Martian's Choppers

[Pete in Lincs]

I have been known to go off people you know 😉

[Martian]

2 hours ago, LorenSharp said:

Martian, I thought that WAS Pete whinging.

Clearly you have never heard a Pete-in-Lincs whinge. He has been known go on complaining for days on end with every sentence interspersed with some very loud and plaintive raspberries. Not for the faint hearted"

 

Cautionary of Mars 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

I blame the medication and Tamiya extra thin 🍼 And I have been instructed to say that @general melchett is not to blame in any way at all. Ahem

[corsaircorp]

 Goobledeebloob ???

CC

[MOK61]

On 01/04/2025 at 09:07, heloman1 said:

Hi Alf, we used to get some tasty continental beers down here at the bottom of Africa. Sadly, no longer! However, all is not lost, as across the road from the estate where we live, a micro brewery opened last year. Six good quality ales and draft gin for the ladies...

 

Colin

"Beer for the lads and fruit based drinks for the ladies. That's the rule!" as the excellent military historian and stand up comic Al Murray would say.

 

Murray  (sadly, no relation)

[Martian]

13 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

 Goobledeebloob ???

CC

Ah! so that's the language you speak. No wonder Bletchley Park get confused. I think this is the chap you need to speak to:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiPbkVlJkKQ

 

Helpful of Mars 👽

[corsaircorp]

1 hour ago, Martian said:

Ah! so that's the language you speak. No wonder Bletchley Park get confused. I think this is the chap you need to speak to:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiPbkVlJkKQ

 

Helpful of Mars 👽

Him too, Now I want to hear our distinguished @general melchett saying that Gobbledeegook thing....

Sincerely.

Alf

[general melchett]

CC/Alf, my particular form of gobblyjook originates from a different dialect to that spoken by the likes of Baldrick and yourself, being formed from an amalgam of ancient Pish, Double-Dutch and Regency Tommyrot. Baldrick, in particular, has perfected a localised form of Olde English Twaddle, personalised with a smattering of East-End Piffle and Tyneside Tosh. Yet, miraculously he is somehow able to communicate…

[Martian]

So, banter aside, I have been a busy Alien. @Terry1954 gave me the heads upon the existence of a 3D printing marketplace on BM, something I had been blissfully unaware of. See what you miss if you don't pay attention.

 

Anyway, a quick perusal of the said forum revealed that @hendie is marketing a detail set for the Wessex HAS.3. A  set was duly obtained and at this point Hendie deserves a mahoosive shout out. The parts arrived within the week and were so well packed that they were able to withstand the combined attention of the US Postal Service and Royal Fail. As will be seen over the progress of this thread, the quality of the parts is second  to none. Hendie was also kind enough to donate some spare Wasp/Scout parts to the project. Hendie, youare promoted to the status of "Top Earthling"!

 

It was clear that there would need to be some modifications to the Italeri HAS.3kit for the sonar suite to fit properly. The solid part of the underside fuselage panel was opened up and lined with plastic card.

 

 

For some reason, I found it easier to scratch build a new cabin floor. No big deal as the detail supplied in the kit is both raised and way over scale. The "pit head" for the winch had its base measured very carefully and a corresponding hole cut in the cabin floor:

 

 

 

Italeri seem to have done half a job on the flight deck floor, with holes opening up into the centre console and parts of the ducting for the rotor driveshaft missing its sound proof quilting. The roof was missing the trunking for the tail rotor shaft so one of these was scratch built and quilted in the same was as I did on the HAS.1.

 

 

Hendie provides a replacement rear to the rotor housing which, as can be seen is an amazingly good fit:

 

 

This raises the interesting question as to whether the rather nice Italeri part can be made to fit the Revell kit? It I can do it, it will significantly improve the look of that build.

 

I was quietly pleased that my attempts to improve the nose of the Revell kit ended up very close in shape to the nose of the Italeri offering. The camera angle  seems to show both noses as being shorter than they are in the flesh. I will ask Lady Martian to do some better pictures for us in due course.

 

 

 

 

 

Hendie has agreed to sell me some extra cabin seats for use in the HAS.1 build. This will save a very tedious scratch build job, it was a right pain when I had do soon my SH-34 build a few years ago. The airframe structure is anaemic at best in the cabin and has been ground away pending replacement with something more suitable. I find building airframe structures very therapeutic so no problem there.

 

Where to next? I might actually get the Airfix Sea King HC.4 underway at last as I have wanted to build a state of the art kit for some while now and it will provide a good diversion from the heavy workload on the Wessex, particularly the HAS.1. Not sure when that will be though as. here at Martian's Towers we are preparing for Thursday's "State Visit" of @general melchett and Lady Melchett.

 

Did you see what I did there? I wrote a long and sensible post! 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

[Terry1954]

Well at least you were paying attention to me.

When I mentioned those superb bits of @hendie's, I could have sworn you were just nodding politely whilst munching on Andy's biscuits. (steady @CedB)

 

I have some of Alan's 1/72 Wessex bits, and they are the biz.

 

These two are coming on a treat Martian and I am seriously looking forward to you tackling the new 1/48 Airfix sea King HC.4

 

T.

[hendie]

50 minutes ago, Martian said:

It was clear that there would need to be some modifications to the Italeri HAS.3kit for the sonar suite to fit properly.

