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1/35 HH65C Dolphin U.S. Coastguard


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I have airbrushed over the filler to check how it's looking and I am please with the result so far. I did this as I had to airbrush the ceiling of the cabin and add a few details. spacer.png

The nose has a nice seamless join and the gap between the fuselage halves has disappeared all together. The area aft of the exhaust is bkack but the fit is so tight I decided to spray it now so i can get masking tape around the exhausts and part of the fuselage rather than try to wrap tape around just the exhaust which would have been a nightmare. There is a 2mm or so gap along either side of the join which will be easily taken care of with a bit of filler. spacer.png

I have had to tape the engine bay down which when removed I know is going to take some detail with it. Had I thought about this beforehand I would added detail after. The engines don't sit straight inside so when they were put into position they have came loose so I am letting everything dry for now and will have to add detail and re-glue the engines back down. spacer.png

All in all I'm happy with the progress it's looking better with each update I believe. spacer.png

If anyone is thinking of getting this kit I hope the areas I have pointed out will be of some use where the fit is an issue. The model does require modelling skills as it does not go together like a modern kit. I don't know if it's because it's not your regular subject and not as much effort has been put into it or whether it's just the complex shape. The exhausts are all blanked off so I have removed the blanking plate so to speak off of the exhausts as in this scale it really does look bad unless you're planning on putting fod covers over them. I foresee the winch needing additional detail as well. But this is going to be like my space shuttle where I don't mind the work as it's a unique subject at least to me it is! This is the third helicopterI have made in 10 or more years, although if you can make a plane you can make this. Got a busy weekend coming up so unless I get any updates tomorrow it'll be next week before I'm back at my bench. 

On 4/25/2022 at 4:03 PM, heloman1 said:

Looking  rather smart...

 

Colin

Thanks Colin so far so good!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bit of a headache today. The top of the fuselage does not fit at all well, shocking I hear you say! The engines had to be removed and then placed back in after fitting the covers and engines at the same time this meant stripping down all the extra work I had done to the starboard engine and breaking it free before resetting and re-adding all the lead wires I had added previously. However With a bit more filler I think the result will be satisfactory. The engine covers do have a bot of a gap so it's not such a big deal. The rear part of the fuselage behind the engines required filler which I added after taping the plastic off so as not to damage the detail. Detail is something this is missing a lot of. The door handles are missing etc so I'll be adding those as well at some point. At this point I think the worst is behind me. Or I really hope so!spacer.pnghere's the engine after rebuilding it.spacer.pngspacer.png

Here is the closed off side  thr gap isn't actually that bad it might not need filled after all but when priming is due I will decide.

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3 hours ago, Bell209 said:

Those cowls aren't always the best fit on the real thing, so yours looks quite realistic as you have it now.

Really? Who would have thought that that would have been the accurate part 🤣

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The engine is built now and after seeing the photos of the real thing I'm going to leave the gaps as there are significant spaces between the closed engine covers and the fuselage. The tail fin and stabilizers are also attached and the rest should fall together quite easily now. So far it's been a bit of a slog either due to the fit or detail to add. The end is now in sight so I hope not long until priming and painting. I'll prime it white so the orange is brighter. spacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.png

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Well I'm pleased with this so far. I have to touch up the paint here and there. The black around the exhaust needs to be painted and the white stripe across the bottom needs to be fixed I knew this while painting. I did have Vallejo Air orange which looked spot on but no amount of thinning stopped it from cloggingup my airbrush so I mixed Tamiya red and orange together instead as the Vallejo was absolutely horrible to spray I have had this same problem with that paint before I have no idea what the problem is but if anyone can offer advice I'm listening as I don't see anyone else complain about those paints so I assume it's my doing causing the problem. Anyway Here's the progress I am very happy mostly because the windows fit after all the filling and sanding as if this was going to go south it was going to be the windows that caused it. Enjoy the pics and let me know your thoughts. Especially on the paint topic.spacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.png

My girlfriend said my collection is too grey and needs a bit of colour. I think this will certainly brighten it up!

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The sun came out so I got a few more photos of it the paint really pops in the sunlight. The windows need cleaned and there's some over spray in the cabin etc but that can wait for another day as I'm off for a Guinness.spacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.png

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I decided to re-spray around the windows as the grey was too light. Also around tge windows the filler was visible from the inside where it had come through which I thought was quite apparent. So I masked just slightly inside the lines of the windows but not too much and tried again and I believe it is significantly better. spacer.png

The back was touched up around the white stripe and I masked off the black aft of the engines.spacer.png

I have to be honest I am really liking this model now. It's been quite a lot of work with sanding especially around the windows but it's really looking the part.spacer.png

One thing I wasn't prepared for was the sheer amount of masking required with this model.spacer.png

Next up will be a clear coat over the model to really give a shine to the paint as these are really glossy in real life. I will be adding the landing gear before doing that so it's resting on its wheels instead of a sponge. 

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Ok some more photos it's looking good so far. 

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Klear floor polish and more masking tape to get the finish. spacer.png

 

I estimate 1 month until completion. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am the worlds slowest modeller so here is another update it's time for decals I'm about half way with those but I also have the main rotors to add and a few other details to cut from the sprue. The model has taken way more time to make than I previously thought it would. The international orange I mixed up and painted has lighter and darker patches as I sprayed it over white. I was initially going to fix this but it's very subtle in real life and breaks up the orange a bit it was totally by accident but it's worth it. The orange doesn't really need broken up though once the decals are on it as it gets very colourful indeed!spacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.png

Hooefully not too long for the next update although I do take ages to make the model.

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Got the last decals on and put about 4 more coats of Tamiya clear on it the shine is great but my efforts not so much. I do have the orange peel effect but I cam live with it. When you see it on the internet and can zoom in it's obvious but in real life it's better looking. Anyway I hope at least someone likes the helicopter it's a really nice and bright addition to my collection and I think I have only seen one or two other examples of this kit being made. If anyone watching hopes to make this I hope my build was useful at least. I will post the finished model in the coming week on the ready for inspection page. spacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.pngspacer.png

Well I have seen Kitty Hawks Pave Hawk in 1/35 as well and I am tempted after this build since helicopters are off the beaten track for me. I hope some of you like the pictures and I will hopefullybe concluding this build soon.

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