1/35 CH47-A Boeing Chinook COMPLETED!!!!!!!

Thanks Guys!  I will do what I can to add some 'life' to the hubs without making them look like hell.

oldhooker wrote:

Hi Troy, Jonathan's right, the judge of that show knew not of what he spoke. Of course, it's your model and you can do with it what you want, but the Rotor Heads were NEVER worn on real Chinooks.... and if they were, they'd probably be painting over the names of the FE & CE, and get new ones! haha       Here's to the FE's!! Take care, Frank

LOL!

Frank is right.

After I finished the Basic Helo course and was released from NAMTRADET (Naval Aviation Maintenance Training Detachment) at MCAS(H) New River, NC I was assigned to HMM-162,  about two months later I was pulled out of the crowd for training as a CH-46 Crew Chief (In 1976 there was no formal Naval Air Crew course)

Among the many trivial things I was charged with, one was to apply Johnson's floor wax to the rotor blades. Me not knowing any better thought this was done to cut down on wind resistance, and it was only after about the third or fourth time that I had waxed the entire surface (tops and bottoms) of each of the six blades that I learned I should have only been waxing the leading edges to help prevent corrosion of the leading edges 

I also learned the contents of the CH-46 NATOPS manual (Naval Aviation Training and Operational Procedure Standardization) through the implied threat of "impact" counseling, and the very real threat of being pulled off of flight status. (Hey $55.00 a month was a bunch of money in the mid '70s).

It paid to keep up with the maintenance on your aircraft, a good,clean, mechanically sound aircraft meant getting to go to air shows and cross country training flights (anywhere else was better than Jacksonville, NC!).

After I joined the Army, it was the same thing. Staying ahead of the maintenance and actually using the PMD deck, and taking care of leaks before they became problems often meant the difference between going home at night to a nice soft bed and at the very least being stuck out in the boonies in EBF, sleeping in the Boeing Hotel and having to use the sound proofing as a blanket.

I saw more than one sorry individual get run out of a Flight Platoon and get sent to the Tool Room, Motor Pool, POL, or Training for keeping a trashy bird.

Jonathan Primm

Hi Troy,

Jonathan's right, the judge of that show knew not of what he spoke.

Of course, it's your model and you can do with it what you want, but the Rotor Heads were NEVER worn on real Chinooks.... and if they were, they'd probably be painting over the names of the FE & CE, and get new ones! haha      

Here's to the FE's!!

Take care,

Frank

Avus wrote:

Outstanding work! You got the exact shade of faded olive drab ... I like that a lot! And the Snoopy is great considering it's painted and not a decal. Regarding IMPS and judges i'd have something to say too but this is not the place ...

Damn good!  I didn't know the Snoopy was hand painted.  Man, you're a God!

J.H. Primm wrote:

Papa-Echo-64 wrote: If the judge was talking about the rotor heads he's full of crap! . The leading edges of the rotor blades showed erosion and it would be greater at the tips and less at the blade root. I NEVER saw any paint erosion anywhere on the rotor heads of any of the CH-47s I crewed. Now on CH-46s the pitch varying seals were prone to leaking and made for a mess on the rotor heads, but CH-47s didn't have this problem. I don't know what the judge was smoki'ng, but if he said that the rotor heads needed to be weathered, then it's obvious he hasn't spent much time around CH-47s. He's probably one of those people who think that pre and post shading of panel lines should be done to the point where the model looks like crosshatched mess...that seems to be the norm now. First it was recessed panel lines, now it's pre and post shading to the nth degree, god knows what will be next. I think you did a good job on the kit and it sure looks like a CH-47 to me.

Thanks John!

Thats what I have always thought.  Look at most of the armor dioramas in Fine Scale....or some of the WWII aircraft....They all look like they have been built by the same person!

I used an enamel 'matt' black on the CH47 rotor heads......maybe for the sake of 'scale' I will age them just a tad......looking at it now.....they do look odd....the rest of the bird is weathered and all but the rotor heads look BRAN NEW.

Avus wrote:

Regarding IMPS and judges i'd have something to say too but this is not the place ...

Roger! LOL!!!!!!

Thanks!

Papa-Echo-64 wrote:

Don't sweat it Josh....crummy weather for driving anyways. Well....the competition was tough this year....There was a dozen helos and my 1/35 Hook did not place. There was a 1/48 CH53 (revell) that was just amazing! the guy did not miss a thing! (first place ) then there was a 1/72 scale WWII german experimental helo that got (2nd) and for third place a 1/72 Loach that was unbelievable!!  Later one of the judges told me that mine was very good except my rotors needed weathing.....I thought they were ......but not enough??....I always thought rotor systems had to be very clean and well kept ( for obvious reasons ) ???? Oh well....I know that there are a few more things I can do in order to get it ready for a larger contest in the area later on this month. A buddy of mine entered a 1/48 PBY with markings from the movie 'Always'....very nice work.....it got 1st for cival aircraft. Contests are just for fun anyways.....I like to see the kits, chat and learn about others techniques first hand. My Daughter did second place in youth for a small scale Titanic....thats a 15.00 in store gift certificate!...she was very excited about that.

If the judge was talking about the rotor heads he's full of crap! . The leading edges of the rotor blades showed erosion and it would be greater at the tips and less at the blade root. I NEVER saw any paint erosion anywhere on the rotor heads of any of the CH-47s I crewed.

