neil5208 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 Excellent progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Sorry this has been dormant for a while. I needed to rethink how to distribute the power through this model, given that the helicopter is already buttoned up and must get its negative connection via the refuelling probe, which by implication means that the C-130 needs both a positive and negative connection but if it has two support rods they can't (both) be screwed in... The wiring diagram I needed to implement was fairly simple, but I needed ideas about how to implement. I realised I could get both polarities up the same carbon fibre support tube by running a cable up the inside of it (pretty obvious) but I needed a solid threaded rod at both ends for the mechanical connection (and one electrical connection). My solution isn't quite as elegant as I'd originally hoped, but it still allows me to dismantle this for storage. I drilled through each end of the HC-130P's support tube and fed the cable down the tube with a short breakout section each end. Hopefully by coating the exposed cable black it will not be overly conspicuous under the fat belly of the Hercules. As you can see, a small piece of brass tube has been soldered over the end of the cable. This is a male which corresponds with female receiving tube one size larger which will be mounted in the belly of the Herc close to the screw hole for the rod. The idea is that the rod is screwed in which makes the positive connection, then the negative brass cable is slipped in. My dear wife Gill helped me solder this lot together. We've tested it and electrically it works - both helicopter and aircraft motors spin at the proper speed now. Phew! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Good to see you getting some time at the modelling bench again Jamie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Good to hear you’ve sorted out the electricals - nice neat job too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Thank you Chaps. I think I should hack myself out another piece of Iroko and dress it up as a base plinth for these. I don't actually own a router, would you believe (probably normal, but if you all knew the sorts of tools I do have this could seem a bizarre omission!) but I think I should get one and then I'll be able to route out some cable er, routings on the underside to wherever and however I include the battery box. I'm still not really swayed by either trying to make the base look diorama-y with vegetation etc or just forget all that (it would probably look crap anyway) and go for well dressed hardwood and maybe a little brass plaque or something. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Well-dressed hardwood with a gloss varnish and brass plaque sounds classy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: I'm still not really swayed by either trying to make the base look diorama-y with vegetation etc or just forget all that (it would probably look crap anyway) and go for well dressed hardwood and maybe a little brass plaque or something. Or maybe a map? This page is part of a site by a former 21st SOS crewmember: https://911gfx.nexus.net/vietnam.html Towards the bottom is a link (red book icon) taking you to his collection of aeronautical maps - exactly as used on the sort of mission that you're depicting... ....the first page is a mosiac - click anywhere and it'll take you to a larger version of that area. Click again on that, and you'll get that area's complete aeronautical map divided into eight 1700x2400px sections, which can be saved to be printed (either individually, or 'stitched' together into larger sections first)... ....at the edges of each eight-section map are links to adjoining sheets - so you can work your way around the whole thing until you find a suitable set... Edited March 28, 2020 by andyf117 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 3 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: I don't actually own a router… Do you have a Dremel thing Jamie? You can buy router bits for those; I have some, of course 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 15 hours ago, andyf117 said: Or maybe a map? This page is part of a site by a former 21st SOS crewmember: https://911gfx.nexus.net/vietnam.html Towards the bottom is a link (red book icon) taking you to his collection of aeronautical maps - exactly as used on the sort of mission that you're depicting... ....the first page is a mosiac - click anywhere and it'll take you to a larger version of that area. Click again on that, and you'll get that area's complete aeronautical map divided into eight 1700x2400px sections, which can be saved to be printed (either individually, or 'stitched' together into larger sections first)... ....at the edges of each eight-section map are links to adjoining sheets - so you can work your way around the whole thing until you find a suitable set... Sold! I really like that idea! 15 hours ago, CedB said: Do you have a Dremel thing Jamie? You can buy router bits for those; I have some, of course I did dear Ced but I burned it out porting out the cylinder head valve ports on the BMC A-series for my MG Midget and never replaced it! I ordered a mitre saw today and decided to throw in a router whilst at it. Anyway, I built the loft hatch today in my daughter's bedroom. I'll go and put a second coat of white on it after this post actually. Whilst cutting up bits of wood I cut a nice piece of hardwood to suit the HMT Sir Gareth trawler I'm building in the Maritime section, but also knocked up a baseboard for this with Andy's map idea in mind. I've used a piece of heavy plywood approximately 2ft x 1ft and it's elevated by a recessed set of 45mm deep battons which will accommodate the D-cell battery box underneath, and it's edged with beading strips which stand approximately 3mm proud of the top surface of the ply. I have a big and relatively expensive sheet of clear acrylic which I bought for making resin sea bases, but a matching rectangle of that laid between the beading will both give a hard surface to better support the carbon rods screwed down on to it whilst protecting the maps which will of course be printed on paper and would look grubby in no time if left exposed. As for the models themselves, I glued the mounting block into the belly of the Hercules this morning and it's now dry. The negative connection "stinger" is done also. I screwed the rod in snug to see where the stinger naturally wanted to be and drilled accordingly. It's at a slanty angle to aid getting the stinger into its tube, and the tube is hence supported by a balsa block of the appropriate shape. It's all a little precarious, but here's a short video clip it all hooked up and running on 3 volts using the correct/final connections via the support rods. Looks like this is going to work! It's hosted on Facebook but the privacy is set to Public so there shouldn't be any reason the video is not viewable. He says... 