andyf117

I have two, that were destined for the bay...

Do you mean these, Bill? https://www.scalemates.com/kits/reheat-models-rh033-cockpit-switch-consoles--1005158

Love the way the helo wobbles around - which it doubtless did for real in the turbulence created by the tanker...

Or maybe a map? This page is part of a site by a former 21st SOS crewmember: https://911gfx.nexus.net/vietnam.html Towards the bottom is a link (red book icon) taking you to his collection of aeronautical maps - exactly as used on the sort of mission that you're depicting... ....the first page is a mosiac - click anywhere and it'll take you to a larger version of that area. Click again on that, and you'll get that area's complete aeronautical map divided into eight 1700x2400px sections, which can be saved to be printed (either individually, or 'stitched' together into larger sections first)... ....at the edges of each eight-section map are links to adjoining sheets - so you can work your way around the whole thing until you find a suitable set...

Looking very nice now, Massimo! With regard to the photo, it appears that I was right first time after all, and that Sea King is indeed a HAS.1 - a reverse image search brings the pic up as part of this collection on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davids_world_2011/albums/72157627055781519/page2/ Uploaded by someone who served aboard from Oct 1972 to Oct 73 - and on the page linked to, that Sea King appears in another shot where it clearly has a five-blade TR! So despite putting a straight edge along the 'vertical' blades and finding they appeared to align, that was obviously a result of the angle at which the photo was taken... Confirmation that the lack of forward 'Rescue' titles on the Wessex is correct is confirmed by the photo of the SAR Flight that appears in the commissioning book: http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy28.pdf - the link to all parts of the book is back in post #9... ....and picking up on ex-FAAWAFU's point about the 'Barn Door', in the photos of the Ship's Company, the 824 NAS picture shows the squadron's personnel in front of two Sea Kings - one with the shield fitted, and one without...

Just took a closer look at the Sea King, and you're absolutely right - I'd taken one glance, counted five, and immediately thought 'HAS.1'; but it is a six-bladed TR (easily confirmed with a straight edge, showing the vertically-positioned pair aligned)... ....so hanging my head in embarrassment at that mis-identification - however, I'm still confident it is a pre-1978 photo, as there's definitely no 'Barn Door' anti-icing shield...

This photo actually clears up some confusion here - back on page 1, the Modeldecal instructions text and photo clearly specifies and shows the Wessex without the forward 'Rescue' title in March 1978... ....the above photo, though, shows the forward title on the door - but the Sea King is the big clue. It has the five-bladed tail rotor, making it a HAS.1, meaning the photo was taken a few years earlier... ....as per the posts back on page 34, a little mix 'n match with codes and serials from the MA sheet, and you can depict XZ578 055/R exactly as it appears in your magazine article - nice idea about having it towed by a tractor...

Save folded blades - and tail - for the Sea King, Massimo, I'd say... ....thanks for the kind comment on my HAS.1 - please don't hesitate to ask if you think I may be able to assist with anything for yours... ....the following shows the basic mods needed for the Revell kit - also applicable to the Airfix HAR.3 (if I recall correctly, you've got both): https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975759-rn-hu5-172-revell-cat1/&do=findComment&comment=1880792 (Just ignore the parts about Orange Crop boxes, which you won't have anyway) Looking back, I see there was a discussion about decals, differing styles of markings etc throughout much of page 34...

You're just angling for a Fnarr from Ced... So are you!

Your Rs are looking much better now - nice save!

Could be worse, could be Trouble with Tribbles

Great to see the teeny-weeny Skeeter finished, Ced - lovely job, and it wasn't really that scary in the end, was it? Belated congrats on the Anniversary - our 21st will be coming up in a few weeks, but there'll be no presents... ....she told me to stop bothering a few years ago, as over the previous years I'd bought everything she needs... ....saucepan sets, cooking utensils, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, iron, ironing board, etc...

Looking very nice, Massimo - but might I suggest that the 'R' on the fin is a little big, a touch too far back, and also an angle (rather than upright)... ....from the Modeldecal instructions photo back on page 1, it looks to me like it should be a similar size to that in 'Rescue', and positioned centrally... ....hopefully, you've still got the spare pair of 'Rescue' titles to steal a replacement from - BTW, those wheels and tyres look a little bit 'washed out'!

With a 3A still to do, filed away - thanks! One point to note is that the 3A drawing shows the final 'short' VHF(FM) 'whip' aerial under the tailboom - the original version was longer, as seen here: Later replaced by the shorter version: That originally retro-fitted to the 3 appears to have been the longest, as in the pic here (airliners.net image so link, rather than pic itself): https://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-Air-Force/Westland-WS-61-Sea-King-HAR3/683740/L

Leuchtorange (DayGlo orange) RAL 2005 Available in different ranges, enamels and acrylics: eg., Revell No.25 ('email' and 'aqua') - also AK, MRP, etc

Thanks! Currently about a third of the way through the 'to do' list - and as we've effectively closed ourselves down here for the next couple of months at least, I'm anticipating getting a number of them done while whiling away the hours... ....finally got the UH-3H finished over the last week, and now working on the HSS-2B started at the same time - then there's the Mk.43B and Mk.50 already started for the Nordic and Navy GBs, and a few others that I've done preliminary work on...

