Bell209 Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 With the Lincoln done, it's time to make a serious start on the Scout. I've started with the old Fujimi 1/50 Westland Wasp kit, which isn't too bad in outline but is low on detail. As many here will know, the Wasp differs from the Scout primarily in the undercarriage and rear tail areas. I've removed the offending undercarriage support areas and antenna lump from the lower fuselage and cut the rear part of the fin away (saw disc on the Dremel works wonders!). Unfortunately, it's left a rather ragged hole which I'm going to have to fill after joining the halves permanently. There are a lot of rivets on this kit and, in this case, I need to retain them as much as possible as they are quite prominent on the real aircraft being domed rivets, rather than flush (pretty much the standard for helicopters due to their low speed). I reckon some of the bits I cut off the Lancaster for the Lincoln conversion will fit the bill nicely, as they already have rivet detail on the plastic but if not, I've bought some stick-on rivets to add later. I'll use the same for the fin and (possibly) the horizontal stab, both of which will need to be made from scratch. The instrument panel is extremely basic and incorrect, so I'll build a new one from plasticard using my new punch set from MicroMark and the excellent Airscale decals. Scratchbuilt instrument panel is in progress, as are the internal mods needed. I'll be tinting the upper canopy windows with Future and blue food colour, too. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 I'd like a 1/48 Scout (British Army, as used in the Falklands, if you're reading this Mr Airfix!) so looking forward to seeing how this goes. Whose colours will it be in? British Army or RAN? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 You've got a fair bit of work ahead there and I'm sure quite a few followers behind you as we all discover this one. Best of luck with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted December 25, 2016 Author Share Posted December 25, 2016 16 minutes ago, zebra said: I'd like a 1/48 Scout (British Army, as used in the Falklands, if you're reading this Mr Airfix!) so looking forward to seeing how this goes. Whose colours will it be in? British Army or RAN? I'm sure Airfix will produce one just before I finish this conversion! It's going to end up as one of two RAN Scouts operated in the 70's from survey ships. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 looking good! You want to get the mods to move this thread to "Work in Progress" so everyone can enjoy the build. Selwyn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 This is a conversion I have had in mind for quite some time now so I am very interested in how you get on with this build. Martian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Making some progress.The interior is too basic to leave as is; here's what the instructions show (I forgot to take "before" photos): The centre pedestal is located too far aft and I've moved it to close to where it should be: The seats were just solid representations of the basic shape (the backs look pretty good, though), so I've resculpted them and added support rails. Next will be tissue cushions, more paint and belts. The rear seat is a basic shape of the canvas-covered, tube-framed item. So, I added some texture to it with toilet paper, soaked in water and PVA glue. It'll get a coat of paint once it's dry and should look the goods through the windows. The basic instrument panel is too basic and doesn't represent the configuration of the RAN aircraft, so I've had my first attempt at a custom panel. The indents on the plastic backing are my guide marks for the Airscale decals which will be applied after I apply a coat of Future to it. I'll then attach the brass front sheet and glue it in place. I've pinched some cyclic sticks from my 1/48 Revell Wessex (I have an accessory kit for it to replace them) and a collective from a Cat 5'd Huey to add to the interior. Tail rotor pedals will be scratchbuilt from brass sheet and added shortly. More to follow... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 IP looks good! Martian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuflyer Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Nice work so far. I'm just about to start tickling up the same kit ( but keeping it as a Wasp) so I'll be watching this closely ☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 It's a kit lacking in deatil agreed but as you have found out it's the basis of something better and that is what modelling is all about and I wish you luck with your venture. i'll be dipping in along the way. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 This looks fun! I'll be watching with interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 ooh interesting. I was just considering this very option the other day for a future build - I'll be following along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Looking forward to this one Seems you're already knocking six bells out of the Wopse so the Scout won't be far behind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Bell209. Exemplary detailing on the instrument panel. WOW.. LIKE it but no quota left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Right, so I have done a bit more: Decals added before adding facia. Here's the two joined compared with the standard kit panel. I wanted to reproduce the prominent white surrounds on the Scout/Wasp panels and used decal lettering for it. Not sure it was a good idea... Once fitted to the cockpit centre pedestal it looks much better: I've added a fire extinguisher, rear seat supports, drilled the back of the pilots' seats added cushions and seat belts. The canopy dying isn't working quite the way I wanted: The Danger decals are for the tail later... I've separated the side door windows as they looked rubbish joined. They'll need another coat or two of Future after the glue dries. They were pretty opaque from the start. Then I'll join the two halves. