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Lynx7s XX153. First AAC AH1


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I will be creating XX153, the first development Lynx AH1 for the AAC and also the first Lynx to have the longer nose. It also held the speed record. In 1972, it broke the world speed record over 15 and 25 km by flying at 321.74 km/h (199.9 mph). It also set a new 100 km closed circuit record shortly afterwards, flying at 318.504 km/h (197.9 mph). After being rescued from the fire dump at Wattisham, she now resides at the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop and looks utterly splendid. The photo below was taken at Yeovil around 1972-73.

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I'll be using the Airfix 1/48 AH7 version as a basis.

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I'll also be utilising Ali's excellent AH1 conversion set.

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I was going to do one of the earlier prototypes (with the stub nose) but seeing how I'm also busy doing the Wildcat conversion, I decided to make it a little easier for myself.

The mods I'll need to undertake are as follows:

Reshape nose footwell window.

Add three small windows in the cabin doors.

Amend exhausts

Reprofile end of tail cone

Add AH1 parts - tail rotor and fairing, engine cover, metal main rotor blades.

Redo cabin (remove soundproofing).

Should be fairly straightforward!

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Hi Tony, Sensinble move I think considering the amount of work involved in with the Wildcat. Nice to see your utilising the ROTORcraft parts. Please let me know how the scrub up?

Colin

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  • 5 weeks later...

Finally making a start!

Ok first things first. As mentioned, to make XX153 I need to make a few mods to the AH7 Airfix kit.

1. Modify cabin doors. The initial prototypes and pre production Lynx had 3 small windows in each door as opposed to the single large one we see on current versions. It was realised that in the event of the aircraft having to ditch, cabin occupants wouldnt be able to get out (if the cabin doors had jammed for example). So the door windows were redesigned to the single jettisonable ones we see now. To my mind a fairly rudimentary design flaw with the original door windows......

Started off marking out the area I needed to cut out.

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I then cut out a piece of styrene sheet and inserted in to the gap. You can see that I've roughly marked where the windows will go. I discovered that the windows on the real thing arent equally spaced as there is a slightly wider gap between the rear two windows.

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You can just about make out the spacing difference of the rear two windows. Good shot also showing some other differences. 2x low pressure refuel caps (as opposed to one each side), flare illum dispenser (to the right of the roundel), different engine doors, the extra runner midway down the fuselage, more protruding exhausts and the simpler skids. Its only when you look closely at the pre production aircraft, you can see the differences!

LINK

I then cut the window shapes out which left me with this frame. I applied rocket glue inside and out for security and it also meant it would get in all the gaps to reduce filling later on.

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The real windows are rounded at their corners so I scratched my head a bit to work out the best way to make this effect. I could have run some very thin styrene strip around each window to act as beading but elected to cut tiny triangles out (24 in total) and insert them in to each window corner.

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Once all the glue was dry, I sanded it all down and used a fine round file to round the corners out.

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Using 1200 and 1000 Mr Hobby Mr Surfacer (ace stuff), I continued to sand until everything was flush

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Placed on fuselage. I'll give them a coat of Tamiya fine grey primer to find any further gaps and that will be them done. All I'll need to do to them is drill and make door handles and place thin clear sheet on the inside for the windows. Luckily, the styrene I've used is thin enough to allow the windows to fit almost flush on the inside. The photos make it look a little gash but in the flesh, they look pretty good.

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Edited by Mish
Removal of Airliners.net copyrighted photo
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Ok, footwell window modified.

If you look closely on the preproduction aircraft, you may notice the footwell window is a different shape from production Lynx. The latter having a square window as opposed to a non square one (ironically, on Wildcat we've gone back to a non square shape...)

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As you can see, the kit shape is square. Since this pic was taken, I've also made some minor fuselage mods. Removed the formation light mounts, the SSD (safe arming pin mount), removed the BriteStar box and removed the nav light from below the footstep. On pre production aircraft, the nav lights were separate and further down (see top pic)

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Using some thin styrene and some .4mm styrene rod, I decided to make a fillet to place inside the rear part of the square

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Cut to shape for each side

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These were then carefully placed inside

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Again using little triangles to act as the curved corner pieces

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The area between the styrene rod and kit frame was then filled with a bit of filler and smoothed

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Then worked with layers of Mr Surfacer liquid primer to ensure it was all flush

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Until it was all nice and smooth and blended. You can also see I've filled the remainder of the frame panel line to ensure it looks uniform. I may chop the kit transparency to shape or if this doesnt prove satisfactory, I'll just apply some thin clear sheet on the inside. As with the cabin door windows, I should be able to ensure it lays nice and flat to the outside surface

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Seats completed using the Eduard PE set. Really nice little set.

