1/32 HC.1 RAF Puma Northern Ireland

[viper-30]

Have to say mate enjoying this .. spent time flying around in these in the 80s so have been quietly watching.. well done 

[speedy]

Thanks viper-30 and anyone who hits the like button, it’s nice to get feedback along the way. At my pace I recon still 6 months worth of building, but now the season have changed, DIY has taken a backseat and the garden is becoming less demanding, oh and work. Perhaps I’ll get it done in 5 months🤔.

[Blacktjet]

Nice build so far. We occasionally used the Puma for recce purposes in NI in the early 80s, using a handheld 70 mm Agiflite or on special occasions, the type C camera from the U2 mounted in the doorway with a 48" lens - sorry, no pics as that setup was highly sensitive at the time and referred to as "Supper Snoopy"

[speedy]

Thanks Blacktjet. I tried to get info on it prior to the build, but info was hard to find. Then I purchased a book about aviation in NI and it gave details there👍.

Edited September 30, 2020 by speedy

[speedy]

Update for this time is the addition of the sight level to the Intermediate Angle gearbox and the brackets just prior to the strengthening plates. These came from the spares box and the sight gauge is an instrument sawn out of a Tornado panel. It’s thinned down and mounted to a 1/72 Sidewinder body which just fits through the moulded space. The raised moulded bit covering the IA gearbox oil fill was removed and opened up. I’ve scratch built the tube and added a lid. The wheel wells have been sprayed and the undercarriage also sprayed, but obviously not finished. As you may see I’ve broken the tail skid off trying to insert the sidewinder body. This took a few attempts working upside down. The language was blue occasionally.

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thanks for looking and I’m starting to think of presentation ideas, of which I’ve got 2.

Edited October 9, 2020 by speedy

[tonyot]

You are doing a brilliant job,..... you have reproduced the interior just how I remember them,..... been watching for a while and managed to get a copy of the German Police boxing a week or so ago,.... so I`ll be following your thread mate. 

Last time I was `down the back' the floor was slippery with blood,.... but I got a flight in the co pilots seat next day! 

Cheers

         Tony

[speedy]

As you can see from the previous post I was working on the undercarriage. I wasn’t happy with this at all when I offered them up, so adjustments had to be made. Using reference photos I see that the scissor link on the MLG was out of sight when the gear is retracted. So I cut down the legs and inserted a new telescopic part that was 4mm longer. I then sawed off the scissor links and made new extended ones, painted/foiled/dirty washed and refitted the wheels for alignment checking and look. All is now well and I’m happy with the sit.

 

if you haven’t guessed it’s going to be a flyer.

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[speedy]

I’m doing the mesh panel in front of the Intermediate Angle gearbox, but all I can make out from the limited photo’s is that it’s the drive shaft. Is there anything else lurking under the mesh. Equally why is it there - cooling?.

[Benbow]

Best bet Speedy is to go to www.airliners.net and do a search there. All you’ll see is the drive shaft and, as you say, I think it helps cooling. Also note the 3 holes as well on the tail. 
 

 

Got all these pictures as I’ve been building one on& off over the last 10 years - must get it finished one day!

[Pete in Lincs]

I'll second @Benbow cooling, as far as I remember. It was just there, one of those things. Our job was to make sure it wasn't broken.

Yes, just the drive shaft under the mesh and behind those holes*. Nice intermediate box and I like the extended gear.

 

*Having said that, there were the hydraulic pipes up to the Tail rotor servo, but that's probably too much detail!

[speedy]

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

 

*Having said that, there were the hydraulic pipes up to the Tail rotor servo, but that's probably too much detail!

PiL, yeah that’s to much and you simply won’t see them. I’ll do the hydraulic pipes that go externally of the GRP fairing. I was going to drill out the 2 holes just aft of the oil cooler exhaust but if I do this it will open directly into the cabin. So in this case they’re just going to be black holes. If I put mesh over those holes the mesh will stand proud and it will look weird. I might paint the model then put mesh over and spray black so it gives an optical illusion. Compromises and artistic license........