Yes, and the bit sticking out at the front! There's a pic taken on the day here: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1557494 With the RAF's revenge in this one: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1557495

I only finished and posted my latest build - also a SAR Sea King - a few days ago... ....mine doesn't even come close to yours - it's certainly one of the best I've seen... Great to see that you've corrected some of the deficiencies of the Airfix kit... ....but not sure if the RWR on the nose and rear fuselage should be fitted...

http://www.seaforces.org/usmcair/VMFAAW/VMFAAW-533.htm

As with a handful of my other completed Sea King builds, this one originally began way back in January 2015 for the Sea King STGB, but didn't progress far, as seen here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975761-usn-sh-3h-172-fujimi-cat1/ As the anti-submarine SH-3H fleet was replaced by SH-60 models, a number of Sea Kings were stripped of their ASW gear and redeployed in the utility role as the UH-3H, particularly for Search and Rescue duties, a role in which earlier variants had already operated at a couple of USN shore bases. As mentioned in the original thread, choosing to build the model as one of the three aircraft used at NAS Pensacola (where they had replaced the UH-1Ns of HC-16) was inspired by finding a number of excellent photos online, the majority of which had been uploaded by one of the base flight's pilots - plus the aircraft each had a feature that distinguished them from all the other UH-3H aircraft used for SAR... In addition, the flight had a 'claim to fame' while flying missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when two pilots found themselves 'on the carpet' for carrying out unauthorised rescue missions after delivering supplies in the area - a story which made national news headlines: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/us/nationalspecial/navy-pilots-who-rescued-victims-are-reprimanded.html As with my previous Sea King RFI's, the following photos are captioned as appropriate... Out of sight but not out of mind, work on the underside included adding pairs of flat hexagonal and Doppler aerials under the forward fuselage, blanking off the sonar well, fitting three different types of blade antennae, and boxing-off the wheel bays - more on the sponsons is below. The Fujimi intake guard was replaced by one from a Revell kit - Fujimi's version is the Sikorsky type, which was superceded (but not entirely replaced) by the Westland-style one with its contoured base. I also removed the awful cockpit side window frames as moulded in early issues of the kit, and replaced them with a couple provided as options in the Cyber Hobby kit, that were kindly donated by a fellow Britmodeller. A pair of VOR aerials have been fitted each side of the nose; also visible is the 'rats nest' of wires tangled around the rotor head to busy it up. Despite having a number of different etch sets available which include the crew entry door and steps, as it's a medium I'm not particularly keen on using, I instead added a set of resin steps (cast from a set salvaged from a Revell kit) to the thinned-down kit door. Another distinguishing feature of Pensacola's SAR birds was that the upper door section was frequently removed, to give the rear cabin some airflow when flying in Florida's hot and humid climate! As mentioned in the intro, Pensacola's Sea Kings had a feature distinguishing them from all the other H model airframes employed by the US Navy on SAR duties, in that the extended sponson fitted to the port side was reduced in length. Fujimi supply the long version in the kit, and after careful matching to a scaled photo to get the correct length it was simply cut down, and its rear, interior and gear well boxed-off - the kit version of the fully-retained MAD sponson to starboard also had its interior sections boxed off. Not visible here (but as can be seen in the general shots above and below), the oil cooler outlet at the rear of the doghouse was blanked off with a piece of plastic card and a decal was applied to represent the flush, rather than recessed, grille, along with a couple more decals for the additional cooling vent on each side. Added to the starboard upper rear fuselage were blade and box aerials; also seen to good effect in the first of these photos is one of the four lifting rings, which in contrast to the door steps were added from an old part-used etch set. A square plate aerial made from plastic card was fitted to the top of the tail aft of the anti-collision beacon - the original large single light unit was retained under the nose, but that on the tail was superceded by one featuring a white strobe in the base section, with a separate red upper, represented on the model by a couple of pieces of clear sprue, with the upper section painted Tamiya Clear Red. Before fitting the sponsons and struts during main assembly, I had very carefully defined the demarcation between the white upper and Light Gull Gray lower areas with masking tape, to achieve a nice sharp, straight line during painting later - only to realise when later examining photos for aerial positions that, in fact, not only was the demarcation quite ragged on the actual aircraft, but it wasn't even at the same level on each side! As it appeared to have been largely painted freehand, I therefore removed the masking tape and did my best to reproduce the original finish in similar fashion. An old tin of Gloy was used for the FS16440 Light Gull Gray, with similar vintage Compucolor FS12197 for the International Orange hi-visibility areas, and an equally old Precision Paints FS11136 for the horizontal stabiliser's tip. Precision FS35237 was used for the main rotor hub and blades, and Humbrol Authentic FS36320 for the tail rotor. I decided to finish the model as the Flight Commander's aircraft '400' as it appeared - complete with one grey undercarriage strut - in official photographs taken when flying relief missions into New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. With no specific decals available for the desired scheme, I printed my own as shown back in the original thread - with the rescue arrows, intake warnings and a few additional stencil items which required a white background printed on another sheet at a later date. My homemade 'generic' Sea King sheets provided the grilles, exhaust areas and walkways - only the national insignia and tail rotor danger markings came from commercial sheets.

They weren't all particularly dirty - this one still looks quite clean: http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/fotoweb/archives/5042-Downloadable%20Stock%20Images/Archive/Royal%20Navy/45149/45149667.jpg Hi-Res download available using link to left of page...

I use a caustic soda solution mixed to appropriate strength to tackle differing/multiple layers - works quickly (in as little as half-an-hour)... ....soak model, use an old toothbrush to gently or vigorously scrub off the paint, rinse thoroughly, allow to dry - just wear rubber gloves...

It may not be a particularly accurate rendition, but it is supposed to represent the Pterodactyl of the RAE Crest:

Nice catch with spotting the 'bird' on the nose - which I can now just make out on the pic back on page 1.... ....from what I can see of it, and with your mention of "different flight postion with it's head looking back", are you sure that it is another duck, and not the RAE Pterodactyl, as seen on the side of 371 in the Mivvi scheme in post 85?

Some of the Grey Whales were fitted with it when 'down south':