Helicopter Group Build 2009

Aaronw wrote:

I'm not sure what the deal is with the upper windows, there is no seating up there it is all transmission and rotor shaft in that area. I think John said he was trained to work on these, as well as the UH-34 and CH-37 perhaps he'll be along and be able to answer why they had the windows up there.

Thanks for helping to keep the discipline here, Bill.  I've been preoccupied with transferring all my old LP's to CD's with some snazzy software I just got in.

On the back windows, the transmission was not as wide as the fuselage so the aft windows gave a bit of aft view, I guess for the would-be fighter jocks driving the H-19.  No such windows in the 37 or 34.  Really, what is going to be on a helicopter's 6 except another helicopter, and in those days they were unarmed.

jeaton01 wrote:

On the back windows, the transmission was not as wide as the fuselage so the aft windows gave a bit of aft view, I guess for the would-be fighter jocks driving the H-19.  No such windows in the 37 or 34.  Really, what is going to be on a helicopter's 6 except another helicopter, and in those days they were unarmed.

Thanks for the info John!

A small update on the Mi-24 Hind... (Emboldened for my man, Bondo)

In a previous episode, I did some tweaking to the landing gear so that the big bird would sit low in the rear end instead of like it's off the ground with the gear hanging. Once the glue dried and the dust cleared, I think I achieved the look I wanted.

With that done, I added a few fiddley bits inside the wheel wells to add some interest.

I noticed that on the real helicopter there is bracing(?) between the gear legs that is non-existent on the Revell kit. Chop, chop to some various parts from the spares box and all is well and lookin' good.

Just need to finish up the other side. I might add a couple of hydraulic/brake lines in there also. I need to figure out what color I'll use for the underside so I can paint the gear wells and put the cover on.

jeaton01 wrote:

Bump

Oh, come on, I want to see that CH-37. It might help me find the courage to dig mine out of the stash.

Thanks for the "bump" John!

Here's a little Hind progress to keep us in the game...

Not much going on as I had some problems with my compressor, moisture trap and airbrush but all is well now.

I added some lines where there were none with some spare parts, styrene rod and some solder.

I also added three antennas to the underside of the fuselage... need to add one more. The round one is a left over something-or-other from a Hasegawa P-39. The tall ones on either side of the picture are cut down antennas from a couple of old Otaki P-47 kits.

I also made an antenna for the tail boom to replace one of the kit antennas. I just cut a small piece of styrene and glued it into the hole for the kit part. Once that dried up, I added a small length of styrene rod to the top. Nice and simple. Not only is it way more accurate, it also makes the boom more attractive. Dare I say... sexy!

After trying a few colors for the underside, I chose MM RLM63 which matches the Linden Hill profile booklet almost perfectly. Nice surprise for me as I don't have to trek to the hobby shop for yet more paint!

Mind if I join up please?  Two kits to buil over the next year.

Monogram 1/48 AH-1S with hopefully some IAF markings.

And the ROG 1/48 Eurocopter Tiger (UHU)

Thanks,  Chris

Justinryan215 wrote:

Jeremy, I just picked up the Hind kit...I gotta stop this...I also recently got a f106 and a f101 to add to my stash!

That's funny Justin... I just picked up the Huey Hog kit a couple of days ago! Great minds think alike I guess. The F101 and F106 look like decent kits... I've had them sitting upstairs for years. I'm just waiting to find a cheap F-102 to complete the Century Series.

I also picked up a 1/48 Revell Apache. Need to get my butt in gear if I wanna build at least one more before this is all over.

hi all, a little bit of an update...

i've been really busy recently but still managed to do a little bit.

the gloss white is now sprayed and sealed,just got to spray the red,do the interior and fix the glass also the rotors are glued and half painted.....plus a few other bits like the engine.....

Jeremy,

Here's some pics of the sight in the rear pit.  Hope they help.

ludwig113 wrote:

hi all, a little bit of an update... i've been really busy recently but still managed to do a little bit. the gloss white is now sprayed and sealed,just got to spray the red,do the interior and fix the glass also the rotors are glued and half painted.....plus a few other bits like the engine.....

