Lancfans' Wessex HAS.3 *** FINISHED ***

[lancfan]

Cheers Splash, this is the basic interior detailed and ready for fitting out. The sonar rig, seats etc. can now be built up.


David.

[lancfan]

Unlike preserved Wessex which (from the pictures I have found online) seem to be missing most of the covers for the sonar winch housing my model will have a full set of covers based on the AP sketches I found on the internet, I made the sonar pack from a block of balsa wood and covered it in alluminium foil to represent the corrugated panelling, the unit is dry fitted in the left hand image whilst the unit alone is shown on the right. The operator's control station will next be made up and attached to the winch unit.


David.

[Stuart]

Very nice David - your scratch building is always impressive.

Cheers

Stuart

[lancfan]

Cheers Stuart.

David.

[lancfan]

The sonar unit was dry fitted one last time before being painted.


The painted consoles, they are slightly crude but it is becoming obvious that very little of this will be visible when the fuselage is closed up.


The finished unit glued in place.


The seats were made up next from balsa wood and Das clay and they are now glued down behind the sonar unit, with the cabin complete the next job is to assemble and fit the cockpit and then the fuselage can be joined up.


David.

[MarkyM607]

That's some serious work, well done Sir!!

[splash]

Hi David

Have you seen this site (scroll half way down the page), I think you might have the seats too far forward and I think there is only two seats in the rear.

I'm impressed with your scratch building, its far better than anything I could do.

http://www.gengriz.co.uk/2009/May09.htm

Regards Splash

[lancfan]

Hi Splash, yes thanks I have seen that site. As all the pictures I found were of preserved machines which have shall we say less than complete interiors I worked from AP line drawn sketches to try to get a correct period look. The seat backs were lined up to the rear edges of the windows and look OK for position and leg room, the rear seat is shown in the AP sketches as an "Instructor's Chair" I assume that this was removable when not needed but I felt like including it in there for this model. I have not built many helicopters and the classic types do hold some appeal so I am using this as a test build for a series of Wessex models I would like to make from the Italeri kits.


David.

[jssel]

Nice work David.

[splash]

Hi Splash, yes thanks I have seen that site. As all the pictures I found were of preserved machines which have shall we say less than complete interiors I worked from AP line drawn sketches to try to get a correct period look. The seat backs were lined up to the rear edges of the windows and look OK for position and leg room, the rear seat is shown in the AP sketches as an "Instructor's Chair" I assume that this was removable when not needed but I felt like including it in there for this model. I have not built many helicopters and the classic types do hold some appeal so I am using this as a test build for a series of Wessex models I would like to make from the Italeri kits.


David.

You would think that finding images of the back of a Wessex HAS 3 would be so simple but it's not, I think you have gone down the right route, my experience of ASW Was only in a Seaking and once you fitted the active and passive gear Plus a full load of sonar bouyes plus two pilots an Observer and a large git like me it was gramped, the guys in the Wessex didn't have the passive kit but they had a much smaller cabin.

I think your work is brilliant, it's going to look so busy and full just like the real thing.

Keep up the great work I'm really enjoying watching this bird grow.

Regards Splash

[iggie]

I can't comment on the accuracy or otherwise, but I'm seriously impressed by the effort and the appearance of your scratch- building!

[Stuart]

I can't add anything more than the others said - a really impressive bit of work David - it looks brilliant.

[lancfan]

Cheers Mark, Jeff, iggie, Stuart and thanks Splash it is as you say, period pictures of the Wessex cabin are impossible to find online, luckily I found a number of illustrations from the Wessex AP which helped enormously but proportion and size of the elements in the cabin were mere guesswork based on these sketches which are similar in style to those found in the old "Autobooks" car maintenance manuals.


David.

[lancfan]

The cockpit has been assembled as per instructions, the only additions are two small lengths of stretched sprue to represent the collective control levers.


David.

[lancfan]

The nose was assembled next and the IP & coaming was test fitted to that and found to be too far forward and too low when compared to photographs of the cockpit, I repositioned it using the plastic card struts shown in the picture on the left and extended the coaming using Tamiya tape, with the nose glued on the cockpit now looks much more like the photographs of the full size.


David.