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Scary Skeeter - Aeroclub 1/72


CedB

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I'm always very pleased to be gifted kits by kind fellow BMers and this is no exception.

This one's a very kind gift from Bill (perdu) - thanks Bill :) 

 

When I built my first Helicopter, Revell's Mi-24 Hind I put it in the cabinet and thought it would be my last one.

Then, following hendie, Bill and other's builds I though 'Hmmm, perhaps…'.

Then I spent time with Crisp (Ex-FAAWAFU) on several occasions and, well, you can't doubt his enthusiasm - and some of it rubbed off.

Then I mentioned my affection for Whirlybirds (the TV series) and Tony (TheBaron) kindly sent me a kit - thanks Tony - which I built here, with lots of help and encouragement.

quite enjoyed it and said so. Uh oh, that started a trend.

Adrian very kindly sent me a Belvedere (thanks Adrian) and I also have a Dragonfly in the stash and some others on my wishlist.

Looks like I've 'caught the bug'.

I DO want to stay close to my WWII theme so stated that I only wanted to build early helicopters and lists were provided - thanks guys!

 

HAAF also have a Skeeter and it's cute (sorry Ian, I know you hate that word, but it IS!).

So, that's how it started…

 

Scary? Why scary? We shall see…

 

The kit is a fairly rare short-run from Aeroclub and, as you'd expect, comes in a small box:

 

49467478538_e817059e95_z.jpg

 

I can do small. I think.

Opening the box is quite a surprise - lots of little bags with lots of little parts and some white metal - actually quite a lot of white metal.

Scary - I've not used this before.

 

Here are the parts:

 

49482259941_d55cb14854_z.jpg

 

Plastic fuselage and blades - OK.

Vacform canopy - scary.

Rod and strip for some scratch building - scary.

White metal - scary:

 

49482477327_ccf7ff997e_z.jpg

 

How do I clean it up?

How do you glue it?

How do you paint it? Does it need primer?

No idea.

Scary.

 

I can at least have a play with cleaning up the metal, choosing a not-very-scary piece to start with:

 

49470709207_44000be439_z.jpg

 

How does it file?

 

49470000503_c662809d98_z.jpg

 

Fine, but with a lot of mess - better use a holder:

 

49470502406_6a77fc7291_z.jpg

 

OK, that was fairly painless. 

I also found that 'flash' can be removed with a blade:

 

49481807343_da8d1776ac_z.jpg

 

Sorry for the blurred shot, but it is tiny!

 

Finally the canopy:

 

49482495387_8292cd68e9_z.jpg

 

Cut line marked with a Sharpie but fuselage just held in front - too scared to cut it yet.

 

Are you now wondering 'What's so scary about that?'.

Are you?

Well, how come, when I searched BM for builds, I could only find incomplete ones?

Faceman had a go in 2011 but stalled on page 1, albeit with some nice reference stuff in the thread.

825 had a good go in 2015 but stopped on page 1, then did a KITA, another single page.

Still not scared?

Well, what if I told you The General didn't finish his either? Eh? That said he got a long way and I'll be studying his thread, a lot.

 

Told you, scary.

 

Anyway, I plan to gird my loins and see if I can bash it into the HAAF's XL812.

Lots of references to look at; the HAAF page and their FaceBook and the walk around here on BM.

 

Still scary.

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Hey Ced

 

Now this looks interesting - I'm in I love the look of the Skeeter it almost looks too fragile to actually fly and nice one Bill, that's a real act of generosity (but hey that's our community for you!)

 

Cheers

 

Iain

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Whitemetal isn’t scary. It’s got a high lead content, so bear that in mind.

 

Being soft, the parts may deform easily. You just have to be careful when tidying up. Use a sharp blade to scrape back flash. Don’t be afraid to gently bend something back if you accidentally bend it. Don’t bend anything too quickly or it will snap.

 

Glueing, well, good quality superglue or epoxy resin. That new-fangled UV CA stuff might be perfect. Clean mating surfaces - steady on now! - perhaps a little mechanical abrasion to give the glue something to hold. Also consider if a part might need a brass wire pin for better support.

 

That's it, really. Have fun!

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12 minutes ago, (ex)Sgtrafman said:

Hey Ced

 

Now this looks interesting - I'm in I love the look of the Skeeter it almost looks too fragile to actually fly and nice one Bill, that's a real act of generosity (but hey that's our community for you!)

