MDSCUSTOMS Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 (edited) As promised on another thread, This will be the AH1 version. Still early stages yet but the build is well under way now, Combination of styrene sheet build with ply / balsa, some vac-forming of parts and some fibre-glassing of parts. DSCF4064 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4066 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4069 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited November 22, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Hi Mate, Sorry to say but the images aren’t showing for me only the text links. Sounds like a great project though. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 (edited) Hi Steve, Still faffing around trying to get the pics to show as images rather than just text links - been a long while since I've been on this type of forum. The insert image from URL button is not playing ball either. There are 3 pics on the link above though. Cracked it now - pics are up Mark Edited November 22, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 Looking forwards to having this one completed and joining it's older sibling which is the same scale XZ208 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Very impressive work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 A stunning looking model. Ooh look, rivets............. for the counting of! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5................... Mike 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 Thanks Guys - I'll be doing plenty of rivets on the Wildcat too Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted November 26, 2021 Share Posted November 26, 2021 Oh Wow! Those pictures are definitely working now! What amazing work. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 (edited) Waiting for glues etc to dry on other parts so I would thought get a head start on the instrument panels, This is the first bit so far. I have yet to add the LCD panels. These will be working and will be back lit with fibre optic cable. The panel is built working from a photo of the real thing scaled down to the actual model size. http://DSCF4081 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited December 1, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Mark this is already beginning to rate "awesome" for me, lots of Lynxery in my future but in a smaller scale. Yours is rather wonderful. I wonder how you got drawings to work from, one of the things holding me back from Wildcatting myself is a lack of decent scale drawings on the intergoogle. Anyway, I will sit back and bask in this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 57 minutes ago, perdu said: I wonder how you got drawings to work from, one of the things holding me back from Wildcatting myself is a lack of decent scale drawings on the intergoogle. Ditto! I would also like to find enough detail to s/b one of those. To a more sensible scale for my little mancave of course. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Young Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Great work, very impressive!. At the other end of the scale spectrum for me but I do admire projects like this. Is that a table tennis ball repurposed for the gimbal mounted nose camera? I'm always amazed at how inventive model makers can be! Cheers, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglierating Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Good stuff what's your connection to the Wildcat? Dont forget that stupid cb board on the forward bulkhead...front face.. stooopid Leonardo (helicopters not the premier division....electronics) 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 (edited) Thanks for the comments guys, The drawing I used for this one can be found here - https://www.the-blueprints.com/vectordrawings/show/4229/agustawestland_aw159/ If you register with the site (free) you can download the larger version of it for free. There is a slight error on this drawing in that the lower front edge and rear edge of the cabin door is not correct, it is easy to sort out though if you compare to photos of the real thing. The lower front cabin window is also in the wrong place, you will find once you have sorted the door line out it needs to be moved forward to where it actually should be. There are tons of decent photos online to work from for reference, including on related groups on good old FB, Andy, Yes that is a table tennis ball on the front there as it happens to be the correct size. I am going to use it as a mould to make a lightweight fibreglass one. The actual Table Tennis ball is a bit fragile and liable to get dented easily or broken. I will have holes to cut in for the camera lenses on the front too. The F/G will be stronger in that respect. Junglierating - My only connection with the Wildcat is that my Father was an Army Air Corps Pilot and worked with the Lynx at the RAE at Farnborough just prior to it coming into service. The Wildcat build sort of came out of nowhere really. I had already built the Lynx as you can see from the pic above and was assembling a set of spare RC helicopter mechanics. I had a spare 4 blade head which fitted nicely and it got me thinking. I realised that no-one else had actually built a Wildcat, there's not even a full plastic kit out there yet (I'm aware of the conversion kit for the Lynx) So with that in mind, I decided to give it a go. I'm quite pleased with the way everything is coming together now that I've actually started some assembly. I still have a few items to make yet but that should be plain sailing now. Ps.... I won't forget the clipboard !! Mark Edited December 2, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) LCD bezels / switches done and testing a fine tipped white pen for marking the switches - it certainly makes a difference. I will be redoing these after a final coat of matt black as I still have a couple of missing switches to add and then I can really make this panel come to life Those switches around the edges of the bezels are all scratch built using thin styrene sheet, all individually cut and glued on. http://DSCF4093 