Special Hobby 1/48
H-21 Shawnee

Background

Development of the H-21 Shawnee started as early as 1949 when the USAF ordered 18 examples of the YH-21 Workhorse for evaluation in the SAR and general transport roles. After its maiden flight in April of 1952, the Air Force ordered 32 H-21A SAR models and 163 of the more powerful H-21B assault transport. The U.S. Army also became interested in the H-21 and saw its potential as a medium utility helicopter. In 1952, it too placed an order for the H-21 (now known as the Shawnee by the U.S. Army) with additional upgrades which was designated the H-21C. These additional features included an increase troop caring capacity as well as being able to sling load 4000 lbs. The U.S. Army eventually acquired 334 H-21C’s Shawnees, with delivery beginning in August 1954.

Due to a change in designation systems, in 1962 the H-21B became the CH-21B and the H-21C became the CH-21C.

The CH-21B/C’s were the first U.S. helicopter to be deployed in large numbers to South Vietnam arriving in country in December 1961. The CH-21 was the main stay of helicopter aviation in Vietnam for nearly four years, being withdrawn from active service in 1965 when enough UH-1 Hueys arrived to supplant the Shawnees missions.

Besides serving with the USAF and U.S. Army, H-21’s also served in Canada, France, Japan, and West Germany. In 1960, Piasecki was acquired by Boeing Vertol who also produced a civilian version of the Shawnee designated Model 44A for Belgian Sabena Airlines and Model 44B for the Swedish Navy. There are parts on several trees not to be used in building the Shawnee which I believe are intended for a Model 44 rerelease in the near future.

The Kit

The Special Hobbies kit is actually the third H-21 issued in near 1/48th scale. In 1952, the Helicopters For Industry (HFI) company produced a 1/45th scale Workhorse based on the H-21A. The first release had U.S. Army markings, and subsequent released kits had USAF, USMC, SAR with pontoons, and SAR without pontoons markings. In 1956, Aurora acquired the molds and then rereleased the HFI kit under their label, but claimed the model was now 1/49th scale! Aurora offered the kit in four releases, two in USAF markings and two in U.S. Army colors. Twenty years ago someone gave me one of these Aurora releases and I remember the silver plastic being so hard and so thick you could have used it as an axe.

In 2003, Fonderie Miniature (FM) of France released the first true 1/48th scale H-21 “Flying Banana.” The kit contains 97 parts molded in soft, medium gray plastic with a rough surface texture and panel lines that are not always consistent. The kit is a multi-media effort, with resin parts, a large fret of etched parts, vacuformed canopies, and several bags of metal parts (55 metal parts). A lot of the detail is soft with some flash and requires many hours of clean-up before being ready for assembly and paint. The kit retails for $69.95 and can still be found on e-Bay and at some of the larger internet mail order houses. If you want more info on this kit, Mick Evans did a really nice job on one and wrote an extensive review (March 2005) which can be found on Hyperscale.

Now we come to the recently released Special Hobbies kit of the H-21C. Upon opening the box, the first thing you discover is how large this helicopter is in 1/48th scale. I am currently finishing a Sword 1/48th T-38A Talon, and this helicopter is 20% larger than it from end to end. Special Hobbies kits keep getting better and better and the H-21 is no exception. The kit is similar in some ways to the FM model; having resin, white metal, plastic, and etched parts. The medium gray plastic has fairly smooth surface texture with very nicely engraved panel lines and lots of details molded onto the panels in the appropriate places. It has a well detailed cockpit which will be highly visible through the large forward canopy that makes up the entire front end of the helicopter. The clear parts are first rate and packaged in a separate bag to eliminate scratches during shipment. The interior of the main fuselage consists of a floor, crew seats, bulkheads, and a roof. The front right side and rear left side doors providing entry into the crew area can be position either open or closed. However, Special Hobbies did not include any seat back webbing materials that were common to these helicopters, especially in Vietnam. Nor are there any safety belts included on the seating, so this too will have to be added using your favorite method. This is one area that the FM kit excelled that surpasses this new kit, a lot more detail in the cargo compartment.

The decal sheet provides markings for five U.S. Army H-21C’s in three different Vietnam schemes; overall olive drab; dark green/olive drab; and an unusual dark green/olive drab/tan scheme. The sheet also contains a complete set of stencils in yellow markings. The decals were printed by Aviprint and beautifully done and on register.

The fret of photo etched parts is quite extensive with the majority of the parts for external details. No lap belts or shoulder straps for the two pilot’s seats are included, so the modeler will have to provide these from another source or make their own. A nice inclusion is two large rectangular screens that will cover the transmission area across the top of the fuselage. This should really improve the look of the model when installed.

There are several web sites that have good walk around photo sections for the CH-21. Classic Rotors in Ramona, California has a restored, flyable CH-21B which can be seen in the films “Godzilla” and “MegaForce.” Classic Rotors is a non-profit, all volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of rare and vintage rotorcraft.

Conclusions

Although a bit pricey (MSRP $75.00), I think this is a very good kit and worth the money for a unique 1950’s era helicopter in 1/48th scale. I obtained my kit from Nostalgic Plastic for $56.00 plus P&H.