32nd BK-117 B2 "Westpac Rescue"

[Andrew Doppel]

Anthony,

That is truelly magnificent work you are doing. I am having similar issues with sizes and fittings of things on my Victoria Police AS365 Dauphin N3. I have found the back doors and windows to be too small and requiring re-scribing and expanding as well as some other little mods. I will follow your work with interest.

Regards

Andrew

[Anthony in NZ]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments very much.

Andrew your Dauphin is looking amazing so far, I have been enjoying following your progress too. If it comes out half as good as that Squirrel you will have a winner! If there is anything I can help with then I will do my best...although I am kinda learning stuff as I go too.

I brought some brass tube tonight and have been working on making new exhaust pipes as well as a smaller dia for some kind of outlet/exhaust on the lower rear cowl on the port side. I needed a change of pace from that forward fairing I have been working on.....it was doing my head in a bit actually and I need to measure up those grille sizes and positions before I can do any more on it. It still needs some tweaking/finishing.

Hopefully I will have some pics up in the next day or two of my progress.

Cheers and thanks again for your words of encouragement, it really does spur me on.

Anthony

[Vflight]

I managed to build up the upper fairing to the correct profile with superglue over many layers. I learnt this trick off my good friend Tore(Falcon/Squadron Canopies). It is a very stable medium to work with. It still needs scribing and a couple of square holes opened up with mesh inserted behind etc...

Hi Anthony.

Nice work. I guess you found more interest here than you expected?

Regarding your friendship with Tore from Falcon Canopies, I wonder if you would mind telling me exactly what material he uses to produce his canopies (if it's not giving away any trade secrets, that is)? I wish to make an attempt at producing replacement canopies for some of my models but I want to make sure that the plastic I use will not discolour or otherwise deteriorate over time and ruin my work.

I was wondering what you were going to do about a new windscreen considering you have widened your fuselage but I guess now I know!

Regards from west Oz

Drew

[Andrew Doppel]

I NEED SOME UPDATES, I NEED SOME UPDATES, I NEED SOME UPDATES!

Regards

Andrew

[11bee]

I NEED SOME UPDATES, I NEED SOME UPDATES, I NEED SOME UPDATES!

Regards

Andrew

What he said.... I really am enjoying this build. Learing some new tricks as well.

[Cagie]

What he said.... I really am enjoying this build. Learing some new tricks as well.

I third it..

What everyone else has said

[doupnik]

Fantastic job. I'm enjoying your work and attention to detail.

More updates, please.

mason

Edited July 27, 2008 by doupnik

[Anthony in NZ]

Hey, thanks Guys I am really pleased you are getting something out of it. But it is likewise the same from you all as well with your builds and comments. They have been a great benefit to me also.

I have been away on business the last 4 days and arrived home last night. But I have made some progress and will get an update up later tonight when I get home.

Thanks for all the encouragement!......8^)

Been working on brass exhausts etc and some other airframe bits.

Cheers and see you here later tonight!

Anthony

[Anthony in NZ]

Hi Guys

Well as promised a small update as many of you know I was away for most of last week and havent had much chance to work on her.

Been using brass for the exhausts etc, and I must say the effect is quite suprising. Although my photo's dont show it very well. The brass adds an air of fineness that I didnt expect. I was suprised at how easy it is to use. I am going to utilise it some more on the build where I can. I used 11/32 x 0.14 tube for the main pipes and the smaller one didnt have a size marked on it. I just used what looked right to the eye and detail photos. I even thinned the edges with a new blade and buffed the edges to a fine edge.

These parts are just tacked in place for now as there is still more work to go on the refining around the jetpipe area. As you can see I have added a piece of plasticard to the lower edge of the opening to give a better upwardsweeping profile.

I cant wait to start detailing the airframe with scribing, rivetting and putting on some of this photoetch..........must be patient!

