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HMS EAGLE Wessex 1 & 3 826NAS


FIGHTS ON

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Good Morning, 23 Jan and still 14 days for this GB and I am finally home and off.

 

I have 3 weeks Leave, kids are at School & wife is at work, it's chuffing cold outside (compared to where I have just been for 6+ months) so I won't be windsurfing........2 x Wessex from HMS EAGLE (1969) here we go. This build is for fun - I intend to enjoy it AND have 2 great looking WESSEX at the end. So I will be putting the effort into the paintwork rather than the wiring detail behind the cockpit instruments. 'cos I'm last off the start line, you lot have done all the research for me, so I'll blatantly copy all you tips on how to paint the seats and use the excellent Scalewarship blade fold (thank you!!)

 

I'll be using the LDECALS for the 826 Wessex 3 and am gonna have to really be clever with spares/scalpel/hand painting with the Wessex 1 SAR ........All I need at the end of this is for Airfix to make a Vixen & Buccaneer in Eagle's 899 & 800 markings and I'll be......oh, what? they do already? Doesn't get any easier does it!!!

 

Here's my plan for the Wessex 1 Airliner's Wessex 1 (EAGLE) - note the really faded Dayglo orange 

 

The obligatory phots of the boxes, first cut of plastic and white paint to allow me start on the "EAGLE" behind the cockpit.

IMG_0751.jpg

note the modeldecal instructions - 1/72, but I'll use as ref & scale up the decals for copying

IMG_0752.jpg

IMG_0753_1.jpg

 

typing this 1st post whilst white paint dries.

Intend 3/4 shutting cabin doors, so I can be lazy on the interiors (sadly my real life wessex 3 "lookers" seat that served me well as a youngster in my bedroom has long since been taken to the dump - always wanted all those years ago to do a Wessie 3)

 

update later today or 1st thing tomorrow

 

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Welcome to the GB, the fights' certainly on to do 2 in 2 weeks but everything is possible. They certainly dont need a lot of filler.

The folded blades might take a bit of time though. Interestingly I also bought the Modeldecal sheets years go to a up scale . Always great referrence source.

 

For future refence are the kits the same?

 

Colin W

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Yes- if not guessed, both kits are the new ITALIERI 1/48. I have previously done the Wessex V, so am aware of some of the "gotchas" . Both the Wessex 1 & 3 clearly share many of the same parts, Wessie 3 contains the Hump & Parrots beak and has (as I expected) a different underside (more advanced dipping sonar- I assume the Mk 1 even carried a dipping sonar?)

 

I like Italeri's "drooping" blades, although I'm guessing to use the blade fold option from scale warships I'll need to straighten them?

 

Just opened the liquid glue - 1st sniff in over 7 months.....I love this hobby :).......wife is gonna freak when she see's my stuff all over her kitchen table :(

 

The detail on the model decal "eagle crest" is too blurred to really use other than taking measurements and multiplying by 1 1/2 ....might have a go at that now whilst next bit is drying...

 

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quickupdate (i.e. glue is drying elsewhere!)

 

pencil outline:

IMG_0755.jpg

1st paint (now a process of retouching white & Extra Dark Sea Grey again, & again until I'm happy!

IMG_0756.jpg

(photo shows just how much more I need to do to get it to Admiral's Rounds Standards

 

EDIT : note to self, remove biscuit crumbs from photo area next time.....D'oh!

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Help: HF(?) aerials. 

 

Just drilling out locating holes for placing HF aerial mounts on fuselage sides, ref photos seem to ONLY show these aerials on later (date) Wessex. I have a picture of the Wessex 1 SAR at Yeovilton with them, Dolphin38's excellent ref photos of a Wessex 1 (815 NAS) has them, but my EAGLE SAR bird doesn't (see link in post 1). Worse, the aerial seems to want to sit directly on the "EAGLE" marking behind the cockpit. 

 

Any Wessex maintainers old enough to (a) admit to being that old! and (b) confirm that these HF aerials are a 1970's + fit?????....rapidly passing a point of no return, so I might have to put them on now?????

 

EDIT: filling holes drilled: it would appear WESSEX in '60's didn't carry HF aerials on sides of aircraft but had a smaller "aerial run" underside from tail to mid section......although I've seen a Weesex 3 from late '60's with them......I think I'll leave them off EAGLE SAR bird (& put scratch aerial underside) but go for the side mounted aerials on the III...

