A little work in progress

[Martin H]

OK. Back to Helicopters again...........................................

First up is a hanger queen that's been sitting around since December last year.



A Merlin HC-3 as per the original wooden mock up that was used in a lot of the promo photos Westlands did back in the late 80's / early 90's.
Its in the late 1990's raf cammo scheme for choppers. And is wearing 33 sqn markings.
Italeri Kit with model decal decals and mainly Hataka paints.

Next a fresh of the work bench 4 day build.


Westland Seaking mk-25, operating in the anti shipping role off the Dutch carrier Karel Doorman (the 4th and only non British built Invincible class VTOL carrier) around 2005. Revell kit with decals robbed from various Lynx UH-14 kits and a Modledecal set. The penguins are from a Hasegawa weapons set. Gunze sanyo and Life color paints all the way on this one. There may well be a Dutch SeaHarrier joining this bird in due course...................

Last one is another hanger queen from earleir in the year.


A westland-Sikorsky WS-70 Seahawk HAS-2 of 815NAS operating off HMS Richmond in 2000.
Italeri SH-60B kit built OOB, A horrible kit to build. with hobbyboss Lynx HMA8 decals. Any other H-60's I build will be either Hobbyboss, Hasegawa or Fujimi kits!

[TheChronicOne]

Those look great, bud!!!   HC-3 is my fav. 

[PR19_Kit]

Westland Seaking mk-25, operating in the anti shipping role off the Dutch carrier Karel Doorman (the 4th and only non British built Invincible class VTOL carrier) around 2005.......................There may well be a Dutch SeaHarrier joining this bird in due course...................

Oh very good! 

Should we expect a model of the Karel Doorman (from the Airfix Invincible of course) at some stage?

[Martin H]

Should we expect a model of the Karel Doorman (from the Airfix Invincible of course) at some stage?

Not from Me LOL. I dont usualy build floating targets.................

[Weaver]

Yeah I like the Sea King too. Penguins make a lot of sense for the Dutch. The Germans used 4 x Sea Skuas on their Sea Kings, but then they had to deal with flocks of missile/torpedo boats in the Baltic and up the Norwegian coast, so the more rounds, the merrier. The Dutch tended to concentrate on Atlantic operations, where they'd be dealing with larger ships, so the bigger warhead and longer range of the Penguin would be more use.

Mind you, you could carry Exocets on Sea Kings...

[PR19_Kit]

Mind you, you could carry Exocets on Sea Kings...

And Sea Eagles....

[NARSES2]

Very, very nice Martin 

Masking in particular is extremely neat

[Nick]

I've always wondered how you paint helicopters with open cabin doors. Surely when you spray the body the paint must blow into the cabin so it would cover the interior so then you need to get in there with a brush - very fiddly. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

[zenrat]

Having painted and detailed the interior before putting the fuselage halves together I put tape around the doorway perpendicular to the outside surface.  I then plug the hole in the middle with a piece of sponge.  This keeps the paint out.
I'm not sure if I made myself clear explaining that but a similar technique (albeit with a smaller opening) can be seen on the cockpit of this I-16.
Geebeeski WIP 28-11-2018 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[kitnut617]

. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Umm! temporarily put the door in the hole   

[NARSES2]

. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Umm! temporarily put the door in the hole   

Yup, suitably masked of course. You can usually use the tape to temporarily attach it as well 

Mind you as I still brush paint it's not a problem I often have to face

[Rheged]

. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Umm! temporarily put the door in the hole   

Yup, suitably masked of course. You can usually use the tape to temporarily attach it as well 

Mind you as I still brush paint it's not a problem I often have to face

The brotherhood of the hairy stick is (thankfully) still alive and flourishing.

[Martin H]

I've always wondered how you paint helicopters with open cabin doors. Surely when you spray the body the paint must blow into the cabin so it would cover the interior so then you need to get in there with a brush - very fiddly. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Deluxe products "tackywax" is your friend there. It helps with a temporay way to tack the door inplace for painting............

[Thorvic]

I've always wondered how you paint helicopters with open cabin doors. Surely when you spray the body the paint must blow into the cabin so it would cover the interior so then you need to get in there with a brush - very fiddly. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Paint round the door frame in the colour you are doing the airframe then tack the door in place using maskol. seals the hole allows the door to match the fuselage around it and then it can be popped off and the maskol removed. Simples.

[Martin H]

I've always wondered how you paint helicopters with open cabin doors. Surely when you spray the body the paint must blow into the cabin so it would cover the interior so then you need to get in there with a brush - very fiddly. Or is there a way to plug the doorway when coating the outside?

Paint round the door frame in the colour you are doing the airframe then tack the door in place using maskol. seals the hole allows the door to match the fuselage around it and then it can be popped off and the maskol removed. Simples.

That as well........