Avro-Cierva Dragonfly

frank2056 · May 26, 2009, 09:51:32 AM

Quote from: Weaver on May 26, 2009, 09:01:09 AM

My idea is to stick it on with double-sided tape (I have some nicely thin stuff) over the underlying paint....

I did something similar a while ago - the edges of the paper that were not glued eventually warped or made a noticeable lip or gap. Maybe placing the tape a little past the edge of the paper, then trimming it as close as possible? My problem could have been made worse because I painted the edges (with a wash) AFTER I'd glued the stuff down.

Weaver · May 31, 2009, 07:05:20 PM

Made a lot of progress on this, but it doesn't make a good photo unfortunately, since all the bits don't come together yet.

The engine deck now has engine mounting points. The light green bit in the middle is the original anti-corrosion finish, still showing on the only area that squaddies couldn't reach with a 4 inch brush. The gearbox has a thick coat of glossy grey paint (Myford lathe style) because it's a big lump of metal out in the weather: bits of the engines will be getting in the same treatment.

I've glued together the narrow-chord tailplanes from an AB-204 and they're going to be mounted under the tailboom and have oval end-plates to reinforce the Scout look. The paint on the rotor blades didn't go so well (that's one of the better ones): don't know how I'm going to proceed with that....

There's a test panel there for the anti-slip mats. I've decided on the 600 grade, painted (the square one). Although it's naturally black, it has a sparkle to it which is wrong, so it still needs painting.

I found a good walkaround of two Scouts on the net here:

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/jon_davies/westland_scout_ah1_xt626/images/westland_scout_ah1_xt626_10_of_54.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/jon_davies/westland_scout_ah1_xt626/&usg=__5EvxNvB_IDQgZ30RO-MZ_cHpinA=&h=1232&w=1632&sz=499&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=a5chCzUwcAoOpM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwestland%2Bscout%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Couple of things struck me:

1. The paint finish is more "Army vehicle" than "flying machine", i.e. everything that can be reached has been given a good coat of "green:tanks:for the use of" with a 4-inch brush. This makes sense: as far as the Army are concerned, it's a 100mph all-terrain jeep, not a thing of aeronautical beauty and refinement.

2. Surprisingly little of the exposed engine/transmission components are NMF. Again, this makes sense: if a gearbox is going to live inside a protective cowling, then you can leave it unpainted to save weight, but if you know it's going to spend it's life out in the weather, then you give it a good thick coat of paint.

Weaver · June 06, 2009, 01:09:37 PM

More barely photogenic progress:

Test-fitted engine components, now with more paint. Note that the squaddies have got to one of the overly bright engine cases (well 3/4 of it) but the other, newer one is still in it's nice paint. The copper colour on the exhausts needs toning down more radically: a brown ink wash just didn't do the job. Also note the Scout-style tailplane.

Engine deck with the bits off showing the anti-slip mats and the added muck. The black ink wash had a bit too much detergent in it which made it run to the edges, so I wiped most of it off and did it again, but I left it in the "trays" in between the engines because it looks quite good.

Modified chin windows (need many more coats of paint on the opaque bits yet):

deathjester · June 06, 2009, 06:20:59 PM

Looking pretty good!!

Mossie · June 07, 2009, 03:50:13 AM

Yeah, like the engine arrangement.

Weaver · June 13, 2009, 05:07:04 PM

Cheers folks!

Cockpit's in:

Getting the rhs collective lever in place in that little slot between the seat leg and the pedestal is fun.....

John Howling Mouse · June 18, 2009, 05:42:47 PM

Wow, seeing this really made my day...more-more!

Weaver · June 19, 2009, 04:21:50 AM

Quote from: John Howling Mouse on June 18, 2009, 05:42:47 PM
Wow, seeing this really made my day...more-more!

Cheers for that, especially coming from you....

I think the engines look a little bare, so having aquired some fuse wire and some scrap sprues of greeblie bits off a warship of some kind, I may attempt some more detail. Needs a gearbox oil cooler and some wiring at least, plus if it's operating it Cheshire it WILL need a cabin heater: Scouts have something that looks like one, but I havn't figured out what it actually is yet.

This is probably a symptom of looking at pictures like this for too long:

Anyone know what the black blower-looking thang is in this picture? I can make one, but I'd kinda like to know what I'm making.....

On the "painted by squaddies" front, check out the cammo-painted tail rotor brake disc....

(It really is too: the other side is the same green & grey as the fuselage)

chrisonord · June 19, 2009, 02:58:41 PM

That black thing will be the air con

Weaver · June 20, 2009, 02:20:49 AM

Quote from: chrisonord on June 19, 2009, 02:58:41 PM
That black thing will be the air con

That was my first thought, but:

a) it's awfully big for a hatchback-sized cabin,

b) it doesn't seem to go anywhere near the cabin. The blower is next to the jetpipe (presumably on a power take-off from the tail rotor gearbox) and the other end of it just stops under the front of the engine....

Weaver · June 20, 2009, 09:33:09 AM

Oil pipe:

Weaver · June 21, 2009, 02:12:30 PM

Okay, been greeblifying all weekend.

Since the Dragonfly's engines overhand the edge of the fuselage whereas the Scout's doesn't, I figured that most of the control rod/fuel line stuff would be on the inside, out of sight, so what I've put in are silver hydraulic pipes, black electrical harnesses, a fan-cooled oil cooler for the gearbox and that all-important cabin heater, of course...

The cabin heater can be seen outboard of the gearbox, it's fan driven by a power take-off (who's presence had hitherto gone undetected) from the gearbox. The oil cooler sits on a frame above and between the engines, with an electrical fan to pull air through it. Outboard of it is an electrical junction box. Some of the electrical wires (black) on this side are still standing too far off the surface, but I found out the hard way that paint takes AGES to dry on fusewire, when I tried to tuck them in and it all flaked off...

The wires sticking out on the other side are not going to be touched until tomorrow when they've REALLY dried properly.

Apart from fitting the other electrical wires, all the engine bay needs now is a bit of black ink wash to bring out the contrasts and it's done.

Weaver · June 24, 2009, 07:31:28 PM

Engine dress now finished and main u/c legs on. The blob of filler on the bottom of the leg will become a rubber boot over the lower joint.

Good view of the oil cooler and where that fiddly blue oil line went:

Percy the Pilot:

jcf · June 25, 2009, 12:36:24 PM

Quote from: Weaver on June 19, 2009, 04:21:50 AM

Anyone know what the black blower-looking thang is in this picture? I can make one, but I'd kinda like to know what I'm making.....

I'd say its most likely the oil cooler.

Jon

Weaver · June 25, 2009, 01:35:34 PM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on June 25, 2009, 12:36:24 PM
Quote from: Weaver on June 19, 2009, 04:21:50 AM

Anyone know what the black blower-looking thang is in this picture? I can make one, but I'd kinda like to know what I'm making.....

I'd say its most likely the oil cooler.

Jon

On reflection, I think you might be right: it looks like theres a bit of big-bore braided hose running into the back of it. Bit odd that it dumps the heated air into the trough under the engine though......