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Note to Fights On, next time don't waste biccies

 

Other note ditto

 

Lovely painting, do you know if the info you need is hidden somewhere in the Model decals info sheet for MD99?

 

Those old transfers set markers for all the followers to...follow

 

I'll be getting to my copy later so I'll have a butcher's if you like

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3 hours ago, FIGHTS ON said:

Help: HF(?) aerials. 

 

Just drilling out locating holes for placing HF aerial mounts on fuselage sides, ref photos seem to ONLY show these aerials on later (date) Wessex. I have a picture of the Wessex 1 SAR at Yeovilton with them, Dolphin38's excellent ref photos of a Wessex 1 (815 NAS) has them, but my EAGLE SAR bird doesn't (see link in post 1). Worse, the aerial seems to want to sit directly on the "EAGLE" marking behind the cockpit. 

 

Any Wessex maintainers old enough to (a) admit to being that old! and (b) confirm that these HF aerials are a 1970's + fit?????....rapidly passing a point of no return, so I might have to put them on now?????

 

EDIT: filling holes drilled: it would appear WESSEX in '60's didn't carry HF aerials on sides of aircraft but had a smaller "aerial run" underside from tail to mid section......although I've seen a Weesex 3 from late '60's with them......I think I'll leave them off EAGLE SAR bird (& put scratch aerial underside) but go for the side mounted aerials on the III...

 Hi, your research is correct, the HF aerilas only came omn on HU 5's and then HAS 3's in the sixties HAS I's as you have indicated did not have the fit. Careful positioning is require when fitting them. Italeri have to completly wrong.

 

Colin

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1 hour ago, perdu said:

Note to Fights On, next time don't waste biccies

 

Other note ditto

 

Lovely painting, do you know if the info you need is hidden somewhere in the Model decals info sheet for MD99?

 

Those old transfers set markers for all the followers to...follow

 

I'll be getting to my copy later so I'll have a butcher's if you like

Yes I have a copy of Modeldecal #99 in front of me, amazing detail on most of the sheet, but trying to copy the white "eagle" on white paper is a challenge. Looking at various youtube videos & photo of #46 & 47 seem to indicate that the eagle was hand painted, and seems different in each picture (allows me some leeway). A bit of research suggests that 826 ONLY took the Mk III's to sea on Eagle in '69, before trading up to the SeaKing. I think the Daglow Mk 1's were also only on for that '69 - 71 commission.

 

I am now pretty certain that the Mk iiis in '69 had the HF aerial, but ALL the phots of the SAR Mk 1 s do not.

 

Having previously built a Mk V, I note that the Italeri 1 & III do NOT have any interior, no problem for the 3 'cos I intend to shut the cabin door, but will have to think hard about what to do for the SAR bird.

 

Mk 1 halves going together now, photos to follow

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DayGlo Orange is on - Heloman, I used your advice and spayed yellow underneath. Picture doesn't really reflect the "right" colour, but in daylight it looks spot on, so "thank you". Handpainted EAGLE & emblem is much better on this side, so I'll have another play with Port side later. 

IMG_0757.jpg

No idea what the "overhead" panel of switches does in later Wessex, but the Mk 1's don't seem to have it - but the prospect of sanding out (from the inside!) the locating pins was a prospect that I realised was beyond my skillset. So this wessex will (incorrectly) have that front, upper quarter panel(centre) as per all later Wessex. Whilst massively grateful to Italeri for making wessex in 1/48, trying to make a Mk 1 (as per ALL the box's decal options) is not as straightforward (aerials, cockpit glass etc)....not that my skills will even allow for that! - I have even managed to get a superglue fingerprint on the overhead glass in the cockpit.........that is really gonna need some sanding out!

Anyway here is the ships crest

IMG_0758.jpg

couple of youtube links here, 1st link "my" wessex is at the very start, note the brightness of the orange

homemade EAGLE in Colour

This is the PATHE version - if you can tear your eyes away from the F-4s & Vixens, fast forward to minute 1.31 and hit pause......best phot I've found for the machine I am making.

PATHE HMS EAGLE 1969

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Magic footage, I'm only glad I served on a helo platform. That deck is a scary environment... But hey with the correct training and disiline we/anyone can all work in such surcumstances. No need for 'Health and Saftey'!

 

I have to say I never felt threatend or scared whilst working the flightdeck. The galley was another matter!!!

