Whirly Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Hello everybody, I'd like to enter my build of the immortal Bell helicopter, it will be finished as one of the many examples used by the Italian Air Force Helicopter School at Frosinone. The base kit is quite an hodgepodge because I had a started Italeri Sioux AH.1, where I robbed the engine, part of the tubular structure and both rotors to scratchbuild an AB47J. That is unfortunately a stalled project after the issue of the LF Model kit, but that's another story... Then I remembered I also had somewhere the horrendous Pavla short-run kit, so I thought I could try picking some of its useable parts and make a complete airframe. You can see here below the raw materials: in the last few days I assembled the cabin from the Italeri kit replacing some parts I had robbed for the AB47J and then I tackled the photoetched tailboom đ± The more I look at it, the more it seems a bad approach to remedy the coarseness of the Italeri kit, but in this case I had no choice. It is hopelessly flat and nearly impossible to assemble straight and true without bending some brace here and there. I hope it will get better once painted.   Thanks for looking!  9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Are you sure you shouldn't be entering this one in "Not in my Comfort Zone" instead?! Good luck! Â James 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 1 hour ago, 81-er said: Are you sure you shouldn't be entering this one in "Not in my Comfort Zone" instead?! Good luck!  James I agree, this is definitely out of my comfort zone: I always steered away from photoetchings, but this time there is no way out. Anyway, in this GB I will have more time to struggle and the deadline coincides with a club display where this helo is bound to be completed. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 That makes sense. Good luck! Â James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Whirly,  Good luck with your kit mash-up. Excellent choice of subject.  Welcome to the GB. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 This one sounds like what this GB is all about - diversity in a often untended region. Excellent and good luck!  Martin  1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 Welcome to the build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted June 20, 2023 Author Share Posted June 20, 2023 Thank you for the warm welcome, hope to keep the interest high. This is the tailboom supplied by Pavla, I managed to assemble it only with many applications of superglue and Mr.Surfacer to smooth the joints as best as I can. I'm sure a better result could be obtained through careful soldering, but this surely is not among my skills! Â Â Â The engine is very simplified and different from the Italeri one, especially the exhaust system: by pure luck, it seems more fitting to the AB-47G2, but there are so many possible configurations I'm not entirely sure which is more correct for my subject! Â Â The cockpit is all from the Italeri kit, with a couple of scratchbuilt additions for the missing parts. I'm relieved I'm not using anything from the Pavla kit here because it's really hard to find something useable, not to mention the yellowed vacuform bubble which is also beyond redemption. Â Â Thanks for looking! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 The frame of the tail is quite impressive regardless of how you got it to stay together. It's very tidily done. I'm liking the small details on the engine as well. And if you say there are so many possible variations that you can't be sure if it's right for your subject, that just means it's unlikely anyone can prove you wrong  James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted September 15, 2023 Author Share Posted September 15, 2023 (edited) You might think I have completely forgotten this build, it's only a matter of many other disturbing factors: concurrent builds, holidays, daily job, family, well... you know the story! Â Anyway, I'm making some progress because I can't miss the deadline. The engine is painted, note the pulley hanging in the sky: it's funny that Pavla at least points out in the instructions to add a plastic rod to connect the pulley to the engine block, while Italeri moulded it as it is. Â Â Â The airframe is painted and some details in the cabin have been already picked out. Â Â Thanks for looking! Edited September 15, 2023 by Whirly 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 Not into helo's myself but there is something about this Bell I find intriguing, most probably the lattice boom with a 'bubble' up front. Looking really nice.  Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 Thank you Stuart, I too think this helicopter is in a class of its own, both because it was so ubiquitous, that many of us got to know it in a way or another and because it is so different from any other flying machine with its naked structure and 'fishbowl' cockpit! Â Time for an update, despite the GB extension I still need to complete it for my local show! Â Some parts are painted International orange because of the training role in Helicopter Flying School for Aeronautica Militare Italiana. Â Â Then I added these details to the airframe, just the ventral fin still needing the serial number which I must find by myself. Â Â Thanks for looking! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 That's superbly done, even more impressive given how small it actually is  James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 Beautiful work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 A bit of colour, nice. Â Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 (edited) Thank you all for the positive comments!  I'm very happy because I managed to finish the model for my local show. Well, nearly finish đ There are still a couple of tricky things missing which prevents me from going straight to the gallery. Anyway I just wanted here to add a few words regarding the side doors. You'll notice how most of the training machines for the Italian Air Force had half sliding windows which are not provided in the kit:   To simulate them, I did a bit of simple scratchbuilding with thin plasticard.   Then I sprayed with silver all the parts and the 'frame' joining the bubble with the doors, located the window guides and frames on the doors with tiny amounts of super glue and finally retouched a bit the silver where there were voids, and here's the result:   Thanks for looking! Edited October 5, 2023 by Whirly corrected a typo 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 On 20/06/2023 at 14:00, Whirly said: Â Â Just that on its own would have got you a lifetime pass to the NMCZ GB club! Â The finished result is stunning too. Wonderful. Â Regards, Adrian 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted September 28, 2023 Author Share Posted September 28, 2023 15 hours ago, AdrianMF said: Just that on its own would have got you a lifetime pass to the NMCZ GB club!  The finished result is stunning too. Wonderful.  Regards, Adrian  Thank you Adrian, you are too kind! Actually the end result is not as good as it appear in these images, though I admit I had a feeling of accomplishment once all the bends were secured with super glue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted September 28, 2023 Share Posted September 28, 2023 Nice fix for the door, looks great. Â Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Lovely. I really like this little beauty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Your mastery of the photo etch is to be applauded. Â As Martin @RidgeRunner says, a lovely subject. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirly Posted October 5, 2023 Author Share Posted October 5, 2023 Wow, at last this is completed! You can see the images in the gallery: I managed to install the pink battery inside the tail structure, a really tricky operation which I stupidly procrastinated until the end, and repaired the front skid support which devilishly gave way just before I put the model on display at my local show. Â In the end I'm quite satisfied from the result and really appreciated your positive comments, thanks a lot! Â 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 That is a beautiful Bell. Just lovely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 You should be, that's a really lovely little build, well done! Â James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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