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Westland Wasp HAS 1: 'Ambuscade Flight: XT778'


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3 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

According to an online calculator multiply by 0.75% to go from 1/24 down to 1/32

 

Maybe someone else can confirm??

 

Yep. 

 

To get the scale ratio from one scale to another (i.e. FROM 1/24, TO 1/32) you do the following:

 

FROM/TO (In this case, 24/32 = 0.75). Therefore, scale the CAD model by 0.75 to get it to 1/32.

 

On the subject of scales... I'd love to see this in 1/48 😉

 

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On 11/29/2022 at 12:29 PM, TheBaron said:

many components such as gearbox and engine elements are still  averaging about 200 or so drawings each

 

Ok so.  How many sketches have there been in total so far? Wot about extrudes, lofts, revolves et al?  An approximation will suffice :devil: (a mind boggling no. - obvs.)

 

On 11/29/2022 at 12:29 PM, TheBaron said:

opump_feedjun_stbd

 

Feersum Endjinn? Altho’ I think that may have been used already… ;)

 

On 11/29/2022 at 12:29 PM, TheBaron said:

I find myself puzzling out a particular structure on the Wasp and not infrequently sensing the unrecorded ghosts of those responsible for the nature of the original designs, feeling my way around the decisions they took and the constraints which they faced.

 

Not constrained by any considerations of aesthetics so far as I can see :whistle: 


Continues to be ‘best in show’, Tony

 

Edited by Fritag
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Getting much colder here the last couple of days so that the 'intermediate woollen blend' socks have been deployed in teams of two.

 

Whatever 'intermediate woollen' means - is that like 'we're fairly confident it was a sheep' ?

 

Anyway, let's see what the smart set are wearing this season:

On 29/11/2022 at 13:55, AdrianMF said:

Sadly, even in software, the construction on anything non-trivial always ends up with compromises and unwanted bends in the pipework!

You don't work for Adobe do you Adrian? :hmmm::laugh:

 

On 29/11/2022 at 14:16, Serkan Sen said:

Your work is awesome Tony! But I am afraid you will have to print all the parts in 1:1 scale to capture the details you are modelling...

Deeply kind of you Serkan.  😁

And yes, I tremble to think of the lake of resin which this will devour....!

On 29/11/2022 at 14:41, Navy Bird said:

I can understand that. After all, look at all those flying buttresses holding up your 3D printed parts. 

:rofl:

From now on a gargoyle on every support structure and the parts aligned E-W in the box....

On 29/11/2022 at 19:40, keefr22 said:

so far this is merely a moment in time compared to the geological epoch that resulted in the best two model Sea Vixens. Ever...!!

You are a very kind man Keith.

I've the next run of Vixens on printing in the background as we speak and have to get the vacformer out at the weekend to huff some more canopies into shape. The Saturn 2 printer I got back in September has certainly  made a huge difference in terms of quality and workflow speed compared to what I used to produce those two builds I did myself at what you say was a geological rate!

13 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

You're not teasing me are you??? LOL

Now, would I do that to you Anthony? :laugh:

 

1/32 may well provide the best compromise in terms of retaining maximum detail/strength on a helicopter model with this singular suite of features. Having done a couple of test-reductions last evening to examine implications of scale, shrinking the Wasp down as far as 1/48 will I'm afraid wipe out too much of the the design work which has gone into this already - in terms of both resin and brass features. Even if I had a lot of time to commit, that's not in all honesty a process which holds much appeal.

 

Much of the unsupported pipework around the underside of that Nimbus won't reproduce in terms of structural strength as resin at 1/32 of course, but with an accurate core of printed features there would for example be plenty of scope (I won't necessarily use the word 'fun'! 😁) for custom work with plastic/metal tube and wire of the quality which you're routinely bringing to that Phantom anyway.

 

I won't raise any hopes falsely at this early stage in proceedings; there are simply still too many variables and unforseen future issues that require careful examination before I have enough information to make a realistic decision about turning this into a 1/32 kit, at least one which  I'd consider of a good enough quality and depth to share with / inflict upon others. That said, I know this helicopter enjoys enormous affection in the aviation and modelling communities, so it would be pleasant to help sustain that enthusiasm.

 

Stay tuned is all I can say right now! :thumbsup2:

13 hours ago, CedB said:

That is a great site Ced - thank you!

