Pappy121 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) And we are away! This only arrived a couple of weeks before Chrissy, so I have been itchin' to get cracking on this one. One of the weird things I discovered when I was dry fitting the cockpit/cabin parts is that Kittyhawk (KH) have moulded a very nice textured cabin floor on the underside i.e the side that is not used of the cabin floor part. Apparently the same mistake appears in their SH-2F kit. I twigged when I was attempting to dry fit the sensor operator's equipment to the starboard side of the cabin, when it should all be fitted to the port side. The really bad news is that top surface that is seen is covered in ejector pin marks - WTF? They are not really visible in the picture below but I used some CA and accelerator to fill these in and sand smooth before some of the cockpit and cabin 'furniture' was attached. I also assembled the main parts of the forward bulkhead, both sides of which will suffered from prominent ejector pin marks. These were dealt with as per the cabin floor. Looking inside the fuselage halves, there are a few prominent ejector pin marks that will also need to be dealt with if you plan to have the cabin doors opened. The main wheel bays are comprised of four parts that build into a small assembly that locates against the fuselage half. Whilst it is a complicated assembly, this approach by KH allows for plenty of detail to be added to the surface. If KH had just moulded these integral to each fuselage half, they may just have been featureless boxes. I made sure to build one complete assembly and attach it to one fuselage before commencing the second in order to ensure that the parts did not get mixed up. The cockpit access doors also have plenty of ejector pin marks, thankfully most of these will be out of sight with the doors slid back so i only filled the forward ejector pin marks Finally, the port cabin access door was cleaned up and assembled. There is a small quarter door which attached to the main door. My references show that the quarter panel should sit flush or slightly proud of the main door. The locating tabs mean the door will sit slightly recessed with respect the the main door surface I added a sheet of plastic card over the quarter door which now looks a lot better cheers, Pappy Edited January 4, 2017 by Pappy121 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Well that sucks! I was pondering getting this kit, but after seeing that floor I don't think so. Your doing excellent work with it so far. I'mexcited to see it all built up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 1 hour ago, falcon20driver said: Well that sucks! I was pondering getting this kit, but after seeing that floor I don't think so. Your doing excellent work with it so far. I'mexcited to see it all built up. Well, the ejector pin marks are certainly an annoyance, but they appear on plenty of other kits so definitely not a show stopper. If you want an SH-2G, it is the only game in town and converting from the Matchbox/Revell SH-2F would be far worse. The rest of the kit is very nice, cheers, Pappy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Nice work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grandboof Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 A different Seasprite Cool Will be watching Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 2 hours ago, midnightprowler said: Nice work. 5 minutes ago, Grandboof said: A different Seasprite Cool Will be watching Thanks gents. G'day people, today's update, I spent today assembling the crew seats The back of the sensor operator's seat is just left open. This will be okay if you plan on leaving the port cabin door shut, but if you pose this open, this will be glaringly obvious There is also a jump seat provided for the load master I assume. This assembly is extremely delicate and the lower leg parts comprise three parts that are very thin and very fragile. I managed to snap two of the three leg assemblies despite being very careful. I did not attempt to clean up the ejector pin marks underneath or behind the seat as these will not be seen and the seat frame is very delicate. I ended up replacing the broken sections with stretched sprue. The sensor operator's panel was assembled. This went together without any issues Dry fitting these items did not reveal any potential fit issues I have also assembled the nose parts. Due to the different equipment fit used by the various operators, the nose is split into four main components which comprise the port and starboard nose halves as per the real deal. To these assembled halves, various drop in panels are added to represent the version specific sensors, lights etc. You will need to study your references for the version that you want to build as I have already noticed some errors in the kit instructions, more anon, cheers, Pappy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) G'day people, I ave started to assemble the doghouse The forward section is common to both the previously released SH-2F* and the SH-2G, the whole assembly is a mult-ipart affair. If care is taken in cleaning up the parts and a test fit carried out before committing to glue, the whole assembly should go together well. I added a smear of filler where the top rear section joins the aft. I need not have bothered as as two PE sections are provided which completely cover this area.Before this can be fitted however, the molded in lump (which is supposed to represent a grab handle) will need to be removed. The PE part fit perfectly I replaced the grab handles with copper wire and fuse wire. I think the aft two look a little anemic, I may