UH-1H North Carolina Forestry WIP

Nathan Dempsey
This one is just starting as a dual build with my "Ice Pirates" UH-1N, but has slowed a bit due to the availability of the Eduard seat-belt set.

Jos Jansen
Ver nice... count me in!

Nathan Dempsey
Welcome Jos!
I FINALLY got ahold of a Eduard seatbelt set for this kit. Well its actually for the KH kit, but it'll work 🙂 My local model club is doing a pseudo group build for "military vehicles in civil use", so this may do nicely. Especially since I already had it started.

Here's hoping I can build it on my kitchen table.

Nathan Dempsey
Added a few more shots. Just slogging through the seatbelts now...

Slavo Hazucha
Got your bench free? Great - and some really nice looking belts there 👍 But what's happening to the Ice Pirates? Really wanted to see the full orange finish..!😉

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Slavo 🙂
Currently I'm using an old Citadel paint station on my kitchen table like this one:
[img1]

When this build catches up with the other I may attempt to finish them together since my painting all occurs out in the garage anyways. I have until the 28th to finish this, so hopefully I'll just ACTUALLY finish it 🙂 🙂

Nathan Dempsey
Well the "seatbelting" is complete! Now to inserting it all into the fuselage halves.

Slavo Hazucha
More of the nice belts! Hope enough of all this remains visible in your config!

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Slavo! Yes, I intend to position the main doors open to view all the seating. 🙂

Gary Dahlström
Beautifully detailed work Nathan. One question - where does the family eat breakfast now that the kitchen table is otherwise employed?????

Clifford Keesler
That is looking very nice.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Gary!

Most of the build is sitting on my "mobile" Citadel Paint Station & the rest resides in the kit's box. I can remove it very quickly before any meals. The proper kitchen table is a part-timer 🙂

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Roland 🙂

The fuselage has been zipped up. Hopefully I'll get some new pics up tomorrow.

Nathan Dempsey
Added the shot of the fuselage together. I dry-fitted the roof and engine cover in the shot. Also drilled out all the holes for various mil-spec antennas. Research shows the aircraft I'm depicting retained all of them.

Today I worked on installing the roof windows (tinted way back when I painted the set for the UH-1N build) and actually glued the roof to the rest of the fuselage.

Michael Phillips
Super cool project and subject! That interior really looks great, those belts really bring it to life. Looking forward to watch this progress!

Clifford Keesler
Agree with everyone Nathan. Looking awesome.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Michael & Clifford! 🙂 🙂

Today I added a couple more pics. Just trying to save a little detail using the surfacer wipe method after attaching the roof and side panel. I'm currently attaching the engine cover as well.

Nathan Dempsey
Added some smaller parts on the bottom. Fit was a little off on the fuselage parts. The UH-1N had fit perfectly in this area.

Slavo Hazucha
Looks like you managed, hope the Primer will agree!😉

Clifford Keesler
It sure looks good to me.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks very much Slavo & Clifford. Your comments have motivated me today!

Spent most of today masking the clear parts in preparation for primer.

Nathan Dempsey
Successful primer application just before a thunderstorm🙂

Treehugger
Oh, that panel that has to be glued onto the tail in photo 9 is very familiar to me. Grr.

Gary Dahlström
Primer is #1 on my list of industrial smells. Huey looks great! Nice even coat. Also a terrific lightning photo. Do you do most of your spraying outside and rush the project back into the A/C? The humidity has been through the roof here, so I've been using the under-bench spray booth.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Roland 🙂

Treehugger: Yes that panel is a bummer on the Italeri kits. It fits poorly and is surrounded by raised rivets. On my UH-1N build I had to completely fill it in then rescribe the panel.

Gary: Thank you & Yes, at least for the primer I always spray it outside and quickly rush into the A/C. No matter how powerful my exhaust fan I was unable to overcome the fumes of Tamiya primer indoors.

