Westland Wessex. Bits, Various, for the use of. Transmission Deck & Cockpit set now added for 2024

[hendie]

I thought it prudent to update the original first post of this thread to save people having to hunt through multiple pages to find pricing, and other details. 

As new parts come online I will update this 1st post to include all the relevant details.

 

Please note that I will be updating the pricing as of 1st Jan, 2024. I'm trying to keep pricing fair, but also recognizing that it is taking a fair bit of effort and time to fulfill these orders - much more than I had anticipated. Even with the price increase I still believe these sets are good value for money. Where possible I try to throw in a few spares and some other small gizzits.

 

Set A:  The engine bay

 

• Gnome engines X2
• Lower bay firewall
• Upper bay firewall
• Battery tray
• Blue electrical box X2
• Reservoir (at least that's what I think it is)
• Exhaust X2
• Nose Door bulkhead

 

Set B:  the Other Greeblies

 

• Beetleback
• Cabin Bulkhead
• Cabin sliding door stop
• Fuel Filler caps x 2
• Loadmasters rail
• Rescue hoist & hook
• Nitesun, control box, & junction box
• SACRU
• Undercarriage strengthening plates x 2
• Wheel chocks x 4

 

 

Set C   The transmission area

 

• Reservoir (stbd)
• Main rotor head
• Main rotor gearbox
• Oil filter (stbd)
• MRGB torque link
• Winch hatch stop
• Reservoir (fwd bulkhead)
• Cooling fan
• Cooling fan pulley
• U Frame
• Rotor brake
• Crossbeam 

 

 

Set D   The cockpit

 

• Center console with fuel cocks etc.
• Rotor brake lever (2 supplied)
• Roof console
• Floor mounted servo valve (3 supplied) Fitted just forward of the cyclic control
• Rear bulkhead console with map light
• Pilot seats (2 supplied)   *** EDIT*** photos of the seats to be added later

 

 

 

I haven't written any instructions for installation as for the most part, it's self explanatory, but if you have any questions, post them here and I'll answer them

 

Pricing.  I've tried to keep things as simple as possible here.

 

WSX72 Set A            US$17.50

WSX72 Set B            US$17.50

WSX72 Set C            US$17.50

WSX72 Set D            US$12.00   (To be confirmed - test printing in progress)

 

I may offer just the main rotor gearbox and rotor head in 1:72 as a separate item. PM me if you are interested.

 

WSX48 Set A            US$20.00

WSX48 Set B            US$20.00

WSX48 Set C            US$20.00

WSX48 Set D            US$15.00

 

 

 

Postage and packing to the UK will be US$20 (about £16.50 of your British pounds at current rates). This will be unchanged for 2024 (unless USPS put their prices up)

This postage charge also works for the EU, but for other locations, I'll need to check and get back to you.

 

PM me with your requirements if you are interested and I'll get back to you. I won't take any payment until I've printed your order and it's ready to be mailed.

 

Hendie

 

 

 

======================================================================================

Original post starts here

 

As most of you may be aware, I have a bit of history with the Wessex and have built one or two on this forum.  Over the years I have amassed a number of solid models of Wessex bits, various.  Over that time I have made some of those parts available on my Shapeways store but have decided to now make them available via BM.  Shapeways prices have got out of hand recently and I can provide a much better deal for end users by printing those parts myself (provided the postage rates don't skyrocket again).  

At this stage I haven't decided on pricing yet but thought I should start this thread anyway in order to start showing what is going to be available in the way of Wessex sundries from Hendie's Haberdashery Hemporium.

Regarding scale, all of the parts will be available in 1/48 with some also available in 1/32, and some in 1/72 where possible. I have a full Italeri 1/48 Wessex in the stash along with bits of a 1/72 kit from the same manufacturer, so designing for those kits is no problem.  my Fly Wessex is in th dsiplay cabinet so it's impossible to take any worthwhile dimensions from that kit so any nw parts will need input from BM'ers with access to Fly's monstrosity.

Also undetermined at the moment is whether I should offer all parts individually or create sets of parts (much easier to manage from a "who gets what and how many of each" perspective).

 

This is a work in progress therefore I'm going to post a bunch of screenshots to show where everything is at present. As things develop, I'll update the thread to show which parts are available in which scales and post photos of the bare nekkid printed parts. I always try and be as accurate as I can when designing something but inevitably some compromise has to be made for scale effect (and sometimes, I just get things plain wrong!)

