chrislowe Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 (edited) Part of the reason I bought and built the Lynx (RFI coming soon, honest) was to get my head in to the right space for building helicopters and hopefully do a better job of the Chinook as a result. I have the Italeri HC.2 / CH-47F kit which is a bit of a weird thing even before the get go, because (if I understand it) the HC.2 was the UK version of the D. Except for the Netherlands D, they had the analogue cockpit instruments. The CH-47F in contrast was the basis for the HC mk 6, which had the glass cockpit. I guess you could build either ( but not both!) from this kit, although it only comes with decals for the analogue cockpit so... Anyway The plan is to build ZA-712 ER of 7 squadron during its green HC2 phase. It features in the superb model alliance decals as an HC1 in 1991 / op Granby, but I want to make an HC-2 and I don't think I could pull off the black "scribbling" over desert pink camouflage. So I'm going to model the same aircraft, but from a later date when it was painted green, which means that I'll be using a combination of kit and Model Alliance decals. The reason I picked this aircraft is because 7 squadron is part of JSFAW which supports the UK special forces, meaning that I can include the beautiful miniguns that I bought from Live Resin. So, onwards. Cockpit first. The rear wall of the cockpit needs some detail removing and slightly bulking out the area where the PE goes as it doesn't quite look big enough. You can see it here. I added some PE to the cabin bulkhead, but I've read / seen that mostly the LHS is covered by soundproofing and often the RHS is too. I've ordered some clay "stuff" to make the sound proofing. In some of the pictures I saw the heater is partially exposed on the right, so I might go for something like that. More PE. It looks quite smart before it's painted black However, after painting it loses some of the detail. I tried to help by picking some of it out in a semi-gloss... Also, being all black makes it double-hard to photograph. Apparently. The PE instrument panel came out ok though Lastly it was on to the cargo floor which I did with the usual 2 shades of grey and a dirt wash. I'm hoping the wash will settle down a bit when I give it a coat of clear matt because I think I went a little bit over the top. Anyway, that's everything for now. Thanks for looking. Edited May 29, 2019 by chrislowe 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) A bit of progress this weekend. The instructions for the pe require that the sides are cut from the overhead panel before being attached to the replacement. Not a great pic but you can see them here ready for painting. So then, on to the seats. I have seen some cockpit pictures that look like there's a sheepskin on top of the seat base, so I cut a couple of pieces of microfiber I painted the seats matt black and the frames s-g black, again to help some of the details stand out in what has to be the most Goth cockpit I've ever modelled. Attached the overhead panel and the rest of the pe to the bulkhead. And then it all came together So with the cockpit done is on to the seats in the cargo area. This is just balanced in place to see how it looks. I need to do some corrections and decide what I'm doing for the seatbelts. No PE options here, so either I'm going to go with the moulded plastic, or I'm going to make them out of fabric. Thanks for looking Chris Edited June 3, 2019 by chrislowe 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 looking better than damned decent Chris I'm watching this for when I do my pair 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) It's been a while but I finally have a moment to write an update. I tried to make some sound proofing out of a light air drying clay. As far as I remember from someone else's thread, the short corridor between the cargo area and the cockpit is usually covered with the stuff so... And also the avionics / electronics on the shelves are often converted. One of my reference photos shows the cover over the heater only half attached with a bit of sag and a couple of straps. Not entirely happy with the LHS so that was summarily ripped off. I decided to show the shelves exposed, but the panels just to the right covered happier with that. So that was fitted Next job was the sides of the cargo area. Italeri have done a half decent job of the sound proofing, it's contoured and kind of irregular, but I didn't think it was quite there in terms of the billowy appearance, so I decided to see if I could give it a hand with some light / dark shading. Easier and quicker than replacing it all with the light clay, but would it be as good? I think this pic shows best what I was going for: I think, when viewed through the open cargo door, it'll be close enough, especially as most of it is hidden behind the seats. Ah. The seats. At this point I want sure how to move forward so I lost myself in seats for a while... After a while I realised that I needed to focus on the side again so I did my best to pick out the details that are moulded in and add something here and there. I'm still learning how to do this kinda thing So that's it. I balanced some of the seats in place If you're interested, this is the reference pic I've been using for the cargo area. It's not mine. I'll remove it, if it's a problem. Chris Edited July 7, 2019 by chrislowe 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickoshea52 Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 ZA712 was often to be seen attached to 230 Sqn RAF Aldergrove circa mid 1996 to late 1997 during my tour there. You might find some useful tips here - http://www.ipms-farnborough.co.uk/index.php?id=chinook_review 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Chris - great start; I particularly love that sagging soundproofing - I’m not a Chinook man, but a lot of service helos end up sagging like that inside [Comes to us all eventually, I guess!], so why should the Chinook be any different? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 To my mind, not as its much of a mind but it's mine, the interior looks bang on That interior shot Im having that for mine too Doesn't seem very different to the US Army CH-47 I flew in back in 77, the kind of things that tie you to a particular type huh? Enjoying your model, thanks 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Looking good so far, liking the home made sound proofing and the floor weathering looks about right. Been asked by a former Chinook techie to build one for him (and a Tornado F3!), so following with interest your build and the updates you're doing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) Just when I thought I might have done a passable job, I find this pic... In our own walk around section 😱  So much more to be added. For starters, the thing that I suspect is a fire extinguisher just to the left of the ramp hydraulics. Can anyone confirm that's what it is? Also, while I'm asking questions, the undercarriage seems to be painted a similar colour to the fuselage? Or grey? But definitely not the off white of the RAF's fixed wings. Edited July 8, 2019 by chrislowe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 Quick update for you lovely lot. As and when life allows I've been adding my version of some of the cables visible in that picture from the walk-around. I'll tidy the ends up when the roof is added, so I've left them long enough to do something with them later. The view up the length of the cargo area as you'll see it when it's closed up... Seats just balanced in place for now as I have some pe to go in along the side still. I think I'm happy enough with this side of the tail end so I'm going to move to the front where I need an arm on which to mount a minigun. Exciting times ahead! Back soon 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Lucky you, you got seats And they make it look awfully good I am using your views of the model innards to modify the innards on my Matchbox one, getting really useful and useable info from this Nice one Chris By the way I will be copying your minigun arm too, I've a pair of miniguns from Italeri's MH47 to play with 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 6 minutes ago, perdu said: Lucky you, you got seats Luxury. We used to dream o’ livin’ in t’ corridor... [Apologies to any passing non-Python fans, who are now entirely baffled] 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Oh WE had to live in a 'ole in t'road... No really missis, we really shouldn't ought to 😇 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 1 hour ago, perdu said: Oh WE had to live in a 'ole in t'road... No really missis, we really shouldn't ought to 😇 'ole in t'road? We were evicted from our 'ole in t'road, we had to go live in a lake. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 2 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said: Luxury. We used to dream o’ livin’ in t’ corridor... [Apologies to any passing non-Python fans, who are now entirely baffled] Passing? Passsinnng? I hope so What the heck would justify anyone who isn't a fan hanging around a helicopter thread based on TWO, count 'em fans on the roof? And what kind of lunatic is not a Python-arist? 😨 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 So I promised an attempt at the minigun mount... The 1:48 live resin minigun is a thing of beauty, detailed and delicate, but it's made for the uh-60 so it comes with a door mount for that, as you can see in their picture... The arm sticks right out and the gun mounts directly above it. In contrast, the arm in the Chinook is mounted across the doorway, attached at both ends, and features a gun mount that is extended so that the pivot is outside the aircraft. You can see that here in a picture that live resin have as reference for the 1:35 Chinook mount that they make... As you can see, there are actually 2 uh-60 arms supplied with each minigun... So, by using one of them whole and chopping the other for parts, is it possible to make one Chinook style arm and mounting point? First step was to cut the mount out, rotate it 90 degrees and fix it to the piece that's staying whole. Shape it with a curve, and a taper on the underside to get this... And the underside Photos aren't great, but hopefully you get the idea. This piece was then extended with the shorter end that I'd cut off, and to the longer end, I added some plasticard drilled a hole and used a bit of wire to create the thicker end with the hinge from the pic. You can't see the wire, poking very slightly out of the top and bottom of the hinge, but it is there. The next thing I need to do is shape and trim the ends to make them look like they're attached to hard points. A few things to mention about live resin. Firstly, their site is a great source of reference photos. Secondly their resin is the softest most delicate resin I've come across. It's fantastic to work with and