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Wessex HC2 Crab Cabs Pt II (Fly Wessex - why on earth did I?)


hendie

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Can’t speak for the Crabs (though I’ll be very surprised if they’re any different), but you definitely tried to keep windows as clean and unmarked as humanly possible.  After all, they weren’t there for a wee bit of jolly sightseeing; in some circumstances having a less-than-perfect window would be very bad news indeed.

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I think a small caveat to my remarks about the nose filter is called for

 

I have not (yet) looked closely at the delightful recent offerings in 1/144 scale which look especially nice

 

Just far too small for me to see, let alone build

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4 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Can’t speak for the Crabs (though I’ll be very surprised if they’re any different), but you definitely tried to keep windows as clean and unmarked as humanly possible.  After all, they weren’t there for a wee bit of jolly sightseeing; in some circumstances having a less-than-perfect window would be very bad news indeed.

Squirty bottle with soapy water and a roll of Kimwipe were never far away from Walter's windows, particularly after a wash and PX which was carried out every week!

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8 hours ago, perdu said:

Wonderful work on handles and assorted associated greeblies too

 

thanks Bill.  greebles is fun

 

 

7 hours ago, TheBaron said:

If we're going to be exchanging wildfowl, that last update merits at least a Woodcock!

 

:rofl2:

 

 

6 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Can’t speak for the Crabs (though I’ll be very surprised if they’re any different), but you definitely tried to keep windows as clean and unmarked as humanly possible.

 

Fully understand though to be honest I can't remember ever specifically washing the cabin windows other than a grubby wipe with the sleeve of my overalls.  That being said, we did wash & PX those mechanical wonders with alarming regularity 

 

 

1 hour ago, AndyBunney said:

Squirty bottle with soapy water and a roll of Kimwipe were never far away from Walter's windows, particularly after a wash and PX which was carried out every week!

 

I guess we must have but I can't remember it.   Maybe it's been erased from memory 'cos of all those horrid head lubes 

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When we got the Wessex's in for servicing they were generally in a disgusting state.

Especially the transmission deck and underneath. Grass & debris glued on with Hydraulic fluid!

All sorts of fluids had to be used to clean them. Most of which have now been banned from use.

These were the days before the invention of the jetwash though.

Windows got polished after a servicing (Greygates plastic polish, anyone?) after that the Sqn were on their own.

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as did 28's - the oggin in HK was never more than a mile or two away so plenty of salt wash to keep at bay

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Greygates plastic polish, anyone?

 

arghhhh I remember an early job on my first posting was to polish all the fuselage windows on the Nimrod.   Give me wire locking any day

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22 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Can’t speak for the Crabs (though I’ll be very surprised if they’re any different), but you definitely tried to keep windows as clean and unmarked as humanly possible.  After all, they weren’t there for a wee bit of jolly sightseeing; in some circumstances having a less-than-perfect window would be very bad news indeed.

As a spotty LAC I was once told by a grizzled old snec that as long as the jockey could see out of his window he didn’t give a s**t about the puddle of oil/fuel under his cab. This was true until a particularly obnoxious 7 sqn (who else?) crewman made it his mission to complain about every stain/puddle he could see when doing a crew in, often using his fingers to scoop the offending fluid up for a sniff check - after a while his flying gloves began to smell of stale wee!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Salutations and best tidings if the day to the BM collective.  Twas precipitating from the heavens this morn with white flakey things  so I decided to come home at lunch under the pretense of that old porky working from home.  

I must admit I was rather hoping for more of an avalanche type as opposed to the little white tickle we got today - I went to all the trouble of buying a snowblower back in November when we had a decent downfall which necessitated shovelling for a good hour or so before I could get the car down the drive without skiting across the road at the bottom and ending up in the pond opposite.

Of course I should have realized that if there's anything on this earth which can prevent the heavens from dumping their crystalline droppings in wintertime, it's me buying a snowblower so I am "prepared"

It's also supposed to rain later this evening, then the temperature jumps up to 60 degrees or so tomorrow, so if anything is left of the white mush after the rain, it won't last long tomorrow.  So, no need to fire up the blower just yet.  I'll leave that for another day.

 

This afternoon I have mostly been making holes...

 

P2150001.jpg

 

I used one of those graduated/variable diameter hole making thingies to open out the exhaust ports.  A few twists and we have a nice sized opening that is almost concentric to the circular mounting recess - close enough for me anyway.

 

P2150002.jpg

 

Then I did one of those jobs that I have been putting off for months now - mounting the instrument panel.  I'd been avoiding it because in order to fix the instrument panel in place, I had to be pretty certain that the windscreen/canopy wouldn't interfere with it, and the panel in turn, would not interfere with the fit of the windscreen.

If you've been mad enough to be following this thread for the last several years, you will remember that I had repositioned most everything in the cockpit region as Fly had got the size of a few components wrong and it threw all the locations out.

This meant that the windscreen ended up slightly forward of where Fly thought it should go.  Anyways after procrastinating and faffing about for absolute bleams I bit the bullet and picked a location and stuck the darned thing in place - with epoxy glue.

