KING & COUNTRY PRODUCT INFORMATION:

Two standing 'Chopper' pilots are looking over a flight plan. The more senior is shown wearing the famous Stetson U.S. Cavalry hat and is obviously a member of the 'AirCav'.
The other pilot is wearing his 'bone-dome' and the standard flight suit complete with some body armour and a side arm.

NEW 2024, AND AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES!

HISTORICAL NOTE:  THE U.S. BELL UH-1D IROQUOIS 'HUEY' HELICOPTER

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific 'Huey' family of helicopters, as well as the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the United States military.

Development of the Iroquois started in the early 1950s, a major impetus being a requirement issued by the United States Army for a new medical evacuation and utility helicopter. The Bell 204, first flown on 20 October 1956, was warmly received, particularly for the performance of its single turboshaft engine over piston engine-powered counterparts. An initial production contract for 100 HU-1As was issued in March 1960. In response to criticisms over the rotorcraft's power, Bell quickly developed multiple models furnished with more powerful engines; in comparison to the prototype's Lycoming YT53-L-1 (LTC1B-1) engine, producing 700 shp (520 kW), by 1966, the Lycoming T53-L-13, capable of 1,400 shp (1,000 kW), was being installed on some models. A stretched version of the Iroquois, first flown during August 1961, was also produced in response to Army demands for a version that could accommodate more troops. Further modifications would include the use of all-aluminum construction, the adoption of a rotor brake, and alternative power-plants.

The Iroquois was first used in combat operations during the Vietnam War, the first examples being deployed in March 1962. It was used for various purposes, including conducting general support, air assault, cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, electronic warfare, and ground attack missions. Armed Iroquois 'gunships' carried a variety of weapons, including rockets, grenade launchers, and machine guns, and were often modified in the field to suit specific operations. The United States Air Force deployed its Iroquois to Vietnam, using them to conduct reconnaissance operations, psychological warfare, and other support roles. Other nations' armed air services, such as the Royal Australian Air Force, also dispatched their own Iroquois to Vietnam. In total, approximately 7,000 Iroquois were deployed in the Vietnam theatre, over 3,300 of which were believed to have been destroyed. Various other conflicts have seen combat deployments of the Iroquois, such as the Rhodesian Bush War, Falklands War, the War in Afghanistan and the 2007 Lebanon conflict. 

The Iroquois was originally designated HU-1, hence the 'Huey' nickname, which has remained in common use, despite the official re-designation to UH-1 in 1962. Various derivatives and developments of the Iroquois were produced. A dedicated attack helicopter, the Bell AH-1 'Cobra', was derived from the UH-1, and retained a high degree of commonality. 

PLEASE NOTE: IMAGES OF ACTUAL VIETNAM BATTLE SCENES, VIETNAM WAR MAPS, THE "HUEY" HELICOPTER(S), THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL WALL (WASHINGTON D.C.) AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS INCLUDED IN THIS LISTING ARE FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED WITH THE SALE OF THIS U.S. UH-1 'HUEY' "HELICOPTER PILOT AND COPILOT" SET!

NEW 2024, AND AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES!

*WE DO COMBINE SHIPPING; IF YOU PURCHASE MULTIPLE ITEMS, PLEASE WAIT FOR AN INVOICE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR PAYMENT.  

KING & COUNTRY ADDITIONAL PRODUCT NOTE: VIETNAM WAR BATTLE OF HUE SERIES

King & Country and Picacho Peak Collectibles are proud to pay tribute, through the release of the "Vietnam War" series, to the brave Marines who fought during the brutal Tet Offensive in 1968. The Battle of Hue fought during the Vietnam War is the focus of this initial launch of the first wave of 7 fighting Marines in dramatic, dynamic action poses; many more have since been released, including a magnificent looking M274 'Mule' (U.S. Military M274 1/2 Ton, 4x4 Utility Platform Truck - Now Retired and Sold Out) that was used to carry ammunition and supplies forward and bring wounded troops out safely... and sometime in 2022 the release of the USMC "Gun Truck"... and NOW available are the opposing enemy troops from the NVA & Viet Cong forces... including the New 2022 Release of the North Vietnamese Army T-55A Main Battle Tank... and NOW the 2024 Release of the much anticipated U.S. Bell USMC Troop Carrier 'HUEY' Helicopter and the equally anticipated U.S. Bell U.S. Army "Dust-Off" UH-1 'HUEY' Helicopter... and now the much needed Helicopter crew figures. 

