Doug's 1/48 - KA27 Helix by Hobby Boss

[Waspie]

Yes before anyone says anything - another helicopter!!

Undecided as to whether to blog this one or not but in the end - here it is.

There is definitely going to be some artistic license with the internal paint colours as the instructions are very vague as is any info from the net so excuse the less than perfect rendition of the internals.

Pic 1
Box art


Pic 2
Additional paints procured to at least keep the externals honest!!


Pic 3
From yesterday


Pic 4
Todays addition - another cabinet!!


Cabinets are just sitting on the floor pan, not fixed in place.
So far, everything has gone together very neatly indeed. Really taking my time and I think my slow approach is paying dividends.
Somehow, my plan has gone walk about so I have had to re-write it anew. Right down to converting the Mr Hobby Paints to Vallejo. A right royal pain.
Which leads me nicely on to;-

Does anyone know what the code converts to Vallejo??? Likewise (H blank 73).
Any help or guidance would be really appreciated.

Thanks guys.
Doug

 

[Andy T]

Does anyone know what the code View attachment 515610 converts to Vallejo??? Likewise (H blank 73).
Any help or guidance would be really appreciated.

Thanks guys.
Doug

Those are usually the Gunze / Mr Hobby colour call outs. The white box with black writing (blank here) is their Mr Hobby Aqueous, the black box is the Mr Color lacquer equivalent - C20, which is a semi-gloss light blue.

 

[Deleted member 6598]

I found this, but C20 and C73 are both missing on it …

 

[Waspie]

I found this, but C20 and C73 are both missing on it …

Found it to on my foray into conversion charts. Paint???? What a minefield.
Thanks for looking Jakko.

 

[scottie3158]

Doug, is it all helicopters or naval helicopters that spark your interest? Not that is matters I will be following along.

 

[Waspie]

Doug, is it all helicopters or naval helicopters that spark your interest? Not that is matters I will be following along.

I guess it's because the first 25 years of my adult life I worked or flew in naval helicopters. I trained as a fixed wing maintainer but then sent to a helicopter unit never worked on a single FW in the field. Even now I have helicopters on my doorstep. The old Naval Air Station on Portland has long closed but HeliOps have taken over and if you look on FaceBook, it's very busy still with daily Wildcat, Merlin, Chinooks, as well as it's own assortment of rotary wing flying machines. Air ambulance and Police choppers arriving at irregular times for fuel. Very busy.

As far as modelling is concerned, my initial intent was to find my niche!! Hence the Sea King, CH2, Beetle and so on. Then I thought!! Maybe see if I can build all the aircraft I have either worked on or flew in. Hopefully keeping my interest going. The Helix is a minor wander off track, two reasons. One, it was the Cold War equivalent of the Sea King. So I thought it would be, (for me), a nice comparison. Two, Always had a fascination for the contra-rotating rotors. (Not keen on the tandem rotors of the Chinook), But the one on top of the other - truly fascinating.

So, we may yet see, Naval Mk's of the Wessex. (1,3 and 5). Whirlwind - hopefully a Mk 7. Sea Kings 2 & 6. (already completed the Mk 5! Then finally the Wasp when I get round to finishing it. After that, it'll be thinking cap on. Although I have to admit to liking main battle tanks. Modern ones!!

Sorry if the reply was too long winded.

Doug

 

[Waspie]

Those are usually the Gunze / Mr Hobby colour call outs. The white box with black writing (blank here) is their Mr Hobby Aqueous, the black box is the Mr Color lacquer equivalent - C20, which is a semi-gloss light blue.

Marvellous Andy, thank you. I'm on it!!!!
Reading a few builds on the iNet, it seems I'm not alone pondering on internal Soviet Navy colours. Air Force - loads of info. Navy - zero!!

 

[Waspie]

Hi all, spent a lot of the day sorting out a paint plan as I got carried away this morning assembling the cockpit area. Had to stop before I went too far and would make it difficult to add paint!!

Pic 1
The frames and racks behind the cockpit are all still dry fitted.


