Shorts Helivan

[Weaver]

Not exactly a thing of beauty, the Skyvan, is it? 

Well exactly - I'm just letting out the inner helicopter that was always there.....

[PR19_Kit]

Not exactly a thing of beauty, the Skyvan, is it? 

Well exactly - I'm just letting out the inner helicopter that was always there.....

Yes indeed, without the wings you can see it would make a pretty good helicopter. With your additions it should look magnificent, I can hardly wait. 

[Weaver]

We have a rotor system:




Do you think it's a bit p****d off with me? 

[Stargazer]

Charles Kaman! Get out of this helicopter body N-O-W!!! 

[Mossie]

Looks a bit like an original Cylon.....

[Green Dragon]

Great looking rotor system Weaver!  Does look rather angry doesn't it?

Paul Harrison

[PR19_Kit]

Now that's REALLY looking the business now! Cracking idea. 

[Weaver]

Well, in between stuff I forgot I had to do this weekend and the fit problems I've been having with the nose and cockpit area of this thing, there is no NO chance of it being finished for the deadline. I'm not asking for an extension either, because given how poor my performance in actually getting modelling done this year has been, I have no confidence that I'll finish it for any revised deadline either...

I WILL finish it though.....

[Weaver]

Progress has occurred, but due to a power failure tonight, there are no photos yet.

Engines: pods cut, insides painted, mounting holes drilled, brass spacer rings fitted, brass exhaust tubes made and fitted. Wing slots modified to take engine mounting rods.

Tail surfaces made and fitted, with much cursing due to weak joints (due to novelty moving elevator) and poor alignment. Had to pin tailplanes and strap right angle pieces to fins.

Addition of tail surfaces made it a tail-sitter. Nose bulkhead pulled back off and blu-tack under cockpit floor replaced with lead. More lead inside nose cone (which can't be completely filled due to nose gear ) still didn't fix it, so it now has lead behind the instrument panel and in the intake cones of the engines. I think the lack of the original wings & engines and the more rearward position of the helo engines made this worse. I could have moved the main gear back, but I'd already stuck the fairings on by the time I realised....

Started painting the cockpit window frames - what a pain! The cockpit glazing only vagues fits so I'm doing it contrasty black as if the discontinuity is due to paint rather than fit.

Cricket vehicle has been cut in half and adjusted to fix a bent chassis. Painting has started.


I STILL don't know what colour to paint it. I want it civvie but easily re-painted to military (it belongs to a Cheshire "private company" which is actually owned by the ruling family. This allows it to do cross-border civvie work without ruffling feathers, but it can be impressed into military service at the drop of a hat with no questions asked). Current best idea is grey top half (easily cammo-ed with green blobs) over a sky blue bottom half with a red stripe through the windows.

[Weaver]

And I was doing so well.....

Got the engine pods on, made little transmission tubes between the intake centrebodies and the fuselage, finally got the ramp to fit in the closed position (the fuselage is distorted, but it doesn't show unless you go looking for it) masked all the windows, did some more painting, took the model down the cellar for it's first coat of undercoat, stuck it on a plinth with Blu-tack so I could do top and bottom in one hit (painting/drying cycles are getting short now), just finished and.....


Dropped it.





Physical damage is limited to one snapped rudder pin, but there are several big scrapes and fingerprints in the undercoat now, and recovering them isn't going to be easy given the rivet-festooned surface of the fuselage: can't just sand 'em out. Can't do anything until it dries now....


"I believe the phrase you're looking for rhymes with 'clucking bell'....." - Blackadder... 

[Weaver]

Had a better look this morning, and one of the main gear fairings has snapped too. All fixable, but when you add glue-drying time to paint and dry cycles, there's no way I can finishit for the deadline now (it was very tight anyway). I'm not prepared to simplify the paint job to a ridiculous extent just sneak in at the finish, so that's me out, I'm afraid.

Could be a blessing in disguise for the model though: there's so much weight in the nose that I was seriously concerned about the undercarriage anyway: the main gear fairings just plug into the sides on very shallow pegs. Now I've got time, I might take them both off and drill them for a couple of brass rod spars, and replace the axles with metal ones too. Don't know what I can do about the nose gear though: it's all moulded in one piece....

[Pablo1965]

 :thumbsup:very interesting proyect, Goats have face, I like the short Skyvan and now like it as your Helivan. Congratulations.

[Weaver]

Moderators: can someone move this thread to Current and Finished Projects: Aircraft please?


EDIT: Thank you kindly good Sirs.