Shorts Helivan

[Weaver]

Okay, nothing worth photographing on the Helivan yet - just loads of interior painting.

However, here's some progress on the Crossley Cricket light airborne prime-mover:



The big bits are stuck together with blu-tack still.... The engine bay was built up on the trailer base-plate using loads of different kinds of Evergreen, and a big-scale Lambourghini Countach vent for a radiator grill.. The latter was a bit too wide but too nice not to use, so the engine bay bulges outboard on the right a bit, and the driver's platform mirrors it on the left. the backstory is that the original version was under-powered, so this one has an enlarged engine and rad to enable it to tow a significant weight as well as carry it.

Don't let the size of the seat fool you: this thing is really small.

[Mossie]

Heh, you worked out what to do with the GS trailer left over from your Trackrover!

[Stargazer]

A Skyvan-based helo is bound to be a favorite of mine when it's done. I'm looking forward to more of this!! 

[Weaver]

Well wonder of wonders, I managed to do some modelling on a week night last night!

The roof and one side of the fuselage are on, but I then had to stop for an "idiot break" when I realised I hadn't put the pilots in and they wern't fully painted yet. I also realised that although I'd carefully painted the separate internal ceiling, I hadn't painted the inside face of the roof behind it, which will, of course, show through the reversed ramp/door.... I'm skimping on the interior in the name of making some progress, so the cockpit isn't getting proper helo controls and the interior is pretty plain (the ice-cube-like window glazings spoil it anyway).

The Crossley Cricket now has prop shafts and a transfer box. Nothing very clever or realistic: it just didn't look busy enough from the side.

I may even take some photos soon!

[kitbasher]

Now rotaries are the Devil's Aircraft and the Skyvan is pug ugly, but this is inspired - especially like the Kaman rotor configuration.
In the past I've created an attack autogyro based on a Spitfire, but never returned a rotary to the 'natural' winged state.  Thought a long time about a 'retro Sea King', i.e. a WW2 fixed-wing Sea King (twin-engined monoplane, but essentially a hi-tech Walrus), but never got round to it.  The thing the the voices keep suggesting is a fixed-wing Rotodyne - no rotor but greater wing span. Twin Pioneer replacement in the RAF that may yet happen!

Mmmm.....de-rotored rotaries - possible GB theme?

[Weaver]

Now rotaries are the Devil's Aircraft and the Skyvan is pug ugly, but this is inspired - especially like the Kaman rotor configuration.
In the past I've created an attack autogyro based on a Spitfire, but never returned a rotary to the 'natural' winged state.  Thought a long time about a 'retro Sea King', i.e. a WW2 fixed-wing Sea King (twin-engined monoplane, but essentially a hi-tech Walrus), but never got round to it.  The thing the the voices keep suggesting is a fixed-wing Rotodyne - no rotor but greater wing span. Twin Pioneer replacement in the RAF that may yet happen!

Mmmm.....de-rotored rotaries - possible GB theme?

Funnily enough, I've been considering just such a project: a 1/72nd Gazelle cockpit bubble with a single pusher prop, mated to the wings, booms and tailplane of a 1/170th Noratlas to make a British FAC aircraft for Vietnam.

[kitbasher]

Funnily enough, I've been considering just such a project: a 1/72nd Gazelle cockpit bubble with a single pusher prop, mated to the wings, booms and tailplane of a 1/170th Noratlas to make a British FAC aircraft for Vietnam.

I't almost been done in real life - the Edgley Optica (http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/edgley_optica.php).

[Weaver]

Yeah that's the idea: a kind of early non-ducted-fan Optica; in fact I was considering ways of writing John Edgley (or a John Edgley) into the back story. It would essentially be a replacment for slow, worn out, Austers, in the same way that the Cessna O-2 was a replacement for the Bird Dogs.

[Weaver]

Photos!

The interminable interior painting is nearly at an end...




Quite pleased with the pilots though:




Waiting for endless coats of light green to dry has meant more progress with the Cricket:



It now has a new seat (from the civvie Skyvan option) a steering wheel from a White half-track (and yes, it IS at the right height), a headlight, a gearstick, some pedals and some jerry cans:



It also has an exhaust system and a storage bag on the engine deck:



And here's the chassis, looking suitably busy now:

[MiB]

Good Idea! The skyvan seems like a copter!

[Captain Canada]

Now this I like ! Awesome stuff.....

[Weaver]

Other side of the fuselage is on (yes I did remember to fill the space under the cockpit floor with blu-tack). Dunno if mine was particularly warped or something but it did NOT go smoothly and needed a lot of scraping and filing to get four rounded corners on a squareish fuselage.

Engine pods cut down to size. Established that I've got every size of plastic or metal tube to hand EXCEPT the ideal one for the jetpipes....

Rotor pylons roughly made. Gave up on finding something in the stash to do the job: they have to be relatively thick yet very tapered "stub wings" and that isn't common (couple of 1/700th submarine sails would have been about right). I ended up scatchbuilding them out of tube and card, which is geometrically interesting. Even more geometrically interesting is going to be cutting the base of them so that they a) lean outwards at the same angle, b) lean outwards at the right angle, c) fit the fuselage.

Unfortunately, all the personal and work cr4p that has slowed work on this to a crawl has now bitten back again, so no idea when the next "progress" report will be.....

[Weaver]

Now with pictures!





Unfortunately, I had to clamp the pylons together so hard that they've set squished at the top, but it's nothing that a little filler can't cure. The bottom edges are rough because I deliberately made them over-long to allow for trimming to fit.

[PR19_Kit]

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

But I'm sure the finished article will be just wonderful. 

[Rheged]

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

But I'm sure the finished article will be just wonderful.  

As I have quoted elsewhere " The Skyvan is the box that the Jetstream  came in"  according to  a Jetstream pilot of my acquaintance.......but I'm impressed with the quality of workmanship.