10 hours ago, wellsprop said:

To get the scale ratio from one scale to another (i.e. FROM 1/24, TO 1/32) you do the following:

 

FROM/TO (In this case, 24/32 = 0.75). Therefore, scale the CAD model by 0.75 to get it to 1/32.

Even I could understand that Ben! :thanks:

(Sorry for the dispiriting vibes about 1/48 my friend)

6 hours ago, Fritag said:

Ok so.  How many sketches have there been in total so far? Wot about extrudes, lofts, revolves et al?  An approximation will suffice :devil: (a mind boggling no. - obvs.)

1,622 sketches Steve... :laugh:

(That's the 'nervous laugh' emoji by the way, used only when you suspect this will only be a fraction of the total.)

6 hours ago, Fritag said:

Feersum Endjinn? Altho’ I think that may have been used already…

Ey, he mentioned 'the Scottish novelist'... 😁

Blackadder-Actors-Macbeth_t720.jpg?5755a55b677da5dfc6c8e05d88cfbaffe8abac5c

6 hours ago, Fritag said:

Not constrained by any considerations of aesthetics so far as I can see

:rofl:

You should see what happened when I typed 'Wasp helicopter' into an AI image engine recently!

52527656804_ed9ecdc568.jpg

Lovely bodywork but hard to to believe that having the tail rotor built into the skid never took off as an idea isn't it? :blink2:

 

Progress being made on coding up the Tube map for printing and assembly purposes:

52533730610_2c6c0d70bd_b.jpg

All clear except on the District line at Earl's Court where a busker with an acoustic guitar is being attacked by a swan on Plat. 2. This is by public request.

 

Basic idea here is that:

a) I'll remember which pipe is which later on.

b) To indicate which pipes/pumps should be printed as a single unit (intervening distances permitting).

c) Wasp must look fabulosa!

 

I want to try and  CAD up some kind of cage with thin sacrificial planes built across it at angles in order to hold many of those pipes in position during printing, but from which they can be cut free afterwards for assembly with a limited capacity for breakage. It might be an impossible ask to achieve entirely but...well. you have to ask don't you to find out?

 

Updating the .stl parts library bit-by-bit as well and particularly impatient to see how sections like the front of the reduction gearbox will turn out:

52533256671_ec77d7933a_b.jpg

Things'll proceed on like this for while whilst I organize the housekeeping in advance of the next wave of activity around the engine deck.

 

Now that you mention it, yes I do have a picture of Mars rising above the local sports ground. If I'm not mistaken that streak in the lower centre part of the sky is actually  @Martian returning from a visit to his homeworld...

52534829220_abd26a56b7_b.jpg

Up until recently I've never bothered messing around with the long exposure photography on a smartphone but have to admit that propping one up against the fence for 30 seconds the other night  to get this rather surprised me at how far they've come on: still way too much colour noise but then it is only a cheap Xaomi job.

 

If anyone else has photos of forum members re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, please feel free to share.

 

Horlicks tonight I think.

:bye:

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

If I'm not mistaken that streak in the lower centre part of the sky is actually  @Martian returning from a visit to his homeworld...

 

Or... he got a helluva fright on the way up!

 

 

Scale? I would simply have scaled the model up by a factor of 24, then scaled it down again by 1/32 but I'm a bit slow when it comes to sums. 

 

 

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On 12/1/2022 at 10:48 AM, TheBaron said:

Much of the unsupported pipework around the underside of that Nimbus won't reproduce in terms of structural strength as resin at 1/32 of course, but with an accurate core of printed features there would for example be plenty of scope (I won't necessarily use the word 'fun'! 😁) for custom work with plastic/metal tube and wire of the quality which you're routinely bringing to that Phantom anyway.

 

I won't raise any hopes falsely at this early stage in proceedings; there are simply still too many variables and unforseen future issues that require careful examination before I have enough information to make a realistic decision about turning this into a 1/32 kit, at least one which  I'd consider of a good enough quality and depth to share with / inflict upon others. That said, I know this helicopter enjoys enormous affection in the aviation and modelling communities, so it would be pleasant to help sustain that enthusiasm.

 

Stay tuned is all I can say right now! :thumbsup2:

Totally understand.... I will wait and appreciate any decision you make.  I think there might be a couple interested in this (in full, or part kit form), either way not for the feint of heart.  

 

In the meantime, I must get back to my Fg.1!

Keep up the awesomeness your fan club loves what you do.

