Crucible Crush Helicopter Crew

[brunei35]

Has anyone used these in either Corgi Huey's or Trumpeter H-34 models? Just wondering if any good to give a little variety from Gringo's and the Empress models

Thanks
Cheers

[Ash]

I've used the Italeri H-34, nice kit.



The Empress crew figures fit pretty well.

[brunei35]

Thanks for posting, very impressive.

[HESH]

Ash, cracking work on those ! 👍👍

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice.

[Ash]

Only other Helo I've tried is this 1/48 Italeri UH-1D with Empress crew. Bit of a bugger to get the roof on, had to trowel on a fair amount of filler.
If the Rubicon kit had been available at the time I'd have gone with that. I believe it's smaller, so the crew would probably fit better.

[carlos marighela]

Only other Helo I've tried is this 1/48 Italeri UH-1D with Empress crew. Bit of a bugger to get the roof on, had to trowel on a fair amount of filler.
If the Rubicon kit had been available at the time I'd have gone with that. I believe it's smaller, so the crew would probably fit better.

The Rubicon kit is 1/56. I have one but haven't built it yet. Comes with its own crew and a host of spare bits, useful for other stuff like stretchers and armament systems.

I've tended to use a mix of Empress and the Eureka Alouette crew for my 1/48 helis. The Eureka pilots come with hands on the control stick and the collective is part of the figure, so sometimes that requires cutting off. They fit pretty well with most models although I fancied they were a little short in the CH-34.

Sorry, I don't have the CC versions but I suspect being Bob Murch figures they are likely to be a little chunky. Alas, as none of these are made for specific kits it's a case of  not knowing until you tried. That said either subtle surgery to bums or the addition of putty sees through most problems. TAG also produce heli crew but almost as cost effective for me has been buying Academy 1/48 Hughes 500 models which come with a couple of useful pilot figures.

[brunei35]

Thanks Carlos for the advice, much appreciated. Was concerned on how big the Crucible models are - they say for the Italerie Huey.  I had not thought of the Eurika model and as the Trumpeter H-34 is missing the collective will be getting one of those crews.

Academy model - keep looking at them wishing the after market Loach conversion was still available.

Cheers
Tony

[carlos marighela]

Almost finished an OH-6 conversion About 90% done. Not that tricky. You can use the T shaped stabiliser as part of the angled empennage or just cut one from plastic card. Whether you choose to add fine ribbing to it is a matter of taste.  I didn't bother.

Obviously the Hughes 500 has an extra rotor blade but even that's not the most horrific of tasks. Just cut the blade attachments from the rotor head and re-attach four of them with their blades. Doors are easy to cut out as they are nicely marked and defined on the kit itself. For less than $20AUD it's a bargain. Bought a few more recently to make into late '80s AH-6/ MH-6 models.

[brunei35]

Thanks Carlos - may give that a go then given eBay prices of the model. If you have a picture / dimensions of the tail assembly as you have done it could you post it sometime please?

[dickiegranthum]

Does anyone know of a Kiowa/Jetranger kit in 1:48/1:56?

Seems to be a proper unicorn of a kit.


Also, great work on both pics! 👍

[carlos marighela]

Italeri do a Kiowa in 1/48. Actually they did two, an OH-58 A and the later D model with the rotor head mast. Don't have one myself but the similar vintage Bo-105 went together really easily.

Cararama do a diecast Jetranger in 1/50.  It's not a bad wargaming piece for a toy, reasonably well detailed but robust.

The rear door windows are slightly different on the Kiowa to a Jetranger being cut on an angle but if it bothers you, you can remedy it with some putty or plastic card.

My own holy grail (aside from a proper 1/48 Westland Scout) is a suitably scaled UH-23 C or D model Hiller Raven. They were the principal scout chopper before and alongside the OH-6 and beyond. Hugh Thompson, the WO that got a gong for stopping the My Lai massacre, was piloting a Raven at the time (1968). There's a couple of new short run kits due out this year but they are the the early versions not used in Vietnam.

[dickiegranthum]

There’s a photo of 2-3 year me in a Hilier - my father was RCAF, and although it looks, ridiculous with the helmet, I appear to be enjoying the experience. Don’t have the photo anymore, but I remember the day the photo was taken. Army Aviation Tactical training school. Later replaced by the Kiowa for airborne recce. Jetrangers were used as primary rotary trainers in Portage, Manitoba.

Agree that would be a cool kit, and it’s one I’ve not seen, in any scale. I used to ask for it in 1:285 on the annual wish list at GHQ. Never happened…