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Port Pleasant, 8 June 1982 - Westland Wessex HU.5. ++++ RFI POSTED ++++


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On 5/24/2022 at 9:05 PM, hendie said:

The thing about those thugs is that you can a) ignore them, and b) get them back on their own threads.  :D


Ahh, yes, there is that! 😂

 

On 5/24/2022 at 9:36 PM, bigbadbadge said:

Looking forward to seeing the paint ho on and those details pop.


Not long to wait now, I’m going to start painting right after dinner.

 

On 5/24/2022 at 9:45 PM, perdu said:

Looks like the Wessex to me, proper job Mark.

👍

 

 


Success!  :) 

 

On 5/25/2022 at 2:57 AM, AliGauld said:

It looks great to me but you can only build for yourself.


Yes, and…

 

On 5/24/2022 at 9:01 PM, Dunny said:

the minute it stops being fun is the time to take that step back.


Yes.

 

Many thanks for the comments gents.  Your encouragement and wisdom much appreciated.    As I write this dinner is cooking, afterwards I shall begin to paint.  I plan is to paint the major markings as well but as a proportion of the whole there’s not many.  I also have to solve the issue of the kit stencils being white whereas the actual were black.  The spares box is going to be raided - with a magnifying glass!

 

 

 

Edited by mark.au
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46 minutes ago, mark.au said:

 I also have to solve the issue of the kit stencils being white whereas the actual were black.

That surely is a task for clear decal paper and RAF_pw_ ath fonts in the computer font bank

 

I have found it is possible to type the stencil lettering in Word using the ath font and after highlighting the text setting the size down to ridiculously tiny.

 

My computer sets its small size at 6 but if I highlight it I can go down to 1 or 2 depending on the size I need.

 

The fonts can have any colour changed once highlighted, I have done yellow on this one and some small danger marks in red.

 

This was an adapter set I printed for my HC2, some borrowed from my Modeldec's sheet which had to be adapted for the green on green HC2, many emergency exit ones printed in yellow (this did'nt work well because of a lack of white background, but hey I tried) and many fuselage stencils NO STEP etcetera.

P1110931.jpg

 

I'm sorry I don't have a better picture of this sheet because it actually has many items which might inspire.

 

As you see by this used sheet I duplicate or even triplicate the decals I print, just in case.

 

I used clear decal sheet for the one here, Mr Decal Paper is one brand I use, Am--zo- sell it and deliver quickly

 

Once printed I mist coats of Tamiya TS-80 matt varnish, letting each coat flash off its solvents before I mist yet another coat over.

 

Four or five coats leaves the transfers useable.

 

 

XR525 by the way, SUNSHINE, is the HC2 displayed at Cosford and might just possibly be my favourite Walter of them all..

Cosford-Model-Show-2012-075.jpg

Mostly because I can pop over there any time for another peek.

 

This horrid shiny shot shows that some of the yellow emergency stencils round windows and hatches worked as did red fire warnings.

Disaster-strikes-Wessex1-009.jpg

Courtesy of a W.P. program near you, MS Works here and Open Office works about the same way.

 

I rarely write letters, I often use my W.P progs.

 

I can delete this if you like, don't want to clutter your thread.

 

 

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1 hour ago, perdu said:

That surely is a task for clear decal paper and RAF_pw_ ath fonts in the computer font bank

 

I have found it is possible to type the stencil lettering in Word using the ath font and after highlighting the text setting the size down to ridiculously tiny.

 

My computer sets its small size at 6 but if I highlight it I can go down to 1 or 2 depending on the size I need.

 

The fonts can have any colour changed once highlighted, I have done yellow on this one and some small danger marks in red.

 

This was an adapter set I printed for my HC2, some borrowed from my Modeldec's sheet which had to be adapted for the green on green HC2, many emergency exit ones printed in yellow (this did'nt work well because of a lack of white background, but hey I tried) and many fuselage stencils NO STEP etcetera.

 

 

I'm sorry I don't have a better picture of this sheet because it actually has many items which might inspire.

 

As you see by this used sheet I duplicate or even triplicate the decals I print, just in case.

 

I used clear decal sheet for the one here, Mr Decal Paper is one brand I use, Am--zo- sell it and deliver quickly

 

Once printed I mist coats of Tamiya TS-80 matt varnish, letting each coat flash off its solvents before I mist yet another coat over.

 

Four or five coats leaves the transfers useable.

 

 

XR525 by the way, SUNSHINE, is the HC2 displayed at Cosford and might just possibly be my favourite Walter of them all..

 

Mostly because I can pop over there any time for another peek.

 

This horrid shiny shot shows that some of the yellow emergency stencils round windows and hatches worked as did red fire warnings.

