milktrip

Im on the night shift too Duncan. Heard about it at the start of shift, we had a delayed flight, prior to it arriving we got the news and the lads going off were called in and told what had happened. Been watching sky news in the tea shack and getting drip feeds. Last I heard was 15 of the 18 taken to hospital, still searching for 3. Hope and pray theres some good news to follow on from that Reports say it was a mark II super puma -

Thanks so much for the comments guys @nigel, looking forward to attending one of the AMS meets soon. And thanks everyone for the feedback on the stencils. I agree that less is more on 1/72. I've now sealed them with varnish (although still need to add a couple that go on the aerial thingy on the tail boom). I've also added a few sticky out bits (the aerials on the tail boom and at the front of the canopy) - I'm looking at you Natter as I haven't a clue. The tail boom ones were spares from an eduard super puma kit (cut to size) as the extra tech ones were not the right size for what was required. The two little ones at the front were cut from the fret of a etched brass set. The spikey thing at the front (aerial / pitot tube? Again mr natter ) was from the extra tech kit. I think it's slightly too large and I know it's not in the correct position, but its close enough and looks alright to me. Hopefully it doesn't get knocked off!!! It looks like an ideal snack for the carpet monster. Oh, I also counter sunk the light fixture on the bottom of the front canopy, painted aluminium and dolloped a little bit of PVA ontop. I've also finished the fenestron gearbox. Almost finished the doors too. Added a number of little details like handles, straps etc. the outer front door handles were from the extra tech kit. The interior handles are from a piece of copper wire and the straps made from a thin sliver of masking tape. The rear door handles, strange yellow emergency exit ones, where cut from bits of plasticard. All that's required on the front doors are adding the white framing. I'm going to carry out a couple of tests with different adhesives to see what works best. I don't want to get this far and ruin the doors... As for the rear doors; I need to add the round vents. I have an idea that requires a small hole punch. These photos have been zoomed in, so all the horribly lumps and bumps are clearly visible. Apologies, as this is quite an epic post... I'm back to work Thursday, so this will probably be the last update for 2 weeks. I was hoping to have the skids on before I went back to work, but I'm still waiting for some brass tube. The main body of the gazelle is pretty much done, so hopefully I can crack on with the engine / gearbox next time I'm home. Oh... I couldn't resist to dry fit the doors (a bit self indulgent of me) ignore the white tack, it's not to scale :joker: Thanks for stopping by folks. Oh any advise / tips on gluing the framing to the clear styrene? Cheers Aaron

Thanks Simon Thanks Perdu, I'll keep an eye out for that decal sheet As I mentioned earlier, here are some pics of the stencils on my gazelle. The first 2 pics are when I tried painting the white stencils. The photos below are after removal of the painted stencils and decals used instead. I think they look okay, but I'm wondering if I'm just saying that to myself so I can just 'crack on' with the rest of the build? The yellow hook an anchor may be a bit oversized but I don't think it looks overpowering? I've not sealed the stencils yet; I was hoping to get some feedback about whether they do look okay or are oversized. From a distance (Juli Gold...) Just a wee additional note. I found that a few of the fuel caps on the reference pics are painted to indicate that the cap is on correctly / securely (an assumption I'm making). I liked the idea and thought I'd give it a go. The colours are the wrong way round from the references (should be white with red outline) but I'm quite pleased with the look. Cheers in advance for any feedback regards the stencil sizes. Ta muchly Aaron

This looks excellent. It's already been said, but your perseverance has really paid off. Great job! I also noticed the BOD flats. I'm currently living in Ellon. I use to live on Lee Crescent, just down the road from the BOD asda. Cheers Aaron

A well deserved pizza. I admire your determination and the finished article looks excellent. Great job

Really enjoying this and thanks for posting the home made PE demonstration.