I hope you like this small progress shot. Brass is great stuff I encourage you to give it a try where you can. It wasnt as hard to use as I thought.

Thanks for dropping by for a look

Cheers

Anthony

[Andrew Doppel]

Hi Guys

Well as promised a small update as many of you know I was away for most of last week and havent had much chance to work on her.

Been using brass for the exhausts etc, and I must say the effect is quite suprising. Although my photo's dont show it very well. The brass adds an air of fineness that I didnt expect. I was suprised at how easy it is to use. I am going to utilise it some more on the build where I can. I used 11/32 x 0.14 tube for the main pipes and the smaller one didnt have a size marked on it. I just used what looked right to the eye and detail photos. I even thinned the edges with a new blade and buffed the edges to a fine edge.

These parts are just tacked in place for now as there is still more work to go on the refining around the jetpipe area. As you can see I have added a piece of plasticard to the lower edge of the opening to give a better upwardsweeping profile.

I cant wait to start detailing the airframe with scribing, rivetting and putting on some of this photoetch..........must be patient!

I hope you like this small progress shot. Brass is great stuff I encourage you to give it a try where you can. It wasnt as hard to use as I thought.

Thanks for dropping by for a look

Cheers

Anthony

If I could, I would. that's very effective ;) . Unfortunately the Dauphin has cashew shaped exhausts however, I have some very fine mesh that I'm going to apply to the intake covers when I get to them. A bit like the starboard access hatch.

Nice work again. Did you use a knife, saw or pipe cutter to cut the brass tubing?

Regards

Andrew

[Anthony in NZ]

Thanks Andrew

I used a jewelers piercing saw(kind of like a small hacksaw but with an ultra fine blade, much like a wire) to cut the correct angle. Then I used a round file and filed all around the inside edges to thin it out some more. Then I used a new blade and ran it around the edge to give a much sharper appearence (as the real exhaust pipes are very thin). Finally I buffed it all up to remove any scratches etc with fine emery cloth.

Hope that makes sense??

Cheers

Anthony

Edited July 29, 2008 by Anthony in NZ

[Andrew MacKay]

Hi Anthony ... Mate this is looking good :) who are you getting to do your decals ?

Andrew in Dunedin

[Anthony in NZ]

Hiya Andrew

Thanks mate, that is a real compliment coming from you! I am most impressed with your UH-1 build over at Hyperscale. Dosent seem that long ago you emailed me saying you just brought it. Stunning work indeed.

My good friend Pete Mossong in Auckland is making up the decals for me using Corel Draw. He has most of the artwork done already as he has been part of a team making quick replicas to give to the sponsors. Which reminds me.....I must email him the sponsorship ones unique to HJC soon. He is a great guy and very very talented. Email me if you get stuck for markings etc and I will see what I can do to help etc.

I have spent a lot of time on the tailboom and engine cowl this week. Most of the panel lines are different on the EC compared to the BK, so the scriber and photoetch saw have had a bit of a workout. I use a photoetch saw in conjunction with scribing as superglue can have a tendancy to chip or the panel line can be uneven. But the fine saw leaves a beautiful even line.

I will get a pic up as soon as I have more to show, as the photos I took dont show up all the panel work I have done very well.

Still moving along steadily though. I have a week off on the 17th so I am sure I will get a lot done then.

Cheers

Anthony

[Anthony in NZ]

Hi guys

Well unfortunately this fortnight has been slow visually on the BK. I feel like those aircraft rebuilders who seem to spend hours with little visually to show for all their efforts....Plus being away with work a lot dosent help. Anyway enough of the excuses.

I have been working on the rear clamshell doors. The EC has vertical windows, whereas the BK has horizontal ones. Now if you are going to do this, be careful as these windows are in different places on every one. I think they are retrofitted locally at each choppers engineering facility. So pick the machine you want to do. You can see the difference from this photo. The other door is now nearly finished. The shape was suprisingly different too. Most of the corners are a little squarer than the EC. Once the doors themselves are done I will be able to start adding some of that beautiful photoetch to them.