Gazelle?

Looks nice so far.

Since I get easily distracted I started a 1/72 Sikorsky S-64 while I was waiting for the glue to dry on the UH-19s pontoons (the pontoons are a real pain to get set up right, they kept wanting to spread apart making it look pigeon toed).

I've been wanting to do a skycrane as a firefighting helo for awhile now. In 2006 while on a fire in Idaho I got to take a good set of photos of the Siller Brothers skycrane on the ground. I've seen a few done up in Erickson's Orange and green so I thought a red one would be a nice change.

This is a shot of the Siller Bros skycrane I took near Santa Barbara, CA in 2000.

ludwig113 - The Gazelle is looking good!

lewbud - Thanks again! You've been of great help to me so far. Those picture are exactly what I was looking for. I will put them to good use.

Aaron - Skycrane, huh? I gotta see that built!

You guys all keep proceeding very well!

As for me I was on vacation on for a couple of weeks, but I hope to put the fuselages together this week end.

Well, I finally found time to get some primer on the 'hog the other day, and my seam work was acceptable.  Meaning:with a VERY little bit of sanding, the bird is ready for the first coat of paint in tiger stripe paint I am putting on...

Pics to come soon...

Justin

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Looks like you got that thing together pretty good, Justin. After seeing what's inside the box of the one I just bought, you get major props for cleaning that thing up so nice.

I can't wait to see the paint job! Is it going to be orange and black tiger stripes or a military color?

Keep us posted.

Quick question...

I'm trying to figure out how to attach the sight to the canopy of the Hind I'm building. Unfortunately, it has to be glued to a spot on the canopy that is visible from the outside. I'm wondering... do you think Future will be strong enough to hold it?

I've attached canopies on aircraft with Future but there is a greater adhesive surface and they don't hang from the model. I've never had luck with Testors clear cement and window maker as it seems to dry with a blue-ish color and I think super glue might be pushing it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Interesting scheme, Justinryan215. Looking forward to see it done.

Jeremy, I heard Revell released a glue specific for transparent parts, but I haven't used it yet.

As for me here's a little update (eventually):

I removed the styrene parts from the fuselage to make place for the resin updates, added some detail to the interior and glued the fuselage halves together.

I decided to put the halves together before painting the cockpit, in order to work better on fitting the resin parts, especially the nose.

That cockpit sure has some nice detail to it.

I'm starting to get excited seeing this thing come together.

(digi camo!)

Nice work, Klaus.  Looks like you will have lots of detail.

Got some pictures of my CH-37.  There is a lot of small photoetch on this one, working pretty well so far.  The nacelles have been difficult for me, 10 parts to each egg and no locating devices at all, you just have to build it in the air.  Had to add some shims and there is filling work yet to do, though I have done a bunch already.  Getting there, though.  This is a tough one for me, somehow.  I would like to add more detail, but I also want to get it done and in 1/72 my fingers are pretty fat.

Thanks Jeremy and John.

There's some faded fine print in your post, Jerem, that I can't read too clearly. I suppose it's nothing important.

Your pit looks well detailed, too, John. Looking forward to see it done. The CH-37 is an "uncommon", but good looking helo.

Welcome aboard SkullGundam!

10 pieces per egg? That does sound like a nightmare. You've got 'em on the run though, John.

What color did you use on the cockpit? Light grey?

Hey... Welcome SkullGundam!

I'm also building my first helicopter kit. Proving to be a little challenging for me... I can't figure out which way is up! I'm having fun here though.

Hope you enjoy the build and keep us updated on your progress.

More pictures of the 37.  Windows fit nicely with just a little filing for a tight fit.  On the power eggs I hope all seams are filled well enough, don't know if I got satisfied or if I just got tired.  The nacelles and stub wings don't have a real positive fit to the fuselage, but by gluing the stub wings together in the center and letting that cure before centering and straightening the assembly, and using some panel lines on the stub wings for a guide, it was easy to glue it to the fuselage. 

It is starting to look like a Buff.  That's what we called them.  The B-52's had no monopoly on that name, at least not in our unit.