Now on CH-46s the pitch varying seals were prone to leaking and made for a mess on the rotor heads, but CH-47s didn't have this problem.

I don't know what the judge was smoki'ng, but if he said that the rotor heads needed to be weathered, then it's obvious he hasn't spent much time around CH-47s. He's probably one of those people who think that pre and post shading of panel lines should be done to the point where the model looks like crosshatched mess...that seems to be the norm now. First it was recessed panel lines, now it's pre and post shading to the nth degree, god knows what will be next.

I think you did a good job on the kit and it sure looks like a CH-47 to me.

Outstanding work!
You got the exact shade of faded olive drab ... I like that a lot!
And the Snoopy is great considering it's painted and not a decal.

Regarding IMPS and judges i'd have something to say too but this is not the place ...

Absolutely great work, Papa-Echo, especially for the time frame that you finished it in. Glad that you came away from the contest with some positives, and I hope you place well in the next one.

Good luck!

Thanks!

Yep....Its very cool to see thier faces light up when they hear thier name called. Bob the owner of Galaxy Hobby is a real cool guy...He makes sure that the kids get something no matter what.  My oldest daughter won her first contest when she was 3 years old...a snap together T rex dino kit.

I'll do some more work on my Hook and se how she does at the larger contest on the 22nd.

Papa-Echo-64 wrote:

Don't sweat it Josh....crummy weather for driving anyways. Well....the competition was tough this year....There was a dozen helos and my 1/35 Hook did not place. There was a 1/48 CH53 (revell) that was just amazing! the guy did not miss a thing! (first place ) then there was a 1/72 scale WWII german experimental helo that got (2nd) and for third place a 1/72 Loach that was unbelievable!!  Later one of the judges told me that mine was very good except my rotors needed weathing.....I thought they were ......but not enough??....I always thought rotor systems had to be very clean and well kept ( for obvious reasons ) ???? Oh well....I know that there are a few more things I can do in order to get it ready for a larger contest in the area later on this month. A buddy of mine entered a 1/48 PBY with markings from the movie 'Always'....very nice work.....it got 1st for cival aircraft. Contests are just for fun anyways.....I like to see the kits, chat and learn about others techniques first hand. My Daughter did second place in youth for a small scale Titanic....thats a 15.00 in store gift certificate!...she was very excited about that.

That's a great attitude to have about contests, can't say that I'd be that nonchalant, but from what you've described, there was some tough competition there.  She's still a beauty and you got it done in time for the show, that's an accomplishment right there.

Congrats to your daughter on her placing, too.  I think I'd be more excited if one of my children won than if I did. 

Hey Josh.... Thats the one....its IPMS...rivet counter city  ....oh well.

I hope your project is NOT mostly white.....its a big public gym and the lighting is mercury vapor or something like that and a few years ago my Coast Guard helo looked like CRAP!

Galaxy Hobby will have thier first booth there this year....Bob (the owner) said that he will bring lotz of scratch and dent kits as well.

I will have my 1/6th scale 1960 Time Machine there too....with Lights and Motor.

Here is the link:  http://www.ipms-seattle.org/

Thanks Mark!

I meant to say ROTOR HUBS.....the blades are fine.

Looks great, and rotor blades do weather, check back through this forum, we had a discussion on weathering UH-1 blades.

Here is the link

http://finescale.com/FSM/CS/forums/593713/ShowPost.aspx

Hey Troy!!

Your Hook looks great dude!!    Sorry you didn't place at the show but you are a winner with all us hookers!!

An update for you hookers out there, I got my camera yesterday so I will be sending you pix of my Hooks progress soon.  It is looking good!!

Mark

Don't sweat it Josh....crummy weather for driving anyways.

Well....the competition was tough this year....There was a dozen helos and my 1/35 Hook did not place.

There was a 1/48 CH53 (revell) that was just amazing! the guy did not miss a thing! (first place ) then there was a 1/72 scale WWII german experimental helo that got (2nd) and for third place a 1/72 Loach that was unbelievable!!  Later one of the judges told me that mine was very good except my rotors needed weathing.....I thought they were ......but not enough??....I always thought rotor systems had to be very clean and well kept ( for obvious reasons ) ????

Oh well....I know that there are a few more things I can do in order to get it ready for a larger contest in the area later on this month.

A buddy of mine entered a 1/48 PBY with markings from the movie 'Always'....very nice work.....it got 1st for cival aircraft.

Contests are just for fun anyways.....I like to see the kits, chat and learn about others techniques first hand.

My Daughter did second place in youth for a small scale Titanic....thats a 15.00 in store gift certificate!...she was very excited about that.

THANKS GENTS!

Its now 9:50am ....just woke up....and I look like I feel

I'm just going to say what we have already said, and what we will all say at one time or another....

THANK YOU!! Frank and John! .....You gave me lots of aid and suggestions during this short and crazy project.

Now to get something to eat and get ready....I'll let you'll all know how things go later on.

papa-echo out.

Troy,

Looks great!  Sure to be an "eye catcher" at the model show.  Good luck!  I like the Snoopy art work.

Hi Troy,

   My goodness, you did it!!     Congradulations!!

   Snoopy hadn't looked better... thank you for all your hard work, and best of luck at the show today!!

Take care,

Frank