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


hendie

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H: bloody sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post about the arm. Awful thing to happen but glad to see that the old carcass has returned to full articulation. Nearly snorted the supper hummus out over a cat reading that bit about the Scottish brogue causing voice recognition meltdown.

3 hours ago, hendie said:

I'm traveling this week and airport security may be a bit iffy as I'm not sure I can raise my right arm above my head on command quite yet. 

Still. As long as you can walk....

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The latest update on both Alphas is - as I believe the argot of the colonies would have it - 'a doozie'; indeed, I am admiring your moxie in respect of all that meshing, scratching and sundry dressings that have occurred.

 

This view:

3 hours ago, hendie said:

 

P8100046.jpg

pleaseth beyond all measure in matters of structure and detail.

 

Tricky problem on that dicky floor - is it possible to shove the metal applicator of the GS-Hypo in under one of those holes at an acute angle for a generous squirt of adhesive and then slip a small clamp in over the lip to press flat? Poss. too crude....

3 hours ago, hendie said:

fancy a roll 'n' bacon, which would be nice if I had any bacon, and even nicer if I had any rolls.

Short of the esteemed pig itself, there has been imho no finer container ever devised for bacon than the Scottish morning roll.

 

 

 

 

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How lovely is that Biggun...

 

Not a question except rhetbutlerically, she looks amazing H

 

A sign from the heavens that you are getting better, praise be

 

I'm a staunch Little Walter fan, really nice

 

And I am certain the little minor probs will soon be Hendied out of existence

 

 

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Glad your feeling better.

Little Wessex is a stunning example of what can be obtained with a little work and knowledge of the subject!

Big Wessex is really coming together now and is again showing what can be achieved,with work and perseverance.

Looking forward to more of the same

 

  Roger 

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I never could understand why the esteemed bap was called a "Portuguese roll" in the US. I'm pretty sure there are more Scots there than Portuguese!

Ian

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On 8/10/2019 at 2:39 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

In other news, welcome back to almost normality.

 

If by that you mean finding yet more flaws in this kit, then yes, we are back to normality.

 

On 8/10/2019 at 3:22 PM, CedB said:

Well you obviously haven't lost your touch - great stuff Hendie :) 

 

 

On 8/10/2019 at 4:48 PM, keefr22 said:

 

Looking forward to seeing how you tackle the warped floors - my solution would be to close the cabin door....!!

 

That may well be an option the way things are going

 

On 8/10/2019 at 5:39 PM, TheBaron said:

H: bloody sorry I didn't respond to your earlier post about the arm.

 

No worries Tony, it grew back.

 

On 8/11/2019 at 3:24 AM, petetasker said:

Good to have you back

 

On 8/11/2019 at 5:53 AM, Hamden said:

Glad your feeling better.

 

Thanks Roger, Pete, and all the others I've omitted to mention.

 

On 8/11/2019 at 10:14 AM, limeypilot said:

I never could understand why the esteemed bap was called a "Portuguese roll" in the US. I'm pretty sure there are more Scots there than Portuguese!

Ian

 

Or how they can get away with describing their over sweetened aerated yeast fueled stodge as bread.

 

On 8/10/2019 at 5:39 PM, TheBaron said:

Tricky problem on that dicky floor - is it possible to shove the metal applicator of the GS-Hypo in under one of those holes at an acute angle for a generous squirt of adhesive and then slip a small clamp in over the lip to press flat? Poss. too crude....

 

Nah, not too crude at all dude.  I may run with that method though I'll probably use E6000 instead of the GS Hypo - cheaper and (I think) a bit stronger, but otherwise very similar in having that elasticity about them which I think will be a benefit in fixing the floor.