 

Cheers

 

Iain

11 minutes ago, (ex)Sgtrafman said:

Ha just noticed I'm the first one at the bar! But as you will find I have short arms and deep pockets!

Welcome Iain :) 

She does look fragile which is another reason I'm a bit worried - getting everything to scale. Scary.

 

8 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

Whitemetal isn’t scary. It’s got a high lead content, so bear that in mind.

 

Being soft, the parts may deform easily. You just have to be careful when tidying up. Use a sharp blade to scrape back flash. Don’t be afraid to gently bend something back if you accidentally bend it. Don’t bend anything too quickly or it will snap.

 

Glueing, well, good quality superglue or epoxy resin. That new-fangled UV CA stuff might be perfect. Clean mating surfaces - steady on now! - perhaps a little mechanical abrasion to give the glue something to hold. Also consider if a part might need a brass wire pin for better support.

 

That's it, really. Have fun!

Brilliant, thanks Heather :) 

Really appreciate the tips and slightly less scared now - slightly.

 

2 minutes ago, andyf117 said:

Ooh, another teeny-tiny chopper...

....cue the (in)appropriate response!

Fnaar! Thanks Andy and welcome :) 

 

1 minute ago, hendie said:

Ced joined the clu-ub. Ced joined the club!

 

There's no going back now Ced. 

Hmmm, might have :) Thanks hendie - it's all mostly partly your fault!

 

I've just re-read the PM Bill sent me when I let him know the kit had arrived safely.

"Dont fear it, enjoy".

Not at all scary then :worry:

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White metal - I found cleaning it up kind of therapeutic.  Not greatly different to plastic, I think I just used skinny sanding sticks. I’ve only done it once mind you so don’t bet the house on it.

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10 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

my round, who wants what?

London Pride please. And start a tab...

 

The really scary thing to my mind is that the hub seems to have long arms of white metal. I can see the weight of the blades causing them to sag a lot. If I were doing it I'd be looking at brass or steel wire for that bit.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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Another Ced 'copter and a mini one to boot!

Loved watching the Skeeter preform at airshows in the past will take a seat and watch you beat this into submission and boldly go where.....................................................

 

            Roger

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Good luck with this build Ced - new material to work with - exciting!

 

Great tips from Heather how to deal with white metal - you will definitely need to prime by the way

 

All the best

 

Geoff

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I completed my Skeeter last year, but, and it’s a big but it was thrown together for a purpose and I could hear the howls of kit collectors as I did it. The Curator at the Army Flying museum, Middle Wallop had asked me to build models of the museum’s aircraft to assist with the planning of moves during the museum’s revamp. My model had to be robust enough to take repeated handling during planning meetings, as a result the rotor blades weren’t fitted (the museum’s are folded anyway), and the cockpit was filled with Milliput to prevent the model being a tail sitter. That said the kit’s white metal undercarriage was used and has survived, which can’t be said for the Gazelle’s skids (another blob of Milliput resolved that).

If anyone is interested I have scans of the Skeeter Illustrated Parts AP which is a useful source of detail.

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This looks like fun. Certainly a multi-media kit.

Ahh, white metal. I remember building entire locomotives out of that stuff. Oh what fun!

 

People worry about being on the first page for a Ced build. I don't see why. If you miss it just wait a few minutes for the next build 😁

 

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There's quite a crowd in here already! :frantic: 

 

White metal: ditto to what @Heather Kay said - I will just add that I normally prime it with the same primer I use for plastic, to wit Vallejo Grey Primer thinned with Future/Klear/whatever you call it.

 

Ciao

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Welcome all!

 

 

4 hours ago, 71chally said:

Nice to see this build, gotta love the Skeeter!

Thanks James :) Cute isn't it? I hope my feelings towards it last…

 

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Oh good grief, not another one already??!!

 

OK, my round, who wants what?

 

Keith

Thanks Keith :) Well, to be honest, I'm cheating - the Spit needs time to dry so…

 

3 hours ago, Avereda said:

White metal - I found cleaning it up kind of therapeutic.  Not greatly different to plastic, I think I just used skinny sanding sticks. I’ve only done it once mind you so don’t bet the house on it.

Thanks John - I probably will need therapy… :D 

 

3 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

London Pride please. And start a tab...

 

The really scary thing to my mind is that the hub seems to have long arms of white metal. I can see the weight of the blades causing them to sag a lot. If I were doing it I'd be looking at brass or steel wire for that bit.

 

Regards,

Adrian

Thanks Adrian :) Ah, but I have a plan…

 

3 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

Another Ced 'copter and a mini one to boot!