Hey Perdu and thanks for your concerns. The size issue did cross my mind, this gazelle kit is really small. I found some of the stencils I required on an italeri super puma set but I think they would have looked far too big. I've never made my own decals, but it is something I intend to do (my next build, and some others after that will require decals that aren't available on the aftermarket). I really like your idea and I think I'll definitely consider this, if not this build but my next ones. I have an airfix sea king kit (I was going to use this as part of a conversion to a S61N - but I now have a whirly birds conversion kit and a revell kit to use). The decals on the airfix kit looked really good (shape was nice and defined and the size seems okay). I removed my painted attempts and have used the airfix decals (the yellow hook and anchor, and the white bits) I couldn't find the earthing symbol in white. However, I have a hobby boss lynx kit and noticed 2 really small white diamond shaped decals. I used these as an alternative for the earthing symbol. I haven't sealed the decals yet, I'll get some pictures up (possibly over the weekend or Monday) for an opinion on whether they look okay or are too big. That way i can remove them if necessary. I think they look okay and after a bit of weathering, could be toned down a bit? Regardless of the outcome, I'm not going to over do it... The earth, anchor and hook stencils seemed to standout a little on reference pics. All the other ones do shrink into the background like you say. Thanks again Perdu, oh and I'm guessing gazelle ha ha. Have fun with the kit!!! Cheers Aaron

Thank you very much guys. The positive feedback is really appreciated. I've started applying the decals to the fuselage. This is the first kit that I've used a sealing agent; Prior to this build just used water. I've been using micro set and micro sol on this build- had an oops moment on the first 2 decals and have now learnt to wait until the micro set is completely dry before adding micro sol (when it's required). This horrible white gunge appeared on the model, being black it stood out and looked pretty bad... Tried to clean it up with a bit of water but it just wouldn't budge. After some google searches I believe it was residual decal 'glue'. Anyway, after some gentle scrubbing with a damp tissue, the stain wasn't as bad, but still noticeable. I applied some of that humbrol varnish and crossed my fingers. All appears to be good now. As I continued with the other decals, I made sure everything was dry before moving on through the decalling steps and things seem to have come out okay. One of the stabilisers keeps getting knocked and falls off... But hey, what's a build without some dilemmas and frustration? I've been scratching my head as to what to do regards the stencilling on the gazelle. I tried painting some of the white stencils (the earthing points, some writing and a symbol that appears to look like the letter E however the bottom line only goes half way). They look okay, but not perfect. I tried the same for the yellow stencils (anchor points and what I'd assume to be lifting points? - looks like a hook) the yellow I have is vallejo model air so is a lot thinner and as result I could not get a well defined line of paint, it just spread everywhere if you know what I mean? I've raided my spares and found some yellow stencils I can use - result!! However I can't find any white earthing stencils on any of my spare decal sheets - black seems to be the more common colour for this symbol nowadays. I'll maybe keep with the painted ones for now. Unless anyone knows of a decal sheet that has a 1/72 scale earthing point symbol in white? Cheers in advance for any info. Aaron

Hi Steve, Don't know if this will help but Pavla have a cockpit and canopy set for the airfix strikemaster which you could maybe use on your JP T5. http://www.internetmodeler.com/artman/uploads/1/DPP_0010.JPG It's hard to tell from some pics if the rear solid section is in the correct position. I'm certain I still have one, albeit cut up, somewhere in the abyss of my garage. I was going to us it on an Omani strikemaster I built, but ended up using the airfix kit part rather than the pavla one (had a dilemma with the canopy frosting over on this, buts that another story). Anyway, I'll see if I can find the pavla canopy. IIRC I think the frames on the pavla canopy are raised too (they look like it in the photo link above) which might be of no use to you? Cheers Aaron

Thanks guys. Really appreciate it. @fritag. The canopy was a big worry. Firstly removing the tape after painting and hoping nothing has seeped through - then, as you say, dipping it in the gloss. For your info fritag, the stuff I used was humbrol clear gloss varnish. I think it acts the same as Klear. Here's a how to use clip on you tube: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMhacC5vAE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DByMhacC5vAE I don't have any original Klear and I was reluctant to use the new formula as I've heard mixed reviews. Some more reviews of the humbrol stuff. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234937062-humbrol-clear-125ml/ http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/Humbrol_Clear_AC7431_about38590.html Cheers Aaron

