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DH89 Dragon Rapide G-AIDL


Paul J

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Another for the DH GB.This one is the Heller kit from the Airfix boxing. Will do this as the first one I flew in. in 1978 from Biggin. 

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Some of the references and bits for it.

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Some flash that needs to be cleaned from all the parts. What fun!!!

Also. I need to blank of the last window on both sides . I noticed this from the many on line pics and my original slides I recently scanned. Will post some of these to go along with this build.

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A couple more pics of a little bit of progress and making use of the etch set I bought for it.

 

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Not sure what to do about those lovely etch main cabin window frames as 'IDL lacked the last window on each side which means cutting of the etch bit But I think thi would mess it up so..... I might save them for another build. Or do 'GTM But I would need decals made for it.. Hmmm.

 

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Since the above pics, last night, I progressed further and assembled the fuselage. The parts suffered some warpage and being as the plastic is quite thin had little problem in getting them to join together squarely... aided by some masking tape. Will set about cleaning up the fuselage tonight and plan how I am going to rig it.... especially as most of the rigging is double wired!

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Progress report:

 

 

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Tiger Fuselage alongside the DH89.

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The rearmost windows being blanked out with thin plastic card cut to shape... after tracing the pattern roughly and then trimming to suit.

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Rigging in process. Tricky way of doing by fixing the bottom half of the top wing to the struts. But it worked out OK.

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Those tailplanes were trouble! I cut off the locating pins as they are far too small and so drilled holes in to the ends of the parts and fixed in place a piece of a dress making pin cut down and then glued them in place. But.....

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Tailplanes not yet in place but this is where its at. On doing a dry run, I noticed the very fine rib detail on the parts are canted outwards to the front and so I have sanded them off. But also the elevator hinge lines are way out and are angled too:wtf:

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 I found  another discrepancy about the kit last night. To the undersides of the bottom wing are raised ribs supposedly depicting the aileron actuators. These need removing to allow the better etch replacements But, I noticed that one is not in line with the outer strut, which, on the real aeroplane, has the aileron cable running through them. Any way on comparing this error with the drawings I have and looking at it from the front by eye the starboard one is about two ribs out of place!!  Simple remedy but noticeable/I have done a couple photos to show this and will post tonight.  This issue and the dodgy tailplane surface detail and angled elevator hinge line leads me to suspect that the Heller kit as boxed by Airfix were rejects. I don't recall seeing these faults when I built one when the kit first came out. I wonder...

 

See you later with more pics.

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Small update with image about the underwing aileron control mis -positioned...

If you look at the drawings they show that the contorl horns are 4 ribs in from the tip (not counting the poitny end). On the kit( though not very clear in my pic) the right hand one( to the left of the photo) you can see roughly, where the moulded one was and the distance from the tip when compared to the left wing( right side of pic). The errant one is about one rib distance to far inboard. My black marks to the model very poorly and roughly show what I mean. Easy to correct but noticeable if I had glued on the etch control 'horn' where the kit moulded one was and when vieved from head on. The outboard strut would not line up with the new part. But, as I said, Its was spotted early on enough to avoid the error.

 

Actually if you look at the position of the r/h strut atleft of pic where it is attached to the top wing and follow the line of the strut you can see that it would be out of position and further outboard.

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Found the damaged older build of my Rapide and saw that the same raised errant underwing aileron control lever portrayal is there. So this kit has had this fault all this time. Also the tailplane outward angled rib lines.  

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Hello,

 

I just received the decals that I wanted for my Dragon Rapide, the "Railway Air Services" from Arctic decals.

They are very nice and provided with the windows masks and chrome plated windows frame.

 

I am waiting for the kit and PE fret.

 

All the best,

Eric

 

 

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Done a bit more on and off the last few nights. Will post pics later.  Basically all painted up now and sorting out black lettering for the reggie. Then its on to the finish.

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Update pics. I lost a few somewhere along the way so it will seem that some of my wrork describe will not have pics.  So anyway here are the latest:

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As can be seen, grey primer applied. Since the above pics I have airbrushed Xtracrylix SILBER to give me the dull silver paint of the real aeroplane as I saw and flew in back in 1978.  I just need to rummage through my decal bank of black lettering to find the civvy reg of G-AIDL.  

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Starting to look very nice. Please tell what type of wire did you use for the rigging? I assume you didn't go for the double rigging option, it would be pretty fiddly in this scale. I've mulled over the order of painting, rigging and construction and your way seems to have got good results so far. Are you going to paint the wires after you finish or are you going for a silver dope finish? That would be pretty close to their real color I should think.

I've got a few of these in my stash and I hope mine turn out as nice as yours😀.

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Finishing has stalled momentarily but will be back on it this week. Just the reggie decals to do and some small bits of tidyiing up.

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Well, it sfinished but first a couple final pics. Then more of the finish in Gallery.

 

In pic below, underwing reggie decals applied. You can see from the decal sheet its a very old Aeroclub one with slight yellowing. But the good thing was, they went on well and with decal solution set nicely. 

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Other finishing jobs were minor like adding and painting exhausts, wing walk by entry door and paint work touch ups. Also the cockpit framing done with thin silver decal stripes!!! Its a very plain non colourful scheme but represents as close as I could to the rela one I flew in from Biggin Hilll May 1978.

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