 

Instructions for that set can be downloaded from this link on Scalemates

 

FYI I've also been adding instruction sheets for my other sets on Scalemates (as time allows).

 

Pleased to hear you like the parts Martian.

 

 

 

 

[Martian]

2 hours ago, hendie said:

 

Instructions for that set can be downloaded from this link on Scalemates

 

FYI I've also been adding instruction sheets for my other sets on Scalemates (as time allows).

 

Pleased to hear you like the parts Martian.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Hendie. They will be of great help. I have already had a look at them and they do make things a lot clearer.

Instructions eh? You know they may just catch on!

 

On the subject of instructions, don't rely on the Revell ones; they are even worse than the plastic parts in the kit. In fact, they are even worse than Dragon instructions, if you can imagine such a case of affairs!

 

Martian 👽

[Martian]

OK, the verdict is in. After much fettling and alien swear words that would make a Vogon blush, The Italeri rear decking part can be made to fit the Revell kit. Admittedly, the procedure might have been easier had I known from the start that I was going to be doing this. Anyway, here's what she looks like. I think it is a great improvement over the kit supplied part.

 

 

Not a very good picture but the following illustrates better how close I have managed to get the two noses.

 

 

I other news, Lady Martian has appointed herself official photographer to my builds; a relief all round I suspect! More distressingly, another Revell Wessex has been found in the stash. It seems to be missing its clear sprue though so I have kind of got an excuse for not building it. It isa first issue of the kit though which is moulded in much better quality plastic so if I can get round the transparency issue, you never know A SAR chopper could be on the cards.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Martian 👽

[Brandy]

So that's what I get for going on vacation - I completely missed this thread of inter-galactic insanity and multiple choppers being beaten into shape all at once. I'm sure there's probably a web page for that, but I think Martian's thread is safer. How often can that be said?

Lots of lovely white bits too! Beer ordered.....

 

Ian

[Martian]

1 hour ago, Brandy said:

 I think Martian's thread is safer.

 

Ian

Words you may come to regret Ian! Still, it's nice to have another of the "Usual Suspects" on board and I am sure that we are all looking forward to your inevitable contributions to the insanity of a Martian thread, especially as my last couple of posts have been rather sensible. Fret ye not everyone, I have already given myself a stiff talking toon that front.

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

Just to publicize my alibi. I was South of Leicester all last week, and Hinckley model show on Sunday (I have witnesseses). So whatever comes to light, it wasn't me. 

Totally innocent and pure of Lincs

[Martian]

12 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Totally innocent and pure of Lincs

Shall we run that statement past Mrs Pete-in-Lincs for a fact check?

 

Martian 👽

[Pete in Lincs]

You cad! 

[Martian]

11 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

You cad! 

It's a fair cop!

 

Martian von Guilty as Charged 👽

[heloman1]

Well done with the nose job Martin. I think Revell were hoping everyone would accept the H-34 nose as being close enough.

I managed to snaffle a boxing with the Queens Flight decals but with, I have finished my three current Wessex builds (se the Green Parrot, elsewhere in these pages), I think I may well have run out of energy on them! My HAR Mk2 is stalled as is an HU Mk 5 late version.

 

Colin

[Martian]

12 hours ago, heloman1 said:

Well done with the nose job Martin. I think Revell were hoping everyone would accept the H-34 nose as being close enough.

I managed to snaffle a boxing with the Queens Flight decals but with, I have finished my three current Wessex builds (se the Green Parrot, elsewhere in these pages), I think I may well have run out of energy on them! My HAR Mk2 is stalled as is an HU Mk 5 late version.

 

Colin

Thanks Colin, actually, I'm nor sure what Revell thought people would accept. Having built the excellent Gallery H-34 kit, I'm not sure that Revell's attempt at that variant is much better than their Wessex family.

 

The Italeri Wessex HU.5 kit seems to be reasonably easily obtainable and might be a better fit for you, if only for your sanity's sake. That's a bit rich isn't it? There's me thinking how I can lay my tentacles on another set of clear parts so I can build that other Revell Wessex I didn't know I had in the stash! I must be positively certifiable! Wibble! 

 

Martian 👽

[Bigdave22014]

Martian,  I seem to recall there is an issue with the tail rotor on the Revell(?) Wessex being the wrong way around? 

Not sure if it was 1/72 or 1/48 though.

[Martian]

6 hours ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Martian,  I seem to recall there is an issue with the tail rotor on the Revell(?) Wessex being the wrong way around? 

Not sure if it was 1/72 or 1/48 though.

Thanks Dave, I'm pretty sure that is the 1/72 Italeri/Revell Wessex but I will check just in case.

 

Martian 👽

[corsaircorp]

Hello Dear tentacled one...

Ask Revell for the missing parts, it is working...

A friend of mine tried the service and received the missing transparencies...

I think it costed something around 11 euros....

Just saying....

2 Wessies on the way now ?? Are you CCyzing ??

And a Sea King then... 

Huh...

What about the Kamov ?? 

then a Focke Achgelis Drake ??

Kinda like a Zeppelin with 2 rotors on the side...

Sincerely...

CC

[heloman1]

20 hours ago, Martian said:

Thanks Dave, I'm pretty sure that is the 1/72 Italeri/Revell Wessex but I will check just in case.

 

Martian 👽

If memory serves me, it is the Italeri 1/72nd kit. Incorrect direction of rotation...

 

Colin The Wessex nut!