H-25 Army Mule HUP-2 Helicopter 1/48 plastic model kit

A model I never owned as an Aurora and a model I cared less. Not to the scale I used to build or as detailed as I prefer to build at the time. Atlantis produced it and curiosity killed the cat. It is a clean model from the original molds. The decal quality is way better then before. They are thinner but strong to manipulate. Fun rating 5 out of 5. Even when it is simple compared to today standards, it was a lot of fun to build. I felt like I was back in the 60's building a great model. My model had minimal flash and of course it can be modified and add details. I got an extra model to build it as a sci-fi model. So based on the model the options to build are limitless.

An exact reissue of the old H.F.I. Aurora kit. I have done a half dozen of these in different schemes. A very basic kit to be sure, I added lots of details and side window material to really spice it up. You have to work to get a good fit for the front glass.

The Army Mule was a nice quick easy to build kit. I’d give it a 5 star rating if it weren’t for some minor fit issues with the fuselage half’s. For a kit that’s almost as old as I am it’s to be expected. I built the kit for fun and sprayed it with Testors paint. I recommend cutting the tail decal in half if your building the Army version. I didn’t and admittedly it was difficult to apply. The other decals laid down well. The kit is a flashback to my childhood. Keep them coming Atlantis!

I always wanted one of the old Aurora HUP/H-25 kits. I remember them from when I was a kid, but they were discontinued by the time I was old enough to build plastic kits. The molds are in great shape for their age (circa 1954), but there is some flash on small pieces like the wheels. I compared it with my old Helicopter for Industry example and the molds have aged very well. It is molded in olive deal plastic. The decals consist of two U.S. Army ships (including the box top example which replicate the old Aurora kit decals) as well as a yellow Marine rescue ship and a Navy orange and gray example assigned to an aircraft carrier for plane guard duties. The decals certainly look first rate and went on without issue. A word of caution, this is a lot from the dawn of plastic models. There are just 16 pieces, so don't expect a 21st century level of details. However, the kit can be updated with a better interior (using donor parts from another kit), rear fuselage bulkhead and a correct looking exhaust pipe. I built a bulkhead out of flat sheet plastic and added a exhaust pipe after drilling a hole in the aft fuselage.I I also added control pedals in front of both pilot seats (made out of staple gun staples cut in half and mounted in modeling clay). After looking at photos online and wanting to make it more accurate, I shaped the back of the instrument panel with putty. But even if you build it out of the box it will be a nice display piece and reminder of the way kits used to be.