Slavo Hazucha
There is no experience that compares to applying primer to the sound of Thor´s hammer and watching the verdict on the surface by the flashing lightning bolts of Zeus...😉

Nathan Dempsey
Indeed Slavo! What a coincidence I was wearing a certain hat while primering...

Today I put on the first of the yellow. Now to inspect it under some harsh light for a probable second coat. Thunderstorms again today so I was painting a little more rapidly than usual even though I was under good cover.

Gary Dahlström
The hue on that yellow is perfect. Color-scaling, amirite? That is going to look so good with the green decals. Carry on, my friend, carry on.

Clifford Keesler
Looking good Nathan. I usually try to do my "smelly" painting in the garage. But it has been so hot and humid here{IL} that I have just been putting an extra exhaust fan in the work room window, cranking up the paint booth and painting as fast as I can. LOL.

Guillaume Blanchet
I really like the color scheme. It's hoing to look good on a shelf.

Ben M
What yellow did you spray? Looks like it covered well.

Slavo Hazucha
Very nice color & finish - looks almost like Bad Moon Yellow from my Warhammer days... (I think it´s Flash Gitz Yellow now...)😉

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks very much mates!

Was REALLY hoping I'd have this done for tonight's model club meeting, but it isn't going to happen. Still doing touch ups then gloss and I haven't even started on the rotors. Oh well. I added a small RWR receiver that I found in a pic of the real bird.

Ben: the yellow is AK's Maize Yellow that I actually purchased for my T-28 build. I tested Tamiya yellow, but found it to be much too light. This one feels a little dark but much closer to many of the pics I've found of these Hueys.

Slavo: Don't tempt me to add a checker-board and an insanely large gun to this build!

Nathan Dempsey
Added another coat of yellow & AK Clear Gloss today. Racing with Thor again too. Took a pic of the added RWR Receiver / strobe. Not sure what it is actually, but it wasn't on the kit.

Clifford Keesler
Awesome so far Nathan.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Clifford🙂

Today I'm masking the tail boom for the gloss black section.

Nathan Dempsey
Painted the tail boom section today. Ended up using flat black as I was out of gloss and didn't want to wait for a shipment. It should all work out anyways since it will receive a gloss coat before decals.

Gary Dahlström
I finally spotted the hat in image #15. I gotta get me one of those! Carry on, Nathan, post new pics when u can.

Nathan Dempsey
Added that pic of the tail boom and main rotor. Just a little touch up to do thanks to the raised rivets that kept me from a perfect line.

Gary: The hat is —>
first-spear.com/forager-cap

The patch is from a company called No Reg but I bought it here—>
optactical.com/nonofapapa.html

Clifford Keesler
Looking very nice sir.

Gary Dahlström
Looking good Nathan. It's great that you posted your reference photos too; your paint color is spot-on!

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Clifford & Gary! 🙂

Getting ready for decals tonight and correcting the color on the skids. I thought they were entirely black, but it looks like they just have anti-skid on the top and bottom. I think I should have painted them separately...

Jos Jansen
Great progress so far Nathan...what kind of weathering are you planned to do?

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Jos 🙂

I will likely do moderate weathering even though the pictures I have show a very clean and well maintained bird. I do know that when I saw these IRL while operating during an actual wildfire that they appeared very oily and sooty (probably due to the conditions and heavy use).

Nathan Dempsey
Started the decals and I'm very pleased with the Draw set so far. Also noticed in a research photo that the top definitely has the black anti-skid on the roof.

Gary Dahlström
Looking real good Nathan. Are you going to go back and paint in the anti-skid on the roof? Tell us the story of when you saw this bird in action fighting a blaze.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Gary 🙂 My plan is to do the anti-skid last since those areas will be the only ones painted flat.

I've seen them many times over the years. We used to visit my uncle up there every summer. I still go when I can and rent a cabin.

Spanjaard
looking very nice

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Spanjaard!

