moaning dolphin Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) Greetings all this will be my number 2 build for this GB. It was going to be a number 1 but got trumped by my Seaking. So here we have the A-Model Piasecki Hup 2/3. I will be opting for a Hup 3 version of the Canadian Navy. I researched the kit and it seems a bit tricky in places but builds into a nice little kit (hopefully). The only pick up was the front canopy which is a bit flat, there is a vac form available but to ship it to Canada will cost around a Tenner, so I will make do! The kit has a nice bit of detail about it, even if it is a bit rough around the edges. So here are the sprue shots Some half decent engine and internal mouldings and more of the engine/transmission detail. So another all poised for the go, bring on tomorrow Bob Edited June 8, 2016 by moaning dolphin 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llking Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 will be interesting to watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 An excellent choice of subject! I did this scheme on the old 1/48 Battleaxe kit in 2002/2003. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 An excellent choice of subject! I did this scheme on the old 1/48 Battleaxe kit in 2002/2003. Martin Always welcome to share a pic, I'd like to see a bigger version (might provide me with a bit more information!) So I made a start on this and to make it basically accurate I have been using the walkarounds of the museum pieces that are around online. I think there are three survivors, one in Weston Helicopter Museum, one in Canada in Ontario and one on my doorstep at the Shearwater Museum in Dartmouth NS. I know the last one is probably only 30 minutes away it will still be far too much hassle to get down there! So by going with those references it is away we go. I started with the cockpit seats which are no way near correct. First was the legs, I decided to make these from wire in a form of a Z shape (the kit has them as an X). To get them all vaugly similar I knocked up a highly intricate jig ......... from a coffee stirrer.... and formed the wire to it The a quick flip over and cut the excess off And this is compared to the kit version The recess in the floor was drilled and would take the longer leg which would be cut down after the super glue had gone off and then the trim For the actual seats I needed some spares and since moving my spares box is non existent, luckily I had a couple of Merlin seats left over, a bit too modern but at least I could use it as a base. This was then drastically cut down to give a basic seat and then a plastic rod frame added bit by bit This then finishes up like so The may look a bit rough and ready but I don't think it'll make too much difference behind that canopy! Finally the IP was removed and this had major sink marks on it, along with the main drive as you can see below after a generous application of filler But on inspection the top piece is fairly accurate but the center bit isn't so next bit of work will be to modify that. And that's all for now folks, hopefully more soon! Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llking Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 great start 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 Not a huge amount of work going on with this one at the moment, I have managed to get some primer and internal green down I did the quilted soundproofing on the rear bulkhead and the roof using my trusted method detailed in my cormorant build, see post 25 for details http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234991893-definately-a-cormorant-and-not-a-shag-slowly-non-skidding/page-2 The side walls do have some quilted effect which is very different but looks ok with my efforts. So I will keep that and then it all just needs a bit of dirtying up to give a lived in effect. and also a bit of detail painting on the internal parts, Model master internal green along with Vallejo Oily steel for the engine parts. I did rebuild the center console for the instrument panel and will show that a bit more later. And that is where this monster is at so far, hopefully will get a bit more done soon and the fuselage closed up. More later Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Great start, have you seen milktrip's build of this kit? He added some lovely detailing, particularly on the rotor heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 I hadn't but I have now, it is a truly stunning build. I doubt I'll be matching that standard! I was looking at the rotor head and blades last night and the blades look more like cricket bats, I tried thinning one but it is laborious, I have quite a few Seaking and Merlin blades kicking around and wondering if I could whittle them down . The Canadian version has a slightly different rotor head but there are some good pointers in there, thanks for letting me know Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Just a very quick update, this build has stalled a little as I am spending a lot of my precious time on my Seaking build, but I have been tinkering away. I have now got to the point where I am ready to join the fuselage halves. I gave the whole lot a good bath in a wash to make it really dirty and then cleaned away to give just a hard working look. This is before I join the two The harnesses are a bit too stand out at the moment but will tone them down a bit later. I may put a wooden crate in the back lashed down with some netting to fill that void. The only thing stopping me joining the halves now is I think there should be a barrier between the rear vertical drive and the large holes in the forward of the fin, but I can't seem to find a decent reference just yet. Once I know I will just slap the two halves together just like that Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 It looks quite a brute and must have sounded awesome. Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 There's some nice work here dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Coming along nicely. Interesting to see how that great big double radial engine fitted into the fuselage and drove those rotors. As Cliff says, the noise must have been quite something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 7, 2016 Author Share Posted March 7, 2016 It is a hell of a brute powering this thing, and I have been wondering how they would replace the engine if they had to, Probably easiest just to split the fuselage in half? But then in those days maintenance was a side issue to design! So work has continued, I put a boxed load in the main cabin and lashed this down with a bit of netting, just to break the area up I also fitted a bulkhead between those intake areas and the rotor drive it self. There aren't a whole load of reference pics out there so it was a bit of make it up time, this was dirtied and here we are I then assembled the fuselage, and like any limited run kit I can tell you its not pretty! I didn't bother taking any pics as all you would see at the moment is a mass of tape trying to hold something together. I will see what I have left when I get home tonight and show it then. Until then that'll be all for today Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Well I took the tape off and the sight wasn't pretty! It was a case of it fitted where it touched! I did actually manage to get the two halves secured together. This is what I was left with. It doesn't show the ill fitting too much.... And on the underside which was worse....... I now stood back and assessed the fuselage, I have two problems with it so far. Looking above you can see the circular cut out for the engine, all well and good but it should be a rhomboid type shape so that is screwed up, also looking from the end on.... The underside is nice and flat but in reality it should be rounded as can be seen on this post I was directed to earlier..... The above phot is courtesy of Milktrips build in the Vietnam II GB http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234987981-finished-172-piasecki-hup-2-58s-aeronautique-navale/page-1?hl=milktrip I hope Milktrip doesn't mind me showing above, but you can clearly see the Amodel version is a bit too squat. I did ponder on slapping a big wedge of Milliput underneath and try shaping but I thought I would go for a different approach. This was also driven by the need to change that engine opening. I started off by securely fitting a piece of square section to the centre line This was then rounded off slightly and then a piece of plastic card was secured to the full length of the square section. I let this dry for a day and then tacked the edges down with lashings of tape. I used liquid glue for this as it has the effect of melting the join and also softening the plastic. I had to be careful though not to create a sharp contour lengthwise on the underside so that it would be rounded. Also near the rear it started to buckle a bit and not sit flat so slots were cut to aid that and I used a lot of liquid poly to melt that down. The new skin went all the way to the rear of the underside. You can almost see the change in contour in this foto. I left the front free so that it could be contoured in separately and checked against the canopy. With the removal of the tape the edges looked a little ragged This called for lashing and lashing of lemonade filler which was blended down Looking at the results, its not too bad. I am however looking at the two strakes which run down each side of the aircraft. I may just remove them and then blend the whole fuselage and then fit them with plastic rod. I am also not really happy with the top fuselage or the forward rotor head mount as you can see in the comparison further up. So that is my target.. .....Until then.......... Cheers now Bob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Interesting approach which looks to be working pretty well to my eyes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 What a mission Bob! As Nigel says, it seems to be working well though Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Good rescue on the fus, u/s and I do like the cargo net, very neat. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 Thanks for the encouragement, sometimes I can't see the wood for the trees and come up with an unconventional method, we'll just have to see how it pans out! . My main worry for the bottom of the fuselage is losing the curve and having a straight underside with a sharp chine angle. In some lights it looks nice and curved but in others looks like the bottom of a Seaking! But I shall carry on regardless! My first task was to mark the position of those strakes, which I did by using my Olfa P cutter. This not only marks it but will give me a channel to fit the new items in. I used the original as a template and scribed above the lower one and below the upper one. This will shift the position of each one very slightly but in this scale it shouldn't be noticeable. Once they were marked it was out with