OH - 23 Raven in 1/48th

I, for one, would love to see the finished product. Hope you decide to continue with it.

There is still hope!  I have a few kits started over 25 yrs. ago!

I think I remember when  i started this...is was so long ago.

I have done some vacuforming, not a lot - small parts only.

Haven't seen the turbine version....

I remember when you began this. I wish to learn vac form some time. I've seen a Saloy conversion done to this helicopter back in 83 in Spokane Wa working for Spokane Helicopter service. Turbine gave it more power to spray with.

My sympathy to you and your mother. We  have experienced the same situation in my family- it suc-stinks.

As to your disillusionment, please re think that.  You have accomplished a great deal already.  Then to go  away to "...get some better skills..." is silly, as your already years ahead of most of us, assemblers.

  Besides as you finish this thing your skills will have improved.  See simples! 

Now get to work and post more pictures !

Thanks. I do appreciate that.

I was humming along on this Hiller Raven and then after I came back and looked at it, I got a bit disllusioned with my level of skill...was thinking I needed to get some better skills and perhaps  I took on something too big for my skill level.

Details...

Sorry to hear about your mom.   My prayers are with you and her.  Family is by far the most important thing to me so I understand your absence around here.  Looking forward to seeing your newest efforts on this build.  

Been away for quite awhile.

I had to shift my attention to family matters. My mother has alzheimer's and her continued care required that I relocate her, renovate her house and after a lot of effort - I finally completed it, listed it and sold it.

Hope to return to ome hobby fun soon.

Any more work on this?  It was coming along great.

I am thinking about scratching one in 1/35.  Any plans or referances you can ship my way?  

Also, how close is the H-13/Bell-47 canopy bubble in shape?  They look pretty close to me.  I was thinking of using one as a starting point.  

Missing before!!! awesome scratchbuild

Hello!

Good to see you back on this one! I like such ambitious projects, I've been stuck in a project for years several times myself - so good luck and have a nice day

Paweł

Canopy is going to be a tough fit...

Worked some more detail on the engine, trial fitting the bracing and struts, molded bench seats out of epoxy putty, instrument panel,...lot's of measuring. 

I'll have to try that again....

Did some work on this recently.

Looking Good PBR

Looking good, and actually, you dont want them to line up perfectly, they would be offset a little bit.  Look at any multi bank engine, be it a v-6, v-8, flat 6 or flat4, and you will see one bank is a little off from the other.

Well, after enlarging some reference photos and doing some measurements,....I scavenged various tiny parts  and components that looked like they could be modified and cast in resin.

Then after making some cast parts,  I cut up and assembled them into an engine block and added six cylinder heads with cylinders.

 The first picture shows a highly modified engine block cast from an old 1/48th Cessna kit, cut up, recast and reassembled, with a single exhaust pipe and air cooled fan ring for size comparison to reference photos. This thing is tiny in 1/48th....

The second shows a "tack-glued" engine assembly to take some more measurements and test fit on the engine deck...(yeah, the cylinders don't exactly line up yet on each side...I'll need to fix that).

Yes, that was a good suggestion...and I have looked over the engine from a 1/48th OH-13 Sioux and while it is a good starting point,  there are several major differences and not quite enough detail for me...so I'm combining that with a number of other scavenged parts and many added details to pull this off.

I've got the Special Hobby OH-23  in 1/72nd as well ...cute little thing,  but the overall shape of the clear bubble canopy is not quite right, and looks to be a real bear to assemble the two halves...but it is a pretty neat little kit.

Cant wait to see it done.  I have a 1/72 one from Special Hobby in the works.  My decal sheet got damp, and I hope it will still be good.  Couldnt you use the engine from Italeri's 1/48 H-13 Souix ?

After dealing with some computer problems and doing some exhaustive research and coming to some conclusions about what engine to reproduce  (Franklin or Lycoming) I'm about to resurect this build thread.

Needed a break anyway...didn't think it would be this long...

I just set up some resin casting components to pull several small engine parts for the Lycoming six cylinder....(based on some old Army base newsletters i retrieved .... it appears the bird my dad flew around in was a G model with a Lycoming).

Avus wrote:

Impressive ... most impressive! (What else is there to say!)

How about..."get back to work on this!!...."

 Sorry guys, I took a drive to Maryland last weekend to see a new world record set for flying models...although this thing stretched the term "model" considerably.

A two year build.....we watched a 1,600 lb. 1/10th scale Saturn V launched in honor of an event 40 years ago this July...1969.

Awesome..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj4lj6YSwzg

Impressive ... most impressive!
(What else is there to say!)

Wow! This is a truly impressive project.  Looking forward to more WIP pics.

PBRStreet gang wrote:

And in picture P1400941.jpg ...what is that gizmo portruding into the cockpit from the canopy roof?

Defroster vent

Vladimir:

Thank you - you take good pictures.

With all the help and insight I've been getting in the last 48 hours, I may have to start over.

Check out those cable runs on the tail boom..didn't know they were there.

And in picture P1400941.jpg ...what is that gizmo portruding into the cockpit from the canopy roof?

Not an OH-23, but here is a walkaround of the civilian version UH-12C from the Hiller Museum (they have an OH-23 as well, but it is hanging under the ceiling and is nearly impossible to photograph):

http://svsm.org/gallery/hiller360

Vladimir