NEW 2024, AND AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES!

*WE DO COMBINE SHIPPING; IF YOU PURCHASE MULTIPLE ITEMS, PLEASE WAIT FOR AN INVOICE PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR PAYMENT.  

HISTORICAL NOTE: 'TET' OFFENSIVE and THE BATTLE OF HUE... 1968

BATTLE OF HUE 1968 - VIETNAM WAR SERIES

Huế - the ancient imperial capital city of Vietnam - was a hundred kilometers south of the DMZ. It had a population of nearly 140,000, making it the third largest city in the Republic of South Vietnam. The Citadel, or Imperial City, is the walled in portion of Huế sitting on the north bank of the Perfume River. 

The Battle of Huế - also called the Siege of Huế - was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the Vietnam War. Between 30 January and 3 March, 1968, in the South Vietnamese city of Huế, 11 battalions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), four U.S. Army battalions, and three U.S. Marine Corps battalions - totaling 18 battalions – engaged and defeated 10 battalions of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Vietcong (VC).

By the beginning of the North Vietnamese 'Tet' Offensive on 30 January 1968, large, conventional, U.S. forces had already been committed to combat operations on Vietnamese soil for almost three years.

In 1968, the city of Huế, was an important supply and logistics center for U.S., ARVN (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam) and other Allied Forces from the coastal city of Da Nangto the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  Huế was also a base for United States Navy supply boats.

The city was also one of the primary targets of the joint NVA/VC offensive, which coincided with the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Within hours of launching the attack on Huế the Vietcong and the PAVN launched the Tet Offensive, by simultaneously attacking hundreds of military targets and population centers across the country… including Huế. The PAVN and Vietcong forces rapidly occupied most of the city... only two small military compounds remained unoccupied. 

Over the next month, during intense house-to-house fighting, the U.S. Marines and ARVN forces gradually drove the enemy out of Huế. In the end, although the Allies declared a military victory, the city of Huế was virtually destroyed and more than 5,000 civilians were killed (2,800 of them executed by the PAVN and Vietcong, according to the South Vietnamese government). The communist forces lost an estimated 2,400 to 8,000 killed, while Allied forces lost 668 dead and 3,707 wounded. The losses negatively affected the American public's perception of the war, and political support for the war began to wane.

HISTORICAL REFLECTION: THE VIETNAM WAR (EXCERPT - KEN BURNS "THE VIETNAM WAR")

America’s involvement in Vietnam began in secrecy. It ended, 30 years later in failure, witnessed by the entire world. It was begun in good faith by decent people out of fateful misunderstandings, American overconfidence, and Cold War miscalculation. And it was prolonged because it seemed easier to muddle through than admit that it had been caused by tragic decisions, made by five American presidents, belonging to both political parties. Before the war was over, more than 58,000 Americans would be dead. 

At least 250,000 South Vietnamese troops died in the conflict, as well. So did over one million North Vietnamese soldiers and Vietcong guerrillas. Two million civilians, north and south, are thought to have perished, as well as tens of thousands more in the neighboring states of Laos and Cambodia. For many Vietnamese, it was a brutal civil war, for others, the bloody climatic chapter in a century-old struggle for independence. 

For those Americans who fought in it, and for those who fought against it back home, as well as those who merely glimpsed it on the nightly news, the Vietnam War was a decade of agony, the most divisive period since the American Civil War. Vietnam seemed to call everything into question, the value of honor and gallantry, the qualities of cruelty and mercy, the candor of the American government, and what it means to be a patriot. And those who lived through it have never been able to erase its memory, have never stopped arguing about what really happened, why everything went so badly wrong, who was to blame, and whether it was all worth it. 

PLEASE NOTE: IMAGES OF ACTUAL VIETNAM BATTLE SCENES, VIETNAM WAR MAPS, THE "HUEY" HELICOPTER(S), THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL WALL (WASHINGTON D.C.) AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS INCLUDED IN THIS LISTING ARE FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED WITH THE SALE OF THIS U.S. UH-1 'HUEY' "HELICOPTER PILOT AND COPILOT" SET!

NEW 2024, AND AVAILABLE NOW FROM PICACHO PEAK COLLECTIBLES!

MINT CONDITION IN THE ORIGINAL KING & COUNTRY BOX!

Please note: the pictures that have been uploaded for this auction serve as part of the description. If there is Ever a Question or Concern Regarding This Item, Please Contact Us BEFORE Bidding. By placing a bid, you have entered into a contract and agree to pay for any winning bid. 

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