[Benbow]

Speedy, FWIW on my effort I cut out where the mesh was and scratchbuilt a tray with a rod running through to then put the mesh over an give an illusion of the transmission. 

 

Note, for the tail rotor gearbox I found the kit effort less than ideal. My solution was scratchbuilt with the end of a biro cap.

Still watching with interest as I must pull my finger out to get mine done. 

[Pete in Lincs]

Does anyone need to know that there is just one left hand threaded nut on the Puma? It's fairly important. It holds the tail rotor on.

[speedy]

Ok crazy gang, question for the old Puma force chaps.

 

its coming to the time where I can make mistake on the aerial fit. As you can see I’ve chosen the flare fit instead of the escape hatch and I will be doing the antenna fit on the nose. I’d like to know about the boom aerial fits please.

 

The kit has you fit an angled blade antenna with the silver rod going aft, a small blade antenna after that and finally the bulbous fairing at the rear most. Do you know what time period these swept/rod antenna replaced the unswept big blade antenna? and when did the bulbous fairing get added?.

 

my old 80’s reference books show a towel rail antenna around the crew escape hatch and just forward of that a Doppler square.

 

http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma Walkaround XW222 RAF UAS 2017/content/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma XW222 RAF UAS 2017 035 GraemeMolineux_large.html

 

I’m steering towards a 90’s cab just after GW1, hence the flare/nose aerials and flare fit. Still plenty to go in work and time yet.

 

Steve.

Edited October 12, 2020 by speedy

[speedy]

On 10/10/2020 at 10:06 AM, Benbow said:

Speedy, FWIW on my effort I cut out where the mesh was and scratchbuilt a tray with a rod running through to then put the mesh over an give an illusion of the transmission. 

 

Note, for the tail rotor gearbox I found the kit effort less than ideal. My solution was scratchbuilt with the end of a biro cap.

Still watching with interest as I must pull my finger out to get mine done. 

Thanks mate and a great suggestion on the biro. Today I’ve cut out the mesh and shortened some round rod/painted and fitted it (currently in the airing cupboard drying). I didn’t cut out the bottom of the panel as I suspect the drive shaft sat above the cylindrical shape of the boom, with the tunnel on top. Again I’ve got an idea to fit the mesh and preserve my painting efforts when it comes to the painting stage. Photo’s to follow......

[speedy]

Ok further photographic research shows the antennas on the nose seem to be equalled with the bulbous fairing under the tail boom, so perhaps these are part of the same mod. The swept blade antenna is way oversized in the kit having found some for sale on eBay, and they’ve kindly listed the measurements👋. 

[speedy]

Today’s progress is the little time consuming details. I’ve reshaped the fairing under the tail boom and added the thin waist band. I’ve then made the strengthening mount for that fairing out of 10thou plasticard and glued it on. I’m not 100% sure on the fairing but only after I glued it on!. The thin tiny aerial forward of that was cut down and thinned. The black swept blade aerial has again been put on a diet and fitted, filling the gaps left yet to be sanded. Next was the fuel dump pipes and their strengthening mounts. As previously made from plasticard and some rectangle tube rounded off and opened up with a pointy blade. The 3 “things” above the door rail have been added either side. The mesh is cut and loosely fitted here. I’ve panel washed it but it’s still drying, so is now in the airing cupboard until tomorrow. That’s it for today as my eyes are on sticks.

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Thanks for looking.

[sammy da fish]

Looking good there almost as I remember them from twenty years on the things. The gearbox that you talk about in real terms is just known as the”IGB”. The grill in front of the IGB is there for two reasons, one you can see the tail shaft is in good condition.  It’s something like 20SWG Thick and rotates at a constant 3800 rpm and provides a secondary and lesser function of cooling to the IGB. The IGB changes the direction by I think By 35degrees and increases the speed of the rear shaft to 4400 rpm. 

