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“Irene!” Task Force 160 in Somalia - now with Photos!!


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16 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

Looks amazing Rich, but goodness me i can't remember you having had so much of a battle with a kit before. Thanks for staying at it !

It looks like that tail rotor pin was supposed to be on the inside then glued to the rotor to allow it to turn, no doubt not shown in the instructions along with all the other missing info.

Fingers crossed for an uneventful tape removal 👍

cheers Pat 

cheers, there have been a couple as bad.....I just feel sorry for someone newer to the hobby who has just spent a pile of cash on this model (they're not cheap!!!), they're in for an unpleasant surprise.

 

Yeah the pin goes inside, the original hole would have had the rotor sitting at very odd angle too. I'm going to make a cooler mount to go into the rotor for the pin to fix to, that should work and give it a wee bit of strength.

14 hours ago, Hockeyboy76 said:

Interior looks great now you have taken out your orange lunch box :whistle:

Mmmm I was never really happy with it, will just say they forgot it that day!

2 hours ago, Hewy said:

Ahh cmon,i bet your secretly enjoying it  really, you are doing a top job on it anyway, kits faults apart,it doesn't say tamiya on the box lid after all,

Its still on my list 🤗

Mmm I do it to myself all the time...thought I would have learnt by now. You know worst thing is that part of me really wants to build another one with all the guns!!! That must be my masochistic side!!!   :D:whip:

1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

Well despite the issues you are having with this one Rich you really are doing a fantastic job on her mate, really top rate.

The cabin interior looks fantastic, just the right amount of dust and wear.

Another case of a rave review that bears no resemblance to reality.

Thanks...the model aside, I do like how it's coming out......it may actually end up looking like a nice model.......hopefully!

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Ok progress is a bit swifter now, but still dam frustrating! 

 

Right with trepidation the tape was removed, and it all stayed together and really the joins weren’t too bad   :whistle:  ……. forgetting about the nose!

 

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The upper looks bad but is completely hidden by the engine module…..those 2 pins are for the rotor gear box and I found they were giving me fit issue…they now have been sent to the naughty bin!

 

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The underside actually cleaned up ok, being a squat model and underneath, it really won’t be seen so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

 

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 The nose……..well i hadn't actually glued this yet as I could see there would be issues....

 

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……after a trip to the Rhinoplasty surgeon…….

 

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……not too bad, a wee gap to fill with plastic and some join tiding.

 

 

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The canopy actually fitted ok, I just had to remove 2 strips of plastic from it around that centre top section. I don’t know why they were there but left there the canopy wouldn’t fit! The windows in the sliding doors have been fitted and everything masked.

 

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Mmmm that tail rotor, that pin is still wonky! I’m going to cut it off and smooth it all out, then drill a hole in the right spot, the pin will now be on the rotor itself, a much nicer option. The modified tail looks correct now which is great.

 

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There was an earlier idea to fit the engine module last as painting and masking the insides before the main outside colour when fitted was going to be interesting! But again because of fit issues I am going to have to fit it before painting. Those intake cowlings were a pain to get to sit right! I had to grind off all the gearbox detail underneath them, so they’d fit.

 

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There are/will be still a few gaps when fitted, hopefully plastic sprue will sort them out.

 

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Typical of just about everything on this model…. the undercarriage! There’s the main shock absorber the top of which is hidden behind the wing stub cover. I had one of these shock absorbers removed from the sprue for test fitting, the top position was very vague, no pin or holes to align it. Go get the other one to fit the wheels and find this one has a pin at the top, the other doesn’t and nether fuselage side has holes for them! :wall:

 

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Oh, and the wheel sponson on this side didn’t have a locating tap to help it align correctly (and give it strength) to the fuselage!

 

Everything aside it really is starting to look quite nice!! There’s still quite a bit to go, I may be pushing it to start painting her this weekend…..will just have to wait and see.

 

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8 hours ago, Hewy said:

Its looking awsome ,As soon as i saw the gap on the nose i feared for your front screen  fit,alignment,  but it looks a  good fit,  what about the doors rich?,

 

thanks, that's the easy part, they flew without doors!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/11/2020 at 2:00 PM, trickyrich said:

thanks, that's the easy part, they flew without doors!

Maybe the fit was crap on the real things as well? :D 

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  • 2 weeks later...

ok this poor wee...well not quite...baby has been languishing at the bottom of the build pile unfortunately.

 

But after 2 weeks away with work I'm fresh to jump back into the saddle and finish her........probably not get to start on her today though....

 

Anyway.....on a side note, at the start I mentioned that I might have had to start the AH-6 "Littlebird" due to time constraints.... but in the end I went with this build. There were a couple of extra AM correction parts needed for her. I ordered these before the build even started I think......and they never showed up, thought I'd lost $80!!

