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Ark Royal 1970's Plane Guard Wessex HAS.1


At Sea

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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. :sorry:

 

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. 

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Welcome aboard At Sea. no problems with an OOB build the Italeri 72nd and 48th kits both have pitfalls but hey that's modelling. Let's see what you can conjour up. Any questions you need answering just shout, OK.

 

Colin

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I'd not hold your breath... Probably lucky if it gets started before Christmas to be honest. :-)

 

But it will be done in time.  

 

Quick Q.

 

How flourescent was the orangey red?  I was thinking of 50-50 (mixed to match photo's) Tamiya matt red & matt orange thinly airbrushed over white primer or was it more of a day-glo than that?

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Deffinitely flourescent red, both Humbrol and Revell make it. I'll find the numbers, deffinitely need a white base. Here you go Humbrol Fire orange and Revell332 RAL3026.

 

Colin

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I'll use Humbrol then.

 

The Post Office red for the A&AEE Phantom FG.1 I did was perfect and went down well, also did not do anything funny to the Tamiya acrylics and Halfords primers I also use.

 

Thanks.

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Coming up a bit sooner than expected. Finished my Harrier FRS.1 and am about to start decalling my Phantom FG.1.

Bad weather is a great KUTA!

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Sadly I'm away for this GB, I have the 1/48 Italeri Mk 3 & 1 in the stash and intend to do Eagle's 820 sqn from 1969. (The rescue Wessex was "attached"). L Decals do the sheet that will provide me with the Mk 3 (yellow & blue) version and I will have to make my own for the SAR bird. Eagle's aircraft were all "1xx" modex numbers, whereas Arks were "0xx" for the kits you are making. I have the 1/72 modeldecal version of what I need so just need to scale up.  - obviously not to hand, but I think that modeldecal sheet has your Ark Royal rescue version??? (someone might be able to help - a scan for you as a reference???) - not sure how you can source an ARK ship's crest for behind the cockpit. I think (from memory) the Italeri Wessex 1 provides Hermes SAR flight (modex "2xx") decals that might give you most of what you need. Xtradecal do Crab/FAA white letters so you should be able to do the letters/numbers no issue.

 

From the colour pictures I have seen, the RN were still using Dayglo red/orange for these birds - so really colourful choice. Looking forward to following your build from out here (where it hasn't rained since I arrived in Summer!)

 

just reading "Rescue Pilot: cheating the sea by Jerry Grayson" - includes his time as Ark's SAR Wessex pilot

 

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Thankfully there are loads of Phantom & Bucc pictures with an Ark Royal plane guard Wessex in the background. :-)

They are bright, just looking at my Humbrol 209... It's bright!  Should cheer up my display cabinet a bit!

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Some good progress but no pics (sorry).

I have built and painted the sub assemblies for the fuselage and have painted the floor of the cabin metalcote steel.  Am away until Christmas now but will try my hand at salt weathering when I get back as I think a bit of salt and some Dark Sea Grey over the steel will give a nice chipped efect.

 

If not, I can always paint it again. :-)

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  • 1 month later...

And ground to a halt...

 

I used a mix of Humbrol 209 Fluro Orange & Matt 60 PO Red to make the right colour, plus some thinners and airbrushed it on and the Halfords white primer underneath did not like it at all.  It has gone all wrinkly over night so it's all coming off once I get some Model Strip.

 

Unfortunately as I am back at sea on the 25th means this is a job to be finished next time I'm back so I'll miss the end of the GB.

Shame but it will be finished,  far from a problem of 'shelf of doom' proportions.

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Can't you model at sea?  I thought it was what sailors did, whittling model ships from whale bones and all that. I usually take some modelling when I travel with work for more than a few days. It beats a boring hotel room with 57 channels of rubbish tv.

 

Colin 

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Okay, fixed it.

 

Used Model-strip (don't google that at work) to remove the Orange.  Then dusted over it all with Halfords Grey primer.

use an old Spitfire wing to test out my cunning plan for a fix...

 

Halfords Flourescent Orange aerosol.  Over white primer, too bright, Over Grey primer too dull.  Over Humbrol 64 Light Grey aerosol just right.

So sprayed that on and gloss coated to seal it. Masked the Orange off and then sprayed a light coat of Humbrol Dark Sea Grey Aerosol as a base for the Hataka RAF Blue Grey which I will use for the rest.  Definately out of the woods!

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Great tip for the paints - I was't sure on the Extra Dark Sea Grey or using US Engine Grey (then, bizarrely! fading it on some panels.....I want a really weathered (mid deployment) looking machine). a couple of years ago I did a Daedalus SAR cab and mixed my own "orange" - was "sort of right. I'm doing a plane guard wessex 1 from Eagke (1970) where I can use dayglo orange - photos suggest that this was used in late 60's early 70s before the orange was introduced. But I'll tru the undercoat suggestion you've made later this week when I ready for spaying - thanks

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11 hours ago, FIGHTS ON said:

Great tip for the paints - I was't sure on the Extra Dark Sea Grey or using US Engine Grey (then, bizarrely! fading it on some panels.....I want a really weathered (mid deployment) looking machine). a couple of years ago I did a Daedalus SAR cab and mixed my own "orange" - was "sort of right. I'm doing a plane guard wessex 1 from Eagke (1970) where I can use dayglo orange - photos suggest that this was used in late 60's early 70s before the orange was introduced. But I'll tru the undercoat suggestion you've made later this week when I ready for spaying - thanks

Try the day-glo over yellow.

 

Colin

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry I missed the end of this.  I'll post it in RFI when done with a link back to here.

 

Great work everyone else!

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