USCG UH-65A Dolphin by Jack12477 - 1:48 scale - Trumpeter - FINISHED

[Old Collingwood]

53 minutes ago, cog said:

Fortunately I'm colour blind, so you can paint it any which way you want

Mate on your Me109  the front you painted is Yellow.🙃☺️

 

OC.

[Jack12477]

56 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Mate on your Me109  the front you painted is Yellow.🙃☺️

 

OC.

I thought it was blue over green ! 😎😉🤔

[cog]

Light grey ...?

[Jack12477]

Well, now that we've gotten the approval of our armchair CNO on the correct hue for the helo, I can proceed with the assembly. 

 

Upper fuselage

 

Main body assembled

 

Added the canopy

 

 

Some touch up painting - stabilizer fins added to tail section

 

Painting the canopy frame by hand was a challenge and a half. Tried masking but that didn't work too well, so I resorted to free-handing it.

 

And now back to the incarceration cell, errr, workshop

[cog]

Lovely shade of grey, Jack

 

did you mask the "windows"?

[Jack12477]

6 minutes ago, cog said:

Lovely shade of grey, Jack

 

did you mask the "windows"?

Thanks, Carl ! Yes I think it is called Ghost Gray 

 

Did not mask windows. Tried to but could get it to work for me.  I coated them with Pledge acrylic floor wax first to protect them as best I can. Even diluting the Model Master enamel did not go too well, kept clogging the pipette so I could not get an accurate measure. Ended up free handing it with the sort of diluted enamel.

 

I definitely do not like Testors Model Master paints.   I wanted to try Mr Color but the source I found had a large selection of colors to choose from, unlike my other two sources, but the colors I wanted were all on backorder with no estimated delivery date so I had to settle with the Testors I already had on hand. 

[Canute]

Definitely looking like a Coast Guard Dolphin.

[Jack12477]

Before I can finish the rest of the model I have to add 3-4 grams of weight/ballast to the nose so it will sit level. Right now it is tail heavy.  This incarceration is making it difficult to run and and pick up a packages of BBs since I have nothing in stock that will fit down into the well.  More later  !   

[Old Collingwood]

11 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

Before I can finish the rest of the model I have to add 3-4 grams of weight/ballast to the nose so it will sit level. Right now it is tail heavy.  This incarceration is making it difficult to run and and pick up a packages of BBs since I have nothing in stock that will fit down into the well.  More later  !   

Have you got any small nuts and bolts?  you could try attaching them with blue tak.

 

OC.

[Jack12477]

15 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Have you got any small nuts and bolts?  you could try attaching them with blue tak.

 

OC.

Already exhausted that avenue, OC. Either too big to fit or not heavy enough. I have a local source  just have to wait for an time when there are few customers, like mid week at 7 AM....  

[Egilman]

20 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

I have a local source  just have to wait for an time when there are few customers, like mid week at 7 AM

Must be Wally World, it's where I get mine... 1500 for just a few bucks, they also make excellent paint shaking balls....

[Jack12477]

8 hours ago, Egilman said:

Must be Wally World, it's where I get mine

Yep !  But I may need a hazmat suit to get them 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Jack12477

[Canute]

Hope the BBs are coated, if you use them in a water based paint. Stainless BBs are available from at least one shop: https://modelpaintsol.com/model-paint/stainless-steel-mixing-balls

[Jack12477]

They are copper clad steel BB's,  Ken.  Was only planning on using them as supplemental weights, not paint mixing.  Have a battery powered mixer from MicroMark for that function. Works great, even on old almost dried out Floquil paint.

 

So as I await the hazmat suit and my venture out to Wally World in search of BBs, I have gotten this far with the build. Unfortunately the rotor blades were not designed to rotate on this model so I have to make that the last addition.

 

 

 

 

 

[Edwardkenway]

Nice Jack. 😁

[Old Collingwood]

Looking really nice.

 

OC.

[Jack12477]

Edward  OC, thanks.

[Canute]

Bird looking good, Jack. 👍

 

You have square bottle Floquil, too? Definitely need that MicroMark mini eggbeater to resurrect old Floquil.

[Jack12477]

8 minutes ago, Canute said:

You have square bottle Floquil, too

Yep, except it is all RR colors or weathering, no mil spec colors left unfortunately.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[lmagna]

Looking good Jack.

 

Dumb question. Why is the main rotor not going to turn? Was the kit designed that way?

[Jack12477]

7 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Why is the main rotor not going to turn? Was the kit designed that way?

Not sure Lou. As I assembled it I made sure no glue got on the shaft pin that runs down thru the assembly,  but I cannot see how the thing will rotate if I glue that pin into the hole in that black rimmed insert. Also cannot see how I can insert it in hole either since I am inserting it blind, no way to see the hole. Have to play around with it to figure it out. I will try to post some close ups later

[Old Collingwood]

44 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

Not sure Lou. As I assembled it I made sure no glue got on the shaft pin that runs down thru the assembly,  but I cannot see how the thing will rotate if I glue that pin into the hole in that black rimmed insert. Also cannot see how I can insert it in hole either since I am inserting it blind, no way to see the hole. Have to play around with it to figure it out. I will try to post some close ups later

I remember some kits  - old school Airfix I think,   thier  heli's  used to have a plastic  T piece bolt like thing  it  was supposed to be held inplace then the rotor head was supposed to glue to it  allowing the rotor head to rotate.

 

OC.

[Jack12477]

Not on this kit, OC

[Canute]

Some Tamiya kits, both aircraft and ships, have these poly-caps that get built into the model ahead of time, so the prop or turret snaps in to permit turning the part. A 1/48 He-219 I'm contemplating has them, along with a pretty hefty metal chuck that sits under the cockpit. The UHU was tricycle gear do it would be a tail sitter without this bob-weight.

[Jack12477]

This is Trumpeter, Ken, not Tamiya; no poly caps in this kit. Wish there were tho.

[Canute]

I forgot, Chief.

[Egilman]

15 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

but I cannot see how the thing will rotate if I glue that pin into the hole in that black rimmed insert.

Generally when I have had one of these, I do not glue in the insert until after the shaft has been placed thru it and a disc like a washer is placed over the shaft allowing the inset to spin on the shaft, then I install the insert along with the rotor... Even if there is no ring and the hole in the insert doesn't go thru or the shaft isn't long enough, I make it so it does.... and the rotor can spin freely....

 

Have you glued in the insert already?

[Jack12477]

30 minutes ago, Egilman said:

Have you glued in the insert already?

Unfortunately yes.  I should have not followed the steps in sequence. I may have to just insert the rotor assembly into the insert without gluing it in place.

 

Waiting for a chance to escape prison long enough to obtain the BBs for weights.  Have to time it so I get there when the vultures are not feeding.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Jack12477

[Egilman]

44 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

Have to time it so I get there when the vultures are not feeding.

Here, Wally World has changed it's operating hours, open from 6:00am to 1:00am now, they deleted my favorite time to shop..... supposedly as a virus measure.... I suspect it is because they received too many complaints about only one register open as far away from the exit as possible.... I hate going to WW during the day..... 

[Egilman]

48 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

I may have to just insert the rotor assembly into the insert without gluing it in place.

Probably the best that can be done at this point.... just have to remember not to pick it up by the rotor hub.....