Jump to content

Wessex HC2 - A Dauphin's Stablemate: 520 days later.... IT'S FINISHED ! (why, yes it is indeed)


hendie

Recommended Posts

Fascinating and inspiring as ever hendie :)

Droop stops tho'? I am not sure that any self-respecting aviating machine should have a component called a Droop stop....

It just goes to reinforce all my thoughts about the utter weirdness of helicopters........

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You mean you WANT to droop?

You can relax; droop stops only come into play when it stops aviating. They prevent the blades from hitting the deck / ground as they slow down and lose rigidity (ohh, matron).

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I think Nigel missed the bit where you

broke his copyright on soldering skills. Phew!

Didn't the towel rail have black ends?

Small & insignificant? Don't care.

Keep them coming.

BTW - BRItmodeller = VICE, better than vise.

You'll just confuse the young' uns

Pete, I think you are right - my (admittedly failing) memory has committed at least two cells that say the ends were capped with some black rubbery looking thingamabobs.

Scratch building 1/48 droop stops is the sort of thing I can picture myself doing. Scratch building the springs on 1/48 droop stops, however?

I am in awe!

the springs were the easiest part !

....

No sign so far

Lots of others on the net showing slightly aluminium painted stays and a silver OR white rail

Possible little black end caps too ;)

Further brain cells pulled screaming from the attic make me think that the mounting brackets were aluminum and that the towel rail itself was chromed (with the black capped ends). I have been scouring the web but any photo's I can find with a towel rail are inconclusive as the resolution is too low. It doesn't help that the towel rail was mounted against the black background of the underside. It also doesn't help that most people seem to find the starboard side of the Wessi the more photogenic! - there's not a great deal of good detail photo's of the port side.

Fascinating and inspiring as ever hendie :)

Droop stops tho'? I am not sure that any self-respecting aviating machine should have a component called a Droop stop....

It just goes to reinforce all my thoughts about the utter weirdness of helicopters........

I spent ages trying to think of a witty retort and failed miserably! At least they have a swash plate.... though it would have sounded way more exciting if they had been fitted with a swash-buckling plate and a couple of cutlasses, and maybe a blunderbuss or two.

.... and thanks for all the comments everyone - looks like I'll be continuing with the insignificant updates then.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continuing on with my not quite insignificant but not quite monumental build, I did get the 4 swash-buckling droop stops fitted. Difficult to see here (but they're there believe me)

PA230001.JPG

... and a bit easier to see in this photo when it's the right way up. Close enough for government work I believe. (and I did paint the pitch rods to match the rotors!)

PA230005.JPG

That was followed by something easy - the "U" bolts at the top of the oleo's - nothing earth shattering, but it certainly helps take away from the plainness of the kit offering.

PA230003.JPG

Now, believe it or not, but I did FINALLY get around to throwing some semi-gloss over the Wessi. I'd dithered about on the subject of weathering and I just couldn't commit to throwing any more dirt on it - there is some there but very subtle. I feel comfy with the degree of filthery applied - and I can always add more if I ever change my mind.

Of course, the first thing I had to do after the last clear coat went on was to unmask the beast - it's been Sooooooo long since I saw the internal gubbins. The masking was a bit of a pain to remove since it's been on there so long - it was like trying to remove cardboard.

PA230006.JPG

It was however, not without some collateral damage though thankfully, there was nothing too serious. The worst breakage was the longitudinal beam from the cabin to the beetleback - easily put right.

PA230008.JPG

I also had a tiny bit of overspray on the bubble window - nothing a quick going over with McGuires plastic polish won't sort out. Of more concern is all the detritus which managed to crawl in there and attach itself to the inside of the windows. That will be a little more problematic but shouldn't be insurmountable. (says he with hope!)

PA230009.JPG

Surprisingly the masking around the glazing parted company from the airframe without too much of a struggle and very few tantrums. Perhaps the worst are was along the bottom edge of the port window. It almost looks like the real thing, which invariable has lots of gaskety gunk oozing out of the glazing at the seams. I probably will touch it up though lest somebody thinks I have been doing a sloppy job with the window frames.

PA240017.JPG

Lastly, I did get one splutter from the spraying. You can (maybe) just make it out between the anti-slip and the circular panel - it's sort of an upside down teardrop shape. It's so insignificant that I considered just leaving it as is, but I think I am going to try and smooth it out with some careful sanding. Oh, for anyone interested, I used Testors Semi-Gloss clear coat. It went on easy enough and gives a very uniform finish, but to be honest, I don't see very much difference between that and the Alclad matt finish I put on the underside.

