Build Log: 1/32 UH-34D Conversion

Hello Gino!

Another interesting subject - I'd be watching this one with interest. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Really looking forward to it. 

I have made a bit of progress.  It doesn't look like much, but it was time consuming.  The Fly Models kit is very detailed.  You start by adding all internal stringers and longerons in the rear cabin.   The vertical stringers weren't too bad as each was a separate part that you glue onto thin lines on the inner wall.  The longerons and parts around the windows are each individually cut to fit between the stringers.  

Here is one side done, one to go.

They took some time, but it does look great when done.

Big beast i bet.

Yup, it is pretty big; about the same size as a 1/35 Black Hawk.

I had no idea that anybody did a large scale one of these. This is too cool of a project! 

Gorgeous work as always; your helis are works of art.  Following!

Thanks gents.  Not much work on it this week.  The plan is to work on it most of the weekend, we'll see.

Progress is moving along slowly. I have completed all the stringers and longerons on both sides of the cabin. After finishing them, you glue a bunch of triangular and diamond shaped PE bolt plates where they come together.

There was a minor issue with these PE plates. The instructions indicate a total of 33 of the diamond shaped plates. However, there are only 24 on the PE sheet. To rectify this, I left them off behind where the seats will be. You won’t see that area to tell they are missing.

Work continues, slowly.  Life and Hockey on TV (Go Bolts!) keep getting in the way of bench time.  

I have continued with the cabin and cockpit area.  First off, the kit is inaccurate in the area where the lower front cabin wall and the cockpit rear wall meet.  

This is how the kit has you build it.  It has a couple issues.

To start, the cockpit rear wall comes down too far.  The kit has it even with the cockpit floor.  There is actually a step there.  I cut 5mm off the bottom of the cockpit rear wall.

Next, there should be a tunnel going from the cabin front wall through the cut out area to the ceiling that the prop shaft goes through from the engine to the transmission above.  You can see it in the below pic.

Here is how I replicated it.  I cut off the bottom of the rear IP at an angle, then boxed in the tunnel with sheet styrene and added an access panel on the rear side.

Also, here is how the mesh will look on the nose section. I'm not sure how much details I will add behind the screens.  I am using a PE mesh from Royal Model (no. 469).  It is relatively fine and I don't think you will really see much through it.  We'll see. 

I have a small update tonight. Not a lot done as I have been pretty busy w/life lately. My younger daughter graduated from college last weekend and was commissioned into the US Army as an ADA officer. She gets married next week, so I have been and will continue to be busy.

A very proud papa.

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On to the H-34…

I have pretty much finished building and detailing the cabin and cockpit. I found that the cockpit floor was too long for the H-34 nose. The angled front firewall that separated the cockpit from the air intake grills area was falling across the middle of the grills. I cut the angled part off and glued it into the H-34 nose in the correct place.

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I then cut 1cm from the cockpit floor and angled the front of the center console to match the angle of the firewall. I will need to add about 3mm of styrene to the bottom of the firewall as the new position (further aft) raised it up as well.

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 The H-34 IP is also included in the kit listed as “For Other Versions”.

Lastly, I added details to the cabin side of the cockpit rear wall and the cabin front wall.

That’s it for tonight.

Congrats to your daughter, and great work.

Yes, congratulations to your daughter.  May her career be long, safe and fulfilling.

Thanks guys.

First:

    Let me give you congratulations for your Daughter. Being in the service and a wife can be a strain. I know for sure. All three of mine got the " Military Flu" So I got one A.F., one Navy, and one U.S.M.C. All flyers. Husbands came later and the oldest is now single. May she have BOTH a long  Happymarriage and a long safe, career in the service.

      Now to the Chopper. That looks as fascinating as my French Helicopter. Lotsa of parts right? The Super Frelon is a big Model too. and I stopped on it till dry summer months get here. I want to paint it outside! The rotor blades are darned near as big a circle as the top of my A/C condenser fan opening!

 Are you NOT going to have the doors over the engine opening, or removeable, to show the power plant? I have never seen anyone do an exposed power plant on one of these types. How-come?

Thanks and I'll pass on your words to my daughter.  I am very confident she will do well at anything she puts her mind to.  She is just that way; wonder where she got that from?  

Glad you like the build so far.  It has been fun and will be quite big when done.  I built the Heller Frelon many years ago.  It is huge, but well detailed.  It should come out nice.

Tanker-Builder

Are you NOT going to have the doors over the engine opening, or removeable, to show the power plant? I have never seen anyone do an exposed power plant on one of these types. How-come?

No engine in this one; for a couple reasons.  One, the kit doesn't come with anything for the engine compartment and I don't feel like sourcing an appropriate radial engine, scratching everything that goes with it, and cutting apart the 3-D printed nose to make it all work.  The 3-D nose is pretty brittle and I don't think it would cut well either.  There is word though that Reedoak may have an open nose and engine compart in the works.  Also, I plan on making this an in-action bird, with a crew and disgourging Marines, so no open engine compartment. 

Well Now!