Loved watching the Skeeter preform at airshows in the past will take a seat and watch you beat this into submission and boldly go where.....................................................

 

            Roger

Thanks Roger :) 

 

2 hours ago, Kitsticker said:

Good luck with this build Ced - new material to work with - exciting!

 

All the best

 

Geoff

Thanks Geoff - exciting wasn't quite what I was looking for but hey ho :) 

 

2 hours ago, Aeronut said:

I completed my Skeeter last year, but, and it’s a big but it was thrown together for a purpose and I could hear the howls of kit collectors as I did it. The Curator at the Army Flying museum, Middle Wallop had asked me to build models of the museum’s aircraft to assist with the planning of moves during the museum’s revamp. My model had to be robust enough to take repeated handling during planning meetings, as a result the rotor blades weren’t fitted (the museum’s are folded anyway), and the cockpit was filled with Milliput to prevent the model being a tail sitter. That said the kit’s white metal undercarriage was used and has survived, which can’t be said for the Gazelle’s skids (another blob of Milliput resolved that).

If anyone is interested I have scans of the Skeeter Illustrated Parts AP which is a useful source of detail.

Thanks Alastair :) Big? Where did you get the kit? Oh wait, not 'big' but…

I'm planning to build mine with the blades folded (should stop Adrian worrying a bit) - do you have any detail of the supports please?

Is she in the museum? If so, I may 'pop down' for a look see.

 

1 hour ago, Biggles87 said:

Not another one, and tiny! 

One of these in 1/32 would be too small for me.

Good Luck.

 

John

Thanks John :) 

 

1 hour ago, Work In Progress said:

This might become the first completed one I've seen. It's probably too tiny for me now to try to build myself but thank you for the photographs which effectively make it 1/24 on my screen!

Thanks WiP - let's not speak too soon eh? :D 

 

52 minutes ago, Bigdave22014 said:

This looks like fun. Certainly a multi-media kit.

Ahh, white metal. I remember building entire locomotives out of that stuff. Oh what fun!

 

People worry about being on the first page for a Ced build. I don't see why. If you miss it just wait a few minutes for the next build 😁

 

Thanks Dave :D 

 

17 minutes ago, perdu said:

And watching...

 

 

 :)

Hi Bill - it IS definitely all your fault :D 

 

1 minute ago, giemme said:

There's quite a crowd in here already! :frantic: 

 

White metal: ditto to what @Heather Kay said - I will just add that I normally prime it with the same primer I use for plastic, to wit Vallejo Grey Primer thinned with Future/Klear/whatever you call it.

 

Ciao

Thanks Giorgio :) I'll try my usual Stynylrez then. I've checked on the web and it does say it's OK on metal.

 

 

Progress? Some:

 

49482760752_5d41baf2c7_z.jpg

 

Polished up the intake and stuck it on with my usual Loctite CA - seems OK, fingers crossed.

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Ced, I would urge you to study the joint between the canopy and the fuselage

 

The Plastic version seems bulkier than the  real thing

ws01.JPG&key=f698f395235a9c72f369d18fc2e

 

No obvious ridges around them

 

just a thought

ws05.JPG&key=b952588f22ed66c82dbc61aed30

 

But dont worry, 's'only a model..................................

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5 hours ago, (ex)Sgtrafman said:

Ha just noticed I'm the first one at the bar! But as you will find I have short arms and deep pockets!

Easily resolved. One of us each side and we'll pick you up by your trouser belt. It may make your eyes water, but you'll be able to reach!

This looks very interesting Ced, white metal is nothing to fear, but it does bend easily!

 

Ian

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Aah the original teeny-weeny helicopter from my blessed homeland!

 

For those that don't know, teeny-weeny was a term used by the RAF SH fleet for any helicopter smaller than a Walter (the Whirlwinds had been retired by my time).

 

It was said the Skeeter couldn't get off the ground on a hot day with a fat pilot let alone a passenger no matter how tightly you'd wound the elastic band!

 

I shall watch from the bar, being long-sighted has to have some advantages.

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Having seen a Skeeter many,many years ago "up close and personal",they are even smaller than the Sioux.

One would say that the cockpit is very "cosy" indeed.

One remembers a "rolling take off"into wind was employed(rather than the usual "vertical")due to the meagre power of the Bombardier(one think's)engine.

The pilot "drove" down to the far end,revved up and "let her rip"shall we say......

 

Sterling work once again Sir.

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