 

By now, you will have correctly surmised that I am back from my travels.  A busy week bringing a bunch of new molds on-line.  The gods smiled on me and there wasn't a clean room smock that fitted me so I managed to stay out of the clean room all week :penguin:, instead, sitting in the board room waiting on the the guys bringing me parts as each of the molds were sampled in turn. All in all it went very well with a couple of molds going back to the tool shops for tweaks.  I'll give that a week or two and I'll be back up there for the next run and first articles and metrology.

 

So from molded parts to ehhrrr... molded parts of a slightly different nature. Well, printed parts actually.

With big Wessex taking shape I found I was getting a bit jaded with the airframe so thought it was time to move on to other areas, this time the rotor head. For this build I am going with folded blades and like many folks around here, bought the Scale Warships Blade Fold Kit.  This should be nice and easy...

 

homer-doh.jpg

 

Upon opening the package and an initial inspection things looked very decent until I offered the hinge up to the resin rotor head.  It's too small dammit!

The lower red line is the top of the printed part and the upper red line is the top of the resin part - that's a good half a millimeter short all round.

 

P8100002.jpg

 

It doesn't help that the flanges on the resin part are not equal - they are all slightly different and not quite circular, and a few air pockets to boot.

In reality the top of the printed part should be in line with the resin part, but the circular portion should be slightly larger than that of the resin part, like this...

 

P1090958.jpg&key=cd5fef7cb481eabc0ed6e9c

 

It was one of those 'will anyone ever notice?' 'can I live with it?' deals... you already know the answer.

Out comes the scraps of brass sheet

 

P8100001.jpg

 

Make a master form - looks okay from here

 

P8100004.jpg

 

and here

 

P8100006.jpg

 

Then the master was super-glued along with the other scraps onto a small piece of tube acting as a mandrel.

 

P8100007.jpg

 

Drilling through the top end for the Blade fixing screw which helps keep everything in alignment (when a piece of wire is placed in there)

 

P8100008.jpg

 

almost there...

 

P8170009.jpg

 

and after some additional fettling we have 4 brass flanges

 

P8170010.jpg

 

But we're not quite there yet. If you refer to the gearbox/rotor head photo above you will see that there is a small boss on the flange to accommodate the threaded bolt.

My method to accomplish that was to use one of those wonderful micro drills as a locating device, and slip a piece of brass tube over the top.  A touch of solder should hold that in place, and the drill will help keep the hole in the tube concentric with the hole in the flange plate. At this point I am trusting that the solder will not work on the drill being some flavor of steel/carbide amalgam

 

P8170012.jpg

 

Once the parts were soldered, I cut off the excess tube with a razor saw, then filed down the excess until I had something approaching the shape of the 1:1 part.

A quick rub down with steel wool and hey presto...

 

P8170014.jpg

 

Now I just have to cut  off the flanges on the printed part and fix those in place at the appropriate rotation/angle.

 

Well so much for being easy. At least the rest should be straightforward. :cat:

A quick glance at the two "castings" of the rotor head showed that there were a few flaws - those have already been mentioned by many folks.  The part below is the lower casting and straight away I saw that Fly had missed the 4 grease points. Well they hadn't exactly missed them - they just changed the design... badly.

Instead of having a domed cap from which the grease nipple protrudes, Fly had molded a simple flat disc.  That was an easy fix - simply round the end of some styrene rod with some micro-mesh, cut off the end then stick it onto somewhat emaciated looking casting.  Is it just me or does anyone else think the casting looks a bit off ?  It doesn't have the hefty chunky look of the 1:1

Anyway, simple fix.  Once those have set, I can drill the caps and add a small length of wire to act as the grease nipples.

 

P8170015.jpg

 

Then it got worse.

 

Much worse.

 

tenor.gif?itemid=11323758

 

I noted that there were also some bolts missing from the underside and added them with some 0.8 mm Meng nuts and washers. Of course they are completely invisible here due to being the same color as the resin of the Fly rotor head - but they're there, honest guv

But... does anybody notice anything else here ? 

No ?

Yes ?

 

P8170017.jpg

 

Well, there's a couple of things wrong.

