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This is my contribution to the group build: I shall be building XT601, an HAR 2 that was temporarily based at RAF Coltishall when the Sea Kings were sent off to the Falklands back in 1982/83.

Okay, I have not got the kit yet. I have lots to do at home as well as a 1/48 Phantom FG.1 and a 1/48 Sea Harrier to finish I have also a confession of shame that I bought the kit and never started it for the last rotary GB I joined which involved a Huey. However, given my 1/48 Phantom obsession, and my love of FAA subjects I am going to join this with the intended aim of producing a Plane Guard Wessex from Ark's Fleet. First helicopter since I was a kid, so no fancy bits, just as close as I can get to an OOB Wessex build. Any pointers on which kit and mods I need to make will be gratefully received! Thanks.

Good day everyone, I've been waiting for the start of this GB for like, forever! So am just bookmarking my page. I am going to try for 3 of the blighters, 1st will be a 1:48th Italeri Mk5 version, probably done in the sand/green box version. Next up will be TWO 1:72 Italeri versions one a Mk5 of 771 and the final one a Mk3 version which will be the blue/yellow type (I already have a Falklands Humphrey). The 48th will have an eduard etch, I'm not planning to go all 'Hendie' on it but lets see how deep I get dragged in. The small Mk5 will be OOB with some aftermarket decals and will be a red/green SAR version. The blue/yellow bird will have a new radome, exhausts and dog kennel and I am not sure which version she will be, I think I have a couple of options (I can sincerely stipulate that on no account will the Mk3 be the all over yellow type!). So that is my plan, phots to appear soon. I intend to build them together so instead of 3 different posts I will document all 3 on this post........if that is allowed mods?? So far this year I have pledged 6 builds in GB's and have achieved 5 with 15 days left to get the 6th finished (which I should do) so it would be quite unprecedented if I can keep that going. Looking forward to seeing all the varieties of this magnificent beast coming alive in this GB........ Bob

Hello, I would like to present my 1/72 Westland Wessex 60 series 1. Italeri kit with windows modified for a Wessex 60. Intake grill also opened up as these were removed for North Sea flying; I believe it was because they could ice up and block the intakes but not certain of that? Detailed with Eduard photo etch and brass rod & wire. Decals are from two S&M sets (for the Bristow & BP logo), the registration is from an RAF letter set and the stencils are a mish mash from my spares. Slightly over weathered for this aircraft, so apologies to any Bristow employees (Past & present) as I'm sure you would not allow your aircraft to get in this state The model represents C/N wa560, G-ATSC as operated by Bristows from North Denes. For info, in 1976 this aircraft ditched in the North Sea shortly after takeoff from West Sole gas rig platform C, after both engines stopped due to ingestion of the not removed engine intake covers, 14 occupants, thankfully no casualties. Built as part of the Westland Wessex group build, build thread here thanks for looking Aaron

Ok, my first attempt here… maybe complete nonsense to show the British one of the most British helicopters. But I'll give it a try. Part of Italeri's Falkland's war anniversary kit was this Westland Wessex HU.5. Scale is obviously 1/72. The decals came out of 5 different sheets, two were old Modeldecal ones… Vallejo and Alclad provides the colors, Eduard the PE-parts. To be honest, it was the first time I used that amount of aftermarket parts. I hope You like it despite my very modest skills… and the fact, that details are presented here in more than twice the original size…

Father Christmas has just arrived at RAF Scarborough in a Wessex HC Mk 2 of 72 Squadron with presents for the base personnel children. His transport is the Alvis Salamander crash truck which will take him to the excited children at the Christmas party at the base NAAFI complex. DO ANY OF YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT MODELS THE WESSEX AND THE SALAMANDER ARE ? Cheers, Adey

Happy New Year everyone, I spent most of my schooldays on the edge of Salisbury Plain where Wessex, Lynx and Gazelle helicopters were almost a daily sight. I opted to model one from each of the main services in 1/72 scale. All are out of the box (apart from seat belts), brush painted but spray varnished. Need more practice on my masking! They were great fun to do. RAF Wessex (Italeri) - XS517was scrapped in 2002 RN Lynx (Hobby Boss) - XZ238 was last believed in storage at White Waltham Army Gazelle (Airfix) - XW844 is preserved at Fleetlands Hope you like