 

Courtesy of a W.P. program near you, MS Works here and Open Office works about the same way.

 

I rarely write letters, I often use my W.P progs.

 

I can delete this if you like, don't want to clutter your thread.

 

 

Bill is right - it can be incredibly useful to be able to print ones own decals and, in general, they work quite well. If you need white or yellow (other light colours are available) markings, I've found that the best way is to use white decal paper, and put the lettering/numbering in a text box with the background colour as close as you can get it to the colour of the airframe to which the decals are to be applied - perhaps marginally darker (you'll need to play around with this to get it just right), and then trim as close as you can to the edge of the characters. 

Edited by Galligraphics
typo
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1 hour ago, perdu said:

I can delete this if you like, don't want to clutter your thread.


Goodness! I hope not, that’s Gold and one of the reasons WIP threads are such a great resource.  Thanks.

 

32 minutes ago, Galligraphics said:

Bill is right - it can be incredibly useful to be able to print ones own decals and, in general, they work quite well. If you need white or yellow (other light colours are available) markings, I've found that the best way is to use white decal paper, and put the lettering/numbering in a text box with the background colour as close as you can get it to the colour of the airframe to which the decals are to be applied - perhaps marginally darker (you'll need to play around with this to get it just right), and then trim as close as you can to the edge of the characters. 

 

Agree 100% with you both.  I don’t have a printer though.  Some of the stencils I may be able to paint - my silhouette can cut masks pretty small.  
 

However, there will be some that it cannot.  If my search through the spare decals doesn’t bear fruit I may just start talking to my boss about the need for a printer in my home office… 😂

 

First stage painting is complete.  After a little pre-shade on only the access panels (because the contemporary photos show it to have been quite clean on 8 June) I applied the Olive Green and then a sealing coat of diluted Future.  
 

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The white balance is waaay off in these pics and there’s too much yellow but you get the idea I think.  I need to check the colour in better light tomorrow and adjust if necessary.

 

A wise man up thread said all those little details would look better under paint.

 

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The sealing coat is so that I can handle the model while making any adjustments; there might be one or two.  Then, I’ll cut my masks and paint the major markings before adding a proper clear coat for decals.

 

Sorry for the crappy colour balance in the pics, it really does look a bit right-er in the flesh.

 

Cheers.

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45 minutes ago, mark.au said:

my silhouette can cut masks pretty small.  

 

you may end up using it way more than you think Mark.   Italeris decal sheet is littered with spelling mistakes.  "NO AND HOLD" springs to mind ( should be no hand hold obv.)and there were numerous others which I don't think they ever bothered to fix.  Luckily I had bought a decal sheet specific to 28 Sqn and it had a lot of what I needed and Italeris sheet went in the spares  bin as a last resort.

 

 

she does look fab now that she's got some clothes on.

 

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Looks good to me I haven't forgotten Hendie's NO AND OLD stencils.

 

No printer?

 

That's a pity.

 

Shall I rub it in? No better not! Oh go on then just for the craic.

 

My printer cost me £3, brand new from 'the computer pirate' at the local car boot, "no box, ink or destructions but save me taking it home" ex-window dressing gear.

 

It's been brilliant and far better than the three I've worn out before it.

 

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The finish on that paintwork looks top notch and impressively smooth Mark. :thumbsup2:

33 minutes ago, hendie said:

Italeris decal sheet is littered with spelling mistakes.  "NO AND HOLD" springs to mind ( should be no hand hold obv.)

Should have bought the new Italeri Decal Generator!original-3038619-1.jpg

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Mark, I owe you an apology; I've been moving house and have missed this thread entirely, I'm sorry.  I've had my head well and truly up my ar.... um, posterior and have only just had time to look around BM properly.  I'm glad I found the thread and will follow it from here on in.  I think you've done a hell of a job, much beyond what I could do, and you should be proud of your efforts.  As much as we all like to correct mistakes etc it's a daunting task to completely re-engineer a kit, and from where I'm sat that looks very much like a Wessex.

 

I only just remember the Falklands War, being three years old at the time, but the Galahad's destruction is still writ large on the consciousness of the Welsh.

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On 5/26/2022 at 9:20 PM, hendie said:

 

you may end up using it way more than you think Mark.   Italeris decal sheet is littered with spelling mistakes.  "NO AND HOLD" springs to mind ( should be no hand hold obv.)and there were numerous others which I don't think they ever bothered to fix.  Luckily I had bought a decal sheet specific to 28 Sqn and it had a lot of what I needed and Italeris sheet went in the spares  bin as a last resort.

 

 

she does look fab now that she's got some clothes on.

 

 

On 5/26/2022 at 9:27 PM, perdu said:

Looks good to me I haven't forgotten Hendie's NO AND OLD stencils.

 

No printer?