Hey folks. @miggers. I'm really looking forward to building the skeeter. I really need to pull my finger out and get on ebay - sorry for the delays! @sticky & natter. Sounds like the gazelle was a joy to work on ha ha. Reference pics do show that the doors are a rather strange shape. Update on the gazelle: Paint now applied to the fuselage and doors. I tried some pre-shading prior to the first coat of green. It's very subtle and is just visible in some of the pics. When applying the black, I added a dollop of white to my airbrush pot and mixed it in. This was to tone down the black and stop it from looking too dark. Hopefully during the weathering / shading stage this will allow darker coloured washes to be visible around the panel lines & the nooks and crannies. I think if the black was applied as flat black it would make the weathering process difficult and the final model look at bit, well flat :joker: proof of course is in the pudding. After drying I applied 2 coats of humbrol acrylic clear gloss; I did this with the masking tape still on the canopies. After it had dried I ran a sharp knife along the edges of the tape, then removed it nice and carefully. I thought it best to add the gloss varnish prior to tape removal to help seal everything and reduce the chances of lifting some of the paint. Something I've experienced a few times... After the tape was removed, the front bubble and the top canopy were dipped in the clear gloss. This was again done to seal the paint on the clear parts and to give the clear parts that nice glass like shine. I'm really pleased with my painting on this kit (if i do say so myself), although the camo may not be exactly correct (I was bit puzzled by some differences I noticed on various references). First time using my new airbrush and compressor to paint a full fuselage - prior to this I used those aerosol airbrush kits. I'm also pleased with the finish that the humbrol acrylic gloss has left. Next on the list to do is paint some surface detail on the fuselage (some sharp eyed viewers may have noticed that i have added a fuel cap - this was done with a dress pin head). also on the list: paint the fenestron gearbox bay, couple of touch ups on the doors and add some more details to both. Thanks for looking Cheers Aaron

I'm looking forward to this. Your chippie thread / build was great to read and watch unfold. I picked up lots of information on modelling techniques that I have yet to try, but know that I will need to if I wish for my own personal project to be completed. I don't mean any disrespect by this, but you're a sort of lab rat for me :cheeky: Anyway, I'll throw my spade away before this hole I'm digging gets too deep. Good luck with the build cheers Aaron

Cracking Paul! Lovely little kit too. I built one in my teens and also have a stalled build in the garage (somewhere?) - build thread http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/Airfix_1_72_MBB_BO_105_about24739.html You don't see many of these built up on the net, well not in this scale. Nice to see it Cheers Aaron

incredible.

Thanks Nigel & Dave. First time I've used GS-hypo. I agree that it can be stringy. But I do like how thick it is. I've never tried PVA glue for clear parts and I wouldn't have thought it would be secure enough - especially with my rough handling. Superglue is too runny - I tried this on my first attempt on the doors, but despite soaking up the excess it was still too runny and left some unsightly residue marks on the clear styrene sheets. The GS-hypo was easier too control and due to the thicker consistency, I'm hoping it will fill out any gaps that may occur :fingerscrossed: And thanks for the info dave. I do apologise for my ignorance, the only helicopters I come close to are the S-92, superpuma L1 & L2 and the EC225. And that's only to sit inside them. Last time I was anywhere near a gazelle would have been when I was 16, in the cadets during annual camp. Glad to know about the gap distance on the horizontal stabilisers; from pics it was hard to tell how much clearance there should be. Cheers Aaron

Thanks fritag I'm sure it was your chippie thread that I read about GS-hypo? Unless, it was in a link via your thread? You can pick it up from John Lewis. Looking forward to your jet provost builds. That chippie was brilliant,

