Rick’s 1/48 Airfix Sea King HAS5

[rickoshea52]

As I continue to add the glazing and smaller parts to this I picked up on something unique to scheme B in this kit. The rescue winch is not fitted on this version which means the holes in the fuselage for the winch frame needs to be filled.


It’s no big deal but the instructions aren’t clear about it. Because the winch is not fitted the hydraulic and electrical connections will need to be replicated. I did this on a 1/72 HC4 I built last year.
Another detail Airfix have almost missed is the crewman’s grab rail above the main door. I say almost because it’s included in the kit, just not referenced in the instructions.
Masking for the clear parts is complete(ish). The main canopy needs a green tint on the two upper quarters. To do this I masked the inside of the glazing that needs to remain transparent and sprayed Tamiya clear green. This may take a couple of coats until the correct opacity is achieved so I have left two small areas on the outside of the green windows unmasked. When I am happy these areas will be filled in with tape then they can be fitted to the model.


Wipers and screen wash nozzles are unmasked.

[Waspie]

Thats strange Rick. ALL the SK's I flew in were winch fitted!! It was SOP that we were all SAR capable. Most ASW sorties were 'nearly' always multi aircraft so we conducted mutual SAR for each other.
It seems strange no winch specified!
Also, no grab rail on ASW cabs.
Pic of all 819's Mk2's and 1 x Mk 5, (first in stack).

[rickoshea52]

According to Airfix they based this scheme of XV666 on a photo of it without the winch but with a yellow blade - which I find odd. However, I’m also scratching my head as to why the grab rail would removed regardless of role or with/without a winch. But then again my experience of these cabs is limited to a narrow period and number of airframes.
If only Airfix shared their photo reference.
Regardless of the scheme I am doing the instructions make no reference to the grab rail. I feel an email to Airfix coming on.

[Waspie]

According to Airfix they based this scheme of XV666 on a photo of it without the winch but with a yellow blade - which I find odd. However, I’m also scratching my head as to why the grab rail would removed regardless of role or with/without a winch. But then again my experience of these cabs is limited to a narrow period and number of airframes.
If only Airfix shared their photo reference.
Regardless of the scheme I am doing the instructions make no reference to the grab rail. I feel an email to Airfix coming on.

Even more mysterious if they are using 'Damian' as a model for the model!! (Oh that's bad). As Damian was a 771 NAS aircraft which was dedicated SAR operating out of Culdrose and Prestwick. The only time I could envisage removing the hoist would be handing over to HeliOps!
I flew in Kings from 81 through to 91, covering as I mentioned all the ASW Mk's. Everyone had a hoist fitted.
(There was an occasion when we were to take a training (706 Mk2) flight and the hoist had been removed for servicing. As it was a Go- No Go item the sortie was delayed until the hoist was refitted).

I guess it was who Airfix liaised with on the day of the modelling parameters. You'd think though they would check their facts before something like this went global.

[rickoshea52]

Even more mysterious if they are using 'Damian' as a model for the model!! (Oh that's bad). As Damian was a 771 NAS aircraft which was dedicated SAR operating out of Culdrose and Prestwick. The only time I could envisage removing the hoist would be handing over to HeliOps!
I flew in Kings from 81 through to 91, covering as I mentioned all the ASW Mk's. Everyone had a hoist fitted.
(There was an occasion when we were to take a training (706 Mk2) flight and the hoist had been removed for servicing. As it was a Go- No Go item the sortie was delayed until the hoist was refitted).

I guess it was who Airfix liaised with on the day of the modelling parameters. You'd think though they would check their facts before something like this went global.

I’m contemplating fitting it now. And painting the yellow SAR blade. Which reminds me, the Airfix paint guide shows this blade painted yellow on both sides for some of the schemes - I have never seen that in real life.
As scheme B is dated 1988 the Heli Ops theory doesn’t fit. The only thing I can think of is a ferry or test flight following heavy maintenance until a serviceable winch was produced by the winch bay or robbed to service another cab. The Airfix reference photo would be helpful, it would reveal if the cab was in flight or was parked.
Maybe I’ll have to make a decision based on an educated guess using your experience and my rigger’s logic.

[Waspie]

I went though a pile of piccy albums last night and not one image of a King without a rescue hoist fitted!!
Maybe Airfix reference pics were of XV666 as you say just out of an overhaul at say Fleetlands.
I’ll check my bible of FAA helicopters and see if there are any clues about Damian’s history!!

[Waspie]

Reading 'Damian's', (XV666), history, it appears it was attached to HMS Tiger, 826 NAS, (boatman), for a while, 1972 - 1974.

Will post the full history when the pics of its history sync with my Mac.

