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1/32 HC.1 RAF Puma Northern Ireland


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Today I’ve blended in the moulding pins and lightly rubbed them down, and it’s worked quite well I think without removing material and filling etc. I’ve then put some non textured tissue and with white glue and water wetted the tissue onto the moulded  checkered quilting so I have material to then put on the ceiling to cover the fuselage join. It’s now in the airing cupboard drying.

49841606867_47d3902288_k.jpg20200501_134409 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr
49841308051_fa8597f33b_k.jpg20200501_134418 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve picked this up again today and I have painted the quilt effect but not added a wash as I think the natural shadow is sufficient. This morning I have painted the cabin window surrounds and sprayed a mesh effect for the avionics boxes at the rear of the cabin mentioned above.

 

My question is the floor. Some are grey and some are black. Both colours options look the same material just the anti slip I suppose, or was there a mod that outside of modelling dictated a change in colour.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Steve.

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The photos of the Ulster museum Puma are your guide. The floor is black but a layer of laminated wood panels coated in non-slip light grey paint were fitted throughout the cabin (the cockpit was not covered in grey panels). In the NI std role the folding panel around the load pole often did not have a wooden board over it. These wooden floor panels were removed at every 28 day (I think) servicing and repainted With non-slip paint and refitted with black bodge tape the seal the edges. 

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Thanks Rick, that’s one of the main sources of reference, which is where I got the grey from. So I’m going to press on and grey it is. Thanks for chipping in👍.

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A bit of progress over yesterday and today. The broom cupboard now painted black and the Axe, Fire extinguishers painted. The Flare cans painted and their coloured bands added. The floor and the inside of the cabin are already painted. Checking the reference photo’s the quilt effect seemed a little scruffy and dirty, so I went over these with Tamiya pastels and then sprayed a very fine clear yellow, which actually came out quite well. Window apertures painted black and yellow decals added from the spares box then Matt varnished. The cabin floor had scaled down 2inch black tape added and then I weathered it with a dark colour and some sand paint dry brushed. I’ll varnish it to stop the tape lifting in time. Cabin seats done and played around with blues and grey to match the reference photo and slapped it on. Belts are yet to do. Oh I sprayed the Avionics boxes black then held my limited stock of mesh against it and sprayed it grey to give a mesh (cheat look). I’m sure you’re not going to see much of it anyway when it’s buttoned up.

49901477722_b2223e3cf1_k.jpgCE607C64-2DA0-4233-8693-4BA5BBABE583 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr
49901477647_ecb7155d24_k.jpg10E647D7-051C-4560-9962-360B9CA3691D by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr

 

I’ve got the fire extinguisher nozzles to paint yet but I don’t have a appropriate colour.

 

thanks for looking.

Edited by speedy
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Oh yeah, troop seats! What a pain they could be to fit, good job we had the Swiss Army crash axe at hand to manipulate them into their fittings. The dirt on the floor boards looks effective and in the typically correct place where smelly pongoes would tramp their muddy boots.

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On 4/29/2020 at 5:30 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

The big black box between the fairy crates held all the bungs and blanks etc.

IIRC, In theory the cabin seats could fold up and stow on top of the fairy crates, held in place with bungees (I think). It was an acquired art however.

Is this box on the angled part of the fuselage or is it on the flat floor. I’m hoping it’s at an angle or I’ve run out of room.

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21 hours ago, Rickoshea52 said:

Oh yeah, troop seats! What a pain they could be to fit, good job we had the Swiss Army crash axe at hand to manipulate them into their fittings. 

Strangely enough we had a similar tool for when fitting a Nimrod jump seat.

 

Nice work on the Puma, flooring does look realistic.

Edited by Jabba
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1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

This black box in the picture. Between the fairy crates.

Aerospatiale%20SA330%20Puma%20XW222%20RA

 

Yes. The gubbins box. In the kit at the leading edge of the greenie boxes it tapers upwards. If I Place the leading edge of the gubbins box inline with the greenie boxes then it would 

be at an angle, as the fuselage starts to taper upwards.

 

Have a look at my inside photo above.

 

cheers Rick.

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5 hours ago, speedy said:

Is this box on the angled part of the fuselage or is it on the flat floor.

Most odd. The floor should be flat there. It tapers in, but not up. Weird.

Just aft of the bits box is a frame and then the large removable panel with the round window starts to angle up.

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Cheers Rick & PiL. I remember you saying previously it’s a bits box. Looking at the kit photo above then the Avionics boxes in the kit sit either side of the round window. In reality they should be the last thing before the window, so they’d need to come forward to bring everything into line.

