Scary Skeeter - Aeroclub 1/72

[CedB]

6 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

AZ Model does one in 1/72. I’ve got one on the shelf. It definitely doesn’t fit in my 1940 theme, but Best Beloved used to fly in one in his younger days. I said I’d build him a model of the civvy one. 

Thanks Heather - kit on the wish list! 👍

 

AZ do a Mk III, V and VI but the HAAF aircraft is a Mk 9. I'll ask the HAAF guys which kit might be a good start.

 

2 minutes ago, Andwil said:

As far as I can tell, it’s the greeblies that are the attraction!

 

Great work detailing this tiny helicopter, as someone who has also started to explore the scratching of small details I know how difficult it can be to avoid things looking clumsy and over scale, something you are doing with aplomb.

 

AW

Thanks AW, kind of you  

[andyf117]

9 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Everybody who's building a helicopter put your hand up......!! 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♀️🚁🚁🚁🙈

✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋......

2 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

The cockpit looks fab. If you are sticking the tape on does that mean that the inside is going to be silver?

Good catch - I'd totally overlooked that too!

1 hour ago, perdu said:

Helicopters don't have to be tiny Ced

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Ah, now then, attractive the size may be but look at all those greeblies!

They don't all have lots of greeblies:

1 hour ago, CedB said:

I tested the cutter settings on the foil again this morning - better. I'll use these:

I've put an initial coat of Colourcoats DG on some Filmoplast:

 

Another coat later. I'm hoping that the paint won't effect the glue on this stuff - we shall see.

Could you use the cutter to make the door shapes from piece(s) of black decal for the interior faces? Perhaps overpainted with DG and DE to just make complete decals for them?

1 hour ago, CedB said:

AZ do a Mk III, V and VI but the HAAF aircraft is a Mk 9. I'll ask the HAAF guys which kit might be a good start.

You'll be needing to find one of these: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hallam-vac-504-auster-aop9--238548

Edited March 3, 2020 by andyf117

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

3 hours ago, CedB said:

... it'll be nice to get back to something larger!

But less interesting, obvs. All those lovely greeblies are where the fun begins; look at the über-greeble-fest that is Ark Royal!

[CedB]

1 hour ago, andyf117 said:

✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋✋......

Good catch - I'd totally overlooked that too!

They don't all have lots of greeblies:

[snip pic]

Nice one Andy  

1 hour ago, andyf117 said:

Could you use the cutter to make the door shapes from piece(s) of black decal for the interior faces? Perhaps overpainted with DG and DE to just make complete decals for them?

Good idea Andy, but I'm now paranoid about that join

1 hour ago, andyf117 said:

You'll be needing to find one of these: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hallam-vac-504-auster-aop9--238548

Vacform? Oh dear… I'll see if I can find the development history to see what the difference is between the VI and the 9.

 

1 hour ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

But less interesting, obvs. All those lovely greeblies are where the fun begins; look at the über-greeble-fest that is Ark Royal!

Easier though, and I like easy  

 

 

Second and last coat of DG:

 

 

Suitable bits will be chosen.

 

Now then, I need your help as this is driving me POTTY!

 

If these look the same here:

 

 

…then why do they do this:

 

 

and this:

 

 

I just can't see why one leg is 'shorter' than the other when fitted to the model and it's driving me nuts!

Off for a lie down…

[bbudde]

I think they are equal long, but the right one looks a bit more warped to the outside. Can happen with white metal parts. Cheers

Edit: What angle do they have in real life? Maybe also the left could be too far inwards. (For me roundabout left:115° right: 145° from the photo)

Edited March 3, 2020 by bbudde

[perdu]

The right one needs its 'plug it inna fuselage' piece bending down a tad, maybe a tadlet, so it can let the fuselage on that side sit a little lower

 

You need to start with symmetry

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, CedB said:

I'll see if I can find the development history to see what the difference is between the VI and the 9.

 

Quite a bit I think Ced

 

AOP 6 I believe

 

 

And AOP9 - much more modern looking!

 

 

And I think there's another 9 in the background of the VI pic that shows the rear fuselage differences well

 

Keith

[perdu]

Good comparatives Keith nice one(s)

 

If the wings are near enough the same I don't see why one of these could not surface from my an AOP6/Auster Antarctic/T7 from Airfix

 

Ced makes his own canopies himself these days and the fuselage is basically the same with the upper tubes cut away

When Ced goes to visit the Army lads he can make a couple of comparative tape measurements for his Unca Bob

 

New legs to replace the junk Airfix gives us anyway, nice project

[andyf117]

2 hours ago, CedB said:

Vacform? Oh dear…

Says the man who bought himself a vac-forming machine! 🤣

[keefr22]

2 minutes ago, perdu said:

fuselage is basically the same with the upper tubes cut away

 

Do you think so Bill? The 9 fuselage looks much smoother to me - wood or sheet metal rather than fabric? I have no real idea though. Pics were from Odiham families day in 2018 and I've got interior pics of one of them somewhere as the pilot was a very nice chap who opened the doors up for me and spent a good 20 minutes telling me about it - made me want a real one (fat chance!)

 

K

 

[perdu]

49 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

The 9 fuselage looks much smoother to me - wood or sheet metal rather than fabric?