I fancy making the old Frog Wessex straight out of the box with the Modeldecal set 18 decals for a plane guard Wessex XS880 57 Just how it would have been 40+ years ago using enamel paints and tube glue to see how well my modelling has come on Or Cross kit with the Italeri kit for winch, cockpit . wheel covers ect What does everyone think? Rodders

Dear friends of glued plastics… I know there are some threads concerning this topic, but I don't find my question answered in a way I'm able to understand. I've got a Wesex HAS-3 and a HU.5 in my bench but can't figure out the correct acrylic colors. Otherwise I could buy from the xtracolor range, but I can't stand the smell of enamels. It would be great to find the matching cold-numbers from Tamiya, Vallejo or Revell. The HU.5 shall be painted this way: http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Navy/Westland-Wessex-HU5/1505911/L/&sid=d3a39fc457656ba9b24c11f6802e2926 It's the later look with Gloss Red BS381 C:538 and RAF blue-grey, as far I know. The HAS.3 is planned to be the famous XP142 from HMS Antrim, but in the older, blue and yellow scheme. Is this blue also RAF blue-grey? On pictures it does not look like that from the HU.5… have a look here. And the yellow color, ist is Rescue-Yellow? I'm completely lost, my questions in german modeler-forums are all unanswered.

Westland Wessex HAR.2 XT604 at Aeropark East Midlands, pics thanks to Dave.

Possibly.. no actually, my most ambitious project to date is the Fly Wessex. Initial thoughts are the external details are so good, the test fit of fuselages show this is not a Tamiya shake and bake. Lots of different materials to master, resin, plastic, PE and paper. My father was with 72 squadron in 1976 and I remember the long hot summer with the sounds of the Wessex and Puma flying around Odiham which is why I chose the 72 squadron option. So after 1 almost full day a start has been made. It will be completely OOB perhaps with some added wiring but what colour to finish her in? Grey and green or green and green? Final paint is a long way off I think though. Starting on the internal ribbing Day one complete but little to be seen. Each spar is individual.. Going to be a big beast when finished So lets see how far I progress this week with a few hours in the evening..

Getting in a bit of practice for the group build I know its a few weeks away but I have many more Wessex kits in the stash and will be participating in the GB anyway. Italeri Wessex built strait from the box but using modeldecals for the markings.I notice that I need to put a couple of ariels on. Isn't amazing what you don't see in the flesh but shows up like a sore thumb when you see a picture. Tried etch on the seatbelts for a change it is however still a learning process. How people do the really fine stuff is beyond my capabilities. I did rebuild the tail rotor to rotate the right way but overnight the gremlin snuck in and took one of the blades to god knows where so I have used a tail rotor from a previously built HAS3 I may get to modify this one later. This is a generic build and not of a particular aircraft Paint is Tamiya 58 with a coating of future polish. Normal viewing distance 5ft For those that say I am a quick builder the model took 4 days from start to finish working around 4 hours each evening. I was thinking of changing my user name to Rocket Rodders because of my perceived speed in building kits This is an aircraft from the squadron Rodders Thanks for looking Rodders

Hello All, I've been working on a Frog Westland Wessex (build thread here), and here it is: This represents XM328, a pre-production HAS.1, during the period of its trials with the Royal Navy. It was later converted to HAS.3 standard and it has been restored by the Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare. Thanks for looking, Adrian

Fancy building some FAA stuff in the future, I really like the aircraft that the RN had in the days of proper carriers. I know a lot about the Phantom FG.1's and Buccaneer S.1 & S.2. The Sea Vixen is going to be a FAW.2 just because the kit is there and I am waiting for a 1/48 Gannet of any descripton... My real curiosity is what kind of Wessex was used for cat take off duty? What is the best 1/48 kit, Italeri? Thanks.