I have been working on the tailrotor blades as well. The profile and cross section was modified as well as the shaft that the blade attach point was scratched/scribed to accurately represent that area. Sorry for the photos, I will work on getting better at that too.

Work still continues on the upper cowl as well, whilst I wait for glues/fillers to cure.

Wish I could show more but I have next week off and plan to get stuck in to it.

Cheers

Anthony

[Andrew Doppel]

Look forward to seeing the results of your week at home working on this build.

Regards

Andrew

[Anthony in NZ]

Thanks Andrew

Assembled/placed the major components together to check alignment etc.......and to convince myself I was actually making progress(phsycologically(?) helps too!).

Actually there was a genuine reason.....

I glued the 2 fuse halves together at the top graft as I needed to check alignment and make sure everything was square. Once everything was lined up it was then superglued in place. Once the upper graft is nicely blended in I will make an upper template that will fill the hole in the graft and keep the upper fuse shape from distorting....does that make sence? It will later when I post some pics when I get to it.

Once the stbd side is nicely blended up to the cowl like the other side I will then saw the 2 halves apart at the top where I glued them with my photoetch saw so I dont loose too much in the cut.

So far everything is going to plan.

Thanks for dropping by and the comments really help me stay motivated.

Cheers

Anthony

[Youngtiger1]

Now, that is coming along very nice. Sure it's a lot of work but it sure is paying off in an awesome way....

Mike

[hooknladderno1]

Anthony,

Beautiful work! I am new to this forum, and am very impressed. I am a flight nurse, and have had several helicopter models, but have never done much more than work on the interiors. I have much learning to do. I hope to build the EC-135 that I fly in at work. The graphics and paint scheme seem to be the biggest challenge at the moment. I also will need some basic instruction that I will outline in a separate post. Keep up the great work! I look forward to following your updates.

Sincerely,

David

[CraigSargent]

Don't know how I missed this - nice clean work Ant (as always).

BTW, Pete's decals started life as my decals, but my worklife and family and own modelling commitments meant I couldn't complete them. Pete stepped up and finished them off. Definitely looking forward to seeing this one.

Can't remember, but are you going to Invercargill in September?

[Anthony in NZ]

Thanks guys, much appreciated indeed.

Firstly welcome to the forum David. I will do all I can to offer any help or advice with your build. If you need any parts then let me know as I might have some spare medical interior bits that may be of some use. You will find everyone around here very helpful.

Craig, I have you also to thank for the Decals too! Cheers mate. I am actually in Invercargill at the moment with work. I was visiting Lester Kidd between appointments and he was keen for me to come down too. I am pretty keen to come back for the show here now

Thanks Mike and Craig for the kind words too.

I have made a bit of progress and will post an update in a couple of days when I get home again.

Cheers

Anthony

[Andrew MacKay]

Thanks guys, much appreciated indeed.

Firstly welcome to the forum David. I will do all I can to offer any help or advice with your build. If you need any parts then let me know as I might have some spare medical interior bits that may be of some use. You will find everyone around here very helpful.

Craig, I have you also to thank for the Decals too! Cheers mate. I am actually in Invercargill at the moment with work. I was visiting Lester Kidd between appointments and he was keen for me to come down too. I am pretty keen to come back for the show here now

Thanks Mike and Craig for the kind words too.

I have made a bit of progress and will post an update in a couple of days when I get home again.

Cheers

Anthony

I'm not going to make it down... work committments on the Friday, but if you want to pop in and say HI on the way through or back lemme know.

Andrew Mac

BTW the exaust on my huey is turning to custard, where did you get that brass tubing ?

[Anthony in NZ]

Hi there

Andrew, I might try and take you up on that offer if I come down! Thanks. I got the brass tubing from Acorn Models here. What dia do you need? I might have some, if not I can get you some and post it down if you like.