First of all the rotor head inboard of those "bellows" is Fly Fiction.  The rotor head actually has dampers (?) in those areas but they are perpendicular to the tubey looking things Fly have in there. (and from what I can see in the kit, the dampers are not included at all)

Next, the bellows don't exist. In that location the top casting and bottom casting are joined by a vertical section as can be seen here.

 

P1090945.jpg&key=bfddd8ed4d6abe605749a57

 

Hhhmmnnnnn, okay, I think I can get around that by filing down the bellows and inserting some styrene sheet there to replicate the casting

But that is not the worst of it.

Have a gander at this...

 

P8170018b.jpg

 

Yes!!!!!   The reason for those grease points is that there is a pivot shaft running top to bottom to allow the blade to swivel back and forth as it advances or retreats from the air flow.

The red line(s) is the pivot axis according to Fly.

The blue line(s) is the pivot axis according to the rotor head supplied

Yes, they are different   :rage:

If the resin part is accurate (no guarantee whatsoever!) then the upper and lower rotor head castings are about 2mm too short.  Look how close the casting is to the flange in the photo 2nd above, then look how close it is in the shot I just posted.

Let's take a look at the Scale Warships part then...

 

P8170019.jpg

 

Same dammit!  Too short.

Better in shape than the Fly part but still too small.

 

There's no easy fix for that is there? 

 

'scuse me while I go and play on the freeway

 

 

:angry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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That last update is a saga in itself H. In the very Viking sense of perilous crossings and implacable events.

 

To paraphrase our mutual Lincolnshire acquaintance: 'Fly? Flayings too good for them.' But then some AM that is quite the free jazz interpretation as well...

 

I can only send fellow feeling and a fond clap on the shoulder that when you've finished alarming motorists by brandishing a small resin part at them from the hard shoulder and the highway patrol have brought you home, that a plan of action will emerge in your usual accomplished manner.

 

What would John McGeoch have done?

 

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Hi Hendie,

 

been a a while since I dropped by here. Sorry to hear about your arm - good to hear it’s on the mend though.

 

Little Alpha looks wonderful- you should RFI it in my humble opinion. 🤔

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Hmm

 

I feel for you

 

And my mate Gareth who has this monstrosity in his future

 

You have a decent relationship with the 3-D printer folks, excellent skills with CAD and an obvious route to the future

 

Get your pencil busy and design the part you really need

Then sell 'em through Hendie Builds


I'm in a similar boat with a much smaller version of the three legged Whirlwind / H-19 version which I will be able to cobble up a fix for

 

Can't see a simple 'cobbling' will help you here unless you scratch build two versions of the proper head thing with laminated plasticard and vertical walls

 

Hendie Builds blade fold beckons

 

The head is a box structure with extended arms where the blade holders slip in along with associated gubbinses, surely a 3-D one is called for?

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Hello Hendie,

sorry I totally missed your arm's problem !

Hope that it's fixed now !

Stunning metal parts done and then backwards with the Fly parts !!

The best improvements are the one done by yourself... At this level of detailling of course !!

I avoid all that vocal commands stuf, and I better did'nt tell about all the things I do when driving...

It's all forbidden of course...

Great and inspiring work Hendie !!

The best meal I fancied in Scotland was that delicious smoked salmon sandwiches !!

Scotch ?? Who said scotch ??

Sincerely.

CC

 

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I am increasingly of the opinion that kit designers and rotor heads do not mix.  It’s an unholy triangle of self-fulfilling prophecy:

 

1. [Designer] ”Helicopters don’t sell” [repeat ad nauseam whenever anyone suggests that Airfix you might consider releasing a helicopter kit]

2. [Designer] For some reason my employers have asked me to design a helicopter kit (despite the well-known Pt.1; ah well).  But since I know Pt.1 is true, and I don’t really understand how helicopters fly (and can’t be bothered to learn), it’s OK; I can do a half-bottomed job and almost no-one will notice.  (Have I ever mentioned that helicopters don’t sell?)