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr And I thought doing just a half depth panel on my Lynx AH7 was tricky ( I could only do the top half the panel due to the intrusion of the mechanics into the front cab, I don't have that problem on the Wildcat) 48386132_10155594840175738_2392749945871400960_n by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited December 3, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 That panel is already coming to life, just with those white markers. Excellent stuff and please keep the photos coming! cheers, Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 (edited) A little progress this week whilst planning the next parts to be made. Test fit of the instrument panel and start of construction of the centre console. I still have the overhead ones to make yet. The Backlit screens have yet to be fitted and some more detailing added including decal markings. The wiring for the backlit panels will be neatly hidden away down the centre console. I've now also cut out a card template for the tail fin so I can start construction on that and plan the fitting of the tail rotor gearbox (I've already got a good idea in mind exactly how to do that as I'll be copying the set up from my Lynx) The white square on the floor is a scale size template for the seat base in order to assist with getting the proportions of the centre console correct and of course the fitting. I'll have fun making up the seats much later on and have sourced some nice scale pilots to occupy them DSCF4094 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4096 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4102 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited December 10, 2021 by MDSCUSTOMS 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted December 24, 2021 Author Share Posted December 24, 2021 Little update on the Wildcat for you, I've finally got the fuselage halves joined together so I can finish up inside on that area now. After that it will be completing all the roof / top sections. You can make out the template for the tail fin in the background. I also need to do the sponsons for the rear U/c legs. The whole fuz so far is pretty rigid but still light DSCF4121 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 Back to work on the one after the Xmas break. Having now joined the fuselage halves together I am working on tidying up the join and fitting a bulkhead in the rear (This will support the tail rotor drive shaft) Also working on fitting a mounting plate for the rear Sponsons & U/C legs to securely attach to. I can then crack on starting to make the rest of the top covers. Pic shows a top down view - as you can see I've caught the general outline quite nicely. Fin template is actually in the correct place in this pic. DSCF4127 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark :) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted May 19, 2022 Author Share Posted May 19, 2022 (edited) Been quiet on this one for a while whilst working out certain construction details. It has grown a tail fin and some detailing already added onto that. I've also finally got the working oleos made up and test fitted as shown in the pic. They do extend on take off just like the real thing, Still some work to do on them yet though including the anti-rotation links. The rest of the build now is making all the fairings and top covers before the mechanics can be slotted in place DSCF4223 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4248 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Edited May 19, 2022 by MDSCUSTOMS 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted August 22, 2022 Author Share Posted August 22, 2022 Just a little update, not abandoned by any means, those top covers are now finally progressing with the rear most one being moulded in F/G tomorrow. Once done I will do all the final trimmings on those parts. I've also re-moulded a complete new roof panel as the original one was a little too short ( and turned out a bit heavy when moulding in F/G) Got some proper F/G cloth that is typically used for model fuselages and have remoulded the roof part, 4 inches longer than shown in the previous pic but at least half the weight so that is a bonus. The final bits to do in F/G are the fairings for the sponsons and the fairing for the top of the tail fin (moulds are already done for those) TC by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark :) 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 (edited) All covers now moulded and I am now just in the process of trimming them for proper fitting. The sponson tip fairings / covers have yet to be trimmed ready for fitting. Cover for the Tail rotor gearbox is on but still needs final trimming. The exhausts shown here are only mock-ups (side wall is much too thick on this tube). I do now have some decent thickness tube to make the finished items from and will cut them to the correct angles IMG_0262 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited October 11, 2022 by MDSCUSTOMS 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Another little detail which is going to look nice when done - I've moulded these air intake guides from PETG plastic. They are quite noticeable on the real heli so I didn't want to leave them out. Once fitted, they look so much better than just a wide open gaping holes DSCF4337 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr DSCF4339 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDSCUSTOMS Posted November 14, 2022 Author Share Posted November 14, 2022 (edited) Just a little update - I'm now in the process of getting the rivets done and then I can add the other details. I've started from the tailboom working forwards. The reason I'm doing it this way is due to there being the most rivets at the tail end and they gradually get less as you progress towards the front DSCF4370 by Mark Stevens, on Flickr Mark Edited November 15, 2022 by MDSCUSTOMS 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5054nz Posted November 15, 2022 Share Posted November 15, 2022 Gorgeous work Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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