Kamov Ka-239 "Haggard"

[John Howling Mouse]

For the Captain.  You can see they ain't perfect but neither is the guy who tried to drill them.  These are the kind of details I always wonder: "Is this worth it?" when I'm doing the work involved for them since they're pretty forgettable.

I always figure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in the end, anyhow, though.

[cthulhu77]

Looks Haggard to me !!!!    

[John Howling Mouse]

Haggard!!!!  I hope.  

I have primered up the rotary cannon (just before the rain came again) and scratchbuilt a little ammo cartridge system c/w a little angled shute, etc.

You'll be able to see the details better once painted.  All this stuff will be hanging from under the helo's fwd fuselage.  It will be gross and ungainly (I hope)!

Amazing how deceptive photography and uploads can be: the cannon is actually painted in a fairly neutral grey primer but appears like a nice armour-style olive green on my screen once uploaded.    

[Jeffry Fontaine]

What did you use for the ammunition belt feed on your gatling gun?

[nev]

For the Captain.  You can see they ain't perfect but neither is the guy who tried to drill them.  These are the kind of details I always wonder: "Is this worth it?" when I'm doing the work involved for them since they're pretty forgettable.

I always figure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in the end, anyhow, though.

This chopper is Russian, right?  Since when were they sticklers for engineering perfection?  

And is it worth it?  Well, one thing is very obvious to me from the few years I've been admiring your skills - You like nothing better than playing with spare parts, plasticard and all manner of odds and sods, with which you create amzing, crazy stuff.  Its not real, it may not even have a basis in reality, but you seem to enjoy making them, and they look cool.  It appears to me that you're never happier than when you're scratchbuilding a ficticious recce pod or somesuch.  Once you've done all the cool scratchbuilding, you stop that project to start another one - which as chance would happen involves lots of crazy scratchbuilding  ^_^   And they always look cool  B)  

[retro_seventies]

this is fascinating stuff baz - i agree with nev on everything that he said - it's the details and fiddly bits that make every one of your scratcbuilding sagas such a herculean task, and consequently make them COMPULSIVE viewing for us all.

truly fantastic my friend.    

[cthulhu77]

Fantastic? BAZTASTIC !!!!

[John Howling Mouse]

Thanks, guys!  It would be so much less fun without my internet buddies to share it with.    

Jeffry, the ammo belt came as is from the 1:35 Italeri M-163 A-1 Vulcan kit #269.
I have considered doing a longer, scratchbuilt replica of it for the ground crew diorama for this ugly baby.

[John Howling Mouse]

Rotary cannon and its ammo belt and cartridge system painted up.

[John Howling Mouse]

Couple of additional views.  Night shots with plain bulbs so I'm not sure how well this will turn out on your monitors but here goes...



And the business end:

[Eddie M.]

Outstanding! Your dry brushing is excellent. B)
  Eddie

[Ollie]

Looking good Barry boy.

B)  

[BlackOps]

Damn, Can you come over and play? The gun is a beauty! Now I really want to see more...this topic is like the old movie serials that kept you coming back for more because you can't wait to see what happens next




Jeff G.

[Leigh]

I've been avoiding this thread because for some unknown reason when we got to page 4 every time I opened it my computer would crash, I tried about twenty times over the course of a week with the same results, I just figured it was SOOOOOOOOOOO UGLY my computer was rejecting it and trying to protect my frail eyesight.
But all seems to be fixed now and all I can say is WOW. This is so cool to watch and I get so many little tips and ideas from all the little scratching processes. Barry you are most definately my online tutor/mentor. You are the Yoda to my Jar Jar Binks.
I think I understand and may be suffering from the same affliction, I really enjoy the trying to figure it out, cutting, drilling, dry fitting, repeat process but once the airframe is basically done and paint is on I lose the impetus to finish and start fondling new plastic.
As people have already reminded you what's going on with the Morsair, Seabolt and Sentinel?
As for screens and grilles another household item that found it's way into my spares drawer is a reuasable coffee filter that came with  my coffee machine. Very fine mesh almost see through and flexible. For windows I've been saving the pieces of clear plastic that stiffen up the collars of new shirts inside the packaging.
Just the little bits of gizmology you used to tart up the cannons make so much difference and are such a font of ideas for the rest of us to make better models thank Baz

[John Howling Mouse]

Thanks, guys!

Even the ordnance will be ugly!  Here is something I cobbled together, Eddie-style.
Only the second spacer ring (in white styrene) is homemade.

The rest is simply cut from an existing Hobbycraft kit (and I'll bet many of you know exactly which parts and from which kit, too!).

It is a rocket-propelled bomblet dispenser.  Because the helo doesn't have the speed of, say, a Tornado, this ugly little brother is fired at a ground target from afar.  The bulbous nosecone splits open just before impact, sending X number of bomblets in an appropriate cluster.

Ugly design for an ugly purpose, to be hung from an ugly helo's winglets.

I was thinking of a NATO codename of "SMEG" for this thing but I doubt that concurs with current NATO designations for air-to-ground ordnance    but that's what the unofficial Western nickname for it will be.

Oh yeah: dig the fancy scale ruler???