3. [Punters.]. This *&%^* kit is mince!  Had the designer ever even seen a real helicopter?  [Other punters].  Hmm.  Not buying that, then!

4. [Designer].  See?  Helicopters don’t sell.

 

On the face of it, I ought to be absolute prime market for a 1/32 Wessex (1, 3 or 5).  Am I rushing to buy one?  No, because I have seen just how much work an accomplished modeller like Hendie is having to do to make it decent - and these things ain’t cheap.  For now at least my money goes elsewhere in the modelling world. Hence helicopters don’t sell even to helicopter pilots.

 

 

 

As for your voice-activated car, I don’t think you’re being Scottish enough for the software to comprehend.  Try “This music is doo-doo.  Get tae fock!” next time.  [Note: some of the vernacular in this post has been bowdlerised by the board’s in-built swear filter!]

 

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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18 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

One step forward, one giant leap backward for all mankind.

Fly?, Hanging's too good for them.

 

They have certainly been instrumental in sucking my will to model.  Just to keep the mojo from disappearing down a dark hole I have started another kit and been beavering, well, more like hamstering away on that in the background.

 

17 hours ago, TheBaron said:

I can only send fellow feeling and a fond clap on the shoulder

 

Virtual comfort gesture received and acknowledged.

 

14 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

been a a while since I dropped by here.

 

and the requisite authorities have been notified of your absence

 

7 hours ago, perdu said:

And my mate Gareth who has this monstrosity in his future

 

please pass on this piece of friendly advice...

 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFU1dBmTO6X_aWlBOdd3Y

 

 

7 hours ago, perdu said:

You have a decent relationship with the 3-D printer folks, excellent skills with CAD and an obvious route to the future

 

That's exactly where my thoughts were heading Bill.  Trying to replicate those deep features and all the greeblies would be a challenge in scratchbuilding. 

Sadly those numpties over at Shapeways saw fit to restructure their pricing a few months ago and now almost everything is outrageously priced.  A lot of folks are up in arms and many of them are closing down their accounts citing no sales since the pricing fiasco.  My SACRU (tiny though it is) has gone up by about $4.  - I wouldn't buy anything from my shop based on those new prices.  I may look at combining some of the items to make the pricing more attractive and offer it as a general upgrade kit.       Some day.

 

 

7 hours ago, perdu said:

Can't see a simple 'cobbling' will help you here unless you scratch build two versions of the proper head thing with laminated plasticard and vertical walls

 

Agreed.  Complex and very difficult even at 1/32

 

 

6 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

The best improvements are the one done by yourself... At this level of detailling of course !!

 

Thanks CC

 

 

6 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

The best meal I fancied in Scotland was that delicious smoked salmon sandwiches !!

 

Now you got me in the mood for a chip shop black pudding on a roll!

 

 

8 minutes ago, limeypilot said:

I'm looking forward to the day when voice recognition demands we all speak Geordie! That should be a whole bunch of laughs!

 

I always wanted my GPS to deliver guidance in a brash sort of New Orleans hooker voice complete with cusses and blaspheming instead of 'recalculating'

 

 

5 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

On the face of it, I ought to be absolute prime market for a 1/32 Wessex (1, 3 or 5).  Am I rushing to buy one?  

 

I hear Bill's friend Gareth might be selling one cheap very soon.

 

 

18 hours ago, TheBaron said:

What would John McGeoch have done?

 

I know exactly what John would have done.  He hated flying and was terrified of it, even turning down my (alcohol induced and very, very misguided) offer of trying to get him on a jolly. He would have binned that kit in an instant and gone fishing, or roller skating.

