Bluesteel gets Siouxed ***FINISHED***

[bluesteel]

I'm in with the 1/72nd Italeri Bell 47 which I will build as a Bell 47G Sioux of the RAF CFS based at RAF Ternhill in the very early 1970s. I was there as a child when my Dad was in the RAF. When we moved there in 1971 they were operating Westland Whirlwinds and Sioux, a few years later when we left after a re-posting they had just replaced them with Gazelles and Pumas. I think the Pumas were still undergoing operational testing.

I'm using the 1/72nd Italeri kit which looks quite nice. But my boxing, unlike Splash's, doesn't have any UK decals, just US Stars and Bars, so I'll have to source them from elsewhere. I'll also have to find a way to get the top off my Tamiya Dayglow Orange/Red as it seems to have stuck solid - just goes to show how long it's been since I've used it!

Obligatory sprue shot:



The Whirlwind in shot is the one in CFS markings using the Airfix Whirlwind and the Heritage Aviation resin HAR9 nose. The Sioux once finished will keep it company

[JamesPerrin]

I'll be following this one closely as I had intended to build mine for the gb but a wave of reality hit me as I'm busy from now till new year and my bench is full of half started projects. I've also the Eduard PE for mine but it looks daunting.

Re: stuck lid, turn pot upside down and try to drip thinner under the edge of the lid and leave for a few mins.

[splash]

I find with Tamiya paint pots that are stuck, running the top under a hot tap causes the top to expand and release its grip.

Regards Splash

[bluesteel]

Thinners didn't work, nor did holding it under running hot water. But I left it for 30 mins in a jar of nearly boiling water and that did the trick

[bluesteel]

I found very few photos of RAF CFS Sioux, but I did find a good one on Air-Britain which I've printed off for reference. The Dayglo Red/Orange is slightly redder than the Tamiya Orange Dayglo but not by much. So I'll undercoat in red and cover in Dayglo orange and hope it will be close.

Parts now undercoated and a start made on the very small, many part, highly detailed engine:

[ShaunW]

Nice. The Sioux is a lovely delicate looking chopper.

[TomW]

A quick start Julian and a lovely choice of kit. Italeri really are the kings of helicopter kits.

Regards

Tom

[bluesteel]

Engine is now complete. Very small and very intricate so not much to see in a photo. Now starting on the cockpit, which is a problem as the colour call outs for the US version of the kit are not the same as the RAF. I can just see in the few photos I have the rear wall inside is light grey not olive and the seats dark grey and not green. The rest I'll have to guess unless I can find walkaround/lookin photos.

[bluesteel]

More work on the Sioux cockpit. It is significantly different to the US Bell 47 cockpit as supplied both in terms of colour call outs and some of the equipment. There's a box behind the instrument panel (avionics box?) which is larger on the RAF Sioux and Olive in colour as opposed to black, so I've made that. The seats have notches out of the back rest to divide into 3 seating positions and are blue-grey in colour. There's also more bits and bobs which are hard to identify through the only close-up I have of an RAF Sioux as it's from the front outside and the bubble canopy distorts things somewhat. An extensive Google search for RAF Sioux cockpit photos has so far drawn a blank so far.

[bluesteel]

Cockpit bubble nearly there:



Started with the fuselage framework and installed the engine:

[bluesteel]

It's all starting to come together:

[Sissel]

Great work here. The cockpit is very well done, the belts look good. Engine looks great too.

[Dazzled]

Very nice work and an interesting scheme too.

[bluesteel]

Fuselage and most of the specific RAF type gubbins now attached, just a couple of strobes and aerials to do at the end of the build. Now working on main and tail rotors. The nose glazing is now going through the Klearing process while I work out the best way to paint Dayglo Orange onto the canopy framing, which will probably be the hardest part of the whole build.

[splash]

Great work, that dayglo looks brilliant. What's your cunning plan for the canopy, base coat of white followed by dayglo?

Regards Splash