I must be completely doolally. No sooner have I just finished a 7 month build than I start another, that within an hour looks like it will compete with the previous build in taking longer / driving me nuts / being expensive / show my complete ignorance in many areas, and more than likely will sap my will to live at some point. Yup, I am doing a Wessex. An HC 2 to be exact, and an HC2 from Italeri's 1/48 recent kit. No sooner had I started looking at it seriously than I noticed a whole boatload of stuff that I think will need to change. Having recently completed the RHKAAF Dauphin & Islander, I wanted a 28 Sqn stablemate to keep them company. I really hadn't planned on starting this kit so soon after the Dauphin, it just kind of happened. The original plan was to start the rail carriage which I had promised Nigel, George & Co. Over the last few months I have been addicted to Martin H's build and with the detail he is putting into his SH-34. I am in awe of the accuracy and neatness of Martin's work. I do not, in any stretch of the imagination think that I can match Martins' skill, but his thread has inspired me to try and stretch myself and try things I would not normally have attempted. I pushed the boundaries of my skill set during the Dauphin build, and I think I am going to end up pushing them further with this little adventure. Those of you who have followed any of my builds so far will no doubt have noticed that I am hopeless in trying to follow a standard build format. I envy those who can start with the flight deck, move on to wings etc. and deal with portions of the build in a structured and logical manner. - I start on one thing, get halfway through, move onto something completely unrelated and at some point later on, return to complete some half finished portion of the build. So, without further ado.... here comes a Wessex.... slowly. I had over the last year amassed this little collection. First impressions of the Italeri kit were not great. They had some nice detail in areas, however the general finish of the kit was pretty random. For example, some of the fuselage is almost polished in finish, while other parts appear as if the mold has been blasted. Some of the detail is accurate and some is just plain crazy stupid. I wasn't very impressed with the decals either.... One thing that became apparent as I mulled over this kit was although I worked on these, squirted oil, grease and PX28 all over them - I never really looked at them! (so I will no doubt need some help at various stages through this build). So let's begin...... The observant among us will have noticed in the photo up top that I have purchased the resin HC2 conversion kit. When I examined it closely, I was a bit disappointed to be honest. I thought the detail was a little soft, and it was missing a hinge at the back end. I looked at the kit part, and was happier with the definition of the detail..... Accurate resin, soft detail / Inaccurate kit part, nicer detail...... what to do ! So after splashing out mucho dollars to get the resin conversion, I decided to convert the kit part instead. Dumb huh ? Did I mention that this build is not going to be fast by anyone's standards? The first glaringly obvious difference from the kit was the oval opening on the underside. Thankfully I had some brass templates and found a match to the resin part. The template was then attached to the kit part.... ... and I cut out the offending plastic. Next up were these two features. Nope, I have no idea what they are. Styrene strips were glued to a flat card to replicate the features. Then when dry, the parts were cut down to match what I saw on the resin part. I used a 3-square file with the V down to make the strips appear thinner. These were then attached to the kit underside. I have also replicated the end of some kind of trunking, and removed some no longer required plastic features. Now I needed to block the opening off. Using the oval templates again, I created this flange. Which I capped with a scrap piece of styrene sheet. That was glued onto the underside and set aside to dry. I did some dry fitting to see what lay in store for me. The fit of the nose was pretty bad, if not downright awful. Luckily, I have a wicked and cunning plan. It's called plan B. Actually plan B should have been plan A, but I thought of plan A first even although I preferred plan B. The fit of the nose to the airframe was bad, unfortunately, so is the fit of the panels inside the nose. Despite filing and shaping, I couldn't get a decent fit and resorted to wads of blue tak to hold things in place while the glue cured. and here's where I get stupid ! Most people would have stuck the nose on the airframe and filled and sanded to make it look good. But me ??? Nope. Let's add another week to the build and we haven't even got started yet. Can you see where I am going with this? My hokey way of ensuring that I get the depth of the panel correct.... Starting to take shape. That part was reasonably straight forward. I still have the bottom section to do - it's slightly recessed and has two apertures which fit nicely over the engines. Engines ! wait... crap.... does that mean I have to scratch a couple of engines now? Who could ever be so daft??? Then I spotted two large sink marks in the base of the nose. It's anyone's guess where it goes from here. The one thing I can promise is that this will not be a quick build. I want to do this a/c as much justice as I did the Dauphin so it's going to be a long haul. And lastly..... Nigel - I have actually started the train - well, I have laid some brass bits and bobs on top of the drawing and cleared a work space for it. I am waiting on a soldering iron being delivered and then I can start a new thread.