 

Well the gods and Aust Post finally blessed me.....or Aust Post found where they'd lost it....the parts arrived! :yahoo:

 

These lovely bits came from Werner's Wings, one was the correction set for bit that were missed on the model, the owner had a lot to do with the release I think.

 

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The other bit is the "Sugarscoop" IR Suppressor for the Exhaust for the birds used in Mogadishu.

 

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They are beautifully moulded and detailed and I must say look like alien structures!!  Anyway am super happy these showed up! 🥰

 

Next update will have progress to show.....i promise!

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8 hours ago, Hockeyboy76 said:

I hope he’s got plenty of tissues. 

Looking at the casting quality I'm sure they won't make him cry :innocent:

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On 10/1/2020 at 12:04 AM, Hockeyboy76 said:

Any progress?

actually i spent quite some time on her yesterday (haven't gotten around to updating this yet)....and remembered why I really don't like this model!

 

Been tiding up bits and pieces and planning how to go about painting her which isn't as simple as i thought. I have all those door opening to try and mask, can't unfortunately use the doors to block the holes.

 

The other two builds are to one side as i want to get this beast out of the way....the others are much easier!

 

Oh an the wee AH-6, I don't have time to start/finish it here, buy may build her in the annual end of year KUTA, plus I want to get the Superbug done too, she's 85% complete so just needs a couple of days work Though with going back to shift i may get to her sooner.

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Gosh it’s been a while since I touched this build, I have to admit I started to lose steam with this build….not enjoying it at all. But I’m back on a shift roster and seemed to have some mojo back…so let’s finish her!

 

….and straight away I remembered why I lost interest in this build….it’s not a nice model at all to build…anyway it’s been a busy 2 days and lots has been done…….so it’s a big update!

 

…ok now I need to look at pictures to see what I have been doing…….short term memory…………hello, what???  :undecided:

 

…..so in no real order… I’ve started to paint the rotors, with the tail one I made a plastic collar to fit over the pin…it’s a bit large but with everything being almost black no one should notice! :whistle:

 

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Plus, I had to make up some way of securing the main rotor…or at least stop it flopping about! They would have you fit the main rotor before painting….hmm that would work!!! So, I have come up with a solution that will allow me to add the gearbox then rotor after she has been painted.

 

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Gosh it looks like a ships gun turret!

 

Next the masses of antenna’s!  I know I’m risking a lot now but they really do need to go on now to be properly secure.

 

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The upper kit supplied antenna was the “X” type, which is wrong, they used what they called the “Batwing” type, so I had to make this.

 

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Also I had to make the “towel rack” which was fitted to the Port side….this time they completely forgot about it!

 

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This was a little bit harder to make, those supports are parallel, it's just the photo.

 

The front windscreen was fitted, needed a little bit of work to fit nicely. A you can see I’ve started to paint some of the areas that will be seen through the engine unit, just plain Flat black.

 

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I had hoped to see the last of that Lift raft, but after looking over photos again I found a couple showing it in place….and it’s quite a bit smaller. So I’ve chopped some bits out of it and covered it with lead foil from a wine bottle. Have now just realised they only use lead foil on expensive bottles of wine……guess now I have an excuse!! :cheers: Looks much better now, has been undercoated so will finish it off tomorrow.

 

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The main cabin doors are mostly finished inside, they’ll mostly be hidden, but needed some detailing, will do a wee bit more to them.

 

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Starting to look the part….

 

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Ok time to fit the engine module, I had no choice but to fit the IP shields for the exhausts now, they’d have been a real pain to fit later once she was painted as they don’t fit….surprise surprise!!!

 

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I should be able to squeeze in the exhausts at the end…..with luck!

 

A sign of a great model is when everything just fits together so smoothly…..and this isn’t one! :wall:

 

The clamps were off by now, the tape will stay one over night!  I don’t know why anyone would have this front section open as there’s nothing to see but the bad upper fuselage join!

 

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Ok I’m so close to painting her I can smell the paint!  I’m really still not sure how I’m going to mask these door openings, may just have to wing it.

 

She’s basically a very faded black all over, so I'll do all the panel lines black, I may do some shading in white of some panels…well see. But the main colour will be MRP’s “Nightfighter Black”, it’s a slightly off black colour, which with careful light coats should look not black. I may also mist over some super light coats of Olive Drab, again to just knock back the blackness bit to give her a sun-bleached look.

 

The end is near…finally.  :yahoo:   It’s a long weekend here (not that means anything as I’m off shift for another week) so there’s a real good chance she’ll be finished at the end on it…or very close to.

 

 

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Ok she’s painted!!!   

 

…….and boy she looks quite weird now!🥴

 

The final bits and pieces were added, and I only managed to knock one antenna off which is amazing considering how many there are.  Masking was a fun job….I only had to lock up the interior opening but it took a while.

So to painting, first the panel lines with Tamiya Flat Black.

 

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......and this is my new spray booth setup in the new place, it’s the first time I’ve done a big project herein the new place….its nice.  Oh and the blue cast to the photos is due to the LED’s in the booth.