In short, transport in 87 from Portsmouth to Culdrose by road.
May 88, it was at Portland for respray.
July 88 NASU Culdrose.
Then transferred to 771 NAS with C/S. 823.
In 1991 it was transferred to AMG Culdrose. (Aircraft Maintenance Group) from memory, that usually meant heavy maintenance.

Lots more info but that's the gist of the 1988 period! Apparently, it wasn't nicknamed Damian until 1989!!!!

Extract from FAA Helicopters since 1943 by Lee Howard, Mick Barrow, Eric Myall

Bottom 3 lines refer to XV667

[rickoshea52]

I found this photo online - https://www.helis.com/database/cn/14721/ - no winch fitted. This looks like it might be the photo Airfix have mentioned as the aircraft code and sqn crest match. It is also recorded as being at RNAS Portland. Maybe the winch was removed for the duration of the visit to Portland.

What's the wiring harness for along the side? It isn't SACRU.

[rickoshea52]

Apparently, it wasn't nicknamed Damian until 1989!!!!

Funnily enough, Nimrod R1 XW666 was also nicknamed "Damian". My claim to fame is performing the bay maintenance and stripdown of the chemical toilet while it was undergoing major maintenance. For those interested in such things, the toilet fitted to the R1 sneaky beaky Nimrod was bigger than those fitted to the MR2 maritime Nimrods. Draw your own conclusions as to why that might be!

[Waspie]

I found this photo online - https://www.helis.com/database/cn/14721/ - no winch fitted. This looks like it might be the photo Airfix have mentioned as the aircraft code and sqn crest match. It is also recorded as being at RNAS Portland. Maybe the winch was removed for the duration of the visit to Portland.

What's the wiring harness for along the side? It isn't SACRU.

[ATTACH]491697[/ATTACH]

Not 100% on this but it is SACRU related I believe. It's in the right place for the pilots foot jettison. We used to have a metal can we placed over it when not in flight mode! (Nick named the 'bean tin' because of its size). Don't know if your Mk3's had similar?
In this link, 819 crash, the 'bean tin' wasn't removed and the crew subsequently paid for it. 1 dead and 3 seriously injured. The aircrewman was the chap who was my replacement a month before!! Believe it or not, there is a 12 foot high 'chacon' (storage container), under the wreckage!

If the image was at Portland it would have been removed for the respray it had about 1988.
I also see it has a step and rail above the rear cabin door. Never seen one on any of 819's or 706 training squadron at CU.

Edited bit.
Thinking about the rail and step, if at that time 'Damian' was destined for 771 then the step would have been fitted to be able to despatch the SARD. (SAR Diver). He needs the step to ensure his bottles don't hit the aircraft once he jumps!! The rail would enable the crewman to lean further to observe the diver entering the water. (There is no requirement for a SARD to surface to indicate he is OK!!) they're in the water and gone, followed by a Smoke and Flame Float which burns for about an hour and acts as a datum for his recovery!!)

[rickoshea52]

No bean tin on HAR3's that I recall. There was a crew man operated manual release handle in the cabin along with the pilots release control on the cyclic. According to my course notes it looks like the manual control was modified by the time HAR3's were built.

So, after all that, no winch to fit. Still not sure about the yellow blade though. There may be a hint of yellow reflected on the underside of No 2 & 3 blade but it is far from conclusive that this cab had a yellow blade fitted at the time of the photo. No yellow blade either.
The step is in the instructions.

[rickoshea52]

When I started this build I wanted to keep it as out of the box as much as possible. Obviously the lack of seatbelts is a simple addition but there are one or two other things I want to correct/improve on.
The lack of a rotor brake handle at the pilots overhead console has been addressed. I cut a sliver of plasticard in roughly the right shape (the real thing has a slight bend) and added the round nob end (no tittering from the back) with a blob of dissolved sprue. All painted and ready for glueing to the panel.

With the omission of the rescue hoist some detail needs to be added to replicate the mounts and connectors for the hoist. Using plastic rod sliced thinly for the connectors these are glued to the fuselage red for connectors and blue for mounts cut from thin plasticard.
EDIT: after taking a second look at the hoist attachment points I realised that the recess in the dog kennel shouldn’t be filled if leaving the hoist off.


Other achievements today are fitting the case drains on the hull and maskol in the compression strut recesses. I do this so I have bare plastic for the two parts to glue together instead of paint.

[Richard48]

Loving this Rick.Really interesting to see what you are creating.
Great work.
Richard

[Scratchbuilder]

Great lessons here for those of us that want to build a Sea King in the future, fingers are itching but must control the urge untill current list of builds is complete.
Mike.

[rickoshea52]

Another correction to the kit are the pair of door restraining stanchions for the lower personnel door. Cables are attached to the door frame and run over the tops of the stanchions and attach to the door to restrain it in position. Curiously, Airfix included them in the 1/72 kit but not here.
When time comes to fit the upper door a piece of plastic rod will be made for the hold open strut.