Doug's Westland Wasp by LF, the build!

[scottie3158]

Doug, as well as a great build this is a really interesting blog.

[Allen Dewire]

Gotta agree with Paul, Doug. Great scratchy, injuries, bug bite, and historical data to top it off. It's great when we look back and remember all the good times, and some bad ones, while serving our country in the military. I think we could all write a book about them too...

BTW, love the crater in the canopy Sir!!!

Prost
Allen

[Waspie]

Doug, as well as a great build this is a really interesting blog.

Thank you Paul, glad you're finding the little forgotten Wasp of some interest. It really is a forgotten hero of naval aviation.

Gotta agree with Paul, Doug. Great scratchy, injuries, bug bite, and historical data to top it off. It's great when we look back and remember all the good times, and some bad ones, while serving our country in the military. I think we could all write a book about them too...

BTW, love the crater in the canopy Sir!!!

Prost
Allen

Thank you Allen but the scratchery is out of necessity, the bugs!! Rather not go there!! Always like to keep the narrative slightly interesting.
I have actually written a book about the life and times of a naval aircrewman. As a few of my contemporaries have beaten me to it. Rescue 194 and Commando Helicopter Aircrewman, both excellently written by two very good aircrewmen. My version is for family use as much of what I did was when they were kids, so as adults they will know what dear ole dad was up to when he disappeared for months on end or those dodgy phone calls at stupid o clock to pick someone off a Scottish mountain or such!!!
As for the canopy, the sight is sat in there curing as I type!!
Doug

[Waspie]

Todays progress!!

The sight now in situ. All I have to do now is paint a black seal around the where the sight sits in the canopy. That will remove the white ugly plastic currently visible.
Pic 1 (Don't know why there is a yellow streak showing on the image - it's not on the canopy!!)


Pic 2
Inside. The arrow is pointing to a total cock up on the kit. The inner optical part looks like it's a mono sight whereas in reality it a proper twin lens affair. See pic 3 below.

Pic 3
Actual M260 Bezu sight. Note the viewing eye port bottom of the image. Arrowed.
(Operating the sight is akin to rubbing yer tum, patting your head whilst strumming the fingers of your left hand and guiding the missile with your right hand!!!)


Pic 4
Airframe with cockpit masked off prior to painting.


Pic 5
Paint applied. (A/B)


Pic 6
Masking removed, only a few areas needed touching up. Oil cooler where the clip was. Mind you that area is black anyway.


Methinks the cockpit will be brush painted as there are quite a few variations on 'grey' internally!!!

That's all folks. Thanks for looking in. Comments/criticisms all welcomed.

Doug

[Airborne01]

I love this!
Steve

[Guest]

Don't know why there is a yellow streak showing on the image

It looks like a reflection of a light in your room.

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Coming on now Doug. Such a small model to work on.

[Waspie]

It looks like a reflection of a light in your room.

Methinks you're right Jakko. It's definitely NOT on the canopy.

Coming on now Doug. Such a small model to work on.

You are so right about small. I have had to use my newly acquired magnifying glasses all day to day. If I hadn't I don't think I would have made any progress.


[COLOR=rgb(41, 105, 176)]And this is what I did today!! [/COLOR]

I had a good session doing some 'brush' painting of the interior of the Wasp. Ended up dabbling a bit externally too. The problem really is the size and it is a busy little cockpit for such a small helicopter. Just trying to get the brush angle was a job and a half. Desk lamp got in the way, then my glasses!! Nightmare.

I painted the interior a lighter grey, the seat and seat backs were painted a blue grey colour as was the backrest for the rear seat passengers, which goes right across the rear bulkhead. Then a dab of red here and there, and silver. Externally I was stuck trying to decide how I was going to replicate the red bolts for a small panel which is the access for the fuel tanks, (one port, one starboard). In the end I decided to fill in the oblong indentation with red paint then wipe away the excess using a tissue soaked in water and the excess water removed. Seems to have worked so - happy with that as they say. I also painted the fescalised portion of the oleos chrome!!

Pic 1 Arrow shows the small fuel tank access panel. The white on the undercarriage represents white chord that is commonly wrapped around the four main lashing points to reduce wear on the actual metal. I did white but on a couple of flights I worked with we used red chord!! Same effect.
Not that you can see it but I put a red line on each undercarriage strut just above the wheel to replicate the small device which locks the wheel into position to stop it castoring/rotating.


Pic 2 Different angle, I tried my hand at hand painting some detail in the cockpit!! Not too easy for me in this scale!!


Pic 3


Pic 4 I hand painted some black non slip patches on the undercarriage and also on the two rear winglets. Wheels have all been painted tire black!! Not that it is much different from the fuselage grey/blue.



That's me for a few days now. Off for a family reunion tomorrow so Devon - be on your best behaviour, sun and liquid refreshments if you please!!

Any comments tips or indeed criticism please feel free. I will be popping in to read how everyone is getting on and will not in the lest be getting jealous - much!!

Thanks for looking in and to quote Arnie. (The big Austrian one). "I'll be back".

Doug

[flyjoe180]

Progressing nicely Doug.

[A_J_Rimmer]

Very nice work indeed Doug!

[Waspie]

Hello again. Back to it today. As you may have guessed I wasn't happy about the rear U/C geometry so today I took it apart. In the process - stabbed myself with a No. 15 scalpel blade, nothing major, just a little nick.
Pic 1. port side rear removed.


Pic 2. Undercarriage, port and starboard rear refitted, Wasp now sits better but nowhere near perfect. Took quite a bit of jiggery pokery to get the geometry something like it should. I had to shorten the upper struts as well as shorten the oleo's. At least it sits level.
Dry fitted the Nimbus ECU and canopy. Also the T10K missile box was installed inside the cockpit, (between the aimers legs).



That was it for first day back at the bench after a short lay off. It looks like a Wasp before it goes into a restoration program not a woking operational Wasp.

As you know I'm not happy with this kit but one of the things that is really annoying me now is the colour. The external fuselage colour is not the gloss blue grey that I was expecting. Need to find out what I can use to get the thing looking less dull and more realistic!! Any tips - clues - advice???

[Guest]

In the process - stabbed myself with a No. 15 scalpel blade

One step closer to your Advanced Modeller Certificate

[A_J_Rimmer]

Is it the shade that's wrong Doug, or the level of gloss?

[Waspie]

Is it the shade that's wrong Doug, or the level of gloss?

It's the right colour for a later Wasp, (Post 1982), when the colour scheme was more a tactical dark grey blue with black numbers and lettering.
Prior to 1982 Wasps, in fact most naval helicopters were more a blue grey rather than grey blue, (if that makes sense).
Pics below.
Pre 82 More blue than grey!



Post 82 More grey than blue!!

Thanks Arnie.

[A_J_Rimmer]

Ah bummer - so are you talking an overpaint situation?