Kitty Hawk Models 1/35 HH-60G Pave Hawk Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

During the Vietnam air war, the USAF employed HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopters in the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) role to recover aircrews shot down over hostile territory. Unlike other rotary-winged assets at the time, the HH-3E could air refuel from C-130 tankers and fly well beyond the normal range of other rescue helicopters. After the war, the HH-3E remained in service for the long-range CSAR operations while variants of the UH-1 Iroquois were adopted for shorter-range and non-combat rescue operations. In the early 1980s, the Air Force adopted the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk as its replacement for the aging HH-3E and upgraded these aircraft into the HH-60G Pave Hawk configuration for CSAR and into the MH-60G for special operations. Over 20 years later, the Air Force attempted to replace the Pave Hawk with a more capable airframe based upon extensive combat experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world. While the HH-47 was selected, the procurement was cancelled due to competitor protests, and when another attempt to replace the Pave Hawk again in 2012, that procurement was again scuttled due to protests from various aircraft manufacturers. Finally in 2014, the Air Force awarded a procurement to Sikorsky for the HH-60W based upon the UH-60M airframe, with the first fllght of the new aircraft taking place in May 2019.

Five months ago, Kitty Hawk Models released their first installement into the Sikorsky H-60 family in 1/35 scale with the MH-60L. The kit was well-received and you'll see examples of that kit on contest tables has modelers not only build the kit straight out of the box as a 160th SOAR special operations aircraft, but also convert the model into the wide variety of other US and allied H-60 Black Hawk variants in service. Kitty Hawk has also announced the first kits of the Navy's ASW SH-60B/F and other variants coming in the near future.

Here is their second installment in the H-60 family, the USAF HH-60G Pave Hawk in 1/35 scale. This kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on eleven parts trees plus one tree of clear parts, and one fret of photo-etched parts, and a pair of resin figures. When you look inside the box, you'll quickly realize that this is not the Academy kit. Among the features and options in this kit:

• Nicely detailed flight deck
• Great main cabin details
• Optional rear cabin fuel cell
• Optional GAU-21 machine guns with mounts, ammo feeds, and ammo cans
• Nice T700 engines w/detailed IR suppressor exhaust shrouds
• Positionable engine access doors
• Nicely detailed rotor head and swash plate
• Radar pod on the nose
• Choice of stowed or extended air refueling boom
• Choice of ESSS covers
• Accurate horizontal stabilator with handholds and folding points
• Choice of RHAW antennas
• Choice of flight deck windows
• Positionable flight deck doors
• Positionable main cabin doors
• Avionics bay in nose with positionable cover
• Two resin crew figures

The kit provides the following external stores (see notes):

• 2 x M134 7.62mm miniguns
• 2 x GAU-21 .50 caliber machine guns
• 2 x M230A1 30mm chain guns
• 2 x M260 7-shot rocket pods
• 2 x M261 19-shot rocket pods
• 2 x twin-rail Hellfire launchers
• 4 x AGM-114 Hellfire missiles

Markings are included for two options:

• HH-60G, 82-23689, 512 RQS, Kirtland AFB
• HH-60G, 92-26465, 41 RQS, Moody AFB

Notes:

• The differences between this release and the previous MH-60L release is the addition of one parts tree (labeled HH-60L), new decals, and two new crew figures wearing correct helmets
• The new parts tree contains the USAF-styled FRIES rig, overhead seat frames, HH-60G main cabin doors, and other unique details for the HH-60G
• The remaining 10 trees have parts not used in this build including the impressive line-up of weapons for the MH-60L. You'll have a variety of spares for future projects
• You'll want to have some good photo references if you want to load the cabin for specific missions including stretchers, medical kits, or the jungle penetrator (obviously not needed for desert ops). You'll have to go to the aftermarket or scratchbuild those items

This is another outstanding release from Kitty Hawk and offers other potential opportunities for interesting subjects for the contest table or your display shelf. I hope Kitty Hawk will consider tooling up the key parts needed to bring this kit up to the UH-60M, MH-60M or, in this case, the HH-60W. You can see this kit built-up here

My sincere thanks to Kitty Hawk Models for this review sample!

References:

• H-60 Black Hawk Modeler's Online Reference