Should finish the decals today, then I'll need to clear coat everything.

Clifford Keesler
Agree with Spanjaard, looking very nice indeed.

george larson
this is a sight to behold, I need to wait until work tomorrow with bigger monitor. I shall aspire to obtain such skills. I will do you bidding. Are you a sorcerer!? 🙂 will check it out tomorrow for sure.

george larson
heh, I just saw your Mr. Surfacer 500 comment and recall looking at my previous partial builds the other day.... I killed many rivets without even realizing with putty filling and sanding.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Clifford & George!

The decals are complete, but there's too much rain today to do any clear coating, so I'll continue with the rotor parts.

Nathan Dempsey
Finally able to return to the bench! Was able to get the final clear coat on and let dry completely. I'm now taping everything up for the roof's anti-skid black. Added a pic of the main rotor now with the white sections.

Clifford Keesler
Nice job on the rotors.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Clifford! For once I was happy with the results. I think with some dry brushing and a tiny bit of weathering they'll look great.

My taping for the roof was an utter failure as there are just too many positive rivets to get a clean line. I'm currently channeling my inner Augie and hand painting the anti-skid.

Michael Phillips
LOL Nathan! Funny thing, I did the exact same thing with the textured walkways on my Sea Dragon, and it was a failure, just couldn't keep the lines straight enough. I ended up having to mask the edges anyway and spray Tamiya Rubber Black to give it crisp edges.

Looks like you are faring better than I did!

Slavo Hazucha
Nice looking striped rotor & the anti-skid looks promising too 👍 - always a good thing to get a good-old brush-job exercise! Although I´d never dare going for a larger open surface... 😄

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks Roland, Michael, & Slavo!

I'm getting there slowly but surely. I'm fairly pleased with the result. The kit's textured surface looked goofy when unpainted but looks the part with black painted on. I may still add a coat of AK Matte Varnish (my Tamiya rubber black is in-route).

David Taylor
Yourself and Bughunter have got the Hueys all wrapped up.

Spanjaard
David, I think you mean Bell 205 UH-1D, BW SAR - 71+47 | Album by Yellowwing (1:48) 😉
not Bughunter (he is one of the best, but not doing a Huey at the moment, i think)

Clifford Keesler
Very nice Nathan. I got the Mig-27 finished, and pictures are up.

Nathan Dempsey
Spanjaard: If my build even looks 6% as good as Bernhard's I'd be unendingly pleased.

Clifford: Thank you sir. That's some fine work on that MiG-27.

Spanjaard
Nathan, your Huey looks really good (a lot better than mine, for example)
Bernhard's level is what we all would like to achieve (me, the first one😉 )

Gary Dahlström
Roof looks great Nathan, kudos to you for going analog on that. Perfect shade too, the detail comes out at a bit of a distance. Carry on.

Nathan Dempsey
Thanks David, Spanjaard, & Gary! 🙂

Began removing the masking from the windows and adding antennas last night. Today I'm trying to concentrate on the rotors.

Nathan Dempsey
Also, I'm adding some silver straps to the landing skids that I noticed in my research photos. I think mine look a bit large, but I'm happy 🙂

Nathan Dempsey
Well the end is in sight! I accomplished all I set out to do today with the rotors. Now I only need to attach the rotors and the clear parts on the doors.

One other small snag was the tail antenna supplied in the kit is different from what is on the research photos, so I'll need to fashion that.

Hopefully by the weekend I'll have it completed.

Clifford Keesler
Go man Go. LOL.

Jos Jansen
Well done so far Nathan...I'll see if I can do the walk ways of my F-14 your way ...?

Nathan Dempsey
Flattery sir will get you everywhere. Unless that Tamiya kit has huge positive rivets I'd go with the tape and airbrush 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Agree.

Nathan Dempsey
Alright, the completed album has been uploaded UH-1H North Carolina Forestry Complete | Album by Plastic Addict (1:48)

george larson
ooo!