Really pleased with the build, as in how well everything fits together.
As said, I worked on a paint plan after finding a few images of the inside of a Helix.
However!!! Before I paint, I am going to complete as much of the sub assemblies, rotor heads, external bibs and bobs etc. Mask up windows, front end transparent windows will have to be masked in and out!! Then, I will be able to paint away.

Another question! There is a decal for the cockpit instruments, however, the plastic the decal sits on has raised detail which matches the location of the instruments. Should I smooth out the raised detail or will the decal sit over the detail when it dries out?

Image of instruction sheet.



Thanks in advance.
Doug

 

[Deleted member 6598]

First up, the two pictures don’t match — the one on the left of the instrument panel is a mirror image of the drawing of the actual part. If the decal is like that too, then it will be exceedingly hard to make it fit at all. But even if the decal is correct, I doubt you can get it to sit correctly over all of the detail. For myself, I would prefer the raised detail on the instrument panel over having good-looking dials that are going to be hard to see, so I would just paint the panel and make an attempt at painting the dials. Or perhaps punch the dials from the decal to apply them individually (but then, I own a few punch-and-die sets with all kinds of different sizes, which makes this relatively simple to do).

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Or... You turn the kit part around and stick the decal on the flat back. But that's the first time I've seen that done with an assymetic panel

Too often with instrument panel decals it implies to carve all the raised detail off first. Which always seems to me a bit of a waste

 

[Richard48]

Always nice seeing your helicopters Doug.I have a few and must do some.Think ive got 3 Italeri/Revell 1.72nd Wessex kits.Seem to remember 2 are Italeri HU.5s and the Revell one is Humhprey from Falklands campaign.I used to have a few 48th kits from Hasegawa of the Seaking.When their AEW 2 kit came out i had 3.As the door was closed i cut one up to do a resin door.I buy them on impulse and forget oh you fool you live in a small flat!!!!.Ive got a fair few 1.144th Sweet models Seakings and these are tiny!!!!!!.Lovely decals but sadly some bits are toy like.
Keep showing your helicopters as i never tire of seeing them.
Rich

 

[Deleted member 6598]

Or... You turn the kit part around and stick the decal on the flat back.

I thought of that too, if B21is a transparent part, but if so, the printed example would have the dials printed on the wrong side. Assuming the picture on the left is what the decal actually looks like.

 

[Waspie]

First up, the two pictures don’t match — the one on the left of the instrument panel is a mirror image of the drawing of the actual part. If the decal is like that too, then it will be exceedingly hard to make it fit at all. But even if the decal is correct, I doubt you can get it to sit correctly over all of the detail. For myself, I would prefer the raised detail on the instrument panel over having good-looking dials that are going to be hard to see, so I would just paint the panel and make an attempt at painting the dials. Or perhaps punch the dials from the decal to apply them individually (but then, I own a few punch-and-die sets with all kinds of different sizes, which makes this relatively simple to do).

Or... You turn the kit part around and stick the decal on the flat back. But that's the first time I've seen that done with an assymetic panel

Too often with instrument panel decals it implies to carve all the raised detail off first. Which always seems to me a bit of a waste

Thank you Jakko and Chris for you input.
Jakko, well spotted. I never noticed the mirror effect!! Chris, thanks for the suggestion. I did try it out but the locating tab on the bottom of the IP isn't central. As the right side clashes with the right hand seat pilots console. That would have worked otherwise.
Considering my options I think I'll probably go with Jakko's paint the console choice. Never done it before so it'll be an experience.

However!! Another stumbling block today. I was making good progress assembling the upper rotor head. The hub alone was some 18 parts. I was very happy with the end assembly. I also assembled the lower section of that rotor head, (Parts E65 to E50), and was then called in for lunch.
Here lies the rub. Just prior to SWMBO giving me a call I had cut a part off the sprue, (E26), and laid it next to the 2 sub assemblies on the instructions which were lying on the cutting mat!! Came out after lunch - E26 gone - missing - not where I left it. Nearly 2 hours I searched! Could I find it? Could I heck!!! Even blind Pugh, sorry - SWMBO couldn't find it and she uncovers all my mistakes as a rule. Annoyed - Oh - just a lot!!



