1/72 Italeri UH-1B Huey in a Japanese Scheme

[Nigel Heath]

The cranked PE lever pinged off into oblivion a while ago so the first thing I did today was make a replacement using 0.3mm rod with a ball of solder on the end:

This is how it looked when fitted:

Next I masked some edges with 1mm tape ready for primer application:

Then I got some primer on all the cockpit parts:

After an inspection and some rectification work, mainly sticking back parts of the PE and foil I applied the top coats:

For replacements of the rings I had cut off the back wall I painted up some PE rings with Alclad "Chrome" and cut a length of grey lead foil:

Next I did some detail painting in the cockpit including some "Polished Steel" Metal Cote on the fronts of the rudder pedals and silver pencil scratches on the foot rests and I also painted the back and sides of the lead foil with a matching shade of grey:

I then mixed up a dark grey wash and applied that to the cockpit to bring out the details:

I also applied the wash to the seats:

And roof:

Then I applied a coat of matt varnish to all the painted parts:

The final job of the day was to start assembling the seat belts:

They look great but are very fiddly and among some of the most complex belts I have come across. They will keep me busy for a while.

Bye for now,

Nigel

[S5 modeller]

You're progressing this build rapidly Nigel. Good luck with the seat belts, you might need it.

Edited August 11, 2016 by S5 modeller

[milktrip]

It's great when the paint goes on. Exceptionally quick but equally brilliant work Nigel.

As much as I like the look of the pre-painted seat belts they are just so darn fiddly in this scale and it's very difficult to get that natural 'floppy' look as you can't heat them. I've used the fabric type belts once and still quite fiddly but after that one use I prefer them to the PE. I would like to see more of the fabric type available in 1/72... Good luck with the belts, I'm sure you'll get the better of them

[Nigel Heath]

Today I have been mainly working on the belts. Sometimes Eduard want modellers to do insane things, take this release lever that's supposed to go on the end of one of half of the lap belts for example:

Here is a picture of the real thing:

Well after a bit of jiggery and quite quite a lot of pokery I managed to get the first one in position:

I mean honestly you can hardly see it with the naked eye.

For a bit of relief from the belts I gave the instruments a coat of Klear to better represent the glass:

Then I added fascias to the centre console:

Here are the cabin belts done except for the release levers:

With the seats added the cockpit is nearing completion:

Next the instruments went on the IP:

(Hair now removed).

I have also put the facia on the overhead controls:

With a bit of a push I should get the cockpit finished tomorrow and be ready to close up the fuselage.

Bye for now,

Nigel

[milktrip]

Stunning Nigel. Excellent job on the belts! Good call to leave the remainder of the release levers off, for your own sanity. It is a bit ridiculous! And thats from someone who loves to add as much detail as possible .

Really like the grimey look you have there too.

[AlexN]

Clever trick with the 'Clear' on the instruments - stored away for future use . Sensible avoiding the rest of those levers - I couldn't see them (not that that means much) in the photo of the real thing.

Looking scrumptious (the dirt notwithstanding!).

Cheers,

Alex.

[Nigel Heath]

I am going to try to add the rest of the release levers, Eduard have goaded me to do so, so I will give it a bash although they are a bit mental.

[TonyTiger66]

Looking great . I really like the way the foil and mesh has been used to create padded material on the roof; ingenious! The wash really works.

Someone at Eduard enjoys creating tiny pieces that he knows will send modellers over the edge !

ATB

Tony

[PZRGREN]

Cracking detail! The seat especially are great!

[S5 modeller]

Lovely work Nigel, those release levers are tiny. Don't know how you do it.

Matt

[Nigel Heath]

Today I finished off the rear belts by adding the release levers:

Little herberts.

Then I added my replacement loops and straps onto the rear seat back:

Then I made a ceiling light from a punched disc of 0.1mm white plasticard and another Alclad "Chrome" coated PE ring and added that:

Then I did a bit of work on the glazing. These front quarter lights have sunken areas on both sides:

So I Micromeshed them back to optical flatness:

They were then glued in with five minute epoxy. These downward vision windows are fitted from the outside so don't need to go in just yet. Unfortunately the gate is on a visible surface and will also have to be polished out:

I also glued in the side door glazing:

I also started to remove the moulded in wipers, these will also have to be polished back to clarity:

Here they are all polished:

With the windows in and the superglue hidden under some matt varnish I could now glue in the cockpit:

When that was set I closed up the fuselage:

The tail had one raised line that was best rescribed before it was glued together:

Before I inserted the instruments I added a Mike Grant cockpit decal onto the compass followed by a dab of Klear for the glass:

Here are the instruments after assembly:

Next I masked up the front glazing and added that with more five minute epoxy:

Before adding the tail I reinforced the butt joint with a scrap of shaped card:

Then after painting the skylights with clear green I added the roof:

The pesky roof hole was further sorted with a shaped piece of 0.7mm card:

The remaining gap I filled with PPP. So here we have it at the end of today, it's actually starting to look like a Huey:

Bye for now,

Nigel

[Hockeyboy76]

Cracking work as usual Nigel. Love all the extra details.

[Max Headroom]

Holy moley. You continue to astound me with your quest for plastic (and etch) perfection.

Trevor

[Col.]

Fine work on this one Nigel. Those seatbelt release levers are a nasty idea that I'm sure Eduard could have made much easier to reproduce with a little more thought but seem to have provided no problem to a man of of your consummate skill and ability.

[modelling minion]

Just gets better and better.

[abat]

Wow. Just caught up on this one. Wonderful work Nigel. Hope you don't mind if I pinch some ideas for my build.

I like the detailing of the back of the IP, the quilting of the roof, roof light, etc. etc.etc. I too wondered about the gap at the rear of the roof. I'm also wondering if the roof is a mm or so too long as mine doesn't sit quite right at the windscreen end. Looks like your using the Eduard hobby boss etch seat belts. The Eduard Italeri etch ones are quite bizarre.

Keep it up, you work at a cracking pace given the amount of detail you're squeezing into the kit.

Andrew

[S5 modeller]

You're flying through this build Nigel. It looks stunning.

[milktrip]

Wow! I'm sure I just blinked and the fuselage has come together. Excellent progress Nigel and wonderful details.

[Nigel Heath]

Hey, lads I don't want to hang about on this build.

Hope you don't mind if I pinch some ideas for my build.

Not at all, I would love to see you incorporate some of them.

[TonyTiger66]

Very nice work cleaning up the windows Nigel. I hope you don't mind me asking; what do you use to apply the 5 minute epoxy? I have tried a toothpick (RS Models Caudron Goeland), but still have smudged it . Probably my wobbly hands.

The roof light is a nice detail

Best regards

Tony

[Whofan]

Nigel, once again very impressed with the way you are building this kit, but I'm afraid that this one, and your previous two builds have been a slight disappointment overall - where's the cooking?

Or is the absence of explicit graphic images of your dinner the reason for the cracking pace? :-)

[Tomoshenko]

Love it. Will there be a Nigel fire extinguisher?

[Nigel Heath]

what do you use to apply the 5 minute epoxy?

I use the tip of a cocktail stick.

As to the cooking I still make at least one meal from scratch per day. I might sneak the odd picture in if people like it.

I did look for a fire extinguisher but was unable to find one so have not included one in this build.

[AlexN]

Well done!

[Whofan]

I use the tip of a cocktail stick.

As to the cooking I still make at least one meal from scratch per day. I might sneak the odd picture in if people like it.

I did look for a fire extinguisher but was unable to find one so have not included one in this build.

Scratch building models and meals - your talent knows no bounds !