 

That's a pity.

 

Shall I rub it in? No better not! Oh go on then just for the craic.

 

My printer cost me £3, brand new from 'the computer pirate' at the local car boot, "no box, ink or destructions but save me taking it home" ex-window dressing gear.

 

It's been brilliant and far better than the three I've worn out before it.

 

 

On 5/26/2022 at 9:56 PM, TheBaron said:

The finish on that paintwork looks top notch and impressively smooth Mark. :thumbsup2:

Should have bought the new Italeri Decal Generator!original-3038619-1.jpg

 

Having trawled through the spares box this afternoon (after watching Top Gun Maverick, oh! what fun to take me back to 19 y/o me - if you liked the first one, you'll like this one) I think I have just about everything I need without needing to print or purchase any more decals.

 

On 5/27/2022 at 4:59 AM, jackroadkill said:

Mark, I owe you an apology; I've been moving house and have missed this thread entirely, I'm sorry.  I've had my head well and truly up my ar.... um, posterior and have only just had time to look around BM properly.  I'm glad I found the thread and will follow it from here on in.

 

You certainly don't owe an apology! but thank you for joining.  

 

On 5/27/2022 at 4:59 AM, jackroadkill said:

 

I only just remember the Falklands War, being three years old at the time, but the Galahad's destruction is still writ large on the consciousness of the Welsh.

 

I am sure it is.

 

So, I have been studying the photos. 

 

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A crest was [poorly] over-painted just behind the winch hatch and the paint used was lighter than the main colour.  The same can be seen on the cabin door's upper right quadrant.  This needed to be painted.

 

I made a mask on the Sillouhette for a white crest and painted it in place.

 

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When the white was done, it needed to be covered up leading to this result;

 

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The two shades are a little contrast-y at the moment but will tone down with the subsequent treatments on the airframe.  

 

Next, I'll paint the anti-slip on the roof and also the major markings (for which I've made the masks already).  Then, a final clear coat and I'll begin the decals - if any are missing or can't be adequately represented I'll need to figure out a Plan B.

 

Cheers.

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This is great stuff, Mark; not sure how I've managed to miss this WiP so far, but I've just caught up. The Wessex is looking fantastic, in spite of Italeri's best efforts.

 

A few years ago I had the privilege of visiting the various memorials around the small cove where most of the lifeboats and liferafts came ashore near Fitzroy. It was a glorious sunny day, very peaceful, and I was completely alone looking out across Port Pleasant (Bluff Cove being the intended destination, not the location) at a view that I had seen many times on the TV footage of the rescue efforts but obviously without the burning ship, helicopters and trauma. In fact, the view was exactly as it should be. I missed the last RAF Shawbury Wessex course by only a few months, but I was lucky enough to fly in quite a few of them (SAR, SARTU, 2 FTS, 84 Sqn, 72 Sqn) both 'up front' and in the back and have worked with lots of former Wessex aircrew. Happy days.

 

Keep up the great work - nearly there!

Jon

 

 

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  • mark.au changed the title to Port Pleasant, 8 June 1982 - Westland Wessex HU.5
On 5/28/2022 at 8:08 PM, Vulcanicity said:

Just caught up with this thread, what a cracking build! The green looks really good to me...

Thank you.  I like the green too, in comparison to the photos.  The final treatments will take a little of the brightness out of it which I'm ok with.

 

On 5/28/2022 at 8:13 PM, perdu said:

Looks the biz.

👍

I'll take that! :)

 

23 hours ago, Dunny said:

Noice - I'm sure there will be no need for Plan B!

Plan B will be weathering inaccurate stencils to legibility oblivion!

 

23 hours ago, Jonners said:

This is great stuff, Mark; not sure how I've managed to miss this WiP so far, but I've just caught up. The Wessex is looking fantastic, in spite of Italeri's best efforts.

 

A few years ago I had the privilege of visiting the various memorials around the small cove where most of the lifeboats and liferafts came ashore near Fitzroy. It was a glorious sunny day, very peaceful, and I was completely alone looking out across Port Pleasant (Bluff Cove being the intended destination, not the location) at a view that I had seen many times on the TV footage of the rescue efforts but obviously without the burning ship, helicopters and trauma. In fact, the view was exactly as it should be. I missed the last RAF Shawbury Wessex course by only a few months, but I was lucky enough to fly in quite a few of them (SAR, SARTU, 2 FTS, 84 Sqn, 72 Sqn) both 'up front' and in the back and have worked with lots of former Wessex aircrew. Happy days.

 

Keep up the great work - nearly there!

Jon

 

 

Thanks Jon.  That would have been some visit indeed.  I've corrected the thread name - I always thought the Cove was where the attack occurred, I'm glad to have the correction.