Thank you all And steal away Miggers, I don't mind. Although I have no idea what you guys are on about!!?? Back from work and had a few days to continue with the gazelle. The rear seat harness have been glued into position and some wash and highlights added. Used that metal putty to add some weight to the front. Hopefully it's enough Added a small first aid sticker on the rear bulkhead (was going to us a decal, but decided to paint some masking tape white then with a very fine brush painted the cross). I cut out the kit grill for the avionics bay(?) and installed the extratech kit part (I did find some very fine mesh at work; thought it might look good on the kit but the gaps in between where still too large and it was difficult to manipulate - plus, it would have meant I'd have to detail the internals ). I've also cut out the handles(?) that sit on either side of the fuselage. Stuck some plasticard to the inside of the fuselage halves and will add small pieces of brass rod. Hoping it gives the finished kit a more 3-d look... With the interior complete and weight added, 'twas time to join the two fuselage halves. With this done the canopy pieces where masked, (they received a dip of humbrol clear acrylic gloss on the underside) and glued into position. I used G-S hypo cement, a tip I picked up on the forum Prior to gluing After gluing I've also started the doors. All 4 scratch built from clear and white plasticard sheet / Struts. I still have some details to add, but these can be done later. Prior to painting I tried to replicate the curves by means of a hair dryer and needle nose pliers. The rear doors (although you can't really see in the picture) turned out okay. The front doors where more awkward and I couldn't replicate the curves of the actual aircraft without fear of destroying my doors - and I really didnt want to build another one!!!! I still think it will look okay when finished. And now the tail: after seeing another modellers build, I thought I'd try thinning down the fenestron blades too. However,I was a bit heavy handed and some of the blades looked like someone had thrown a stone through them whilst it was rotating. Gave up on that idea, cut off the original blades (what was left of them), cut out some strips of plasticard and glued these into position. Please with the outcome the fenestron support bracket / gearbox has also seen replacement. Cut out the kit part - cut off the support struts - sanded down the gearbox(?) bit and glued this into a drinking straw (a perfect size for this) Glued some plasticard to the edges to act as the support brackets and fitted into place. Also added some other small details around this area. The stabilisers / tail fins(?) received some treatment too. I stuck a length of plastic rod through the slots on the fuselage and filled the remaining gap with filler. Cut the rod to size and after some minor alterations to the tail fin parts, glued them together. This was to help create a small gap between the fuselage and the tail fin parts. Although its difficult to see in the picture, I can assure you there is a gap. Maybe too big a gap... Anyway. Looking to mask off the cockpit and get some primer on her soon. thanks for looking Cheers Aaron

Thanks Sarcococca And thank you Miggers. You have a PM Regards the etch on the bell 47. For some reason I had in my head the Eduard had an upgrade kit for the italeri kit? Maybe I imagined it... @Nobby (MASU), really appreciate the info you've passed on It looks like I inadvertently fitted the first aid kit. I noticed an orange 'bag' in some reference photos but had no idea it was the first aid kit I like the idea of the pocket on the door, I think I have an idea on what you have described. Cheers Aaron

Thanks guys and not at all cheeky Murdo Infact, prior to starting this build I'd googled airfix gazelles WIPs etc to see how others had tackled the kit to get some inspiration. Obviously yours appeared. I didn't realise the floor on your's was lead sheet, good idea. I particularly like how you tackled the engine (air intake?). I've seen some guys use decals on this area, others paint and others covering it up with an engine protection cover. I was thinking of doing the latter, but after seeing your build I can see that it is doable. May I ask if you used the original kit part and just 'slimmed' it down? Also, how did you make the fins around the intake area, are they just bits of plasticard? When you look at some reference photographs, you can hardly notice the mesh guard around this area. I was thinking about vacuum forming the kit part in clear styrene, possibly score it slightly (neede file of sand paper) so it looks like there is some sort of mesh, if you know what I mean? Then add some fine strips of aluminium tape. Cheers Aaron

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the comments And thanks very much for the info on the rotorhead MASU I'm on the scrounge for some more info... I'll be working on the doors soon and have a question regards the rear port side door and location of the first aid kit. This aircraft will be painted in late 1970s get-up. I notice from ref pics and the airfix kit that the first aid decal is located on the port side door. Later gazelles appear to have the first aid kit sticker / decal on the rear bulkhead. Would this mean that my model should have a first aid kit located behind the door like this French example... http://data4.primeportal.net/hangar/pierric_boudehen/sa-342m_3547/images/sa-342m_3547_134_of_291.jpg http://data4.primeportal.net/hangar/pierric_boudehen/sa-342m_3547/images/sa-342m_3547_203_of_291.jpg If yes, then what does the first aid kit box look like, just the same as the french one? I couldn't find any examples from British gazelles. Secondly, where exactly is the fire extinguisher located and is it visible? Thanks in advance for any info Off to work for a couple of weeks, so there won't be any progress for a while. My tungsten putty arrived in the post this morning You don't get much for your buck but bloody hell it's heavy for the amount you get! I think this should do the trick. Cheers Aaron