Hmm, investigation now proceeds thanks for a heads up Keith

 

Wiki says fabric covered fuselage, metal wings

Just found a handy Facebook link to one being restored

 

Fabric off some of it...

[Brandy]

Re the undercarriage, measure the legs between axle and mounting. If the measurement is equal, your problem is the angle of the bend.

 

Ian

[Spookytooth]

Quite a problem there Ced.

I would see which sat better and then scratch build a pair of them.

 

Simon.

 

[perdu]

First compare the locating holes...

[bbudde]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

First compare the locating holes...

Yes, but look at the little triangles on the photo. The axles are both right at 0° to measure. They are quite different. Ok the left axle is shorter than the right one, but but both are plain.

[fatalbert]

4 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

Quite a bit I think Ced

 

AOP 6 I believe

 

 

And AOP9 - much more modern looking!

 

 

And I think there's another 9 in the background of the VI pic that shows the rear fuselage differences well

 

Keith

Hallam vac did a Mk9,they come up occasionally on ebay and also kingkit.

Edited March 3, 2020 by fatalbert

[Whofan]

10 hours ago, CedB said:

First protect the windows, fill the seams, paint the interior first

 

Easy

 

ISH!

Why do you master modellers (and I'm pointing at Bill, too!)  have to make helicopters look so easy?

 

And why is it I read such sagacious advice when I make a bit of a mess in the windscreen of the Airfix Whirlwind I'm almost throwing .... completing?

 

I say windscreen, most of the glazing in this kit looks a bit iffy.

 

ps for non native Brits, a bit of a mess translates to it looks bloomin' awful, while a bit iffy translates to **&#@4!!(+ **!

[Space Ranger]

7 hours ago, perdu said:

The right one needs its 'plug it inna fuselage' piece bending down a tad, maybe a tadlet, so it can let the fuselage on that side sit a little lower

 

You need to start with symmetry

That also means insuring that the plug-it-inna holes in the fuselage are equidistant from the ground.

[Space Ranger]

17 minutes ago, Whofan said:

ps for non native Brits, a bit of a mess translates to it looks bloomin' awful, while a bit iffy translates to **&#@4!!(+ **!

Ah. The British gift for understatement.

[Pete in Lincs]

8 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

Ah. The British gift for understatement.

I say old chap, I wouldn't go quite that far. really!

 

5 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Pics were from Odiham families day

I thought that Hangar looked familiar. It was the residence of 240 OCU when I was there in the early eighties.

[andyf117]

16 minutes ago, Whofan said:

Why do you master modellers (and I'm pointing at Bill, too!)  have to make helicopters look so easy?

 

And why is it I read such sagacious advice when I make a bit of a mess in the windscreen of the Airfix Whirlwind I'm almost throwing .... completing?

 

I say windscreen, most of the glazing in this kit looks a bit iffy.

 

ps for non native Brits, a bit of a mess translates to it looks bloomin' awful, while a bit iffy translates to **&#@4!!(+ **!

At least you've got a windscreen! I acquired a Maintrack HAR.9 some months ago, but it's sans the transparency that made up the entire upper section...

....I've never really been into the Whirlwind - always thought it looked a bit ungainly - but residing in Cornwall now, I do quite fancy a Culdrose SAR one...

....unsuccessfully bid on a couple of built/scrap joblots on eBay that included Airfix ones - the idea being to salvage those bits from one of them to adapt...

....but it might yet end up winging its way to Bill - though, of course, Ced's got a vacform machine, and is becoming quite adept at this multi-media stuff!

[perdu]

I built the Whirlwind that resides in the museum collection at Cosford from a vacform by (maybe) Amodel

It was billed as an update for using the Airfix kit but the scales are not the same

Quite

That is why I scratched everything instead

 

Andy I can try making a mould for the hat on top if you like and send it to you

But bear in mind the Airfix kit isn't quite to scale so my mould might not do it for you

[Whofan]

37 minutes ago, andyf117 said:

At least you've got a windscreen! I acquired a Maintrack HAR.9 some months ago, but it's sans the transparency that made up the entire upper section...

....I've never really been into the Whirlwind - always thought it looked a bit ungainly - but residing in Cornwall now, I do quite fancy a Culdrose SAR one...

....unsuccessfully bid on a couple of built/scrap joblots on eBay that included Airfix ones - the idea being to salvage those bits from one of them to adapt...

....but it might yet end up winging its way to Bill - though, of course, Ced's got a vacform machine, and is becoming quite adept at this multi-media stuff!

I do have a windscreen, but frankly I have been having problems masking and cleaning - and the rest of the glazing isn't much good, either.

 

Still, it says ©Airfix 1958 on the inside of one fuselage half, so I should make allowances for it being a year older than my younger brother!

 

I'm doing mine as an Austrian air force heli, using Some aftermarket decals from Blackbird decals.

[Aeronut]

Just to be clear, the AOP 9 had a tubular steel frame fuselage covered in fabric just like other Austers. The wings were metal covered in fabric, so externally they looked like other Austers even though the internal structure didn't. Where the AOP 9 differed most was the tail feathers which were all metal and not the fabric covered framework of its predecessors. 

[Whofan]

21 minutes ago, perdu said:

But bear in mind the Airfix kit isn't quite to scale so my mould might not do it for you

 

When I saw your comment I must admit I did think it might be 1/76.