Tomoshenko Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 3 hours ago, perdu said: (Confess to being chuffed the little turret) Permission to be chuffed granted and justified. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley John Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 That's cracking! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Does the navy merlins not have the anti wear tape on the leading edge the raf ones had? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 They seem to have only the metal leading edges, from the pictures I have in my library No evidence at all on my pictures of a l.e. tape's presence Maybe Jeff can enlighten us later  I've moulded a few half fairings to choose from to build the rotor 'cuff' covers  I will winnow them out in the morning and get into the Tony Armstrong Jones groove photographing them and the assembly thereof 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Looking great to me Perdu  Looking forward to seeing how you manage the Tension Link Fairings!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spadgent Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Looking really swanky , swankyer now with some paint on Bill. Lovely catch up. Sorry I had been busy of late. Great stuff kid.  John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Me too busy Bill. Had to jaunt off to perform molding miracles once again at short notice due to yet another incompetent and clueless molder. Things is looking good and I'll laud more praise on you when I vet home and don't have to post via this darned phone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinky coffeeboat Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 10 hours ago, neil5208 said: Does the navy merlins not have the anti wear tape on the leading edge the raf ones had? No. In fact I didn't know the RAF blades were so equipped. I'm sure in the past we have fitted blades from the RAF fleet and I don't ever remember the grubbers having to remove blade tape...  Jeff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Nice variation Bill and the doohickeys look great!  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Thank you guys A little posting for Ben's info  Tackling the Tension Link Fairings  They seem, in simple terms to be two shells screwed together to aerodynam the rotor head gubbinses so I made some simple shells to play with  ~On my typical pull mould rig Vise on the bench, thin bamboo stem fitted into a laminated block carved to replicate the fairings, here's a sideways on shot of the full length rig   And the raw materials for today's playtime, later  I haven't finished with the blade root buffers which will mostly be a dab of black on the trailing edge root stems  Mettalised leading edges look OK?  More plastic shells ready  OK paint shop this morning on masked pale blueygrey areas and this afternoon to shuck shells with a fresh number 11 or 10A  Sitthhee! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Looking very smart Bill, enjoy your shucking! Â Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Paint's done For now, maybe more later after photographie  Shucking to commence, after we come back from our amble round the estate (Occasional peasant kicking sessions may interfere...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Results from the paintshop Blue hue toned down and restricted to only certain parts of the airframe  Forward end is lightened considerably but that stays unseen on photographs   Still one or two extra vents and doohickeys to add as well as the racking for the countermeasures gear so there is to be further grey to come  maybe in proper dark "medium sea grey" for contrast, this game is fun  The covers are in process, coming along slowly    First cover being trimmed for a bespoke fit   And a check for fit over the top, more to trim off on these experimental covers  There may be trouble ahead, but if there's moonlight and...   A really sharp 10A... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 shucking well Bill, those doobries look fantastic.  This paint job though - is absolutely appalling...  It looks just like the real thing !!!  43 minutes ago, perdu said:   2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Slow down there a little Bill, the cuffs aren't all the same, as I explained previously. Unless you haven't got there yet. Remeber the folding sequence, the cutouts are all different. Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 13 hours ago, pinky coffeeboat said: No. In fact IÂ didn't know the RAF blades were so equipped. I'm sure in the past we have fitted blades from the RAF fleet and I don't ever remember the grubbers having to remove blade tape... Â Jeff Possible a theatre fit for Afghan then, an RAF Merlin I was aboard had to abort take off due to the blade tape coming off as the pilot was taxi-ing along the pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Sorry Colin but in this model generic will have to suffice  Unless Ben can be persuaded to provide pictures of differing blade cuffs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 a blackened blob is going to have to do  😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomoshenko Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Excellent Bill. Wot with all that shucking we'll have to get you an oyster stall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 23 hours ago, perdu said: Sorry Colin but in this model generic will have to suffice  Unless Ben can be persuaded to provide pictures of differing blade cuffs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 a blackened blob is going to have to do  😉  I'm not as familiar with the fairings as I am with the rotating components (fairings are up to the aerodynamics department).  That said, I think it goes something like.... Blade 1 faces aft and doesn't fold, so is fully faired, Blades 2 and 3 (on the starboard side) fold to the right, so the fairings are open on the right but close on the left, Blades 4 and 5 (on the port side) fold to the left, so the farings are open on the left but closed on the right. I stand to be corrected (just trying to think what the Crowsnest Merlin fairings looked like when I was stood atop it the other day 😂)  I think the (ex?)military guys here will have a much better knowledge of the folding than I do!  Re: tape on the blade leading edges... I didn't realise it ever was used, but was used in Afghan according to Neil. The trouble with the leading edge tape is it hinders the aerodynamic performance of the blades (much like leading edge ice accretion).  The titanium erosion shields don't last long in sand though, they look like they've been shot blasted after not long, however, the upper and lower skins of the blades get even more damage, the sand literally strips the paint off and begins to wear the composite. Edited March 27, 2019 by wellsprop 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Great info thanks Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Nice plunging Bill - they look very smart  1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 These dozen or so mouldings are a first part of an experiment, if they work (just been painted grey inside and out) I can use them as such but also bear in mind I may be using 0020" plasticard instead of this 0.015" stuff to try again  Finger crossing time this evening 😨 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinky coffeeboat Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Good work so far. If you want to make the tension link fairings really accurate, paint the inside a buff colour...  There was a time a while back when the aircraft flew without them as they kept falling off (well, slight exaggeration but they did fall off several times). And for folding both blades 2 and 5 must have the lower fairing fitted as the 3 and 4 blades fold under them; without the fairings the blade attachment pins would severely score the upper surface of those blades. See here, note how the 3 & 4 are under the 2 & 5. It's an old piccy from 2005, back end of RFA Fort Victoria bobbing gently around an unusually calm Bay of Biscay.    Jeff (still serving, not ex-) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Buff...  Oh well that remains to be   Hidden?  I'm going to try fitting the thin ones I have already made but the resize might be needed, we'll see  Nice photo Jeff thanks 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 The thin plasticard ones are a nightmare to trim and fit They just wobble when the knife approaches  So plan B  Stuff that holds a rigid shape if not drawn too thinly, canopy acetate  We'll see how these go later  Much more likely to keep its shape but considerably more difficult to trim to size  I have kinda 'got' the fairings cutaways now so the imposition of gaps is in process now  More laters chapses  Happy birthday Tone 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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