perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 I spent long enough working up to it, probably to the irritation of many, so this will be the occasion of the build of the Airfix Bristol 192 Belvedere It is said that upon the upper slopes of the hub-wise Ramtops seers have been anticipating the arrival of the Bilvedere with trepidation If so I beg to advise such seers that this is only the first of er, many? No, Lots? No, some others Let them anticipate the Tomovedere and some short while later the Cedvedere which are on the way Shall we be conventional? OK the box and its bits This breed of Airfix plastic is, mmm, odd and feels almost like compressed particles glued into the required shapes, interesting times ahead I think I found there was a massive split between the front cockpit halves and glue was a definite gotcha in waiting so I began the game with Millput and Micromesh and turned the nose transparency into a buck for moulding here Side windows will be moulded separately, different on each side see madness There is much to do inside so we began (Me and Mr Swann-Morton) I began by grooving the inner wall and adding a stringer that will be much reduced, it isnt very prominent Here is why, one of the very few pictures I have of the actual innards tiny isnt it.. My plan A was to groove all along the inner wall to represent the rows of rivetted panels and the lines of ribs that drop down the walls I'm not keen on this now but the way remains open My plan B was .. well I bet you all took a look at the ribbed walls and thought here's an opportunity for an artist to make some etch, I know I did See the little piece of paper in the photo of the port wall above, a possibility to make a etch pattern that will cover the only portion of the model that can be seen from any position We'll see In my researching for this one I was lucky to come across the paperwork from the Maintrack Productions kit 72:40, the pity of it was that I couldn't come across the kit as well but the drawings will help guide me and keep me out of trouble There is very obvious discrepancy with the height and width of the fin structure which I will decide whether to deal with or not later Tom and I spent over an hour poring over the Belvedere in Hendon and discovered that the rivets are far less obtrusive than even Airfix's rivetter could generate so I won't mind smoothing this down a lot Using the plan from Maintrack© I drew the plan on a plain piece of paper so I could plot out the likely to be visible interior detail There's a passageway at the rear by the engine casing cover I am not yet sure whether this is one sided or runs alongside each part of the box structure And there is a passageway at the front where crew access to each other seems uncomfortable and from in front The green area behind the cockpit is where the front engine lurks I think it is time to knock this off and look at a model, with a view... 32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) Am I the first one here? My round then Bill. Whatcha drinking? Where's the bartender, by the time he gets here the front row will be full. That's a good start! I must confess in all my years of making models & being interested in aircraft, I'd never come across the Belvedere. Are you going to be able to use those decals? How old are they? Edited January 27, 2020 by chrislowe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallBlondJohn Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 22 minutes ago, perdu said: And there is a passageway at the front where crew access to each other seems uncomfortable Well err yes - it would be. Interesting mental image... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 Crafty Fox if you will Chris thank you Just pop behind the bar and pull one for yourself too, make a tally whilst you are there and I can settle up with him later 🍻 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teuchter Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Good start, I never tried a Belvedere back in the 60s, I think the Whirlwind put me off rotorcraft I'll watch with interest. Don 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyf117 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 27 minutes ago, perdu said: Let them anticipate the Tomovedere and some short while later the Cedvedere which are on the way But no Bedivere.... 😞 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 1 minute ago, andyf117 said: But no Bedivere.... 😞 You heard what I said sonny You want it, you make it I hate it (fervour comes into it) 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Easily my favourite British helicopter. I'm in. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 12 minutes ago, chrislowe said: Are you going to be able to use those decals? How old are they? I think I could if I took a few basic old decal precautions Chris, extra fresh gloss varnish and such But as I intend building a Green, Grey and Silver one these can be discarded, maybe given to an emergency charity decal bank Or a dustbin near me 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, Procopius said: Easily my favourite British helicopter. I'm in. Welcome PC, fancy a drink? Chris is at the bar playing bartender to the stars 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, perdu said: Welcome PC, fancy a drink? Chris is at the bar playing bartender to the stars Yeah, let's get rowdy! 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 Attaboy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Looks cool, I’m in! Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislowe Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 45 minutes ago, perdu said: 9 minutes ago, perdu said: Or a dustbin near me Even in that small section there are a lot of stencils that didn't seem to make it on to Airfix's radar. Is that a finger hanging down to 8 o'clock of the "28 volts" ? It's a weird looking antenna, that's for sure. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 This is insane. So I thought I'd better join in. 1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Oooh goody, I've got one of these. I shall attempt to keep up & yea, comprehend, the wonders that I'm sure will be revealed, even though my eyes may appear glazed at times & the appearance of puzzlement is really just intense concentration. Carry on. Steve. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 This is one very cool looking helicopter! Following. Martian 👽 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Methinks @perdu has already been behind the bar. This is probably not a kit to be approached when sober. I seem to remember that it is not the in service version? But rather a late prototype? 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Not a huge helicopter fan, but I'm here for the pure nostalgia. I probably built one in the distant past (it looks exactly like the kind of kit that would have been all that was left in the local newsagents after all the Spitfires and ME109s were sold ). Also if the nose is anything to go by I may learn a thing or two about modelling as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Not sure if it's helpful, but many years ago I scanned an old SAM article on the Belvedere and it's still online. Cheers, Mark. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said: Methinks @perdu has already been behind the bar. This is probably not a kit to be approached when sober. I seem to remember that it is not the in service version? But rather a late prototype? Well Bert the barman wasnt here then This is the late(r) prototype, the tailpanes and fins will need to be merged and realigned and several of the underside boxes and gizmos need reshaping and often, made of mesh But at the present I can only proceed some of the way without finding a volunteer who can pop in to The Helicopter museum and ask how the resto of their's is coming along and "Oh will it be OK if I point a camera into the tail end? For a friend of course!" Or make the trip myself to Weston The Belvedere in Hendon has her doors resolutely firmly shut and they discourage stepladders in visitor's hand luggage I understand The plan now this is opened is to potter along gently, today for example I will be working on an inner structure draft drawing which it may be possible to turn into a photoetch inner wall piece 12 minutes ago, lasermonkey said: Not sure if it's helpful, but many years ago I scanned an old SAM article on the Belvedere and it's still online. Cheers, Mark. Mark thanks for that, I did remember there was an article but it was purged into the dustbin or recycled to another modeller back in the eighties Dumb or what? Anyway now, with the exception of a couple of unobtainable images from the article I have that saved, thank you So a minor modelling event begins "On with the motley!" 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 @perdu if there's any pages you need, let me know and I'll re-scan them, providing I can find the relevant magazine! Cheers, Mark. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 This will be both interesting and educational, as the Belvedere is not a type I know much about. I always thought it looked rather ungainly on its stalky undercarriage, with a sit a bit like a Praying Mantis. AW 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Oooh, more Bil-icoptery! I'm in! Is the barman here yet or are we just keeping a tab? Ian 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Room for one more at the back, promise to sit quietly look and learn. Remember seeing the original 1:1 at the then annual Farnborough Air Show no pics: I'm afraid not old enough to have a camera then Roger 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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