terrifying at the same time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 20, 2019 Author Share Posted July 20, 2019 (edited) Well, wouldn't you know it, when I needed a left-hand one, what I made was a right-hand one. Ho hum. Time to make another. This time I didn't stop at the arm, but went on to include the fixings. One end, the end that attaches near the bulkhead seems to have a bolt that is mostly covered by a curved cover. At the other end, the arm gets thicker and attaches to a bracket that sticks out of the wall. The plan is to fix it something like this A cost of primer reveals some tidying up to do I have to go out and do something useful. Hopefully later I'll get a coat of paint on it. Edited July 20, 2019 by chrislowe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Looks rather tasty, I don't suppose, just whilst practising you made a couple in 72th scale Just for practice... That you are about to throw away... Maybe Mind you I may be having second thoughts about the miniguns, have you seen the dross Italeri put in their MH47s to pop into the windows And I can find no-one making decent ones, nor the M60s for the ramp in 72th scale Oh well I'm off to make some more soundproofer for mine And feeling very happy to have seen you making real progress, the gun mounts are splendid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 Bit of a late session last night, but I made a little progress. The arm is painted and fixed in place So next came the placards which was a mixture of pe and kit decals, and then finally the seats. I remember something in @simmerit's build about the seat hangers being disconnected in front of the windows, so I've cut them away from the affected seats, leaving just the far left and right ones in place. Unfortunately with the seats in place, you can't see the shading that I hoped would make the soundproofing look saggy. I've seen pictures of the minigun, where it's been swung back in the aircraft, and in that case there are no seats visible. I assume that when the guns are fitted, the first group of 3 seats is removed? Anyway, next is the magazine, the power supply and some other bits and bobs. Thanks for coming along 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted August 24, 2019 Author Share Posted August 24, 2019 (edited) Ok. Who's ready for a bumper update? I certainty am. First step was to put in the ammo case and belt for the minigun. Followed by what I think is a power supply and the window, which has to go somewhere so is stowed against the wall. And knowing how high everyone's standards are around these ere parts, I thought I'd better have a crack at the ladder. So here it is, strapped in place. I made a little water can too. Tried to add some shading to the lower half as if it's not completely empty. Ironically I couldn't make it look as plastic as I wanted it to. Some reference pictures show an extinguisher stowed high on that bulkhead. Maybe that's what the ladder was for? As before the body of the extinguisher was donated by a scrap sidewinder and the lever on top made from spare PE. On to the other side... If already painted it and used the same technique to try to emphasise the billowing sound proofing,. So it was on to the uncovered rear section with its grubby exposed pipework and a control panel that I added. Added some more of the visible plumbing. Reference pictures for this came from outer own excellent walk around section. And then got totally side tracked with the pe on the internal roof Some panel line wash and a bit of zink oxide later... There was nothing really stopping me from gluing the RHS on, so I did that and left it taped up to set firm while I went out of the country for work. A week later... I'll be happy never to paint any more of those seats. Inevitably I wasted time putting the roof on to see how dark it's gonna be . I mean, there's details in there that will probably never be noticed, but the important thing is that we know they're there. Right? RIGHT? Now we've got that straight,, we can move on to the minigun arm, the ammo and power supply. The arm was made at the same time as the one for the LHS, so they're as identical as I can make them So I'm getting closer to closing it up, but before I do that, the moulded lights in the roof are replaced with 2mm foil backed lights. Not a great pic, but you get the idea. So that's us, all caught up. Next job is the top half of the door, in its open position on the roof, some rails for it and before I close up, I need to do something about the right hand side where the heater is. It needs to look busier. Hope you like it. Edited August 24, 2019 by chrislowe 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Looking pretty damned marvellous, a fabulous interior 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 13 hours ago, perdu said: Looking pretty damned marvellous, a fabulous interior Thanks. I'm looking forward to closing it up and getting on with the outside. Still loads to do. At this rate, I'll be lucky if it's finished by Christmas 🎅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Just found your build thread, looking good, very good... Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Looking good. Excellent progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Lovely! I guess there's a certain clique of guys on here that just love painting loads of little red seats! Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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