 

Colin

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I was lucky enough to have a day on the IKE about 2 months ago, in addition to at least 1x RN pilot there were at least a dozen RN chockheads serving onboard "learning" the skills that we used to have back in the '60s. I wish I'd took a picture of a very young "yellow shirt" with a union jack on his helmet & googles marshalling a Super Hornet clear of the landing area, thru a gap that my wife couldn't  even park a car, as quickly as possible with the next recovering jet seconds away from trapping.

 

I did read the sombre statistic that in the RN, 80% of Flight Deck fatalities in the '60s took place in the 60 minutes after lunchtime Rum ration.....different era, mind you those youtube video's of Eagle mention a crew of 2750 (!).......and yet we cannot find 650 to many the new QE CV, so perhaps they did get it right somehow!

 

Question: I'll need to put on a gloss finish for the decaling/wash. But if I use CLEAR or a varnish, it always seems to darken the paintwork....any tips?

 

Question 2: straightening the blades, I see in Colin W's Humphrey Thread (excellent build by the way) Heloman suggested the steaming between 2x stout bits of card, but Colin W suggests that that only partially worked....does the blade folding set provide enough strength to hold them "straight"??

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Hi

Straightening the blades was a real hassle. I first steamed them but they curled up as soon as they cooled. I then dunked in boiling water and finally i taped them to a metal plate, poured boiling water on them and left till the water went cold. They started to curl but stabilised so I fitted them. I didnt try clamping in card and steaming as this sounds dangerous plus wont the card go soggy and loose its integrety?

Don't bank on the blade holders keeping them straight as you are only holding in 2 places so cant stop the bend.

 

Colin

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Good progress FIGHTS ON. I remember your other Wessex you posted on britmodeller. That was an excellent build. 

The information on the old Modeldecal sheets was outstanding. They are still a good source of information to this day.

What a shame you sent your lookers seat up the dump. I noticed you said you have a fingerprint on the overhead glass. Sounds like a job for micro-mesh. 

Eagle is such a great name for an aircraft carrier. I would have liked to have seen our new CV called Eagle. 

Thanks for posting the you tube videos. I loved the way the Gannets folded and unfolded their wings. That flight deck looked awfully small with so many aircraft on it. 

Good luck with the group build (had Tamiya made a Wessex I would have joined you). Your hand painted Eagle looks very good. Joe 

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No progress today - "The" wife dragged me out shopping, whilst 2x teenage kids consumed rest of available time. Wisely all my decals are kept in doors, but sadly, I'm discovering the hazard of keeping paint outside in the garage for months on end. Still 8 days to go, so no real panic yet!

 

Joe, thank you for the kind words on the EAGLE crest, I apologize to any old salts from HMS EAGLE who now see their once proud emblem hand painted to lok more like an angry/squashed shi!tehawk

 

Does the Italeri s-58 choctaw use the same cockpit "glass" (i.e.the overhead instrument panel covering the front upper windshield)?

 

http://modelkitsreview.com/1-48-uh-34d-seahorse-operation-deep-freeze/#jp-carousel-14457

 

image still shows some internal "framing" over that front glazed panel...

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I do love day-glo!! Great work and as mentioned already super brushwork on the eagle artwork. 

Regards the technicsl question, I'm afraid I know nothing :( but keep up the great work 

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I'm just impressed with the confidence to start by hand painting the final emblem. So many builds start with the cockpit. I'll have to try this approach myself some time.

 

Colin W

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Hi, re Clear for decalapplication. I alway apply in the area where the decal is to go and no more. Apply the decal and rollout the excess Clear witha damp cotton bud and clean the area around the decal immediately save a lot of hassle.

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Hi Guys. the H-34 does not have the cover over the front/centre upper glazing this was a mod on the 5's som time into 65>>, more instrumentation. I'll ask a green mate in the UK, see if he can remeber. otherwise I'll check out the Wessex Restoration site on Facebook.

 

Colin

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Decaling started whilst workprogreses on the Mk III. The Mk III shouldn't hit the same school boy errors that have crept into the Mk I...(like superglue fingers on canopy!!) .

White numbers are a mix & match from spares and being creative with a scapel! - some touch ups to go, Nottoo happy with some of the wash, very difficult to pick up the panel lines and a pencil just won't do it. terrified of ruining the Oranage. indoor phots, which don't capture the Dayglo orange that really looked the part in the sunlihght earlier today. For final phots I'll use a daylight bulb.

 

IMG_0759.jpg

IMG_0760.jpg

 

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Have you put the walk way decals on correctly? They seem to come too low. They look 90 degrees out so you might want to check before you do the Mk111

 

Colin W

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