8404 Diorama Studios

As promised when last I mused over this project, I’m back for our next installment in the saga. After a review of the kit’s instructions, project specs, and my own research (both through visual research of current helos and my own experience as a crew member and passenger in both Hueys and Blackhawks) I’ve arrived at several decisions. First, I’m not going to install the troop seats; the only time I ever had a seat in an aircraft was as a flight medic and I spent my time riding backwards. Most times we sat on the floor of the troop compartment – you could fit more in that way. Second, the crew chief/gunners’ seats would be turned to face the windows and moved from where the instructions would have you place them. The instructions aren’t wrong, it’s a case of my mileage varying from theirs; it’s also not going to be the only instance where I’m going to be striking out on my OFP, since I will also be using the in-flight refueling probe and the Robertson long range fuel tanks.

As I mentioned previously, the iteration of the kit I purchased does not include crew figures. I chose a set of aviators and gunners from Live Resin, https://models-hobby.com/ they offer a whole slew of modern accessories and figures that will fit right into your 1/35 scale project. Unfortunately, they like many other aftermarket sellers are plagued by recasters who sell poor quality copies of their stuff at cheap prices – do yourself a favor and only buy directly from them or a dealer. I was tempted by Reedoak’s catalog of figures, the detail of their Blackhawk aviators is stunning, right down to the checklist binder balanced on one man’s knee and the sheepskin covering of his seat; the lack of dedicated gunner figures led me to choose Live Resin since I got a nice deal on a set of 4. Reedoak does offer some items that no one else does – flight helmets, chicken plates, oxygen masks and gloves, helmet bags, and crew chiefs’ tool organizers; keep an eye out, some will be finding their way into this project and others, too. Here’s a link to their site and store, you can only buy from them directly – fear not the process is painless! http://reedoak.com/

Every Blackhawk I’ve been in has had a fixture shaped roughly like a lower case “h” that the crewchief and gunners seats are attached to; Kittyhawk has omitted it from their MH-60L and placed the seats facing aft. I sourced a bar from an Academy MH-60S kit and modified it to make it properly sized and shaped. Since we’re using the aux tanks and in-flight refueling probe I figured the 1/35 crewmen would appreciate having an opportunity to sit and observe during the flight. The seats will require modification to be installed properly from the bar and faced outboard; it isn’t a major undertaking, it entails cutting a piece out of the top buckles to accommodate the hooks on the bar. No biggie…

So, we continue our investigation before we really get far into this project. Stand by for further