Large Scale Central

Army Train Addition

I got this 1/32nd scale die cast Huey a couple of years ago. It was a Marine, but I got some Vietnam Army Huey decals to put on it. I’d picked up the Aristo Army flatcar someplace but had never got the Huey on it, but finally did. Not sure the rotor tie downs show much in this photo. I rode on Hueys in Vietnam, so fits in with my Army Train theme of things I did in my active Army/National Guard service.

Although I was Air Force at Bien Hoa, supported the Army 229th Aviation on fly out to blow-up downed choppers.

Nice addition to your military train consist. Great detailing on the chopper.

Yeah, that is cool Jerry. My dad jumped out of many of those back then. He was a pathfinder. I’m lucky he came back. Great looking model. I can see the front tie down but the rear is barley visible. We need another shot of it in with the whole train.

Thanks guys. Here’s a shot of the full train a couple of weeks ago, Huey will fit in behind the Cobra chopper I think.

i like it, how you combine two fields of interest. 1:1 army, and 1:32 modelling.

Nice.

But is that an Aristo flat? Looks like a USA flat to me.

Matt, you are probably right, I forgot I had switched trucks around, don’t recall why though! Good eye!

I am getting a bunch of military loads together for an Army train myself. I like your train!

Thanks Joe. I like tracking down 1/32nd military models, since they are closer in scale than the usual 1/35 scale. Those old Renwal kits were brought back out by Revell. They have a 1/32nd 5 ton wrecker that I used to make my gun truck from, updated it to the M54’s we had in Nam. Same with the 1/32nd jeep that I updated to M151 and added the armor my jeep had. Cobra chppers are available in 1/32nd scale also, as is the frame for the trailer. I made the Sea Land container from scratch. We picked them up at the port in Qui Nhon.

Army figures came with the Revell Renwal re-issue.

Flat car is scratchbuilt.

All of the 8th group vehicles had a yellow stripe on their hood so they could be identified from the air. Jeep had a M-60 machine gun mounted on each side. Armor plate under the jeep also. Wore out a lot of wheel bearings, squealing from them ruined my hearing.

Nice Early “B” model Huey. Got many hours in Bs and Hs. Even got some stick time (sheeeh don’t tell anybody).

Rode with some crazy pilots flying low over the rice paddies, bump up over the dikes and back down. Water buffalo and people running everywhere!

Jerry Barnes said:

Rode with some crazy pilots flying low over the rice paddies, bump up over the dikes and back down. Water buffalo and people running everywhere!

Jerry,

Those Huey pilots were crazy, but lifesavers when you needed them to BE crazy! I remember one very scary twilight run from our base at Dong Tam in the Delta to a little village (Vinh Kim) west about 4-1/2 clicks away. Our company got hit by a small company of VC. Our 81mm mortar platoon was called in to join them for closer fire support. That pilot got us there in less than three minutes flying at treetop (and these were SMALL trees!)level at 100 knots. I had my feet dangling over the side of the Huey and my boots “hit” a couple of small branches. I KNOW the skids definitely took some large branches out. I rode many Huey’s during my tour, but NEVER that fast and low! Then to go into a hot LZ in the dark, makes a believer out of you quick!

Jerry Barnes said:

Rode with some crazy pilots flying low over the rice paddies, bump up over the dikes and back down. Water buffalo and people running everywhere!