 

Cheers Anthony

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Opportunity and energy levels have had this thread in abeyance for the past while I'm afraid, to the point where it took me a day or so to work out what I'd done last! For the same reasons I haven't gotten round to your own updates in a while so will rectify this in coming days too.

 

Never having been there before I found myself in Killarney at the start of the week with Mrs. B for an event and found the place utterly charming; lots of dark irregular laneways spangled with Christmas lights and some fantastic seafood courtesy of Cronin's restaurant. I hadn't realized just how close the mountains were that ring the city - aided by strong tea there was the sheer pleasure of watching the city wake up from our hotel room window as the dawn clouds rolled down from the hills:

52554199917_0a8c834d24_b.jpg

Only a night there but enough to want to go back.

 

At this stage I'm geting rather sick of the whole oil system for the Nimbus: it's such a sprawling tracery around the main core of that Nimbus that I'm convinced Bristol Siddeley missed a trick not naming the engine Laocoön instead:

 

800px-Laocoon_Pio-Clementino_Inv1059-1064-1067.jpg

You'll know yourself that there is always a genuine temptation at such times to pick up a different job for variety's sake and tell yourself you'll come back to this part later: I'm pretty sure if I did that in this instance though I'd simply lose the mental map  of the oil system and lack the enthusiasm to recover its details later on.

 

Nose to the grindstone then and picking up at the oil pipe which runs from this output into the junction of the oil cooler:

52554178857_0afd619e36_b.jpg

It seemed to be such a straightforward run that I wondered why I hadn't simply added it in last time but then I remembered that there are some components bolted to that side of the compressor casing that it has to angle around to avoid. If I borrow this image  you can see what I mean:

nimbus6.jpg

Image credit: Nye Thermodynamics

Of the two compnents concerned, the lower of the one is an 'inlet guide vane actuator' whilst tucked directly above it the air filter for same. The actuator turned out to be a quite horrible mixture of lumps and bumps and protrusions:

52554639996_08161b27d9_b.jpg

- with the airf filter not far behind in the 'most irksome' category:

52554640031_844ce929bc_b.jpg

Part of the problem with jobs of this kind is not just the obvious of getting things to look appear as a reasonable representation of the part concerend, but also making sure youre designs incorporate a way of realistically joining all the parts together as physical entitities later on. Bristol Siddeley's approach on these occasions (much like the fuel filter over on the stbd side) seems to have been 'we'll just bolt it to a bit of folded sheet steel and job done lads', so this is my brass PE interpretation of their effort in this instance:

52555109775_014b33f060_b.jpg

Aside from the slots to allow the parts to be correctly registered in relation to one another, I did some fancy-schmancy design work on that rear folded section that slots into the compressor casing so that the front section folds downward to meet it at the correct (non 90 degree) angle. With that sorted out I wcould then mount the parts and build the pipe run around them:

52554178892_fa3fe113a3_b.jpg

Pipes...pipes...

52554930359_c988669a3c_b.jpg

It's bloody pipes all the way down....

52555174523_d00b7235e8_b.jpg

Outside of a few more runs of pipework up front associated with the main rotor gearbox there's a nasty looking bunch spidering round between the exhausts at the rear but if I have a good crack at it over the course of the next week I'd like to think that can be the oil system finished with.

 

Doubtless very cold where many of you are tonight but last evening here there were Lovecraftian phantoms rearing into view from the Western horizon:

52554648756_c4a2fc500e_b.jpg

Looking over toward the Atlantic from our house there's a peculiar apricot quality to the post-sunset sky that is at its most intense at this time of year, an almost spectral quality to the reamining illumination which silhouettes any rising storm cells in quite dramatic fashion.

 

I hope this finds you  warm and content tonight.

:bye:

Tony

 

 

 

 

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I absolutely hear you when it comes to wanting to do something different and the mental maps you create. It was like that for me on my Phantom with the lower aux interior structure but I wish I’d stayed and finished it as now I’ve come back I haven’t a clue and have to start again….”wise man stick with tricky jobs“ ( in my best karate kid wise man voice lol)

Beautiful progress as always. This is a piece of art just in itself 

love the update and the way you entertain at the same time 

Cheers my friend 

Anthony

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48 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

Never having been there before I found myself in Killarney

 

In a previous life, first wife and I took a family holiday in the area known as the Ring of Kerry. Killarney was, as I recall. a very enchanting place, as were the other parts we visited on that wonderful holiday. Must take the current Mrs T there one day.......

