In Arizona, awaiting night time load-up into C-5 Galaxy, destine for Puerto Rico. Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 01OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 02OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 02OCT2017.
C-5 delivers the CBP UH-60s to Puerto Rico. Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 02OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 03OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 07OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 07OCT2017.
Photo via U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 13OCT2017.
Minicraft first issued its 1:48 scale UH-60 kits in 1986. In 2001, Minicraft re-boxed it as a U.S. Customs Black Hawk. The box art, and even photos of completed kit on the sides of the box, depict it with a FLIR pod under the chin, but no such animal can be found on the sprues. All you get is a crappy looking search light. I’ll have to scratch build the FLIR, or steal it from a different helicopter kit. Many of the Customs Black Hawks have the bent tip rotary wings, the Minicraft kit still has the straight blades from the 1980s. The Minicraft markings are for U.S. Customs, which ceased to exist as an independent agency in 2003, merged with U.S. Border Patrol, and parts of Immigration and Naturalization Service, becoming today’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). As you can see from the photos above, the CBP markings are slightly different from the old U.S. Customs markings, and today’s Black Hawk has an extended nose for housing the FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) as well as mounts on the side of the cockpit for other electronic gadgets.
The interior of the Minicraft UH-60 is devoid of details, but can be expeditiously improved using the old-but-gold Monogram crew figures from the still viable Monogram UH-1 Huey (interesting that the Monogram ‘copter first issued in 1959 is more detailed than the Minicraft ‘copter first issued in 1986).
PJ Production also has a new resin set of 1:48 U.S. helicopter crew figures, although they’re sold as Vietnam era crew figures I think they could be used for late Cold War Black Hawks.
IDAHO BLACK HAWKS HEAD SOUTH, DOWN CENTRAL AMERICA WAY, YOU PAID FOR IT!
VEHICLE I-D: BLACK HAWK WITH SKIS
RF-84F THUNDERFLASH & YRF-84F, AN APPEAL TO MONOGRAM!
Another RF-84F in 1:72 scale is the PJ Production multi-media kit, in resin, PE, metal and vacform plastic. It is highly accurate and detailed. Reviewers report it is not for beginners and requires a lot of dry fitting to reveal the difficult areas of assembly. The kit has been around for at least a decade, yet PJ Production website still lists it as a “new product”. It lists for 41.50 Euros (about $50 to $60 USD depending on the exchange rate).
Almost forgot that in 2018 Sword issued their RF-84F. The quality of the parts is typical of Sword kits. Issued in two boxings with four different markings per box. Initial reviews are good. In the United States the price ranges from $20 to $32, and they’re selling fast.
For decades the only 1:48 scale RF-84F was the not so good Heller kit. Apparently first released in 1979-80 along with its F-84F Thunderstreak. About four years later Monogram released its way better F-84F, but for some reason decided not to do a much needed RF version. The Heller kit is as basic as the 1:72 scale Italeri kit, it’s been re-issued continuously and the U.S. price for previously owned kits averages $20, while the latest new issues are going for as much as $40 (outrageous given its age and lack of quality).
And now for something really outrageous. Recently a Japanese company called Tanmodel issued the newest 1:48 scale RF-84F. You’d think it was the best damn thing in the world going by how much sellers are asking for it. An internet review said it was better than the ancient Heller kit, but the recessed surface detailing is not much better than Monogram’s raised detailing. In fact the reviewer said the recessed rivets (which there are no such thing on real airplanes) look more like 1:32 scale rivets, the pics of the completed kit makes it look like the trench-n-divet surface details are raised because they’re so over-scale. You get air intake ducting and an exhaust pipe. You also get a detailed camera bay, which is pointless because the fuselage is not molded so that you can poise the access door in the open position (you could do surgery). The ultimate reason this kit is so outrageous is its asking price, I’ve seen prices ranging between $70 and $180!!!