Well back to the BK. I was off work last week and managed to get in some good modelling time...even though we went away for 3 days of that.

First up, the tailboom was in for some more treatment. I added the strips that run down each side of the top transmission fairing. This still needs fasteners added and a bit more treatment where it meets the gearbox fairing at the base of the fin(still figuring that bit out). The horizontal stabilizer needed fairings added to the ends where it meets the vertical stabs(or End Plates according to the engineers). This was fine plastic card wrapped around them and trimmed to shape. Be careful here as the card was so thin when I used MEK on it, it split on the leading edges due to the tight curve. So I used my thinnest superglue(like water) ant it was all good after making new ones.

The tailboom was then set up and glued on

I then had the ardous job of sculpting the tailbooml to engine cowl joint as there are some tricky curves in there to get right. Finally it was all filled with superglue and finished off with Mr Surfacer 1000. You will see in this next photo that there is quite a gap around the boom-to- fuse fairing and the kit has this as a butt joint. I used a pin in a drill handle and scratched right around the circumference untill I got a nice even gap around it. Once it is painted I can run a wash around this ind it should look just right.

Next up was the cowl again.....boy there seems to ba a lot of work involved in this area! I shimmed around the rotorhead opening and corrected the cut-out openings at the rear of the hole. I then spent a lot of time re-scribing panel lines as the BK has them in slightly different places. I opened up the side screen in prep for the photoetch one and then made new side panels for the BK cowl. These were measured up, cut out and rolled to shape.

And here they are installed

It was then buffed down to a nice thickness in prep for some mesh. What you cant really see in the pics is that I did a bit of work sharpening up some contours and refining some shapes. I inserted a little triangular shape to the outer, lower edge of the exhaust opening to correct the shape. You will see in the pics the work done as well as opening up the upper air conditioning intake screen. Please excuse the tamiya tape as I am measuring everything up to re-scribe a couple of panel lines. There is still more screens and intakes yet to go.

A big thenks to John "AirMedical" for his help with the lower fairing on the tailboom that was spare from his BO-105. I thought they were the same but as it turned ouththe BO one was about 50% larger. So it was back-filled and recontoured to the correct proportions and glued on.

I have now seperated the fuse again now that I am happy with it. and sanded down the 2 mating surfaces. I took off about 0.5mm to make the shim 3.5mm overall wider.

Thanks for droping by and seeing my slow progress. I would love to be faster than I am but I just want everything to be right. For me it is measure and check 10x and cut once. Slow I know but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.

Cheers

Anthony

Edited August 30, 2008 by Anthony in NZ

[Andrew Doppel]

Lovely work Anthony! I have been hanging out for an update. Keep it coming and don't loose sight of the final product.

Regards

Andrew (who has three builds on the go, D'oh!)

[Anthony in NZ]

Thanks Andrew, 3 at once....phew! I must say that your Huey is looking fantastic.

Finished the upper air conditioning opening on the engine cowl in prep for the mesh screen to be inserted(I will do that once the major surgery is finished) as well as scribed the last 2 panel lines on the upper cowl between the 2 engine "bumps". Not much, but I will snap a pic tonight to help anyone wanting to do this to theirs..

I peeled off my masking tape and it left a clean strip. So I gave everything a good scrup in a mild warm detergent and I was amazed at how lovely clean and white it all came up!

Actually one of the main reasons for the post is that I am trying to decide wether to open up the engine cowl panels on the starboard side, I am in two minds...any opinions?????

Cheers

Anthony

Edited September 1, 2008 by Anthony in NZ

[AirMedical]

A big thenks to John "AirMedical" for his help with the lower fairing on the tailboom that was spare from his BO-105. I thought they were the same but as it turned ouththe BO one was about 50% larger. So it was back-filled and recontoured to the correct proportions and glued on.

You're welcome! My pleasure sir!

Looking real good!

John