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Next on the agenda is the remainder of the cockpit and cabin. If I get time today, I may pop down to the Museum at Wallop to take some detail pics of XX153

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Cockpit and cabin pretty much done. I utilised Eduards interior sets (both - seats and interior) and they are very good indeed. Word or two of caution though if you do decide to use them. You will need to do a bit of trimming and fettling. Even without all the PE adornments, the cockpit seats are a very snug fit. Add the PE and it is nigh on impossible to get everything fitting correctly. I advise trimming quite a bit off both collectives and removing the rear part of the left hand side PE that goes on the interseat console. It may also be advisable thinning out the seat sides prior to applying the seat side bits of PE. All in all, its a good set but second caution is when actually attaching the seats to the cockpit floor. The kit bases are completely replaced by some very nice PE bases (see Oz's post on the subject) but there is only 4 very tiny bits of surface area to place them on the cockpit floor. I got round this by doing the following:

1. fit pedals

2. fit cockpit vent tube

3. fit instrument panel (more on that in a bit)

4. fit cyclics (these will act as a guide when the seats get slid in)

5. fit trimmed collectives

6. fit D frame (large D shaped hoop around cockpit)

7. carefully slide each seat in from the rear

Once seats are in place, use a very thin rod of styrene with a dab of super glue on the end and try carefully to apply it to each little leg. Once its fixed a bit, its then ok to place more glue on the front legs (these wont be seen once the whole fuselage is together so you can go a bit mad here). So long as you arent too rough with the whole thing, the seats should be ok. Next time I use this PE set, I may just attach a trimmed block of styrene under the seats and use that as the fixing point. Time will tell if my seats stay in place or it will be the first Lynx to be fitted with ejection seats!

Another top tip is to carefully fold the thin flanges that are on the rear of the D frame rearwards as they will snag when dry fitting. Once the fuselage is together, they can be folded flush with the bulkhead.

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I have some self adhesive sheepskin type stuff from a model car site that is perfect for the cushion cover.

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If you fit the panel out the box, it sits at too gentle an angle. I fit a shim on the inside so it props it up to the correct 16 degrees (yes, I've measured the real one...)

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Still have the back plate for the interseat console to fit

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Quite happy with the results. Just need to finish off a few things from the cabin and I can then look at closing it all up (NOTE TO SELF - DONT FORGET TO DO WINDOWS FOR THE FOOTWELL FIRST!!!)

PS all pics taken with my new iPhone 5s. Massively impressed with it! Point, click, upload to Flickr - no messing around with memory cards on to computer, resizing, touching up etc.

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Hi Tony. lookin' good. I do like the detail in the cockpit very realistic. All the Lynx ref I have shows all the clours excepting the pink one XW839! Anyone got any pics of this ship?

Colin

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Looking very nice Tony.

I really like the work being done on the cabin and cockpit windows.

Also like the yellow 1970's lynx.

How are you managing to do your Wildcat as well as this build?

Cheers Woo

Looking very nice Tony.

I really like the work being done on the cabin and cockpit windows.

Also like the yellow 1970's lynx.

How are you managing to do your Wildcat as well as this build?

Cheers Woo

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Thanks all.

Woo, I'll be getting back on with the Wildcat now I've broken the back of this build.

Cabin complete.

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I was a bit disappointed to find that the Eduard AH7 interior set isnt quite correct. They have three yellow three point harnesses for the rear 3 man seat but only blue lap straps for the 6 man seat. All seats have the yellow (orange) 3 point harnesses. I've not put the 3 point harnesses on the 3 man seat but will save them for when I get another Eduard set so I'll have 6 for the 6 man seat. I've also noted that there are some other omissions on the AH7 over the HMA sets. No 'spectacles' for the main rotor blade bolts and a few other things too.

Anyway, completed the remainder of the fuselage mods which included putting another low pressure refuel housing on the right hand side and filling the one on the left, filling the footsteps (seems AW havent learned anything with Wildcat cos the method of climbing up the side of the aircraft when doing a pre flight walk round is akin to scaling the north side of the Eiger due to poor/non existent footsteps and hand holds), making the recess for the para illum flare housing and generally removing doubler plates and details not found on the prototypes.

Cooling scoop for the rear avionics bay also removed and filled

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Twin recess for refuel caps. I have some suitable PE that will be used for the caps. I've made the recess and mount for the illum flares and will place some more suitable round bits of PE once its all painted.

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Tail. I decided to use a navy folding type tail because the pylon on the prototypes closely resembles that.

Folding tail boom. The IGI hump needed removing and sanding flush with the TRDS covers. I also removed all the gubbins on the end of the boom where all the tail fold hinges sit.

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The main similarity is the forward fairing and the grill area where the intermediate gearbox sits. on non folding tails, the fairing is more of a double angle affair with the grills on each side as opposed to how the folding type looks. The early tail pylons were thinner and didnt have such a deep knife edge fairing at the rear. Marked out to trim the rear off. Also cut out the IGB grill area to place the Eduard PE grill.

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Trimmed and thinned.

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A blob of Milliput chucked on the end of the boom

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Licked (is milliput poisonous??) and shaped. Once dry and hard, I'll work it with fine sanding to blend it.

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Thats it for now. I'll chuck the fuselage together tonight I think (NOTE TO SELF - DONT FORGET THE FOOTWELL WINDOWS!!!)

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