    That sounds like a Plan to me! Note: Tell your daughter to take No Crap off of any man. She's going to have an uphill fight in the Man's world she chose. I definite Wish her Luck and Good Fortune. She looks Determined so there !

I have made a little bit of progress.  I completed the basic interior and haver painted it.  Waiting for paint to dry to proceed on that.

In the meantime, I have been working on the 3D printed nose.  It is very detailed, but missing the intake screens and internal parts that can be seen behind them.

I added the firewalls and a basic engine fan and drive shaft inside.  The engine fan is a little small, but for what you can see, it will do.  The firewalls are 0.020 styrene, and the engine fan is a couple left-over fans from a couple Tamiya M26 Dragon Wagon kits.

For the intake screens, I ordered PE screen from Royal Model; Medium Hexagonal Mesh (#469).  I made a template for the screens by enlarging a 1/48 UH-34 PE fret to 1/32.  I then used the paper templates to cut the Royal Model mesh.  It was pretty close and only required a bit of finessing to get them to match the openings on the 3D nose.

I also made a recessed "bucket" to place the exhaust pipes into.  I used a kit part for the wheel hubcap used on the British version that is excess to the UH-34.

More to come soon.

I'm slowly making progress on this one.  I have been working on the cabin recently.  I installed wiring and the troop seats so far.  I made the seats out of the kit provided frames and fabric made from red card stock paper with the seat pattern printed on it.

I also have some of the detail pieces started.  These are the pilots' seats and fire extinguishers that will be in the cabin and cockpit.  There will also be various bags, ammo cans, and a couple M14s in the back.

Next up is to start detailing the cockpit.

Hello Gino!

Lookin' good - I like the work you've done on the the cockpit and the cabin a lot. Lookin forward to see it painted. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

I have gotten quite a bit of work don​​​​​​​e it it the last couple of weeks.

I completed the rear cabin by adding a couple first aid bags, fire extinguishers, a rucksack, a duffle bag, an M14, and a few 7.62mm ammo cans for the M60A door gun.  I also washed it with a dirty grey-brown to make it looks a little lived in.  Lastly, I added some bare metal on the floor as well.

Here is the IP and overhead console.  They are painted by hand and I used the kit instrument decals on them, and a few from the spares bin.

The rest of the cockpit.  I added the fire extinguisher, placards and  other details.  I haven't added the seatbelts as I think I will put a couple pilots in it.

I have sealed up the fuselage as well.  I didn't really have any issues with the fuselage going together.  I did sand a couple spots that were sticking out and binding, but after that, there were no other issues.  It will require a bit of filler where the bottom meets the sides, but it isn't too bad.  

It is finally starting to look like an UH-34D.  I am very pleased with it so far.  Next up is painting the inside of the nose, building the intake vents on the underside front, and installing the nose.

More progress this last week.

I painted the rear side of the engine fan and drive shaft. I also added a couple hydraulic lines. Most of this will not be seen once it is all together.

I also added the screen and oil cooler on the underside.

Once all that was done, I added the nose to the fuselage. I had no real issues with it, just a little bit of filling and sanding needed to blend it all together.

The underside.

Next is adding all the exterior details, tail, rotors, glass, etc…

I have basically finished construction on the fuselage and the main parts of the helo.

I added piping and some other details found on H-34s (white styrene). I also added the teardrop-shaped antennas on both sides with small marker lights left over from another helo. The exhaust deflector below the port side front canopy is styrene as well.

The struts and tail wheel gear are 3D printed parts from Heli-Scale Quality out of Germany. I will also be using their decals later on as well.

I added “C” channel (upper) and 45 degree angle (lower) styrene for the side door guides. The kit came with PE for this, but it was really small and almost impossible to fold and keep from kinking. I added the frames on the screens using thin wine bottle foil. I simply cut thin strips and glued them into place.

I also plumbed the brake lines and rescue hoist. I cut half circle steps in each side and two new fuel filler points on the starboard side.

I also had to modify the sliding door. On US H-34s, the window was centered on the side door. On the British Wessex, the window was further aft. I cut a piece out forward are of the window opening, then inverted it and placed it in the aft section of the opening and filled/filed it smooth. Door window successfully moved forward/centered.

Painting is up next. I also have to build the main and tail rotors, which are kits in themselves with lots of resin, PE, and plastic parts.

Very nice work.  Big fan of the Choctaw.

I was able to get the initial base coat of Medium Green on it. The USMC did not use Olive Drab as the Army did at the time. The 3D printed parts (landing gear and nose) look to have really blended together seamlessly with the plastic kit parts. I am very happy with how it is turning out.

Next up is detail painting and the decals. They will be in a couple weeks though as I will be out of town for the rest of this week and next.

Quite a nice project. The Wessex in itself is a really wonderful helicopter. That model OOB would be swell also.

One interesting thing is that the turboshaft engine (s) in the Wessex weigh considerably less than the big radial in the Chocktaw. I don't remember the engineering solution but it was considerable.

Thank you and your family for your service to this country. It must take a considerable leap of faith for a military family to send a young one out to serve.

Married?

Get out the checkbook. Get a lot of pictures.

Bill