 

Lets begin with something simple - and a part that Italeri has never got right.  The cabin bulkhead.  This is shown with the fire extinguisher and crash axe.  They may be printed integrally with the bulkhead, or I may supply them as separate parts for ease of painting - not yet decided.

SCALE: 1/48 & 1/72

 

 

Next up is the molders nemesis, the Wessex Beetleback. Italeri made a right hash of this in both scales and if I remember correctly, Fly didn't do a great job of it either. As you can see in these shots, the vents are present (and as correct as I can get them given the scale)

SCALE: 1/48 & 1/72

 

 

A couple of gnomes for the Wessex enthusiast.  These will be parts of a larger set to include the firewalls (coming up next) .  Yes, one of the gnomes has the turbines rotating incorrectly - I've already fixed that but forgot to take a screenshot.  These look fairly good simply painted up but adding some home brewed piping will really make these things a focal point of a build.

SCALE: 1/32, 1/48, & 1/72

 

 

The firewall assembly. This will require some fettling to fit into Italeri's abomina  Wessex in 1/48, but a little care and attention with lots of dry fitting should see the job done.

I'm still working on that upper section with the electronics doobries

SCALE: 1/48

 

 

This is just a teaser shot to show the gnomes fitted into the firewall.  Busy, busy, busy.

 

 

Nose door interior. Once again this will require a decent bit of fettling and being honest, it's not the easiest part to fit - I'll show photos of my endeavours when I get a chance

 

 

Latches for the nose door

SCALE: 1/48

 

 

Nitesun.  This is proving to be a little bit of a challenge.  The actual design is easy - getting the scale to look right is causing me conniptions.  I got the dimensions right from the Nitesun website but when I scale it for 1/48 it looks tiny against Italeris 1/48 fuselage, but looks about right for 1/72 scale - based on comparing various photos. Input from the BM collective Wessex Gurus will be required on this one.

In 1/72 the mounting bracket is very fragile so that may become a separate part, or left for the modeler to manufacture, along with the tripod.

SCALE: 1/48, 1/72

 

 

Nitesun Junction Box

SCALE: 1/48, 1/72

 

 

Nitesun Control Box

SCALE: 1/48, 1/72

 

 

 

If you have had the misfortune so stumble across any of my Wessex threads, you will know that there's also a main rotor gearbox (MRGB), rotor head, tail rotor fittings, seamless exhausts, tail wheel casting, winch, and even a SACRU.  I shall add screenshots of those later and once I get everything printed I'll update the post with photos 

All feedback and suggestions welcomed

 

FYI - the last time I posted something to the UK (a few weeks ago) it cost in the region of $18 and change for a small parcel so I'd figure on about $20 for postage and packing.

 

 

 

[TheBaron]

No need to wish you luck with work of this quality Alan, it speaks for itself.

Superb.

[coneheadff]

Those are great news!!!

I have two Italeri kits and the Fly kit waiting.

 

Alex

[PDH]

Excellent, will watch/wait with great interest.

 

P

[Pete in Lincs]

What a great idea. To get around the postal prices, Do a link up with Tony and he can do the printing and (cheaper) posting. Delegation eh?

It's almost like a Star Trek replicator! (Except you can't print Tea, Earl grey, Hot).

[petetasker]

I’ll be watching too - very interested.

[hendie]

A little bit of an update though this is still in early stages, well most of it is.  A bunch of prints fell off the printer this morning so after a quick cure in the sun I splattered some primer over them in the hope of being able to take som photos that were in focus.  I was partially successful.

 

I'll start with something that's 99% done, the Beetleback.  This is the 1/48 scale version.  Remarkable it also prints in 1/72 and still retains the vents.

I've got this as accurate as I can given that it still has to fit the kit at the end of the day.  Which reminds me, I still ned to make the cutouts for those drain points at the forward edge.

 

 

It's Alive!   It fits!.   I should have included the Italeri version in this shot but as always, my mind was elsewhere. 

 

 

Next, the Nose door interior.  Italeri have made a right hash of molding this part as they always seem to do.  The number one rule in injection molding is uniform wall thickness and Italeri ignore it every time.  That makes it a real bugbear to try and get anything to fit on all available surfaces, unless it's made from plasticene.  This is still a work in progress and  I need to extend that central splitter plate so it touches the nose door at the bottom end.  This is an older test print as there's been a couple more doobries added to the bulkhead since this was originally printed.

 

 

Rescue Hoist and Nitesun. Definitely a work in progress for both of these. The rescue hoist needs reduced in size and the Nitesun increased in size (I think).  I must have been short on coffee the day I did these.