replace these with larger gauge wire. Next up, the PE grilles were added. The one in the top right position fit well, but it does need to be bent to the correct shape first. * The SH-2F doghouse has the forward section as a common part, however the doghouse in incorrect for the SH-2F. If built as instructed, the doghouse sits too far forward. Have a look at 82Whitey51's WIP to see what I am getting at http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/276954-148-sh-2f-seasprite/&page=1 Since the PE sheet was within reach, the seat belts were added to the crew seats. I added some additional detail to the seats that was missing The back of the sensor operator's seat was closed out with a sheet of plastic and some details added. I don't know if these details are correct, it was a basically a guess based on other chopper seats I have seen. The back of the forward bulkhead is missing a firex. I scratched one up using scrap bits 'n' pieces. It is tiny Some additional details were also added to the front of the bullhead as well as a scratchbuilt rotor brake unit. Finally some additional details were added to the cockpit/cabin floor cheers, Pappy Edited January 2, 2017 by Pappy121 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Looking great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 You're zipping right along, great work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 6 hours ago, midnightprowler said: Looking great. 2 hours ago, falcon20driver said: You're zipping right along, great work. Thanks chaps, I find thank choppers are about 80% interior unless you do decide you want to display open engine bays etc. I don't plan on opening any additional hatches so this is ripping along nicely. I spent today painting the interior. The instrument panel has lots of really crisp raised detail so it was really a joy to paint. KH supplies a large decal for the clock faces. I think the idea is to drape it over the raised panel details which sounds a little risky. I think i will add some of the clock faces separately by punching out some of the larger dials from the main decal and adding them individually. The cabin and cockpit next Finally there is a small avionics panel underneath the cockpit floor that is visible if you choose to open the nose. I think I will have my nose closed so this item will not be visible, shame really cheers, Pappy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-ONE27 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Looking very good Pappy! I especially like the office. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Very nicely done cockpit! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winnie Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 wow... Stunning work. the wear on the Senso-station is awesome Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ichitoe Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Great work! Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grandboof Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Great detail work Martin H Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) 6 hours ago, Ichitoe said: Great work! Mike 47 minutes ago, Grandboof said: Great detail work Martin H 6 hours ago, Winnie said: wow... Stunning work. the wear on the Senso-station is awesome 7 hours ago, Hajo L. said: Very nicely done cockpit! HAJO 17 hours ago, B-ONE27 said: Looking very good Pappy! I especially like the office. Thanks very much gents. The detail provided by KH is very crisp and was a pure joy to paint up. G'day people, I managed to get the crew seats done today. SENSO The drivers It is possible to install the front seats after the bulkhead is attache to the floor but it would be a lot easier to do this beforehand. i was worried that I would break the cyclic or collectives as it was a little tight but I manged in the end. The reason I did not add the front seats was because the orange paint for the cushions is very thin and takes several applications to build up enough colour density. I should have waited until the seats were finished but I figured I would just add them later as it had proven easy enough when dry fitting but I had not considered the reduced space due to the installation of the cyclics and collectives. I got away with it though. The firex that I built has been painted up and installed It is only a small touch but I like it. Remember how I spent time filling in all those ejector pin marks? Well I decided that since the doors would be open I would attempt to reproduce the sound proofing using wine foil. Happily, new years celebrations have only recently passed so I was able to collect plenty of champers foil for projects. During test fitting I noticed that the front of the fuselage would not close up easily. The issue was that the top corners of the two detail pieces representing the torque pedal assembly on either side of the panel were fouling in the fuselage. Simple fix, I sanded the top corners of these parts slightly, Sorted. Next up, this aft cabin access door is actually just undersized w.r.t the opening. This means that if you wish to pose the door closed, you will need to add some plastic to the door or the cabin opening. I have tack glued some plastic trip to the door cheers, Pappy Edited January 4, 2017 by Pappy121 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 That is some seriously awesome painting going on! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winnie Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Fantastic, truly awesome, I believe you did an AH-1Z a while back too? unbelievably great work. If I could do half as good... Is the kit box stock or is that Cobra Company as well? except for the foil blankets of course... Cheers H. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 4 hours ago, Winnie said: Fantastic, truly awesome, I believe you did an AH-1Z a while back too? unbelievably great work. If I could do half as good... Is the kit box stock or is that Cobra Company as well? except for the foil blankets of course... Cheers H. I have not applied any aftermarket to this kit, I have scratch built all the details myself. Apart from a mask set (designed for the SH-2F but it will still fit) I do not believe that any after market stuff exists for the SH-2G, although I am sure the AM boys will eventually catch up. 5 hours ago, falcon20driver said: That is some seriously awesome painting going on! cheers, when the detail is this nicely rendered, it only takes some careful painting to make it pop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a4s4eva Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Probably to late for the interior stuff but here's a walkaround (not mine) of a Kiwi SH-2G(NZ). Not sure how much they differ from the Polish ones but I'd expect much of it is similar. http://s1233.photobucket.com/user/pgarmonsway/library/Seasprite?sort=3&page=1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 2 hours ago, a4s4eva said: Probably to late for the interior stuff but here's a walkaround (not mine) of a Kiwi SH-2G(NZ). Not sure how much they differ from the Polish ones but I'd expect much of it is similar. http://s1233.photobucket.com/user/pgarmonsway/library/Seasprite?sort=3&page=1 \Thanks Calum, Thanks, some great reference stuff there, especially for a RAN bird I want to do later. I ill use this build to see where all the problems are and how it goes together. The Polish jets are a little older and have a more analogue cockpit, plus the SENSO station is also retained, so the back end is different. Hopefully the aftermarket guys will catch up with this one, not that it needs that much, cheers, Pappy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a4s4eva Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 2 hours ago, Pappy121 said: \Thanks Calum, Thanks, some great reference stuff there, especially for a RAN bird I want to do later. I ill use this build to see where all the problems are and how it goes together. The Polish jets are a little older and have a more analogue cockpit, plus the SENSO station is also retained, so the back end is different. Hopefully the aftermarket guys will catch up with this one, not that it needs that much, chee Pappy The cockpit on that one is not the SH-2G(A) configuration, it's the original SH-2G(NZ) fit. The sensos rack, I assume has been removed so the aircraft can be used in a utility role. The RNZN now have 10 of the 11 SH-2G(A)'s, now called SH-2G(I) . Externally the SH-2G(I) looks the same as the SH-2G(A) but I haven't seen inside one to see what they did to the cockpit to resolve the issues the RAN had. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) 31 minutes ago, a4s4eva said: The cockpit on that one is not the SH-2G(A) configuration, it's the original SH-2G(NZ) fit. The sensos rack, I assume has been removed so the aircraft can be used in a utility role. The RNZN now have 10 of the 11 SH-2G(A)'s, now called SH-2G(I) . Externally the SH-2G(I) looks the same as the SH-2G(A) but I haven't seen inside one to see what they did to the cockpit to resolve the issues the RAN had. The SH-2G(A) had an APU exhaust poking out of top of the tail boom aft of the doghouse, as well as a few other external features missing on the SH-2G (NZ). Have these external features have likely been deleted in NZ service i.e SH-2G(I) or do they remain as externally distinct from the SH-2G(NZ) ? Pappy Edited January 5, 2017 by Pappy121 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pappy121 Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 G'day people, Not much to show today as stuff is drying and it doesn't look pretty enough yet. I did end up painting the sound proofing though, cheers, Pappy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a4s4eva Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 17 hours ago, Pappy121 said: The SH-2G(A) had an APU exhaust poking out of top of the tail boom aft of the doghouse, as well as a few other external features missing on the SH-2G (NZ). Have these external features have likely been deleted in NZ service i.e SH-2G(I) or do they remain as externally distinct from the SH-2G(NZ) ? Pappy Pappy The SH-2G(NZ) is (were) original G models bought by the RNZN (they had SH-2F's for a while before that also). These were effectively standard SH-G with a few minor mods (glass AI/flight director instead of analogue and AGM-65 Maverick capabilty. They have now been replaced by the SH-2G(I) which were the RAN SH-2G(A) frames. Externally , from what I've seen the SH-2G(I) , and SH-2G(A) look identical. I don't recall an APU exhaust on the top of the tail boom of the SH-2G(A) , the APU exhaust on the SH-2G(A) / (I) looks to be in the same place as the SH-2G(NZ) and hence the same as the polish ones. The RAN intended to operate the SH-2G(A) with 2 crew only (1 pilot and 1 TACCO), and from what I remember there was very little in the back as it was intended primarily for the ASuW mission, not ASW (ASW info would be datalinked back to the ship). The 2 crew requirement of the RAN was one (of many) contributing factors to the issues they had with the aircraft. From what I understand (and I could be wrong) the RNZN are operating the SH-2G(I) with 3 crew (2 pilots and 1 crewman in the back) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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