I have searched al my old sprue boxes for a similar shaped piece off a previous kit - nothing as yet. Tomorrow I will have to delve into every spares box I have to find something suitable.

Some progress!! I thought it was going too well!!

 

[Deleted member 6598]

Luckily, it’s basically a cylinder, and you can work out its height by ensuring G14 fits correctly. What diameter is E29?

 

[Waspie]

Luckily, it’s basically a cylinder, and you can work out its height by ensuring G14 fits correctly. What diameter is E29?

Thanks for replying Jakko.
E26 has a 3mm Dia. Length is 7mm which includes the hexagonal piece at the top. It also has a 1.5mm hole running through its centre.tomorrow I will attempt to dry fit G14 to connect the two assemblies and hopefully get an exact distance to fit the gap. The hexagonal section is for correct alignment of the two sections of rotor head. As I found with the lower section. (E65/E60/E29) If I had not dry fitted them I would have been stuffed as G5 wouldn't have connected at all!! All good fun!!

Just for info Jakko, I have emailed Hobby Boss to see if the can supply the correct part. I'll see what they say as that part of the build is not critical to the assembly of the rest - just yet!!!

 

[Deleted member 6598]

Lucky there, 3 mm is easy: most sprue is that diameter. If you can’t get the actual part, making a replacement that looks something like it will not be that hard. Like you say, the hexagonal bit is only a locating lug so you don’t actually need to make it that way, instead you could just drill it out a bit and put a length of plastic or metal rod in that will fit in the hole in the rotor head. The ribs around the lower part of E26 can be replicated by winding thin copper wire around it.

 

[Waspie]

Lucky there, 3 mm is easy: most sprue is that diameter. If you can’t get the actual part, making a replacement that looks something like it will not be that hard. Like you say, the hexagonal bit is only a locating lug so you don’t actually need to make it that way, instead you could just drill it out a bit and put a length of plastic or metal rod in that will fit in the hole in the rotor head. The ribs around the lower part of E26 can be replicated by winding thin copper wire around it.

Mmm, most of the sprue frames I have are 2mm, and yes, luckily!! The frame around a couple of sprues from the Airfix S/K are 3mm!! Phew.

Did some precise measuring today after another extensive search of the work space - nada!!

After taping the push rods in place and pressure fitting the lower ends, it transpired the distance between the lower and upper assembly is 5.8mm. So it sounds very do-able. I very much like your suggestion Jakko re. the copper wire. (Looks like I have found my Tuesday job!!!).

Pic 1
The area between the two red lines are where the missing part should be sat.
Only one more rotor head to do. Checked the sprue and ALL the parts are accounted for!!! Only hope it stays that way!!


Thanks for looking in folks.

 

[Waspie]

Oh, just checked on cost of sprue 'E' $10. Not bad!! Add shipping - $24!!

Last resort.
I'll have a bash at making one myself first.

If anyone is interested the web site for Hobby Boss spare parts is - Hobby Boss Spare parts AKA 'Hobbydna'.

 

[Deleted member 6598]

It’s certainly doable. All it really takes is to remove the seams from the sides of a bit of sprue, then saw a piece of it 6 mm long, put it in place, and if it’s too tall, file it down a bit at a time until it does fit. Wrapping thin copper wire is optional, but probably easier to do once you’ve glued the sprue in place on the lower rotor head (without blades on).

 

[Waspie]

It’s certainly doable. All it really takes is to remove the seams from the sides of a bit of sprue, then saw a piece of it 6 mm long, put it in place, and if it’s too tall, file it down a bit at a time until it does fit. Wrapping thin copper wire is optional, but probably easier to do once you’ve glued the sprue in place on the lower rotor head (without blades on).

Thank you Jakko. As ever, your experience and advice are invaluable to us new to the hobby.