 

P2180003.jpg

 

A dry fit showed that I needed to remove more material from the outer edges of the coaming, but it would be hidden for the most part.

I was pleasantly surprised by how tight I got the spacing for the windscreen to slip in past the instrument panel - very cosy indeed.  I've fettled that windscreen as much as I think I can and the  overall fit is still a bit iffy.

 

P2190004.jpg

 

This is the region which is giving me the most grief. The two profiles just don't match and the windscreen roof is a good millimeter or so higher than the trans deck roof.  Anyways, I'll deal with that another day.

 

P2190005.jpg

 

 

On 2/8/2019 at 3:17 PM, Daedalus72 said:

Also the more I look at the way Fly have done the nose door intake,the more I dislike it. Seems a cop out just provide an intake cover with not even a FOD guard.

They could at least have attempted to put in some kind of intake interior as the guards were only fitted in summer IIRC

 

and it's been bugging me more and more since you mentioned it!   

I don't like the resin FOD cover, and as far as I can remember, if there was reason enough to fit the intake FOD cover, then there was reason enough to also fit the exhaust covers - which Fly do not include.

 

I rest my case... 

 

raf02.jpg

 

So we just can't leave this gaping orifice like that can we?

 

P2200007.jpg

 

I think this calls for testing my new less than $2 including postage cutter

 

P2200008.jpg

 

Oh crap....  it just fell off in me hands guv!

 

P2200009.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nice work hendie - a brave man you are :) 

 

That said I have a small complaint; if you're going to excite me with new TOOLS then please provide a link to the site where I can get my grubby hands on one!

My eyes have gone wobbly trying to read backward text on the box in your photo and then reading Chinese sites :D 

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Havham I believe

 

I had a certain amount of shared ribaldry coming my way when I exhibited mine a couple of years ago, I recall

 

E on the bay was where mine lived before it came to nestle in my happy abode

 

I'll see if I can rustle up a decent link later, I have other commerce to enter in to there ce matin.

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@CedB I too have the same one bought from the Bay of E. Here is the link

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Handy-Craft-Mini-DIY-Tools-Hobby-Razor-Saw-Kit-Multifunction-Model-Sale-Hot/202512027152?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Edited by AndyBunney
Added CedB
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1 hour ago, perdu said:

Apart from the slight increase in price, what can we say

B I N G O

 

😂

 

...annnnd.......Out of Stock!

 

I think this is the same thing from Hong Kong (& a lower price again!)

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Hobby-DIY-Razor-Saw-Kit-Multifunction-Handy-Craft-Blade-Model-Tools-NEW/172520963285?epid=550946218&hash=item282b0cfcd5:g:mbAAAOSwNFFbGM7n:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

 

and from an allegedly UK seller for a fiver;

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Hobby-Razor-Saw-Kit-DIY-Handy-Craft-Carving-Blade-Multifunction-Model-Tool/192716649853?epid=22023142281&hash=item2cdeceb57d:g:4~kAAOSwRDpb4~sb:rk:2:pf:1

 

Plenty more listed...

 

Keith

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Yes looks identical Keith well tracked down

 

it took mine a long time to float round the world, luckily I wasnt in a hurry

 

I find it only marginally better than my trusty exacto razor saws which might be a thou or two thicker, depends what you need

 

Fiver from London delivered next week, beats the slow boat if you really MUST have another set of delightful tools

 

 

 

 

 

Ced

 

 

:)

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I'd be tempted to attack the bottom edge of the windscreen to bring it down to where it should be at the top. That looks like the line of least resistance from here.

 

Ian

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Thanks all for the links! I may be tempted - although I'm pretty tooled up (fnaar) with saws…

Havham, Manwah… worth a purchase if you don't have a stiff thin saw IMHO :) 

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36 minutes ago, CedB said:

Thanks all for the links! I may be tempted - although I'm pretty tooled up (fnaar) with saws…

Havham, Manwah… worth a purchase if you don't have a stiff thin saw IMHO :) 

I bought mine specifically to chop the tail off my Wessex to fit the Rotorcraft plug. It has been used for many more things since.

 

HvXtV22qumDG3_jzU1QEwnvZ4vpFkwne1Fgmqmj3

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5 hours ago, perdu said:

Apart from the slight increase in price, what can we say

 

and I have to apologize... my <$2 purchase was something else entirely (been buying too much recently and got confused) - this was about $4 incl. postage.  

 

 

5 hours ago, AndyBunney said:

Are you going to hinge it?

 

Do you mean like this one ?...

 

PC310002.JPG&key=25a6d1473d8969bc90d63a4

 

No !!!

I don't want to simply repeat what I did on that Wessex build just for the sake of it.  Though I wish the Fly version came out before the Italeri version - I could have gone to town detailing the engine and leccy bays

 

 

1 hour ago, limeypilot said:

I'd be tempted to attack the bottom edge of the windscreen to bring it down to where it should be at the top. That looks like the line of least resistance from here.

 

 

Ian, unfortunately bringing it lower would also have the effect of moving the slope of the windscreen further rearwards and I can only just get the windscreen in position as it is.

Don't worry... I have a plumbing can!

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