Dragonfly to Widgeon. Who knows?

[perdu]

I decided to stay with a rotary theme for the next run out in the playground but sadly the Italeri H-19B is moulded in a rare version of unobtainium, "green it were."

 

So I have decided to use the very elderly Airfix Whirlwind which I first made in its iteration with no transparencies but with open framed windows in the BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS version. This is not really to 1/72nd scale but it is what it is, the onliest game in town.

 

I will be copying much of the work Hendie has given us on his HAR-10, but I dont foresee much in the way of 3D printed intervention on this one.

 

Even the drawings I have to follow will need shrinking a little bit because they ARE in 1/72, doh.

 

I have a couple of Airwaves etch sets to chose from too, some of which were left over from my US Marines build a while back, so all good fun..
Except the un-fun bits of course...

 

First off the cabin door, got to go and an interior to make.

 

That cockpit set will go inside

 

Probably

 

As M. Jagger says 'paint it black'

 

 

Well I am about to start excavating that gurt thick door

 

I WILL be some time

 

[hendie]

First in the door. Set 'em up Bill

 

Really looking forward to this one. Should be a cracker 

[Brandy]

Straight in at the bar. Beers ordered.

 

Carry on sir!

 

Ian

[perdu]

Get one in for me boys, it looks like a long hard...

[Bigdave22014]

There appears to be a jelly-wobbler renaissance going on here at Britmodeller recently.  

"Excellent" as Mr C.M.Burns would intone.

Mayhaps this would encourage  manufacturers to expand their range of such aerodynamically challenged flying things? I'd love to see what Tamiya could do to a Walter or a Sea King.

[Hamden]

 

Another Bill (@perdu) build mind if I take a seat at the back and watch and learn from the master?

 

  Stay safe          Roger

[perdu]

Basically I think we will all agree that it will be a while yet before I am happy here

 

But here is where I am

 

 

Using a clever mathematical device I found on t'web I have calculated that the Airfix kit is 8.3333% too small

by measuring the length between the model's fixed points and the drawings in Adrian's Warpaint publication.

 

Easily found fixed points I used were the rear suspension front hinge and the nosewheel mounting point

 

The kit measures 1.375" for a drawn value of 1.5", ergo 8.3333% out

 

 

Now I know the error I can work with the drawings, somebody clever might be able to tell me how I lose an error of 8.3333% by reprinting the drawings, that would be nice.

 

laters folks, see ya!

[Gondor44]

Italeri and/or Revell do the H-19 which is more "to scale" and I have a few boxings of each in the stash, just in case I decide to build any of them as service machines for the RAF or Navy so it will be interesting to see what you do with this runt

 

Gondor

[Cheshiretaurus]

Check the scale on those plans Bill,  the 10ft scale should be 1.67" (43mm) I have some Warpaint/SAM/Aviation news drawings in the collection that have shrunk or expanded in the (printing process) wash. I've had to scan and resize them before use.

[perdu]

I'll do that Mark, but I've known the Airfix Whirly was too small for years.

 

I am looking forwards to both of these.

[perdu]

 

This modified set of drawings will do for me now, I already knew there were shape issues with the cockpit and rear cooling device behind the doghousey thing.

 

Lasttime with a Whirly I made a new upper deck with a vac form, trying a different tack with this one.

 

Mucho application of Milliput's Welsh marvelmodifier calls

 

The shape issues at the rear of the doghouse thing are obvious here and the rear fuselage bustle is way to underdeveloped, Dolgellau's finest called for there methinks

 

The front undercart sits bolted to the fore bulkhead on any version of the S-55 as shown here by an American museum exhibit

 

The forward engine panelling on Gnome engined machines does not have the beautiful access to the power plant of the piston versions, but the techs were said to be able to change an engine in an hour so it cant have been too bad to get in there.

 

Not doing this again  

edit:THIS IS NOT THIS MODEL, THIS IS THE OLD BLUE ONE. THIS ONE WILL BE DARK GREEN AND DARK GREY AND SILVER BELLIED.

 

There must be a better way...

 

First thing I have noticed, the rear cabin window needs moving forward about an eighth of an inch, we shall begin...

 

Bulkhead to draw and cut out and interior to be fitted out, then we'll have the Airwaves innards for the cockpit.

 

Deciding whether to glue or solder.

 

Ciao.

[TheBaron]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

There must be a better way...

 

'The modeller's eternal refrain,

echoes from hill to hill....'

 

Inordinately fond of helicopters in this period so delighted to see you lashing this lot into shape Bill. Best of luck! 👍

[Lord Riot]

Excellent and very interesting subject, looking forward to seeing these. I had no idea the old Airfix Whirlwind was too small, a fact that renders my yellow SAR one inaccurate which is disappointing! Not that I or anyone who sees it can tell, but now I know … It’s about time someone (Airfix?!) made a new tool Whirlwind, preferably a HAR.10.

 

Anyway, this looks like a great start! 

[AdrianMF]

I never knew it was under scale. I did know it's a lot of work to get a nice model out of it! Looking forward to this...

 

Regards,

Adrian

[perdu]

Some of that work is underway now Adrian, the shape of the upper bit that contains the cockpit, transparencies and MRGB is distinctly stunted but as I wasnt (very) happy with the moulded clear version you can see up above I am considering using Dolgellau's magic paste instead to influence the already moulded portions.

The kit windows (up there, as we will be calling it) are strangely stunted too, to match what the original shape considered OK at the time.

 

The right sided section is seen here under conversion, no Welsh miracles here yet.

 

The rearmost curved window is too short as moulded and an alteration to that is the first part of the job, the round needle file has been used to reshape the back window cavity.