 

 

I did at least manage to get these bits right - the cabin forward bulkhead, complete with crash axe and fire extinguisher. Some of those rivets look a bit on the heavy side after priming so I may knock them back a tad on the next print so they're less obtrusive.

 

 

Now for the more exciting items - Engines n Stuff. This is 1/48 & 1/72 scale engine firewalls with some electrical bits n bobs. It should be easier to paint with the parts being separate, or at least for some of them.

This is a really poor photo - sorry.  What you can't really tell from this shot is that the upper bulkhead fits on top of the engine firewall and locates against two tabs at the rear. I've also included the gear shaft from the engine which should be visible through the exhaust port, so if you're really feeling up for a challenge, you can add wirelocking to those nuts on the inspection plate.

 

 

Assembled and in the process of test fitting, which explains why it's covered in dust and debris.  Those smaller parts mounted on the bulkhead  would be impossible to handle if they were individual items, so it made more sense to print them as integral to the bulkhead even though it makes painting a bit harder.

 

 

But does it all fit?   Well, with a little bit of fettling and a good shove here and there, yes.  FYI - almost everything on that bulkhead has been tweaked in one way or another since these were printed.  I've made the electrical boxes more square in aspect ratio and moved them lower on the bulkhead, likewise, most of the stuff on the stbd side has been repositioned, and a couple of strengthening channels added (I only spotted them on a photo today).  The battery shelf isn't fitted here - mainly because I forgot to, but it is printed and looks fine.

 

 

Those two sideways D shapes on the rear of the firewall are the Gnome location points - simply shove a gnome in like so...

 

 

In fact, why not shove in two? (apologies for the out of focus shot), but at least you can see there are rotors visible inside the oil tank casing

 

 

This shot is a bit clearer.  Look at how that plastic changes thickness around the nose. Someone needs to give Italeri a good slap. 

 

 

What about the gnomes themselves?  How did they turn out?   I can't say I'm disappointed with these. To be honest I'm rather surprised they turned out so well.

Here they are in all their glory, in 1/32, 1/48, & 1/72, with some bits in focus and some bits out of focus.  These were just roughly cleaned up and primed for the photos.  A real modeler would take a bit more care in the clean up stage. Probably in the painting stage too, come to think of it.

 

 

There we have todays installment of what hendie does in his spare time.  

At some point I shall need to take inventory of what has been designed, in what scale, and how it's all going to be packaged up, but that's a problem for another day

 

 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

Er, Permission to shout WOW! In a really loud annoying way? That all looks pretty much as I remember. Although it was a few years ago. 

[RAF4EVER]

3 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Er, Permission to shout WOW! In a really loud annoying way? That all looks pretty much as I remember. Although it was a few years ago. 

Last time I worked on a Wessex was 1983,but it is I remember it.

 

On the Front Bulkhead, no stowage for the Crewmans SLR?

[Pete in Lincs]

Ah yes. No camera phones in those days. 

[hendie]

4 hours ago, RAF4EVER said:

no stowage for the Crewmans SLR?

 

They let a Loady handle an SLR?  Are we talking the pointy thing that went bang or just plain old Sugar Loaded Rations?

 

I don't think I ever saw one fitted. Wouldn't that be held by a couple of straps?  If so, those would be better represented by the addition of some small strips of Tamiya tape.  Do you have any reference shots you can share?

 

 

 

[RAF4EVER]

The rifle, it was a bracket on the Front Bulkhead,it held the SLR in a horizontal position,this was for use in Northern Ireland. Was a Modification.

 

It was on the top above the Fire Extinguisher

 

Maybe @Pete in Lincs remembers them?

Edited July 4, 2023 by RAF4EVER

[Pete in Lincs]

3 hours ago, RAF4EVER said:

Maybe @Pete in Lincs remembers them?

Sorry, I can't say that I do. I can imagine what it must have looked like, but if it was for N I use then I imagine not all of 72's cabs would have had it fitted.

Or maybe it was removable and was part of a N I fit along with Nitesun etc. 

[RAF4EVER]

As far as I recall it was on all of 72's aircraft

[RAF4EVER]

Not sure they were on the Navy HU5, 845Sqdrn used to have 4 aircraft at Aldergrove, maybe @bootneck can shed some light on the situation

[Terry1954]

Well Alan, this development has cartainly got my interest, as the proud owner of "a few" unbuilt Italeri 1/72 Wessex. It could even tempt me to try my hand at a 1/48 example!