 

46 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Impressive as always.

 

Totally agree with Pete.

 

T.

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12 hours ago, TheBaron said:

 

52555174523_d00b7235e8_b.jpg

 

I'm sure I had a screensaver that looked like that...

 

Been following this thread from the start (lurking) and I don't understand half of what's going on. 

What I do understand is there is a complex process going to to make sure everything is represented and printable. 

Now imagine doing all this design work, and then engraving it into two blocks of steel in such a manner that all the bits come out when the blocks are pulled apart after squirting in molten plastic.

Staggering.

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Impressive pipework, Tony! :worthy:  :worthy:

 

Are you sure you are not building a particles accelerator for nuclear fusion? Call that modelling...  :frantic:

 

:rofl:

 

Ps: snow here, but only on the mountains, albeit at low altitudes 

 

Ciao 

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Brass simians ain't it?

Our youngest drove us down to the village first thing this morning to get the tyres on Mrs. B's car sorted  and this was the scene at the back of Fergus' yard:

52559810213_9acb387fec_b.jpg

The lake behind the yard well-frozen-in at this stage and a weirdly agricultural S&M vibe from tractor tyres...

 

Telegrams first (Sam):

On 10/12/2022 at 18:37, Pete in Lincs said:

We'll not mention Danny Boy then,....

Oooh you're good! :rofl2:

On 10/12/2022 at 18:37, Pete in Lincs said:

You climbed back into the saddle though.

One simply has to wiv an audience of this quality Peter. 😁

On 10/12/2022 at 19:15, Anthony in NZ said:

I absolutely hear you when it comes to wanting to do something different and the mental maps you create. It was like that for me on my Phantom with the lower aux interior structure but I wish I’d stayed and finished it as now I’ve come back I haven’t a clue and have to start again….”wise man stick with tricky jobs“ ( in my best karate kid wise man voice lol)

😄 It's a tough old station this modelling lark isn't it?. Clearly there are lots of of us around Anthony who unconsciusly believe: 'Life's not complicated enough already - I need an abstruse and obsessive activity to keep me out of trouble....' 

On 10/12/2022 at 19:15, Anthony in NZ said:

Cheers my friend 

You are most welcome. :thumbsup2:

On 10/12/2022 at 19:24, Terry1954 said:

In a previous life, first wife and I took a family holiday in the area known as the Ring of Kerry. Killarney was, as I recall. a very enchanting place, as were the other parts we visited on that wonderful holiday. Must take the current Mrs T there one day.......

Pretty sure she'd find it enjoyable Terry. :thumbsup2: Often too busy in the summer to make touring around a completely enjoyable experience but one of those places that has a singular charm in the Autumn/Winter months.

On 11/12/2022 at 07:01, Bigdave22014 said:

I'm sure I had a screensaver that looked like that...

🤣 Brilliant!

On 11/12/2022 at 07:01, Bigdave22014 said:

Now imagine doing all this design work, and then engraving it into two blocks of steel in such a manner that all the bits come out when the blocks are pulled apart after squirting in molten plastic.

Am willing to be corrupted by corporate money if needs be Dave.... 😁

(Thanks for your kind sentiments). :thumbsup2:

On 11/12/2022 at 10:11, bigbadbadge said:

Bloomin cold here, but looking forward to hopefully getting some snow down hear in the South East.

Saw in the news that you had a tad of the white stuff this morning down in that corner of the world Chris.

Hope you didn't have to go out too far afield in it?

On 11/12/2022 at 11:31, giemme said:

Impressive pipework, Tony!

It's why I have such an angelic* singing voice Giorgio! :rofl:

*If Tom Waits was a particularly laryngitic and atonal angel...

On 11/12/2022 at 11:31, giemme said:

snow here, but only on the mountains, albeit at low altitudes 

🎼 'It's beginning to look a lot like Chistmas' 🎶 😄

 

Almost have the oil system completed now - at least in terms of what can reproduced in printed resin form. I've been using 0.45mm ⌀ as a minimum value for all those oil pipes that I think it might be possible to get away with as a viable solution in terms of strength and flexibility. A good few of the pipes are thicker than this of course but I'm prepared for the eventuality that some of the smaller ones may not work out in printed form due to their length and fragility: it's just one of those situations where you have to see how far you can push a process and adapt accordingly if it doesn't work out.