 

PiL - it’s probably my poor description of the tapering and the upward sweep of the fuselage to the tail boom.

Edited by speedy
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Hi folks just a bit of an update. Little has been done over recent days but I picked it up again this morning. I’ve been doing research on the bits box and where it sits in the kit. I think that the avionics boxes are too far rewards and it hard to place with the leading edges of the box & greenie boxes but have the bits box flat, as I run out of floor in the kit.  As you can see from the photos and the link they don’t really correspond. I’ve therefore come to the conclusion that even if you choose to look inside your going to see virtually zero (as per the photo). So I’m going to scratch the bits box and place it there so you’ll see something, but ultimately it’s position is compromised. Floor glued in today and the broom cupboard to fit today. Then the windows - that’s another story!😡

49919437697_6652bcdd8d_k.jpgDC2DE9B8-74FA-476D-A749-4758F48A51C2 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr
49918629033_44994bb4a5_k.jpgB10EEAD8-1086-46D3-A108-A9FF8980B438 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr

 

http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma Walkaround XW222 RAF UAS 2017/content/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma XW222 RAF UAS 2017 234 GraemeMolineux_large.html

 

The next question - the circular window provided I assume is an old escape hatch?. Was this still present in the previous green/grey/black scheme. Was it painted over and I assume there was some interior coverings........

 

thanks for looking in

Edited by speedy
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And hot off the press I’ve just found this photo. A good enough shot of the positioning of the bit box. Of course I couldn’t of found this hours ago!. This shows the box is proud of the leading edge of the Avionic boxes🧐

http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma Walkaround XW222 RAF UAS 2017/content/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma XW222 RAF UAS 2017 230 GraemeMolineux_large.html
 

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This afternoon’s work. Bit box made from 10thou plasticard and some hinges from the spares box. I primed and painted it silver, then found out we had no Marmite, so tried Honey. It worked I think.

49920083521_b1b72d5c3a_k.jpg88358631-CF5F-4DD8-B11B-73F26DCAA65D by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr
49920083486_c9c769bd3c_k.jpg4866CA94-18E4-4A5D-834D-DD49A9E80381 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr

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7 hours ago, speedy said:

The next question - the circular window provided I assume is an old escape hatch?.

Sorry, I missed your question before. The perspex window was there when I worked on them. 

It was usually dirty and I think I remember a tab to pull so that it could be kicked out.

That whole panel was removable with small camlock fasteners anyway. Nice find on that picture of the back end.

There should (as can be seen) be room after the rear seat set for

the bits box to fit in. From memory it was at least 18 inches from front to back. I think we usually only had the middle seat set and the front seats fitted.

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I know that the Pumas that went to the Gulf had the window removed and replaced with the the mount for the flares box and the I R jammer. When or if this was carried out fleet wide I am not sure of the timing as I am sure that the whole fleet got this mod after the Gulf. When this mod was carried out there was a frame suspended from the roof and wires on the inside above the hatch to help support the structure.

 

There are some external pictures here showing some Pumas post Gulf with the window fitted. https://www.dstorm.eu/pages/en/gb/puma.html

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47 minutes ago, Jabba said:

I know that the Pumas that went to the Gulf had the window removed and replaced with the the mount for the flares box and the I R jammer. When or if this was carried out fleet wide I am not sure of the timing as I am sure that the whole fleet got this mod after the Gulf. When this mod was carried out there was a frame suspended from the roof and wires on the inside above the hatch to help support the structure.

 

There are some external pictures here showing some Pumas post Gulf with the window fitted. https://www.dstorm.eu/pages/en/gb/puma.html

I was next door to you on 848 (junglie) outside KKMC .....long time ago ...scary 

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15 hours ago, junglierating said:

I was next door to you on 848 (junglie) outside KKMC .....long time ago ...scary 

Especially when the Patriot missile went off one afternoon, claiming a scud ight above the site.

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6 hours ago, Jabba said:

Especially when the Patriot missile went off one afternoon, claiming a scud ight above the site.

Oh yeah remember that ...punch up over, lazy day bang ....pandemonium rifles,arms,legs,S10s everywhere 🤣🤣🤣

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1 hour ago, junglierating said:

Oh yeah remember that ...punch up over, lazy day bang ....pandemonium rifles,arms,legs,S10s everywhere 🤣🤣🤣

 

And us techies piling out of our tents (all dressed up in goon suits) after the initial bang had gone to look up into the sky to see (and someone filming) what was going on, only to be told over the tannoy to get back into our tents.

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