 

 

You can make out the altered state of the window by looking a: at the uncut version above it and b: the drawn outline through the window onto the drawing.

 

The pilot amnd observers window in the kit is wrongly shaped and that seems to have caused the others to get it wrong too.

 

Here the front win/door has been cut back to the right (OK correct) angle and the rear window has been filed out to the shape we need, this will leave theturtle-back(?) section too mis-shaped and once the clear plastic is in places some Milliput will be used to reshape the back end.

 

The roof has been moulded with a slight slope, slope gotta go too so it'll be Milliover the top too.

 

I expect these dust attracting ceremonies to happen after the halves are stuck together so now I gotta make walls and bulkheads.

 

And a floor, back in a bit...

[hendie]

For some reason the little star thing that shows me I've posted in this thread isn't showing up so you'll have to forgive me if I miss an installment Bill.

Looks like this is shaping up to be a megafest of wanton destruction & carnage, and I can all sorts of tools being brought into the construction site. Just my mug of beer.

[heloman1]

Looking good Bill, joining late but, I'll have a pint of your local finest bitter please! Now you have corrected the drawings. Good job the cabin door is in the correct place, ha, ha, ha!

It would seem that Italeri only release their H-19 kits in limited numbers. If that had been ESCI, there would have been every option/operator under the sun.

I fortunately have a few I the stash, a Mk9 will come at some time. I also have plenty of (my) ROTORcraft kits.

 

Colin

[Brandy]

Nice eye for detail as usual. With the windows sorted it should be much easier to correct the overall shape, although size is (as always!) an issue!

 

Ian

[perdu]

1 hour ago, heloman1 said:

I also have plenty of (my) ROTORcraft kits.

I may be about to own one of those myself too Colin, who knows...

[The Spadgent]

What? This one?

Too small? 🤫 and @AdrianMF a lot of work. 😬 bbbbut she’s so green and white. 
one day. Oh happy day 😇. Until then Bill I’ll pull up a comfy chair and watch this beauty come together.  As you were. 
 

Johnny.

[AdrianMF]

18 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

This one

I’ve got two type three bags and that exact boxing, and I’ve yet to summon up the courage to start any of ‘em.

 

Onwards Bill…

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

[Martian]

This kit was the first model I ever built, in its Antarctic Patrol guise, when I was just five of your Earth years old. It was during my first summer holidays from that ghastly thing known as school. Mum had to unglue several of my tentacles but I did finish the model and was hooked on the hobby for what now appears for life.

 

Lifer of Mars 👽

[perdu]

'Tis a tenacious thing Martian, this hobby/occupation/passion/aberration of ours, transcending in many ways pain and serious discomfort as we read daily in here.

 

Here too!

 

I began measuring and carving, as you saw yesterday on the tiny windows in the roof area, whereon something became even more obvious and nearly made me throw the plastic into a nearby skip.

 

Starting in the usual, obvious place as Alan has with his 28sqn Whirly I began making the floor and rear bulkhead prior to making the front end which is one of the delights of helicopter detailing.

 

I began with this lovely image of the cramped interior

 

What I see is an arched roof over a rectilinear box, does the team agree?

 

Good, I reckon this box shape extends to at least the rear suspension pickup point inside.

 

Sadly this isn't quite how Airfix saw it in there.

 

I began checking photomegraffic sources to see what work I am in for, like.

 

Seems the curves and tapers dont begin until aft of the leg pick up, I might be right, lets look again.

 

Yup a basic box until the Navigation lamp, both sides by the way, then a taper back to the tail all in one plane.

 

Is that how Airfix saw it?

 

No, they start the curve at the back half way along the cabin walls, running into the far too small bulged tail box.

 

A starting point now for the millimodelling, at first this morning I half expected I'd be binning this but stubborn insensitivity means you have to watch this to a conclusion, sorry folks.

 

I had begun making the floor strip with a curved back to suit the kit but now I realise I don't want to give succour to the original flaws, this is intended to be an improved Airfix Whirly, so the floors and walls simply have to be altered.

 

Luckily the plastic is very thick.

 

One side only, so far.

The too far back rear windows also being cut back, I am considering radical window alterations anyway a'cos I bought a bottle of Limino Clear UV Resin and intend using it for all those hard to use kit windows we get plagued by.

 

Fit window, fill with clear resin and zap with UV light from a little torch.

 

When hard (Wednesday next November?) sand and polish away the usual blemishes...

 

Sounds too good to believe?

 

Yeah me too but ya gotta give it a go.

 

No medical procedures today so this afternoon some of this might happen, where did I put that Milliput?

[hendie]

It appears this could be even more challenging (fun?) than the Revell kit.

You certainly have your work cut out for you Bill.

[perdu]

Well the first and most obvious thing is that taper on the cabin roof.

 

Nonsense utter obvious specious nonsense because one of the Whirlywinds most obvious 'things' is the blob on a tadpole look of the cockpit up above the cabin.

 

This needs putting right first so I cut the upper line of the windows in order to get a start on that, then reinforced the new shape with UV setting glue holding strips of polycard in place.

 

to be fair I would honestly prefer using Humbrol tube glue for these strength jobs but I live within a low odour home and the pain in the ears just isn't worth it.

 

If this experimental approach bears fruit, fine.

 

If not a chilly session in the garage beckons, best avoided methinks.

 

 

Oh yes, found it.

 

 

Phew

 

And whilst await that lot setting nicely

 

 

Do I use the somewhat blocky plastic instrument binnacle or play the Eduard game?

 

The etch looks very complex, am I up to it?