 

If nothing else, it will provide a data point for others working in similar situations.

 

The last main engine-oil run involves getting from this feature at the rear of the oil tank here:

52559259931_53f096c1b9_b.jpg

 - back as far as these holes in the top of the distribution block above the torquemeter inside the exhaust fork:

52559259911_51e2320bd8_b.jpg

You can see below that two pipes run back from that distribution block at the rear of the oil tank:

52559807768_75c12809a9_b.jpg

 - the top one leading to an oil stariner fitting on top of the turbine casing:

52559807778_42f31b1924_b.jpg

 - with its counterpart snaking back and down between the exhausts:

52558810782_e852665e8c_b.jpg

Prematurely congratulating myself on getting that done I promptly noticed on the schematic an additional and more complicated run leading down fro mthe forward block to oil pump #1  🙄:

52559259856_8a03879987_b.jpg

Although there are one or two more bits of oily-pipery around that front region of the Nimbus, these appear so well concealed in photographs that I'm not going to turn this into a joyless piece of pedantry and reproduce everything - partly to avoid tedium but primarily because I feel at this stage that the oil system has actually gotten to the limits of being a buildable set of physical features later on. In terms of pipework up at the rear that is just too narrow in diameter for printing, I've created a series of mounting holes in various features in order to reproduce  narrower pipework from 0.2/0.3mm wire and rod during assembly. Same goes for wiring up the thermocouples above and below the exhaust outlets:

52559807818_8605358e6d_b.jpg

Anyway, here's  the oil system for the engine in printed form, coded as integrated components for print output:

52558810812_80c8d3b36c_b.jpg

And this is how they'll  evenlop the engine:

52558810857_c7fdd56701_b.jpg

A couple of more mouting points for oil pipes to add to the rear and then it's on to the MRGB to add the remaining oil feeds/returns to the (currently missing) upper transmission section which all those lovely spider arms and compnsator rods stick out of:

52559731045_ce623f991a_b.jpg

The 1964 Flight article has a decent graphic of what will be the next feature to undertake:

52559104752_0011264b9f.jpg

Speaking of spiders - the local population thinking it's funny to mock my pipework....

52559728795_decbc06de3_b.jpg

Hot water bottles all round tonight I reckon.

Stay safe friends.

:bye:

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I don't have much to add except that the usual brilliance and attention to entail is on display once again Tony.

 

The Nimbus and associated spaghetti network is worth a display model in its own right I reckon.  At 1/24 it should be big enough to hold its own.

 

 

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13 hours ago, hendie said:

The Nimbus and associated spaghetti network is worth a display model in its own right I reckon

Agreed - like most of the Vixen build sub-assemblies. I will add. :clap:

 

Ciao

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I've had the Lurgi (Flu) since Friday. So much for Flu and Covid jabs two weeks ago! So yesterday I was messing around with Mp3 music for my commutes.

(Yes, I still use it as Radio nowadays (aside from Popmaster) is fairly dreadful and full of adverts for things/people/music that do not interest me in the slightest).

Anyway, it set me thinking, Mp3 as I understand it, ignores the bits that aren't there and just stores the noise.

So. I imagine your design/printer programmes do much the same? Otherwise they'd be full of empty spatial measurements? That would slow things down.

It amazes me that they got to the Moon on the computing capacity of a calculator. And here we are producing fine art from thin air using something that

only Isaac Asimov and a few others had imagined. Ever looked at a picture of an oil refinery/chemical plant & wondered how they figured it out?

Just my ramblings. I'm a physical sort of techie, A this bit bolts to that bit and don't forget the gasket type. 

The Flu is dwindling, So back to work tomorrow, serving the thirsty and presently sober of Lincolnshire.

I think you've about done your bit for pipery. Shame they can't be printed in different colours as above (or can they?) And, ignore the spiders. Sarky little Gits.

17 hours ago, TheBaron said:

In terms of pipework up at the rear that is just too narrow in diameter

We'd best ignore that one as well...

Love that picture of the frosty tyres. I saw a picture form an old Pirelli calendar last week*. this has the same feel to it. Picture of the Month! Congrats. 

Take care all, happy modelling/printing/Crimbo. Pete

*It was a topless Citoen DS. With a lady, who was also in a similar condition. Obviously. Hanging in a posh pubs Gents. No one has complained. Go figure.

 

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