[speedy]

Cheers Sammy👍, oh and the photo’s are foggy as I model in the garage and there is no heating.

Edited October 17, 2020 by speedy

[sammy da fish]

Your photos are very good don’t worry about the fogging.

Sammy

[speedy]

Another step forward yesterday. I’ve started to build up the doppler(esk) antenna underneath. This is 3 different sizes of the same thickness plasticard to make a flat surface on the curvature of the model. Gaps filled and when it’s satisfactory I’ll throw on a square of 10 thou plasticard and add the forward/aft centre rib. The 2 clear drops are to be thinned down in height . I’ve noticed the holes on the side section above the canopy just behind the intakes. I drilled holes and with a fine pointy scalpel opened them up. The lower square holes were given a backing of plasticard. Whilst the filler was out I’ve addressed the bottom of the foot access steps. 
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One thing I’ve picked up on is the cut out shape of the sponson wheel wells. I think that the kit is not quite right and the wells are no symmetrical. The inner side from the oleo is tapered and the outerside is as the kit. Has anybody got any clear photos as my research doesn’t really reveal much. The grubbyfingers website just gives an insight but not really enough

http://www.grubbyfingersshop.com/walkaround_galleries/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma Walkaround XW222 RAF UAS 2017/content/Aerospatiale SA330 Puma XW222 RAF UAS 2017 177 GraemeMolineux_large.html
 

as always thanks for looking in.

Edited October 20, 2020 by speedy

[Jabba]

Sorry that I have commented for a while, but the work that you have carried out on this build is tremendous, especially around the Main Gearbox. As for the main U/C sponson, there are some pictures in the walk around section of this site that show them a bit clearer. I know that the helicopter involved is a Portuguese one, having the larger fuel tanks and inflatable on the side, but it will give you hopefully something to go on.

[speedy]

12 hours ago, Jabba said:

Sorry that I have commented for a while, but the work that you have carried out on this build is tremendous, especially around the Main Gearbox. As for the main U/C sponson, there are some pictures in the walk around section of this site that show them a bit clearer. I know that the helicopter involved is a Portuguese one, having the larger fuel tanks and inflatable on the side, but it will give you hopefully something to go on.

Hiya Jabba, long time no post😀.  Thanks for the comment and I’ve just had a quick look and ta da, just what I was looking for clear as day. I’ve looked through them before for reference but this time I’d completely forgotten about their existence!. I’m putting down to stress of imminent redundancy and old age🤪.

[speedy]

After a few days away from modelling, I cut the MLG wheel wells on the inner side and made the cutout for the wheel nut on the inner side. I cut a square of 10thou plasticard which has been put over the blocks glued together earlier (it is square but doesn’t look it in the photo), the four corners have been rounded off and I cut a groove down the centreline for the vertical part of the antenna. The slice of plasticard you see didn’t seem to want to stay on as it’s very fragile. So I cut another piece and shaped the curve and then refitted it (photo to follow). Whilst doing that I noticed the 2 jacking points, so I’ll add those today.

 

I had noticed that the rear support arm on the port step was missing. As we’ve all done it, on my hands and knees with goggles on and a bright torch, I found nothing. Airing cupboard checked = zero. I was resigned for some rod bending. Then I though I’d check the photos here and found that the last time it was attached to the model was 23 Sep. Then it was covered in tape for masking. I still had the removed/screwed up tape in the bin. I surgically unraveled it and I found it stuck to the tape🥳

 

20201027_092905 by Stephen Priestley-Dean, on Flickr

[speedy]

Today’s update shows the Doppler vertical antenna has been shortened and shaped. I then saw on a reference site the 4 jacking points so made those out of 2 sizes of tube and glued them on. I’ve then reattached the tail skid.

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thanks for looking.