Doug's Westland Wasp by LF, the build!

[Waspie]

WELL Doug why dont you get one as when i started modelin again in 2019 it was the first thing i bought as i knew as you get older the eyesight goes down so thats what you need an ive wore up 3 of them in my 5 yrs back online but they are not to bad on price
chrisb

Until now using an aid other than reading glasses has been pride. Always had very good eyesight. (I could hit a 4 inch smoke float from 7000 yards with a AS12). However, reality has hit hard with this ere modelling malarky.

[boatman]

Until now using an aid other than reading glasses has been pride. Always had very good eyesight. (I could hit a 4 inch smoke float from 7000 yards with a AS12). However, reality has hit hard with this ere modelling malarky.

WELL Doug think its old age gettin to us im afraid as the optisain says ive got very good sight for my age an now better since i had a new lens fitted in my left eye an i can stll see great an even read the tiny lettering on my tomcat warning decals but a head magnifier saves gettin eye strain so if i was you sir id get one
chrisb

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Good work Doug. The finished result will be even more satsifying knowing the extra work that has gone into the model to complete it.

[Tim Marlow]

Just had a good catch up on this. Stellar work going on here Doug. It’s looking excellent. Your methodical approach and attention to detail are pay off big time :thumb2:

A good way to think about this is that you are building a 1/72 model of a Wasp using an LF kit as a starting point. Sort of like scratch building using ready made parts. It helps the mental anguish when things don’t fit…..

[Waspie]

Just had a good catch up on this. Stellar work going on here Doug. It’s looking excellent. Your methodical approach and attention to detail are pay off big time :thumb2:

A good way to think about this is that you are building a 1/72 model of a Wasp using an LF kit as a starting point. Sort of like scratch building using ready made parts. It helps the mental anguish when things don’t fit…..

Thank you Tim. I don't feel as comfortable as it may appear with this one. I think you're right, it is like scratch building. Every part is an individual nightmare. Not one part has been simple. It's almost like the instructions are for a different kit. The instructions show holes and detents where parts should fit into - but there are none! I will finish this but it has certainly dented my confidence. LF as a kit manufacturer is right off my shopping list.

I have just spent 2.5 hours and all I have achieved is the assembly of the front undercarriage and AB'd transparent blue on the canopy top panels!

Apologies for the late response by the way, it only popped up on my PC just after 3 even though it's telling me you posted before 8 this morning!!

[Tim Marlow]

Thank you Tim. I don't feel as comfortable as it may appear with this one. I think you're right, it is like scratch building. Every part is an individual nightmare. Not one part has been simple. It's almost like the instructions are for a different kit. The instructions show holes and detents where parts should fit into - but there are none! I will finish this but it has certainly dented my confidence. LF as a kit manufacturer is right off my shopping list.

I have just spent 2.5 hours and all I have achieved is the assembly of the front undercarriage and AB'd transparent blue on the canopy top panels!

Apologies for the late response by the way, it only popped up on my PC just after 3 even though it's telling me you posted before 8 this morning!!

No worries Doug. Beating challenges like this are how you grow your abilities, by the way. Once you’ve finished the sense of achievement will be all the greater.

[Waspie]

Weather wasn't so good today so I escaped to the man cave for a bit of tinkering!!
So music on, light on and sense of humour to max!!

Managed to assemble the front undercarriage. Good job I had some images from my past I could refer to to get the positioning of legs correct because the instructions were worse than useless.

As a treat, I finished masking the canopy and gave the Ab a test. Once happy, I gave the inside of the canopy upper glass a coat of transparent blue.

Pic 1
Looking like something from a kids cartoon The front U/C in situ - finally. Quite some jiggery pokery to get them done I can tell you.
The starboard wheel is deliberately rotated 90 degrees to the the rest as it's done in case the hand brake fails when parked.


At this point - humour failed!!! :rolling: :smiling3:

Pic 2
Now! I'm not happy with the rear U/C!! But tbh - it can stay like that!! Way too p***ed off with it to start chopping and altering to correct it.
As you can see the rotor head is 80% complete, just tiny - tiny push rods to fit. Not in the mood for that today!
Also bottom left, canopy resting after a dab of transparent blue.


Now the instructions direct you to drill a hole in the left upper canopy to fit the M260 Sight through it. No mention of what size hole, so it'll be a pilot hole and slowly work up until I can squeeze the sight in!! Never again will I buy/build a kit from LF. Just too stressful. I know it's only my fifth kit but this is just silly. Definitely a kit for the more experienced modeller.

That was it for today. I'm in a position to prime the whole thing now with the exception of the control rods on the rotor head.

Think I'll give myself a day off tomorrow. SWMBO want to do some jobs around the house so I'll forgo the plastic for a day and see how that help having a day away from it!!!