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 (edited) Love the way the helo wobbles around - which it doubtless did for real in the turbulence created by the tanker... Edited March 29, 2020 by andyf117 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 Here's roughly what it looks like with 7 different A4 print-outs of the maps pieced together. There's no acrylic sheet on there yet and no mechanical connections for the rods at the bottom so the threaded rods are just poked into holes in the plywood. I think I will adjust the heights of the rods a bit, and reduce the difference in height between the two aircraft. I'm thinking of cutting around 3 inches off the helicopter's rod and 4 off the Hercules' one. They'll slightly adjust their heading to starboard compared to the map below, but the hose will be at a better angle and the moments imparted by the relatively heavy resin & motorised models on the threaded rods at the bottom will be greatly reduced. Yesterday's main job however was making a loft hatch for my daughter's bedroom. Due to our insurance company deciding last year to pay 76.42% of our claim, we have used the building contractor to do the heavy stuff but left interior joiner finishings such as this, door frames and hanging, skirting boards, bath panels etc, decorating, tiling and much of the final installation of bathroom stuff out so I get to do all that myself (yipee!). To keep the heat in though, the big hole in the ceiling needed filled as a priority! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Looking great, Jamie - flying quite some way north there, skirting the Gulf of Tonkin, no less.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 Probably a little out of their usual way, but I wanted it to be fairly obvious which area of the world they were over without someone trying to peer closer to read the map at a model show and getting a rotor blade in the eye 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 9 minutes ago, andyf117 said: Looking great, Jamie - flying quite some way north there, skirting the Gulf of Tonkin, no less.... Yes, watch out for those Migs out of Kep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: Probably a little out of their usual way, but I wanted it to be fairly obvious which area of the world they were over without someone trying to peer closer to read the map at a model show and getting a rotor blade in the eye If you finish them as 37th ARRS aircraft, the area's not out of their way at all - after the withdrawal of the HU-16, the squadron's HH-3Es routinely flew a stand-by orbit with tanker support over the Gulf in support of operations further north... ....in fact, your photo back on page 1 was taken over water - possibly the Gulf itself - BTW, you have realised that picture is 'flipped', haven't you... Edited March 30, 2020 by andyf117 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 49 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: I think I will adjust the heights of the rods a bit, and reduce the difference in height between the two aircraft. I'm thinking of cutting around 3 inches off the helicopter's rod and 4 off the Hercules' one. They'll slightly adjust their heading to starboard compared to the map below, but the hose will be at a better angle and the moments imparted by the relatively heavy resin & motorised models on the threaded rods at the bottom will be greatly reduced Definitely a good idea on all points, the hose needs to be much straighter coming out of the pod. Good work Jamie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 30, 2020 Author Share Posted March 30, 2020 Perhaps a rethink is underway... I have a couple of packs of these drawer knobs. I use them for mounting ships onto wooden stands by rebating the wood a little and epoxying these in upside down. Essentially I'm considering drilling out the thread to make a snug push fit with the carbon fibre rods. This would give a broader base to resist bending moments and easier assembly. It also means that if I drill full depth in a smaller bore for the Hercules the negative cable can pop out underneath to keep things looking tidier. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Nice work Jamie - that's looking very special On 29/03/2020 at 15:38, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: I ordered a mitre saw today and decided to throw in a router whilst at it. Crikey, you're not messing about are you? And they call me a tool tart… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 I've almost got this done, although now I have an electrical gremlin with the helicopter. I think it's the connection at the bottom of the metal pedestal the rod sits in. I have advanced the helicopter itself a little, and its canopy has been glued on now and the remaining piece in the nose fitted. It requires a little fairing in on the solid parts but I think I have achieved a good fit on the clear piece. The long range fuel tanks have been added, as has the stabliser and its bracing strut, and finally the sliding door rail which was a bit of a pain. Edit: I'm just thick. Like all poor mystery stories, this one was short lived. The helicopter is open circuit. I've wired it negative to negative. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Looking good Jamie - you are going to paint the Herc, aren't you? What does Gill think of the new coffee table? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 Sorted it - that No.4 engine on the Herc still runs a bit slow but I'm not sure what could be done about that... 26 minutes ago, CedB said: Looking good Jamie - you are going to paint the Herc, aren't you? What does Gill think of the new coffee table? Both of them will be painted in Vietnam era South East Asia TAC tan/light green/dark green. Flat matt and a little grotty looking. They won't be getting a huge amount of TLC on the surface detail front, so I'll be hiding it with paint Gill is not at all impressed, sadly. This was not my first video clip. Unfortunately an earlier take would have captured succinctly what she thought not only of the new coffee table but of me for creating it. I elected not to publish that take since I wouldn't want all of our customers to know what she really thinks of us modeller types... 11 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Impressive, it will look really good once painted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 24 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: that No.4 engine on the Herc still runs a bit slow but I'm not sure what could be done about that... Maybe refine the propeller pitch setting a little .................? 🤪 Impressive set up I must say. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: Sorted it - that No.4 engine on the Herc still runs a bit slow but I'm not sure what could be done about that... Both of them will be painted in Vietnam era South East Asia TAC tan/light green/dark green. Flat matt and a little grotty looking. They won't be getting a huge amount of TLC on the surface detail front, so I'll be hiding it with paint Gill is not at all impressed, sadly. This was not my first video clip. Unfortunately an earlier take would have captured succinctly what she thought not only of the new coffee table but of me for creating it. I elected not to publish that take since I wouldn't want all of our customers to know what she really thinks of us modeller types... James don't worry about it mate, many of us are married We know The model looks brilliant, is the fourth engine wiring as well soldered as the others? No matter it looks marvellous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Yep that's looking tops Jamie Cheers, Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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