Thank you

Hi folks, Thanks for the kind words and all the information / ideas for adding weight. The liquid lead does sound really good, but I've ordered some tungsten heavy metal putty from an online angling shop. If this doesn't do the job then I may stick the skids down to a base. Update on the gazelle. The main rotor lacks detail and the point where the blades attach to the rotor head doesn't look right. I've stuck some chopped up plasticard to the kit rotor with the intention to sand it down an file a gap inbetween the plasticard and kit plastic (if that makes sense?!) Was going to post a pic of the main rotor but wasn't sure about copyright rules on the forum. However, here's a couple of pics of what I've done to the rotor... The above has since been sanded and I'll eventually cut / file a slit down the seam and insert the rotor blades in this. As for the interior: The roof panel is completed. The airbrake / throttle were from a spare eduard super puma etched set (chopped down to size). The little dangly thing with the orange bit at the end (you can probably guess I'm not helicopter savvy - but at a guess I'd say its a locking pin for the throttle or air brake that's removed prior to flight?) - anyway, I made this from a bit of copper wire and a small square cut from aluminium tape. It should be dayglo orange, but I don't have any paint for that. Maybe in the future I'll dab a bit of dayglo on it. The cables are made from copper wire wrapped around a pin (to create a spring) then pulled apart and rolled between my fingers to create a narrower spring. If I left as was, after wrapping around a pin, they would look far too big. Personally, I think I could do better with the cables but my eyes hurt and didn't want to go through all that again. Don't get me wrong, I'm still happy with this result. I've also added a strip of plasticard to the inside of the front canopy. The compass(?) was made from a discarded bit of milliput sausage that I cut and sanded into a sort of ball shape. The other bits where from the same eduard super puma etched set used above. Below are a collection of dry fit photos of the gazelle. Outstanding on the interior are the rear harnesses and sticking the seats to the floor. Thinking about this, not sure if I should leave the seats until the fuselage halves are stuck together? Will see... Thanks for stopping by. Tips, comments and critique all welcome. Regards Aaron

Excellent. The work on the figure is fantastic

Totally agree with you on that Your work is inspiring Oliver. No point looking through the thesaurus as I think every word has been used already.

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. Cheers for the info sticky; makes sense about removing the seat and fitting a stretcher. Regards the chopper GB. I've been eyeing up that group build and some great work and subjects going on. Bit late for me to enter, plus I'd probably feel I have to rush the build a bit and my work schedule wouldn't help matters at the moment. Oh and the nose weight. She is an infamous tailsitter this one and I've taken that into consideration. I'm hoping that the additional details such as the milliput add that little bit of weight. I'm ordering up some fishing weights for this project and going to try and squeeze the weights in any space I can!!! With the doors being open, my thoughts are that the centre of gravity might move forward slightly and with some additional weight in the belly and around the engine (scratch built bit) will help her sit right... He says... Just for your info guys, this is the 'working' list of the choppers I intend to build for my Dads retirement project. It will no doubt take a great deal of time so I'm starting early Saro skeeter: probably not going to happen as the Aeroclub kit appears to be the only one in existence and seems impossible to get hold of (out of production i believe). Seen one go on eBay for a rather high price :'( Gazelle: currently in progress. Westland scout: got the kit (airfix) and the airwaves etched parts kit. This will need bubble doors. Does an after market kit exist for the bubble doors? If not then I'll have to think of something :think: Bell 47: got the kit half built. But I've since discovered that there is a etched after market kit which I may have to purchase. S.A. 330j puma in a Oman Royal flight scheme. Got the airfix kit and there's a good thread, on here I think, with a lad that built a South African oryx. Also got some photos of the Omani aircraft for reference. as332L1 super puma (either Oman royal flight or Bond helicopters scheme). Got a heller kit I can use and Eduards etched set. as332L2 super puma in a bond helicopters scheme. Got a heller kit I can use and Eduards etched set. Another as332L2 but in the bond helicopters operated jigsaw project SAR scheme. Here's a link to a PDF PowerPoint with info on the jigsaw project if you are interested. http://www.helicopter.su/assets/files/biznes/rabota_komitetov_avi/3_EC-Jigsaw%20SAR%20Helicopter%20Operations_HR-2011_Mickael%20Melaye.pdf Slide number 12, region 1, North Everest is where I work Next on the list is S61N in Irish coastguard markings. The chopper I intend to recreate was upgraded at bond Aberdeen in the mid to late 90s. Can't recall the exact years but I've got a load of pics that my mum managed to secure for me I've have the whirlybirds upgrade kit for the S61N; I just need to order a kit to work with. Wow, it seems rather a lot when I write this down... There are a couple of other possibilities such as a dauphin and S76 but I'm not certain that my dad worked on these or not. Think I've got enough to keep me going for now and the next few years Oh dear, I seemed to have rattled on for ages. Sorry about that. Cheers and thanks for looking folks. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. Aaron