 

15 hours ago, AliGauld said:

Excellently done so far,

Looking forward to the rest.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

Me too - some more progress below.  

 

13 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looks good,  there is certainly some interesting weathering to the main fuselage in that photo. 

Chris

It's an interesting finish Chris, it's not weathered very much but it looks like some adjustments were made the finish in preparation for operations.

 

Today's efforts were oriented around completing the finish and prepping for the decals.  I painted the roundels and letter codes as well as the anti-slip on the roof.  With those done, I applied the final gloss coat before the stickers.  I'll wait for a full cure and then give it a bit of a polish where I can and then begin on the stencils and other markings.  Current state of play as we close out the weekend in Aus...

 

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The placement of the X is a bit odd on the port side but this is where it was according to the photos.

 

Cheers.

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Mark,

 

All looks good - I think that kink in the fuselage exaggerates the placement of the X. All ist gut, as Uncle Helmut used to say,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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As another late arrival, I can say with conviction, the catch up was thoroughly worth while, with some very sensible modelling philosophy along the way. I like what you're doing with this Mark & even though mine when I come to it will be a somewhat smaller one, the issues you have dealt with can be just as applicable in the littler scale. I've enjoyed the journey to date. :)

Steve.

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3 hours ago, stevehnz said:

As another late arrival, I can say with conviction, the catch up was thoroughly worth while, with some very sensible modelling philosophy along the way. I like what you're doing with this Mark & even though mine when I come to it will be a somewhat smaller one, the issues you have dealt with can be just as applicable in the littler scale. I've enjoyed the journey to date. :)

Steve.

 

Very kind words Steve, thanks.

 

As some of you know, my favourite thing to do is obsess over study the photos of the real thing and then make an attempt at replicating what I see.  I've been obsessing over studying the port side of XT450.  While I realise this photo shows the airframe some time after its role in the Falklands I am working on the assumption - I know the dangers - that it doesn't look a lot different to how it did during the campaign.  My basis for that is the contemporaneous photo of the starboard is quite consistent with the photo of it at Port Pleasant in June 1982.

 

Some observations were made...

 

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In general, there's actually a dearth of stencils actually visible on the airframe and so Plan B actually doesn't come into play, at least on the port side.  Specific observations;

  1. There's the remnants of a stencil (in white, no less) there that corresponds with the Italeri directions
  2. The white line marking the lock position for the main rotor blades is visible with perhaps the hint of stencilled words (again, in white)
  3. There isn't anything there at all though Italeri shows a lot of stencilling either side of the tail split on the starboard side
  4. There's nothing there while Italeri shows a squadron crest in that location (there is one of the starboard side)
  5. These fire fighting direction sign show signs of overpaint - the Italeri decals are oversized but otherwise correct.  The vent(?) leading edge is painted white
  6. There are stencils of some sort on the gear legs, nothing from Italeri on this.

So, with that in mind I set to...

 

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That's all the decals I'm adding to the port side for now; however there are still some decals to apply around the cockpit windows - including the infamous "NO AND HOLD" but I'll need to wait before doing those until later in the process.  I will weather/overspray the white lettering on both the tail and just below the rotor head to match the photo above.  I'll also mask the fire direction signs on the engine cowling and give them a light overspray.  I plan to mask and paint the white leading edge to the vent and blend that in with the decal.  I also plan to tone down the yellow dashes around the windows.

 

I'm dealing with a little silvering on the S/N decal near the tail wheel but I've nearly beaten it as I type this - it's no longer as obvious as it is in the photo above.  

 

Oh, and this pic is a better representation of the true colour than the washed out photos a couple of posts up.

 

Tomorrow I'll obsess work on the starboard side.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

Edited by mark.au
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2 hours ago, mark.au said:

the Italeri decals are oversized

 

Most of Italeri's decals are horrendously oversized. They seem scaled more for 1/24 than 1/48

 

Stencil 1 in the middle of the transmission door was usually Lubricant symbols

Stencil 6 were metal ID plates riveted to the U/C legs.

 

The BM walkround section has both an RAF and a Navy Wessex which shows most of the stencil data quite nicely

 

Stencils on Wessex were as varied as you can get as far as I can tell.  If you slap NO STEP, NO PUSH, & NO HAND HOLD on any available surface you shouldn't be too far away :D

 

 

Something you may not have caught - The RAF paint a great big cashew nut shaped patch of non-slip paint around the cockpit access steps (see Bill's shot of Sunshine at the top of this page), but the Navy Wessex in the walkround only has small rectangles of non-slip around each of the steps.  From your shots above it looks like this may have been the style on XT450.  

 

DSCN0412.jpg

 

I should also mention that us crabs never let hydraulic oil drip like that on our aircraft.  Just sayin'   :D

 

 

 

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