You could always find Mr McGeoch pre-sound check, out in the parking lot zooming around with his roller skates on (may have been blades - my mind is a bit foggy on that), taking video and talking to a few fans. He would always look out for me and ask how many for the guest list?  He always listed us as "Alan +2"   (I wonder where those video's are now)

Warning: Thread Drift Imminent

I know he loved fishing because after the Newcastle gig we were sitting in the bar at the hotel with Severin and John,  a few of the crew, myself and my two buddies.  My friend Steve, a few beers into the wind conversation turned around to John during a quiet moment and asked him if he was a fisherman(!!!) - to which we were aghast and agog!   Punk rockers and Goths don't do fishing!  Do they?

Here we are in the court of one of the greatest guitar players of ALL time, and my mate turns around and asks him if he likes fishing.  Of all the questions we could have asked John about his technique, his influences, and where his ideas for certain songs came from, Steve goes and ask about... fishing.  Fishing!

 

Turns out John loved fishing so the rest of the evening was spent enjoying the usual fishermans tales.

Incidentally, (I firmly believe) that same night in Newcastle was the night the cover photo's for the Wild Things EP were taken.  Now I have no proof of this whatsoever (and when did that ever stop me?), but... we had all been in the bar drinking for (what seemed like) several hours that night before Sioux & Budgie joined us - absolutely drookit they were. Drookit I tell you.  Wet hair, dripping, and towels and such.

Normally the band were all in the hotel bar together immediately after a gig but that night Budgie & Sioux were absent for some time, so I am convinced that was when the photo's that ended up on Wild Things were taken.

 

That was also the night Sioux kissed Steve (my buddy, not Severin) on the cheek after he gave her a bracelet she had been admiring and asking him about.

 

Jealous ?  Us ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Managed to sneak 3/4's of an hour at lunch today and got a start on the top casting

 

Capture3.png

 

As Alice says, we still got a long way to go, but a decent beginnings.  Most of the detail should be captured based on past success with printing but there are a few features on this which may end up as amorphous lumps.

Does anyone remember what (if anything) were in the twin recesses on each arm ?

The Scale Warships part has three humongous bolts(?) in each cavity. On checking what photo's I can find I can't really see anything in there although I guess there was some method of attaching the dampers, but three bolts in each pocket seems a bit excessive.

Anyone remember?

 

Capture1.png

 

A more 'arty' shot. 

Capture2.png

 

I think I may end up doing this in a modular fashion, coring it out in places to keep the mass down, and I want a good method of fixing the resin parts in place... if I don't scrap them and have them printed instead.

 

Stay tuned but don't hold your breath.

 

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a little bit more added today.  There would have been more but I spent half my lunchtime building the damper facing the wrong way!

It does look a bit chunky but all I have as reference is the Fly parts, and I checked, checked and triple checked dimensions during this build. 

 

Capture.png

 

Originally I was only going to do the upper & lower castings, but the more I look at the kit parts the more faults I see.  In fact in my kit I don't even think there's any dampers at all - did Fly add more in a later release ?

I checked a few builds and some of them don't have dampers, and some do ???

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to do a full rotor head assembly that will (sort of) mate up to the Scale Warships blade fold stuff

 

 

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As far as I can recall the recesses contained the bolt heads for the Damper retaining plates which were heavily walnut whipped with Polycast, these are the inner ones seen here. The outer bolt heads align with the joining plates between the upper and lower castings which would make sense, and there appears to be four bolts in the joint, so two big blobs inboard and four small blobs outboard should be about right. Can you do blobs in CAD?

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Nice picture, you don't happen to have a similar view of the S55/Whirlwind rotor head by any stroke of fortune do you?

 

My H19 model is about to get a smaller three hubbed version of this soon...

 

I suppose you can make the 3d version in two halves Hendie, all of each major casting twice with each one getting a pair of joining plates to clamp together

 

That would allow the damper brackets to be added separately maybe

 

(I can see that mine will be a lot less awkward in 72ths, don't envy perfectionist old you in big scale at all)

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