Just bagging my place in the GB. Once I finish my Pegasus I will be here building Mark 1s fabulous 1/144 Wessex. I have the extra PE too to add detail. Undecided on colour, RAF Rescue yellow, but then again everything looks cool in a cammo wrap!!!!

Hi, hope it's ok to join in? I haven't built an egg beater for ages so this seems an opportune time to take this from the stash and have a crack at it. If anyone has any tips re this kit please let me know. Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr

Hi, built for the GB on this site. Enjoyable build (though frustrating that the tail rotor blades had to be cut and repositioned the correct way!) Used some Eduard Etched brass (other bits too small for me!) Painted with Xtracolour RAF Blue Grey enamel and Gunze Mr Hobby RLM04 Yellow acrylic, with tamiya X-22 for the gloss. Thanks for looking Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr Untitled by bryn robinson, on Flickr

Hi, I am currently building the Italeri 1/72 kit, and will probably do the yellow over blue grey scheme. I believe the blue grey is RAF blue grey and can only find an Xtracolour paint. As I prefer to use acrylics (I have use of the spare room but try not to be too stinky!), anyone know of an acrylic alternative? Thanks

Straight out of the box, apart from a few additions. Apart from the no-fit-at-all nose, this is a rather simple build. However, checking references, it is obvious that Italeri seems to have made all the research in about twenty minutes or so. There are so many details that are wrong, so finally I deciced not to bother. It looks like a Wessex, and that is enough for me. But all of you rivet-counters have to wait for another brand to release a Wessex. I used Tamiya and Gunze colours and dry-brushing and dry pastels for weathering. The decals were acceptable, although a number of them were too large, for instance, I had to cut the "Danger" decal about 3-4 mm! Of course, aftermarket decals are far better, but i deciced to use them anyway, Apart from one decal, XV719, with a rather strange 9: Apart from looking weird, the decal is wrong. XV719 was a Wessex but not a HU.5 in this colour scheme. So I used decals from my decal spares box instead and made it into XS517. I also replaced the fin joker decal with diamonds - and here the accuracy problems started. So please do not check too many references when judging this one... Thanks for watching!

I wanted to depict the two main aircraft in Northern Ireland in the late 1970s/ early 1980s. The Wessex is HC.2 XR498 'X' of 72 Squadron. This is the Italeri Sea Horse kit for the square windows, with the Heritage aviation conversion kit and Modeldecal decals for a Swift bird. Next up is the 33 Squadron Puma. This is the old Airfix kit OOB with the addition of PJ productions' Vietnam Helicopter Crew. My reference photos showed the Pumas to be fairly filthy so I tried to replicate that here. Thanks for looking

Westland Wessex HCC Mk.4, XV733. The Wessex HCC Mk.4 was identical to the HC Mk.2, but with special furnishings and equipment, operated by the RAF. A total of 2 aircraft were built, and operated by the Queens Flight based at RAF Benson from April 1969. The helicopter, XV733, was used by all the senior members of the Royal Family, including the Queen and Princess Diana, and served with the Royal Flight until 1998 since when the Wessex was in storage at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire. In November 2001 the aircraft was officially put up for sale and purchased by the museum, with the assistance of a fast track grant-aid from The National Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant was the first time the Fund had ever been used to purchase a helicopter.Information from The Helicopter Museum Pics thanks to Mike Costello.

Mark One's 1/144 Wessex HAR.2. A really nice little kit, just needed some of the lines re-engraving and a bit of interior detail adding. (I lost the inflation bottles, so need to source a couple of suitable spheres).

Thanks Andrew : http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234955042-italeri-2014/ After the Wessex HAS.3 (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234940477-148-westland-wessex-has3-by-italeri-released/page-1) Italeri is to release in 2014 a 1/48th Westland Wessex HAS.1 kit - ref.2744. Source: http://www.italeri.com/imgup/Preview%202014_LR(1).pdf V.P.