the industrial sander and I disappeared in a cloud of plastic dust! After a quick clean up I gave the fuselage a quick coat of Tamiya grey primer which will highlight the flaws (of which there are many lol) And this is a picture of the underside. I have marked out the underside door which was the whinchmans access. This had an internal whinch as opposed to the external version, so this door dropped open and the whinch man just dropped out the bottom. Also it shows the curvature (?) of the underside. More blending will follow and then it will be to cut out the engine intake (?) and look at the landing gear which will probably come nowhere near to fitting now and I may have to resort to some brass, which means overcoming my soldering fear! Until then..... Bob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 nice work on your bottom 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 12, 2016 Share Posted March 12, 2016 Amodel have really screwed up the shape haven't they! I admire your attempts to correct it. Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 nice work on your bottom Amodel have really screwed up the shape haven't they! I admire your attempts to correct it. Martin They sure have but its not just the underside, I have tried to do something with the top as well. The trouble is Amodel have flattened the top and bottom but it should be almost egg shaped. So looking at the top I went for a different, more conventional approach as it didn't need as much as the underside. So I tacked in some plastic rod along the centre line And then filled in with copious amounts of filler so that I could mould and shape the top After repeating this several times I applied a touch of primer and this is where it is at now Its looking a lot more rounder, again I am conscious not to introduce any flatness to the cross sectional area. Another thing that I added was a strange protrusion from the side which I can only find on Canadian aircraft, and it appears on all 3 Canadian cabs. You can see it in this phot from the BM walkaround section No idea what it is for, the stenciling adjacent to it says 'Hoist Jack' but it doesn't shed any more light on it. Any way I attempted to knock up a version of it, but unfortunately there are no dimensions or even an overhead/underside view. So it is just a decent guestimate, but looks ok. My next area of concern is the front of the rear tail at its base. Again the kit doesn't look right and now I have rounded off the top it is still not rounded enough so it will be out with MORE filler to shape that up. So until then its a cherio from me! Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted April 18, 2016 Author Share Posted April 18, 2016 Well its back to this old beastie now that I have completed my Seaking, I am still trying to work at making the fuselage rounder, but the going is not great. Any hoo here are a couple of in progress shots, I am basically loading up with filler and trying to round off. Not great photos and more work to go me thinks! The bathroom is still in progress on my 1:1 scale build (and now only 24 days behind original schedule!) but hopefully I will get a bit done here and there over the next couple of days. Bob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moaning dolphin Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 So as the 1:1 bathroom slows down a bit then work on this little beastie steps up. More endless rubbing and filling to round off the fuselage. Not sure if I am getting anywhere with it but have settled with what I have, I then fitted the strakes that I had removed earlier and this is where she is at now Next up was the fuel filler point, on the kit it is just a square cut out as can be seen in this earlier phot. As can be seen in the post of the real thing above it should be more of a cylindrical opening. I started of by enlarging the recess and rounding off the top (Yes I know it would have been easier to do BEFORE I assemble it but didn't think about it then!) which gave me this (apologies for poor foto) I then thinned out some plastic tube by drilling the centre until the wall was very thin, cut it in half and positioned it thus I then filled the bottom with a suitably shaped piece of plastic card Looks a little shabby but allowed it to harden and then took a knife and wet n dry to it which gave me this A lot better me thinks! On the underside I tackled the modified cut out for the engine (?). This was hard to locate as the kit has no reference lines ot any other indication. So going by a couple pictures of a museum piece hanging off the ceiling I worked it out by judging where the foot steps were, which is all well and good if the kit footsteps were in the right position.......I took that gamble! I think it may be a bit wide but is approximately in the right place, although looking at pictures it should be like a black hole in there, so I may address that later. Finally I added some footsteps and hand holds, I knocked up a jig and template (unashamedly copied from Nigels build I think it was!!) and fitted those. it is now ready for a good coating of primer to see what imperfections remain, so hopefully have more of an update after the week end Cheers now Bob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Still moving in the right direction Bob and looking very nice too! Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Glad my jig idea was of some use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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