Feel free to comment guys but I'm getting near the end with this one. patience wise. And losing the will to live with it.

Thanks chaps if you're still here, I can commiserate with you. It's painful I know!!

Doug

[scottie3158]

All looking great matey.

[Tworrs]

You're too hard on yourself Doug, you're doing a fine job.

[Jim R]

I missed this Doug but just had a catch up. I love Tim's analogy that you are scratch building a helicopter using kit parts. I've never heard of LF kits but seeing this I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon.
You're doing a great job. Your patience, skill and care have made a decent model from a very unpromising kit. Well done, nearly there.

[Waspie]

You're too hard on yourself Doug, you're doing a fine job.

Thank you Garry but I'm looking at things from what I think is a realistic viewpoint. I like to do like a warts and all type blog and this is to me, [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)]infected![/COLOR]! I keep dreaming of hammers!!! To the point I have moved my bashing sticks well out of reach. The times I have been tempted to just keep on closing the vice jaws is more than the fingers and toes!!! It's unbelievably unenjoyable and it's only my love of the little helicopter that is keeping me going.

I missed this Doug but just had a catch up. I love Tim's analogy that you are scratch building a helicopter using kit parts. I've never heard of LF kits but seeing this I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon.
You're doing a great job. Your patience, skill and care have made a decent model from a very unpromising kit. Well done, nearly there.

Hi Jim and welcome buddy. Not proving to be the nice little build I was hoping as you have probably gleaned. Yeah, Tims analogy is bang on. I have to admit it is testing my patience but there are so many things wrong/missing or incorrectly proportioned. It's making me boil!!!

[Guest]

Juts think of the model you’ll be building after this one, that might keep you going

[Waspie]

Juts think of the model you’ll be building after this one, that might keep you going

Oh I'll keep going Jakko. I just keep getting these urges to use a big bashing stick on it. It passes. No! I won't quit, If nothing else, it's experience, (ok - not a nice one) but I'll learn something from it. Hopefully Mr Airfix or one of the better manufacturers will bring a Wasp out in a bigger scale. I live in hope!!

[Waspie]

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm having a rest from the build today - so far I have kept away.

However, I have touched on the wheels and brakes previously so I thought I'd expand on them.
The Wasps wheels fully castor for a variety of reasons. Wasps never ground taxi, in all my years working around them I have only ever seen one ground taxi and it never took off post taxi either. To taxi, you have to lock the rear wheels in the fore and aft positions. Each wheel is indipendat of the others. The two front wheels are then left un-castored! This allows it to steer. on the ground, exactly the same when manoeuvring without power. (IE being pushed).

If flying over land or with 12 nautical miles of land. The back wheels would be towed in 45 degrees and locked in that position. The front wheels locked fore and aft. You may now be able to see why ground taxiing wasn't possible!! The reason for this, as I touched on, the Wasp has no hydraulic brakes to stop forward motion. Just a parking brake.
So!! If the Wasp has to do a running landing for example in emergency. The rear wheels would act the same way towing in ski's work when on snow!! Exactly the same principle.
Pic 1


When over the sea, totally different. If you have to land in an emergency, landing in the sea, it doesn't matter about the rear wheels slowing the helicopter down.
At sea, operating from a warship, the rear wheels are towed 'OUT' 45 degrees. The front wheels are now towed 'IN' 45 degrees. This now allows the helicopter to rotate 360 degrees. Why?
Well, under normal conditions an aircraft will take off into wind. If this is not possible, eg, if the ship is under fire or has to remain on its non flying course for operational reasons. Then the Wasp will rotate on the flight deck and turn into the wind itself.
Also, if weapons, mainly missiles, are carried and armed then you don't want to be facing the ship and have one come off the rail!! Not good!!
To help with this rotating on the flight deck a 'swivel' is attached to the Wasp and then to the flight deck.
The Lynx uses a similar system called the harpoon which grabs the deck when landing. The swivel on the wasp doesn't have that ability.

Pic 2

A pic I took of HMS Rothesay's Wasp with my mate Kim casually dangling a leg!!! It shows the wheel configuration.

Another useful function the Wasp had to keep it on deck in rough seas was negative pitch on the main rotors. The pilot would 'push' the collective lever through a stop and literally push the Wasp onto the flight deck keeping it in place. Although I have been in one with neg pitch applied and we slid across the deck. Luckily the quick thinking deck crew ran out and banged lashings on before we toppled into the sea. (Scary oop: ).

That's all for today folks. Hopefully I'll get back to the little plastic thing tomorrow!!
Hope you have all fallen asleep!!
Doug

[scottie3158]

Thanks Doug that was very informative. My first helicopter ride was in the Army's version of this, which I believe was the Scout.