Bell UH-1B Huey – 57th Medical Det, US Army, Vietnam, 1962

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HH1015: Bell UH-1B Huey #58-2081 of 57th Medical Det, US Army, Vietnam, 1962. Production run of 500 models.

Length 8.75 inches Rotorspan 7.25 inches

Iroquois 582081 was manufactured as a UH-1A at the Bell Helicopter Fort Worth, Texas facility and was delivered to the U.S. Army in 1962. The 57th Medical Detachment was the first helicopter medical evacuation unit in Vietnam arriving April 1962 and assumed the name “The Originals”. 58-2093 was assigned to the 57th MD. In September 1962 the UH-1A was re-designated UH-1B. The unit call sign was “Dust Off” and breaking with the usual procedures that changed the calls sign periodically the 57th was permitted to make it their permanent call sign.

Designed to meet a US Army requirement for a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and general utility helicopter, the UH-1 Huey was first flown on October 20, 1956. Nicknamed “Huey” because of its original “HU-1” designation, this aircraft became famous during the Vietnam War, where 7,000 of them served in a variety of roles, from MEDEVAC and search and rescue to troop transport, air assault and ground attack. As a troop transporter, the Huey revolutionized warfare, giving the Army the ability to strategically position troops in various locations that were otherwise difficult to reach in the heavy jungle environment.