CW_Tom

Thank you guys for the likes and replies. I’m glad to see the continued interest. My plan for the future of the model, after the sanding is complete and obvious control surfaces manufactured, will be etching detailwork into the hull, such as hatches and the like. When that is complete, I will be painting it. I’m planning on using acrylic paint for it. I will also be manufacturing a few of the masts, such as periscope, radio antenna, etc. I’ve never done metal work before with these, so I’m planning on making them out of plastic sprues, and cocktail sticks (toothpicks). I would like to do metal work in the future but I don’t feel prepared to try it on this model. Where can I get decals in 1:200 scale for the numbering for the draft lines on the bow and stern and for the hull number? Thanks again, Tom

Just a quick update. I’ve started sanding the hull, rounding it out. I’ve got a ways to go, and it’s a lengthy process, but I’m enjoying it. Here’s the current state of affairs. Hopefully there is enough relief in the pictures to highlight the details.

Welcome Jose! There is plenty of good information here. I'm fairly new here myself and have been impressed with the projects that have been posted here. Have you done any modeling in the past?

I pick up on these things. 🤫 Also, get two hats. If you leave one at your desk, people think you’re there at work when you may in fact be taking a well deserved long lunch break. “He must be here, his hats here.”

Hello Denis! Just found your build on the Osprey! I'm sneakin' in the back to watch and carrying a clipboard. (If you carry a clipboard around, you become invisible. Everyone thinks you're doing something when all you're doing is walking around carrying a clipboard. Tom

Touché... I've got nothing, *doffs hat*, to follow that up.

Welcome Mike! Glad to meet you. I hope you're finding the forum chock full of good information. Regards, Tom

Welcome Randy. I too am fairly new here and have been impressed by the community. Tom

@lmagnaA lathe is something I’m adding to my wish list. Though it will probably be a few years before that is realized. Anyway, I’m enjoying the process so far and I’m finding things I’d do differently if I were to do it again, but that’s all in the fun. I’m excited to see how close I can get to having something that looks like a hull of a submarine versus a banana. 😆

Thank you for the feedback, @Old Collingwood and @Roger Pellett. I should have switched to sand paper already on the sail. I did oversize the dimensions for that purpose, hog out most of the material, then refine the rest with sandpaper. But it is cutting a little bit close, I think. I appreciate the input Roger. I think for now I’ll keep plugging away at what I’ve got, but that is something I will definitely consider when I do a similar project. Either way, I know it’s going to be a lot of sanding 😁. I am reserving the right to remove the rudders and sail, then add them back on later.

Keith, Imagna, thank you for the suggestions. Thank you all for the likes. I’ve been able to chip away at the model, in some ways literally. I stuck with the dowel plan. It went pretty smoothly. The hardest part was making sure the notches in the outer lifts lined up straight through to the other side. I ended up with 1/8” of dowel on either side, just enough to slot into the holes and prevent any sliding motion during the gluing. It worked well. After letting the glue dry overnight, I was left with this. Just behind the model, you can see my top down template. At the time of this picture, I was working out how to lay that on top so I could, again using the band saw, cut the top down profile. Once the template was ready, I decided to try my hand at some chiseling around the sail. It went pretty well. I haven’t cleared it out all the way to the hull because I am using the square base to help hold my top down template in place. I did have one accident at this stage. After chiseling out one side, I switched to the other. I would chisel vertically down a few taps to separate the wood from the sail portion before coming in horizontally and lifting out the waste. Doing this put a little too much pressure against the sail and it split. Fortunately, it didn’t totally separate and I was able to get some glue in the split area and secure it. I think I’ll use a coping saw to vertically separate the wood next time, instead of a chisel. Finally, I got to my father-in-laws band saw again and got the last cuts complete. I also managed a little whittling and planing to start rounding the hull. Thanks again for the interest and likes. Again, I’m open to any suggestions you guys may think of. Regards, Tom

Looking great! Excited to see the progress

I suppose on their own they were effective, but they were pretty much a stopgap between the Army realizing a need for a dedicated Gunship to escort the air assault Hueys, and the development and arrival of the Cobra. (Which, by the way, is the only US Army helicopter not named after a North American Native tribe. Fun fact.)

