Product Review: JSI 1/18 Scale UH-1B Huey Gunship
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:44 pm
I know we don't need another thread about the new JSI Huey, but I wanted to give it a proper review that wouldn't get lost in the existing threads... Enjoy 
The new Huey represents a UH-1B from the 501st Aviation Battalion, "Firebirds" as it would have appeared likely around 1964-1965, early in the Vietnam conflict. Given that the 21c Huey tooling has been around for nearly 15 years and most of us are familiar with the basic features, I will shy away from describing all that. A majority of the parts, basic assembly, etc. are exactly the same as all the other 21c/JSI Hueys.
In the Box:
Box Contents:
It looks like JSI will also make another Huey repaint, a UH-1C from the 174th Helicopter Assault Company, "Sharks", only this time with the gatling guns mounted next to the rocket pods as shown in a picture on the item's box.
Overall, the paint applications on my Huey are good, especially given JSI's record... I was able to pick this up in person at my local Hobbytown USA store on Friday, so I chose the best example of those available. The OD green is a lighter shade than the 21c Hueys and the markings are clear with few flaws. The air cavalry insignia, painted stars, yellow tail band, and bright lettering make this a flashy helicopter without being too over the top. The weathering is my biggest gripe. In some places, the weathering looks perfect, just like chipped paint and dirt. However, in other spots, it looks more like a frost of silver paint was sprayed on... You can really see that on the black areas on the helicopter's nose.
The noticeable difference with this latest rendition of the 1/18 scale Huey, compared to earlier versions, are the different rocket pods and the gatling guns. The guns come pre-attached to the helicopter via the long ammo feed belts that connect to the ammo box in the middle of the cargo compartment. The gun snaps into to the pintle and support arm on either side of the cargo compartment. They can only elevate (up/down) and there is no traverse.
The support arm/pintle appears to be fixed in place. It looks like it could swing back into the compartment, but I pushed with a little force and nothing budged. That means the compartment doors must remain open and cannot close all the way, even though they do slide. Given that I have almost always displayed my 21c Hueys with the doors open, this doesn't bother me... The interior of the cargo compartment has the bench seats removed and in their place, the ammunition box with ammo belts attached to the guns. I want to say there should be a seat for each of the gunners, on either side of the ammo box, but this was not detailed on the model.
Gatling Gun & Rocket Pod Detail:
Over the years, I managed to amass enough flight crew figures for the two 21c Huey's I already owned, plus some gunner/crew chief figures made from the Vietnam Tanker and Mutt Driver figures. Since my Hogshead Huey went back in its box (which I've managed to save over all these years), I moved the crew figures I had in it to the new JSI Huey... Inserting the gunners into the fuselage is a bit tricky - the figure has to be placed in the kneeling position, holding the gatling gun, then moved carefully into the interior, lastly snapping the gun onto the pintle.
Port-Side Door Gunner:
Starboard-Side Door Gunner:
Again, save for the slight retool to add the new armament, and better weathering, the new JSI Huey is pretty much the same as the older 21c versions.
21c Huey "Slick" & New JSI Huey Comparison:
In the end, I'm pleased with this purchase. The changes JSI made to the venerable 21c Huey were just enough to make it different from previous releases to warrant getting a third. I'm very happy to have mounted side guns on a Huey now and the new model seems to truly be a gunship in the true sense of the meaning. These were neat additions and well worth the effort, in my opinion. If you don't have a 21c 1:18 scale Huey - or want to get a more tricked out version - then this new model is well-worth the purchase
The new Huey represents a UH-1B from the 501st Aviation Battalion, "Firebirds" as it would have appeared likely around 1964-1965, early in the Vietnam conflict. Given that the 21c Huey tooling has been around for nearly 15 years and most of us are familiar with the basic features, I will shy away from describing all that. A majority of the parts, basic assembly, etc. are exactly the same as all the other 21c/JSI Hueys.
In the Box:
Box Contents:
It looks like JSI will also make another Huey repaint, a UH-1C from the 174th Helicopter Assault Company, "Sharks", only this time with the gatling guns mounted next to the rocket pods as shown in a picture on the item's box.
Overall, the paint applications on my Huey are good, especially given JSI's record... I was able to pick this up in person at my local Hobbytown USA store on Friday, so I chose the best example of those available. The OD green is a lighter shade than the 21c Hueys and the markings are clear with few flaws. The air cavalry insignia, painted stars, yellow tail band, and bright lettering make this a flashy helicopter without being too over the top. The weathering is my biggest gripe. In some places, the weathering looks perfect, just like chipped paint and dirt. However, in other spots, it looks more like a frost of silver paint was sprayed on... You can really see that on the black areas on the helicopter's nose.
The noticeable difference with this latest rendition of the 1/18 scale Huey, compared to earlier versions, are the different rocket pods and the gatling guns. The guns come pre-attached to the helicopter via the long ammo feed belts that connect to the ammo box in the middle of the cargo compartment. The gun snaps into to the pintle and support arm on either side of the cargo compartment. They can only elevate (up/down) and there is no traverse.
The support arm/pintle appears to be fixed in place. It looks like it could swing back into the compartment, but I pushed with a little force and nothing budged. That means the compartment doors must remain open and cannot close all the way, even though they do slide. Given that I have almost always displayed my 21c Hueys with the doors open, this doesn't bother me... The interior of the cargo compartment has the bench seats removed and in their place, the ammunition box with ammo belts attached to the guns. I want to say there should be a seat for each of the gunners, on either side of the ammo box, but this was not detailed on the model.
Gatling Gun & Rocket Pod Detail:
Over the years, I managed to amass enough flight crew figures for the two 21c Huey's I already owned, plus some gunner/crew chief figures made from the Vietnam Tanker and Mutt Driver figures. Since my Hogshead Huey went back in its box (which I've managed to save over all these years), I moved the crew figures I had in it to the new JSI Huey... Inserting the gunners into the fuselage is a bit tricky - the figure has to be placed in the kneeling position, holding the gatling gun, then moved carefully into the interior, lastly snapping the gun onto the pintle.
Port-Side Door Gunner:
Starboard-Side Door Gunner:
Again, save for the slight retool to add the new armament, and better weathering, the new JSI Huey is pretty much the same as the older 21c versions.
21c Huey "Slick" & New JSI Huey Comparison:
In the end, I'm pleased with this purchase. The changes JSI made to the venerable 21c Huey were just enough to make it different from previous releases to warrant getting a third. I'm very happy to have mounted side guns on a Huey now and the new model seems to truly be a gunship in the true sense of the meaning. These were neat additions and well worth the effort, in my opinion. If you don't have a 21c 1:18 scale Huey - or want to get a more tricked out version - then this new model is well-worth the purchase