 

Great stuff.

 

Terry

 

[Head in the clouds.]

Great work Alan, where would we all be without good folks like yourself and others who do all this fine work for the greater good of us all and offer it to us all and cutting out the middle man. Knowing that work like this is out there filling a corner that others will never tackle keeps the tradition of the 'cottage industry' alive and well.

 

That Beetleback is exquisite and is almost driving me to tackle a Wessex kit, in fact, there is one I still want to build.

 

Cheers

Gary.

[bootneck]

11 hours ago, Head in the clouds. said:

That Beetleback is exquisite and is almost driving me to tackle a Wessex kit, in fact, there is one I still want to build.

Only one?

 

Mike

[Head in the clouds.]

7 hours ago, bootneck said:

Only one?

You know how this hobby rolls Mike, one picture or thread of research and that could balloon to many, much like my stash.😉

[bootneck]

I agree, the sight of an image and my mind goes racing off "I'd like to build that" and the Wessex is very much about that.  Being a former bootie, I spent much of my time in and out of Wessexesez(s), even managed to wangle two postings to Junglie Wessex squadrons,  and it became my favourite aircraft.   That's my excuse but what's yours Gary, for only one Wessex? 

 

Mike

[Grizzly]

How about a sonar ,frame work ,radar& sonar instruments, rear crew seats. For the AsW 3.

[bootneck]

I've got the dimensions Alan:

 

 

 

 

 

I took a load of internal photos and placed them in the Walkaround Section

 

Cheers,

Mike

[RAF4EVER]

@bootneck

 

Do you have any details of the Crewmans SLR stowage on the Cabin Front Bulkhead, it was fitted on 72 Sqdn Wessex 2, am not sure it was fitted on Wessex 5, I know 845 Sqdn and possibly 846 Sqdn had Wessex 5, QTY 4, at Aldergrove.

[hendie]

On 7/6/2023 at 3:15 PM, Grizzly said:

How about a sonar ,frame work ,radar& sonar instruments, rear crew seats. For the AsW 3.

On 7/6/2023 at 3:57 PM, bootneck said:

I've got the dimensions Alan:

On 7/6/2023 at 3:57 PM, bootneck said:

 

I took a load of internal photos

 

Interesting.  However, for the moment I'm going to concentrate on finishing (or at least trying to) what has already been started.  I just spent another couple of hours this week adding more detail to the engine bay firewall and bulkheads. Th problem is that I keep noticing bits and pieces and think "oh, I can add that".  There comes a point at which I have to say stop!  I think I have reached it with regards to detailing the engine bay. Now I just need to concentrate on getting a good print with the least amount of supports... I think I'm almost there.  I have decided not to include the two upper electrical compartments although I've left the design such that anyone wanting to do those can easily continue and have a field day in there. 

 

I'm assuming that anyone wanting to buy this set would be building the kit with engine bay completely exposed, or with at least one door open.  Is this a correct assumption?

That means you lose Italeri's mounting flange for the exhausts, so I'd need to design exhausts that can be fitted without that engine door in place.  

This photo from one of my earlier Wessex builds illustrates the issue

 

 

I think Set A (1:48 scale) will be the front end stuff, i.e. 2 x Gnomes, the engine firewall, bulkhead, and nose door insert.  I can (and have) scaled that down to 1:72 but the problem I have is that I do not have 1:72 scale Wessex to test for fit.  I have bits of a Wessex, but I usd the front end on my last Wessex kitbash, and the cheapest (italeri Wessex) I can find on ebay is currently around $50. Nope, not gonna pay that. So for the moment I have no way of testing the 1:72 set against a real kit.

Set B will be the anything behind the engines such as: Beetleback, winch, cabin door stop, SACRU, cabin bulkhead, and some other bits - to be determined. (maybe Nitesun, chocks, monkey rail, and ???)

 

Once I have all that sorted out I can look seriously at the Sonar stuff to see if it's doable.  I don't see a tube diameter listed up above, but assuming the tube is 1" or 25mm, at 1:48 scale those tubes would be 0.52mm in diameter, and only 0.35mm in diameter at 1:72.  That makes for a very fragile assembly.  The other cabin hardware is no problem but it may not be possible to reproduce the gangly framework at a scale diameter and I might have to resort to a few tricks and upsizing a piece or two to make the part strong enough so it can actually be handled. 

 

 

 

 

[71chally]

Absolutely incredible work Hendie!