Hi all - am bidding on a Panda 1/35 UH-1C Huey on e-bay, to sit above a Dragon LSSC boat on a dio, and have a few questions:
1. Is the kit any good - or should I buy an Academy one instead - if so which?
2. Is there a good aftermarket set for the Panda kit - resin, pe etc?
3. Is there a crew in the kit - and is it any good?
Probably get out-bid so most of those q's are academic...

Many thanks

Richard - Armorama

The Panda UH-1D/H (watch it, it has parts for both but doesn't tell you which ones are for which version) Huey isn't too bad. It is a little heavy on the details (big rivets and thick interior parts, the rotor blade is a UH-1N blade and needs to be modded like this [cut off the red areas] too) but it can come out great. Cobra Company does an excellent update set for it. No crew figures come with the standard kit. The initial issue kits did come with a set of the Dragon Vietnam Helo crew, but the box would have a big red sticker announcing it if it does.

I used the Panda Huey and CC update set to build this:


More here.

A note though, the Academy UH-1C kit may actually be more accurate, and is a much better kit. The USN used C and M models to support the SEALs from HA(L)-3 Seawolves. Fireball Modelworks does a set of decals to make a Seawolves helo as well.

Wow - many thanks for that! Your dust off dio caught my eye a while back - great stuff - and a neat solution to the difficult problem of how to support the aircraft above the ground without wires! I'd looked at the Academy kits but wasn't sure about the nose mounted grenade launcher - were those common on navy support hueys? I guess I'd just leave it off if not. And I know Eduard do some good Pe kits for the academy kits. As I said tho, probably get outbid anyway - thanks again...

R

No problem. The 40mm nose-mounted grenade launcher was not used on Seawolf helos, but as you said, you could just leave it off.

Good luck either way.