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Nice work so far! Its bad enough to try and get a decent wasp out of the kit let alone converting to a scout! Looking forward to seeing this come to fruition, it may even give me the urge I need to kickstart my Waspie. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I don't know about RAN, but the roof on British Scouts was tinted black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 8 hours ago, John_W said: I don't know about RAN, but the roof on British Scouts was tinted black. Hmmm, the pics I've seen suggest they're a very dark blue (one of the reasons I'm not happy with the tinting as it stands). I doubt the parts are different for any of the variants but not having worked on these, I'm happy to be corrected. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I believe RN Wasps were tinted blue and as these Scouts were procured for naval work, I suspect that blue might well be correct here. When I built my wasp many moons ago, I sprayed the tinted bits with thin coats of Tamiya Clear blue until I got the effect I was looking for. I originally tried brush painting these areas but found that the pant did not brush at all well. Maybe this is the problem you are having? Martian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 8 minutes ago, Martian Hale said: Maybe this is the problem you are having? May well be. I brushed the Future mix on where I normally spray it. I think I'll remask, add more dye to the mix and spray more on and see how it comes out. Worst case I'll Windex it and start again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 2 minutes ago, Bell209 said: May well be. I brushed the Future mix on where I normally spray it. I think I'll remask, add more dye to the mix and spray more on and see how it comes out. Worst case I'll Windex it and start again. I think you would be wise to strip what you have done and start again with a clean part as I suspect you will end up having to do that anyway. It may also be that the dye you are adding to the Klear may be contributing to the problem and it may be better to go straight to the Tamiya clear blue t least when I build my next Wasp and/or Scout that is the way I will be going. Martian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 6 hours ago, Bell209 said: Hmmm, the pics I've seen suggest they're a very dark blue (one of the reasons I'm not happy with the tinting as it stands). I doubt the parts are different for any of the variants but not having worked on these, I'm happy to be corrected. My Brother worked on them for many years before moving on to Lynx. He was always annoyed because the Airfix box art showed a green tint. Like I said, this was British Army, so foriegn service and specification could be different. I built the Wasp kit many years ago. I remember the engine detail was non existent. Great work so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I've just been looking at pictures of the RAN Scout in its museum and it honestly looks like the blueyblack I used on my British Army Scout A very dark bluey black which I think I used a felt tip pen to achieve I like, like, like the white lines for the IP, a hint and or tip which may reappear soon in another thread, not far,far away 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Thanks mate. Yeah, looking at some of the other pics I have of the Scout, it is a very dark blue in the sun which will look almost black otherwise. I believe the replacement aircraft at the RAN FAA Museum has a Wasp canopy as it is very definitely blue and, as you say, Scouts were a dark brown. Just have to find a means of making it dark enough for my liking (I'm about to strip the current lot off with a new bottle of Windex). I suspect the RAN used blue after discussions with the RN FAA as they were very tight back then (many RAN aircraft still carried RN serials until well into the late 70's, rather than adopting the RAN/RAAF/Army A-series numbering). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 So, Windex removed the unsat tinting and I'm waiting for it to dry completely before reattempting a darker tint. The side transparencies also had their Future coats removed for yet another go at removing their clouded appearance (had anyone else with this kit noticed they're cloudy out of the packet or am I just unlucky?) - normally I wouldn't get too upset at a slightly clouded window set on an old kit like this but I'd like to see some of the extra work I put in on the cockpit after the kit's done! Started on detailing the engine while waiting for the transparencies as it also is badly in need of work. Photos soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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