Colin W Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 (edited) Well having almost completed my Hawker Fury I'm going for something a bit more symbolic of the RAF 100 years with a Puma. This low profile always there but never seen Helicopter has now been in service for 47 years having joined up in 1971. Destined to remain in service until 2025, only the Hercules and Canberra will have served longer. Although based on the age of individual air frames the Puma may have the edge. So despite 47 years of sterling service we still don't have a 1/48 scale kit. Another F16 anyone? To fill the void in the RAF 100 line up I shall therefore be building the venerable and hard to find Heller 1/50th scale kit. According to Scalemates the moulds date from 1967 and this is the 1986 boxing. That said and the detail is basic by todays standards but was probably OK for 1967! Lets give it a go. What you get Who remembers when the instructions were one sheet of paper, printed in French? Some massive sink holes in the tail and those exhausts look ermm....... On the plus side the cockpit glazing is very clear despite being 3mm thick! A quick raid on the parts bin yields a pair of seats, some Flightpath PE and a decent instrument panel spare from Belcher Bits Lynx. Also the doors are moulded in clear so only the windows to mask, what a great idea! I think I'll go for an early scheme as the kit has no air filters and the HC2 has too many lumps and bumps to knock off. I figure there might be enough work already but lets see. May battle commence. Colin Edited April 22, 2018 by Colin W update info 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 (edited) Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another... Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Nice to see a Puma in the mix, last time I saw a real one it was on the back of my truck heading to Eurocopter Romania for Puma 2 upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimB Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Bravo! I'll be watching this with interest. Regards Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitz23 Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Great choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadbear Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Good choice of an unsung hero of the RAF. Those Heller moulds don't look too bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Smashing choice Colin,Heller kit's are always a pleasure to see and this one look's very interesting,Oh and I flew a couple time's in a Puma so added interest for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 Thanks for the comments chaps. I have ascertained the moulds date from 1967 which makes them 50 years old and predates the helicopters entry to RAF service by 4 years. Amazing. I did a bit of interior work this weekend while waiting for the Fury's glue to dry. I used the old profile gauge to get the shape of the ceiling plate, transferred it to paper to give a template. Haven't used this for years as modern kits tend to give you these parts. Then I glused some angle onto the fuselage sides to support the ceiling. The new part is below the fuselage with the paper stuck on. The partition between the cockpit and the hold is thin whereas it appears to be reasonably thick. Also the door way is too wide. I used it as a template to make 2 new bulkheads and will space these about 5mm apart and install. The 2 bulkheads now cut out and angle added to secure the sides. Also the exhausts cut out from the sides and the ceiling now ready for installation. Focusing on the Fury really so this is filling the gaps. Colin 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 3, 2018 Author Share Posted May 3, 2018 Well I needed a break from the Fury's radiator grill so I built the cockpit for the Puma and added the sound insulation in the main cabin from Milliput. I normally use tissue soaked in PVA for this but thought I'd try the Milliput idea. I rolled the mixed putty into a sausage the flattened it out. The shapes were made as paper templates and put onto the putty then cut round. I wasnt sure if it would stick but it has so all was good. I went over the finished items with a rivet tool to make the quilting. It looks better in real life than the picture which is a bit over exposed on the white. The seats are resin copies of a kit part from something old. The instrument console is from Belcher Bits Lynx as will be the instrument panel. A coat of dark grey next for all this. Colin 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy da fish Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Looks good progress there on a Puma. Much interested, as worked on these for 22years. Keep going hope you fury glue is still setting! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 Thanks Sammy. If you worked on these can you please confirm the colour of the rotor blades on the HC2? It's quite hard to tell with the pictures available on the net. Thanks Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimB Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Colin, the HC2 main blades are the same as the HC1, green on top black undersides. The tail blades are slightly wider chord I think but hardly enough to show. Regards Tim 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 I think that bump under the rear fuselaglge should be a round observation window. It there in the Airfix kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 2 minutes ago, JamesP said: I think that bump under the rear fuselaglge should be a round observation window. It there in the Airfix kit. Agree with James I remember gazing out of the thing trying to ignore the fact the pilot's looked like they had just left school! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 6, 2018 Author Share Posted May 6, 2018 Hi Guys Thanks for the info on the Puma. There is really a dirth of info on the Puma, especially when you consider the length of service. I noticed that the rear bump is a window on the French machines but not that it is also on the RAF ones. Should be an interesting item to build. At least I have not joined the fuselage yet. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 It is a shallow bubble. Just a few inches deep. They were most often filthy, inside & out. Imagine a giant contact lens & you have it right. The transmission deck ladder is stowed across it. The blanks bag was thrown back there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Well I,ve been inching along with the Puma and have now painted and assembled the cockpit. The 2 new bulkheads are installed with a 5mm gap between. I added some detail to the front inc a fire extinguisher. I spent about 2 hours on Sunday polishing the canopy and actually its come out quite good. The seats are from the spares bin as in the center console and the overhead one the same. The Instrument panel is from Belchers Bits Lynx. Colin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 Small but significant progress here. I got the fuselage together but I've not needed this many clamps on one model since I built the 1/72 B-36! I put the windows in from the outside and will now sand them down along with the mass of rivets. Colin 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Great work and extra bits on this one Colin 👍 Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy da fish Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Sorry for the delay. The bubble window was only there till 1991 after that that area was modified to have a chaff dispenser fitted, so no window. As for the Mk2 I am not sure, I can ask someone in work if you wish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkSH Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Great work on the cockpit really looks a busy office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share Posted May 16, 2018 Thanks for the offer Sammy but late model machines are even harder to get pictures then the old ones where I have my own pictures from the 1980s air shows. I'll go with the large contact lens idea, Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 (edited) On 5/16/2018 at 6:59 AM, sammy da fish said: Sorry for the delay. The bubble window was only there till 1991 after that that area was modified to have a chaff dispenser fitted, so no window. As for the Mk2 I am not sure, I can ask someone in work if you wish? Good walkround shots here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/74945-sud-aviation-sa330-puma/ Edited May 17, 2018 by Dave Fleming 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 Thanks Dave for the link. I have already seen this but mostly the pictures are an HC2 and a very different Portuguese machine. Air Britain is proving to be the best resource. I've started a Classic Airframe Vampire in the Carrier GB for some light relief. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share Posted May 20, 2018 Well done a bit more since the fuselages were joined. A fair bit of Bog needed so far just filling the sink holes and getting the halves aligned. I have spent a fair bit of time drilling the holes for future vents, aerials and inspection holes. Still looking for a solution to the 'contact lens' rear window There's definitely something wrong with the front of the rotor head installation above the engines. The kit is not consistent with any pictures I've found. I think the fact that the kit was released in 1968 and the Puma entered service in 1974 means that the shape and detail probably does not reflect the final shape and spec of the real thing. Colin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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