PA230007.JPG

This week, in other news, I finally fitted the gnomes to their homes. Some epoxy glue helped settle their little hearts into the firewall. Here I am just addin the what I hope to be the last of the plumbing to keep the gnomes fed and watered.

PA230010.JPG

And from t'other side...

PA230011.JPG

and yet another shot - just 'cuz I took the photo!

PA240016.JPG

One right royal pita was fitting the cyclics. The port side wasn't too bad as I had the seat folded in the upright position but the starboard side took a good 15 or 20 minutes phaffing about to get the lever in place. (of course I forgot to take a photo)

PA230012.JPG

After all that it was back out with the soldering iron again. one item that seems to be missing from just about every Wessex build I have seen (***edit: ..with the noted exception of perdu's outstanding builds, ... and anyone else who I may inadvertently have missed) are the angled grab handles for the load monkey. Again brass rod came to the rescue along with the vise/vice/clampy thing. Squishing the end of the rod in the clampy thing allowed me to bend the ends over and provided good purchase for the ca glue to work - these will be painted back in due course.

PA240013.JPG

Then once the cabin door gets fitted it will look very similar to this... without the big dod of wood though

PA240015.JPG

oh, and I fitted the towel rail. - with black ends. Y'know I scoured t'interwebby and could not find one photo with black ends on the towel rail - I did find one with of all things red ends though - that was good enough for me - black ends it is.

PA240020.JPG

So, all things considered, it has been a good weekend with things moving in a forward direction. I have a little bit of clean up and retouching to do after removing the masking but nothing to be concerned about. The worst will probably be sanding out the splutter, after which, I believe the oleo's may get fitted... who knows!

Edited by hendie
  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really is looking rather excellent me old mucker BUT

nobody putting in the grab on and hold on for dear life handles?

I rather resemble that remark young fellow!

Both of my Wessii have the essentials. even if they are in littlescale

But other wise what a tremendous Wessex you have produced

I love the stuff under the roof ;) that we've possibly forgotten since they have been under cover

The best Wessex model ever

And I am proud to be able to have seen it happening here before our very eyes

oh arr

look in the door way here

SARWessexSARkit22013.jpg

nudge nudge :)

Edited by perdu
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

you are absolutely right sir. I stand corrected - in my defense I did say "just about every" - I should have been clearer and I shall now hang my head in shame and go and stand in the corner.

very very nice yellow cab sir!!!

Edited by hendie
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aw now I'm sorry I mentioned it

But yours really is something way further 'else' than any Wessex I ever saw

I love the beast

a thing of real beauty

just mind your Ps and Qs OK ;)

or as dear old mater was oft observed to quip - "mind your P's & Q's or you may slip on your R's"

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was, as you say, a well spent weekend.

It's looking very good indeed.

Of course, you're saving painting the dayglo

onto the droopstops until later, aren't you?

(Unless it's been done & I can't make it out?)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was, as you say, a well spent weekend.

It's looking very good indeed.

Of course, you're saving painting the dayglo

onto the droopstops until later, aren't you?

(Unless it's been done & I can't make it out?)

Dagnabbit - I thought no-one would notice !!! The small arm that the dayglo bits are painted on was tiny and I didn't think I could make them - however I am willing to give it a second look and see what I can do.

I also never put the comms switch in the cabin door opening - I meant to, I really did but went and put the grab handle in place first so couldn't get to drill the hole

sheesh, that's twice in one day I have had to hang my head in shame :hanging:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

SARWessexSARkit22013.jpg

.I would also like it to be a record of note that I love the worn weathered look on the blades in this photo - truly excellent, 'specially in tiny tim scale

... and how you did those aerials !! I am intimidated by doing those in 1/48, never mind in that smallness!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This build is quite immense, the level of detail and workmanship is superb. I'm already digging my Wessies out so I can flog them off before the group build as it will always be in the shadow! Although.....

That was, as you say, a well spent weekend.

It's looking very good indeed.

Of course, you're saving painting the dayglo

onto the droopstops until later, aren't you?

(Unless it's been done & I can't make it out?)

...if your going that far then I expect to see a couple of nipples on there as well, no copping out at this late stage :thumbsup:

Cant wait to see this one coming to fuition, keep up the immense work!

Bob

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...