The development of the ACH-47 is pretty interesting. “Guns-A-Go-Go”.

Edward, I got all caught up on your build and am interested to see it finished. I think the lower deck looks great. Regards, Tom

Thank you Keith. I appreciate the feedback. I think I will stick to my original plan then, and not drill through the entirety of the model, though I may do some looking at the salt idea.

I want to join Ken in wishing you and your pooch well, OC. Hopefully today isn't quite so eventful. The CH-54 is one of my favorite helicopters. You guys may be familiar with this already, and I believe it still stands, but its a CH-54 in 1968 that holds the record for fastest climb to 30,000. "On 30 December 1968, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) James P. Ervin and CWO William T. Lamb climbed to over 30,000 feet in their CH-54A. The two Skycrane pilots, using a standard CH-54A with the hoist and four-point system removed, broke the previous altitude records held by the Soviet Union. Ervin flew the aircraft straight up with vertical speeds exceeding 6,500 feet per minute with zero forward speed until 20,000 feet. When the Skycrane passed through 30,000 feet, it was still climbing at 995 feet per minute. The flight had to be terminated because of darkness and the absolute record for the Skycrane will never be known. During the record flight, air traffic control (ATC) tapes were notably affected. One ATC controller notified a commercial airliner flying at 17,000 feet about traffic stating, "be advised there's a helicopter at your 9 o'clock position descending outof 27,000 feet at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute." The pilot of the commercial airliner responded with, "Good Lord, you mean they're up here now?" Another pilot according to ATC tapes asked, "What kind of helicopter is that?" History of CH-54 Tarje.pdf (pilsch.com)

Another update on the Tinosa. I'm excited that I've been able to plug away at the model nearly everyday, even if its only 10-15 minutes. There are many small details I've been able to take care of that will help the main project run smoother as it continues... I hope. 😁 This update shows the quick, but major step of cutting out the templates. Below, I've got three pictures. The first two are precut for the middle lifts, and then the outer lifts, respectively. Plus, its a great shot of my father-in-laws band saw, and who doesn't like that? The final picture is the current state of affairs. All the pieces are cut out and will be ready for gluing soon. I have just a couple details to take care of beforehand, namely marking the station lines along the hull on the inner and outer lifts. To keep the two outer lifts from shifting when I glue, I'm thinking about drilling through the middle lifts, and partially drilling into the outer lifts so I can slide two dowels in there, essentially pinning the pieces in place. However, since the entire model will be painted, I suppose I could drill all the way through. The dowels would then get shaped into the hull via chisel/sanding and the paint would cover up any evidence of that. If anyone has any other suggestions for keeping the lifts from sliding while I glue, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for your interest! Tom

Thank you Mike, and thank you all for the warm welcome. I'm excited, seeing how diverse everyone is here, location wise at least. I must admit, I haven't had a lot of personal interaction with Australians. As far as other nationalities, my flight instructor for helicopters was English, and had served in the Royal Army. We had a some good laughs in the cockpit and he had a few good stories to tell. He was good help in finding the local restaurants that served up a decent Fish-n'-Chips with good beverages to boot.

Thanks for the tips. I’ll remember to include a short story or two now and again. It’s also good to hear/meet people who also can appreciate the finer things in life, like being able to fly backward. 😉

I just found this thread and read through it today. Your work is very impressive. I look forward to seeing more updates as the model nears completion. I too am impressed with the builders receptivity to your inputs. Regards, Tom

I know the Army has it planned to remain in the inventory through 2040.

Ah yes, the mighty hooker. Have you guys seen the new F model?

Rik, The build looks great so far. I'm excited to monitor its progress! Regards, Tom

Rik, I've enjoyed looking through your builds. You keep up an interesting and engaging writing style. I hope your Flirt build goes well. I will be keeping an eye on your build log for that! Regards, Tom