 

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Next up I wanted to highlight some of the upper panels, so patches of MRP White were added.

 

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Finally, for the main colour I went with MRP’s WWII Nightfighter Black. This is not a black but depending on the light it has a blue or green hue to it, what i didn't want was plain black.

 

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What was not planned was the way the paint went on, more patchy than I expected, some areas glossy other semi-gloss, plus if showed up odd lines which I think are the result of different plastic coming together in the moulds!!!

 

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It’s really hard to see all these effects in the photos, but it is a very uneven finish……which I sort of like.

 

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I found I need to touch up a couple of spots. Next I’ll mist over a very light coat of Olive Drab just to move the overall colour a bit more greenish. I need to be careful as I plan to use SMS Flat Clear, which gives a super flat finish, so I know that’ll change the colour as well!

 

There’ll be no washes used, I will just be using pigments to get the final result I’m after.....dust. As mentioned in the beginning the Crew chief for this bird kept her in good condition, no oil leaks or grease mark anywhere.....just fling paint and dust....and plenty of it! :tumble:

 

Reckon there maybe one more update to go before I can finally put this one to bed! :yahoo:

 

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My displeasure with this model reached new heights due to those clowns at Kitty Hawk!!! :angry::fuyou_2::rant::fuyou_2::rant::angry:    Again this is all to do with KH releasing a late model MH-60L (with instructions for one) and trying to flog it off as an early Mogadishu version by only changing the decals and box art……and they even managed to stuff up the decals as well! :wall:

 

This build is nearly done and I’m glad I’ll never have to build another one of these!!!! It’s a huge shame as there are some nice variations I would have liked to have built…..but with all the errors with this one, way it’s moulded and general poor quality with fit they’ll just not worth the effort! 

 

Ok, no work yesterday as I took SHMBO for a nice drive….and yes I did bring her home  :D ….plus while we were out we visited the wineries in the Hunter Valley…and got some really nice ones as well!

 

So today actually started nicely, I did some subtle shading with some Swedish Airforce Black, then misted over a coat for Olive Drab. It now has the greenish tinge I was after. I took these out in natural light as it shows the effect quite nicely……. though still not how she looks in real life.

 

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I started to get her ready for decaling when I noticed I still needed to add some black panels….while looking at the profiles I noticed that the main gear leg looked different to my model.      With a feeling of dread I looked up a photo of “Super 64” and low and behold the bottom part of the U/c fuselage fairing was missing!!!!!  

 

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Ok I do apologises if someone complains about my using this photo, I will remove if required, but this is just a reference photo to show how the main U/c should have looked for this bird. (Oh crap    this is the first time I've ever seen this photo and I've already found 2 mistakes with my build....I'm almost ready to give up on this one!!!!) Least it confirms for me that all the small stencilling is missing! 

 

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Ok this is how mine looks….all nicely painted and finished…….you should be able to see more of the upper part of the strut!

 

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….this is how it looked 1/2hr later……..pretty sad! 

 

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It’s my fault for not checking…..but the kit instructions for this part are non-existent!  They have you fitting these parts along with the winglets and stores that were never on her!!!!

 

Anyway it’s all been re-painted…least being blackish it won’t be so noticeable……but I really can’t be bothered now.

 

A coat of gloss where required then some decals. There are hundreds in the Werner Wings set and beautifully done and really nice to work with. But looking at the few nice photos of these choppers most of the small information stuff can’t be seen at all!  I’m sort of wondering that when they were repainted from the factory Dark Green to this “Black” colour they just didn’t bother with all the additional stencilling!

 

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There’s probably a day’s worth of work to finish all the extra bit like Mini-Gun and the Fast Rope setup. But that’s it apart from the Flat clear coat and burying her in “African Dust” pigment…….that’ll be all the weathering she will need.

 

To my horror I’ve discovered that I’m out of my special SMS Flat Clear, I use this to give my schemes that super flat finish. Will have to do an order tomorrow…I do hope it arrives before next Friday else I may not be able to finish her in time!! 

 

.......now after seeing I need to do even more modification to re-produce this bird correctly I'm now feeling a bit sad bout this build. There is some serious history with this particular chopper and really wanted to do her justice, but I've seemed to have let her down by following useless instructions :fuyou_2:....and not scouring the internet properly! 

 

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Good save with the undercarriage fairing Rich. Can feel your frustration with the stupid instructions but your resulting model looks far better for your extra efforts to get it correct.

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This kit has been really frustrating from start to finish hasn't it Rich, and all down to really poor instructions on the part of Kitty Hawk. You have done a really good job on turning their kit into an excellent representation of the real thing.

I think the olive drab over spray has done a really good job of capturing the look of the colour of the Blackhawks used in Somalia, not a straight forward colour to get right. 

Keep going with her as you really are very close to the finishing line and she deserves to be completed.

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