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Build Log: 1/32 UH-34D Conversion


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8 hours ago, SlickRick said:

Thanks Oliver!  Your scratch building on the sonar H-34 is truly a work of art!  I am pretty sure my Dad's H-34 was a very early variant, like an A or B.  It didn't have the triple exhaust in the upper area of the clam shell rather, the single exhaust pipe at the bottom of the left clam shell.  Pretty cool that you came up with such a great "backdate" to take the British westland wessex and make it a great us army early h-34.  Any tips, ideas, advice or whatever, please let me know right away.  Thank you all for help.

SlickRick

Hi Rick,

I am planning to do an open cowling version as well so we can see the engine in the future. I believe a new improved engine was just released again from a resin company last month but i can recall which one right now.  I went back and forth between the bottom exhaust or side exhaust and i went with the side one. I have to finish the Huskie first before i get back to the h.34 since i am planning to enter the Huskie at the IPMS Nationals in August.  Gino is paving the way for us with his H.34 build.

 

Oliver

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gino,

 

what a great build. Being stationed at Pax River I had the chance to go to the Marine Museum in  Quantico often. Great subject with this particular CH-34D.  HMM-361, HMH-361 has a long great helicopter history. I am positive you will do the “Super Kitties” proud!  (HMH-361, squadron logo is the “Flying Tigers”, in 53 circles we called them the Super Kitties)

 

I have the 1/32 kit, and was toying with the idea of a white Top Presidential lift H-34, but may change my mind to a USMC version based on your excellent build updates!

 

r/Gunny 

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Thanks Gunny.  I hope to have an update soon...but life keeps getting in the way of the workbench.

 

Oliver - I do not plan on putting a full engine in it.  I'm not sure how much details I will add behind the screens.  I am using a PE mesh from Royal Model (no. 469).  It is relatively fine and I don't think you will really see much through it.  We'll see. 

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1 hour ago, HeavyArty said:

Thanks Gunny.  I hope to have an update soon...but life keeps getting in the way of the workbench.

 

Oliver - I do not plan on putting a full engine in it.  I'm not sure how much details I will add behind the screens.  I am using a PE mesh from Royal Model (no. 469).  It is relatively fine and I don't think you will really see much through it.  We'll see. 

Can u post a photo of the mesh next to the opening of the nose where the mesh will go .

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Work continues, slowly.  Life and Hockey on TV (Go Bolts!) keep getting in the way of bench time.  

 

I have continued with the cabin and cockpit area.  First off, the kit is inaccurate in the area where the lower front cabin wall and the cockpit rear wall meet.  

 

This is how the kit has you build it.  It has a couple issues.


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To start, the cockpit rear wall comes down too far.  The kit has it even with the cockpit floor.  There is actually a step there.  I cut 5mm off the bottom of the cockpit rear wall.  Next, there should be a tunnel going from the cabin front wall through the cut out area to the ceiling that the prop shaft goes through from the engine to the transmission above.  You can see it in the below pic.

 

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Here is how I replicated it.  I cut off the bottom of the rear IP at an angle, then boxed in the tunnel with sheet styrene and added an access panel on the rear side.

 

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Also, here is how the mesh will look on the nose section. I'm not sure how much details I will add behind the screens.  I am using a PE mesh from Royal Model (no. 469).  It is relatively fine and I don't think you will really see much through it.  We'll see. 

 

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Edited by HeavyArty
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I believe at least the firewall between rhe cabin and the engine needs to be created. Adding and engine would help with the void in the engine area. 

Cabin work looks good.

I like the mesh. How easy is the mesh to work with?

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Thanks Oliver.  The kit includes the firewall between the cockpit and the screened area, so no issue there.  I will add the firewall forward of the screened area between it and the engine area though.  I can't really tell what is in the screened area, but I do know there is the engine rear fan and prop shaft passing through there.  I will add them and some wires/hoses to fill it up.

 

The mesh seems to be very easy to work with.  It is thin and pliable and cuts easily with a scissors.  I have scaled up a picture of a 1/48 PE fret with the screen to roughly cut the 1/32 one out.

Edited by HeavyArty
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Soon.  I've been really busy lately on other things.  My daughter just graduated college and was commissioned as a 2LT into the US Army yesterday.  She gets married in a couple weeks.  Still lots to do.  

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11 hours ago, HeavyArty said:

Soon.  I've been really busy lately on other things.  My daughter just graduated college and was commissioned as a 2LT into the US Army yesterday.  She gets married in a couple weeks.  Still lots to do.  

Family comes first always....modeling later.

Dry fit your helo before assembly, there is a huge gap bottom fuselage piece. I believe it needs to be reinforced first before final gluing.

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17 hours ago, HeavyArty said:

Soon.  I've been really busy lately on other things.  My daughter just graduated college and was commissioned as a 2LT into the US Army yesterday.  She gets married in a couple weeks.  Still lots to do.  

In aviation hopefully!!!

 

Tim

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5 hours ago, hawkwrench said:

In aviation hopefully!!!

She wanted Aviation, but got her second choice; ADA.  So be on the lookout for a Duck Hunted when you guys are up there whizzing around.

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I have a small update tonight.  Not a lot done as I have been pretty busy w/life lately. As I mentioned above, my younger daughter graduated from college last weekend and was commissioned into the US Army as an ADA officer. She gets married next week, so I have been and will continue to be busy.

 

A very proud papa.

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On to the UH-34D

 

I have pretty much finished building and detailing the cabin and cockpit. I found that the cockpit floor was too long for the H-34 nose. The angled front firewall that separated the cockpit from the air intake grills area was falling across the middle of the grills.

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I cut the angled part off and glued it into the H-34 nose in the correct place.

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I then cut 1cm from the cockpit floor and angled the front of the center console to match the angle of the firewall. I will need to add about 3mm of styrene to the bottom of the firewall as the new position (further aft) raised it up as well.

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The H-34 IP is also included in the kit listed as “For Other Versions”.

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Lastly, I added details to the cabin side of the cockpit rear wall and the cabin front wall.

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That’s it for tonight.

 

 

Edited by HeavyArty
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  • 2 weeks later...

No further than above.  Been busy.  I did install the forward firewall inside the nose to close off the air intake area.  No pics of it yet.  I'll try to get them up soon.

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