



http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=188784&view=findpost&p=2040202

[Ryan K]

I will have to find the thread I posted one day on the web it had a few white H-34's, it was used at Ft Rucker as a Flat Iron bird.

[Spanky]

Ryan,you are just a treasure trove of info. I've been trying to find pix of that overall
white Army bird.Not much info on it in those books. after reading that thread on zone5 I sure hope the decals don't suck also after looking at the stickers the data stenciling are a total joke. That Caracal sheet that I used for the orange bird is now out of production.
spanky

[Ryan K]

Spanky,

Here is a build post I started years ago for my H-34. I think we discussed most of this but there might be some finer points that help.

http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=22581

[Ryan K]

No problem. Good news. Take the small wins when you can get them.

[Spanky]

Thanks Ryan! Those are some great pictures and they will sure come in handy.

That H-34 I got from you the other day is some what different than the one I built.
The areas on the tail that get the screens as well as the transmission housing on top of the fuselage are hollow.You can see right through them.I just wish they had done the screens on the cowling like that.A pleasant surprise none the less.
Thanks,
spanky

[Ryan K]

Found a different pic but one just as helpful for the cyclic.

Photo by Darren Tamanaha


More photos of his for the H-34 and Wessex.
http://s473.photobucket.com/user/940735/library/Wessex%20and%20H-34%20Pictures?sort=6&page=1