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Post by agalbraith on Sept 21, 2008 17:36:34 GMT 12
Hi guys Sorry for my silence of late, but life has been rather busy....away again tomorrow, darn! Anyway, I have been busy in whatever spare time I have since the RNZAF Tamiya Corsair I recently finished working on this BK. I didnt think there would be much interest here being that most of you build RNZAF stuff (me included) in a civvie chopper. I saw a few awesome crop dusters (very dear to my heart too!)being posted here and thought some of you may be interested in my thread I have going on ARC (a modelling forum). Here is the link www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=156384Please feel free to comment good and definately bad or on where I need to improve or things I may have omitted. This is taking a while, but I am sure will result in a very detailed end product.....Oh and I did a little on the Mossie for a change of pace the other day too...shock horror! I started the thread there as I helped out a couple of guys who were building rescue choppers and they wanted to see my project. I may get a new update on tonight, but I am off to tea with my family. Cheers Anthony |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 21, 2008 20:23:19 GMT 12
Hi Anthony, thanks very much for posting this link. I for one am interested to see models of any NZ aviation subject and I'm sure others here are too. The rescue helicopter is an interesting subject and as usual you're doing an amazing job of modelling it
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Post by agalbraith on Sept 21, 2008 21:50:17 GMT 12
Thanks mate
I will post the updates here as I go too then.
Thanks
Anthony
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Post by Naki on Sept 21, 2008 22:06:25 GMT 12
Yea agree with Dave - in some ways I like the civilian models more as they aren't commonly modelled.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Sept 22, 2008 9:02:22 GMT 12
I look at a BK117 Westpac machine ever time I walk through the hangar at work. A great model topic. I read you had three mates rescued this year in your city's one. The Westpac rescue helicopter does sterling work and every city should have one.
Nice work too, look forward to the final product.
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Post by agalbraith on Sept 22, 2008 22:33:49 GMT 12
Thanks mate
Yes indeed these guys do an amazing job. Every city should have one for sure. Hopefully I wont dissapoint with the final product. I am picking you have HLF in the hangar with you?
I am picking by what you said that you are tied up with the LifeFlight somehow?
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2008 23:43:28 GMT 12
How many BK-117 helicopters are in NZ nowadays? In fact how mnay rescue helicopters are there around the country and what types are they? They all do fantastic work, the Hamilton rescue copter flies over here alomst daily on a mission, sadly.
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Post by Kereru on Sept 23, 2008 8:45:42 GMT 12
There is one in the Oceania hangar at Ardmore being rebuilt and I will try and get a shot of it when it comes out and flies. reg is ZK-III which was in an accident sometime ago.
Glad to see my photo was an inspiration Anthony. Keep up the good work.
Colin
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Post by flyjoe180 on Sept 23, 2008 9:36:21 GMT 12
You're right Anthony, I am contracted to Lifeflight by Airwork flying the Metro.
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Post by Naki on Sept 23, 2008 11:44:01 GMT 12
Heres a good web site listing all the current rescue choppers in NZ with photos of each www.111emergency.co.nz/RescueHelicopters.htm. There are 18 BK-117s in NZ according to the CAA (one is listed as BK-117 but is actually a EC-145 which a major update of the BK-117 - lives at Dairy Flat). Not all the BKs are rescue choppers. |
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Post by corsair67 on Sept 23, 2008 18:21:11 GMT 12
Very nice work, on a subject you don't see being modelled too often, Anthony.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2008 18:45:26 GMT 12
Thanks for that link Paul. Amazing to see how many rescue helicopters are around now. the Bell 222B based in Hamiolton is a beautiful looking machine. I got up close to it recently when it landed across the road for a school visit and it was a really nice machine.
I always thought the BK-117 were a Messerschidt (MBB) design (shows how much I know about choppers). I had no idea they were Kawasakis, I didn't know they made aircraft.
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Post by phil on Sept 23, 2008 19:00:06 GMT 12
Why can't we have more comercial decals for rescue helicopters? They are certainly the most attractive schemes around, and always nice and glossy. A bit like modelling F1 cars instead of armour!
Makes a nice change from matt or semi gloss grey that ends up on nearly every military aircraft these days. I am certainly looking forward to seeing this one complete.
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Post by agalbraith on Sept 23, 2008 19:14:49 GMT 12
Well thanks guys. I had no idea there was so much interest!
Just got home tonight from my trip to Auckland. Managed to find some time to get to Avspecs and see the Mossie(didnt have camera sorry guys) it looks amazing! Saw the 2 BK117's sitting in Oceanas hangar this arvo. One looked to be in a bizzare yellow/dk blue scheme.
Flyjoe you may know a good friend of mine Warwick Plowman, I think he has flown that Metro a few times.
Will get some pics up tomorrow. Feeling a bit tired and need a cuppa and to mindlessly stare at the TV!
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by Craig Sargent on Sept 23, 2008 20:17:05 GMT 12
Shame you missed me down there and I missed you up here.
Have been keeping tabs on the BK and have to say those mods are nice and crisply done.
Looking forward to some more progress.
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Post by Naki on Sept 23, 2008 21:17:55 GMT 12
Dave you are partly correct. Bk-117s are built by MBB & Kawasaki as a joint venture. Most of the ones in NZ are called Kawasakis as they were built in Japan by Kawasaki.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2008 21:24:57 GMT 12
Ah, thanks. I thought I must have been getting it mixed up with another helicopter but I was on the right track after all.
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Post by agalbraith on Sept 28, 2008 23:29:58 GMT 12
Hi and thanks again gents Well I finally managed to get some time in on the BK. First off, I have done a bit more on the engine cowl like adding a tube inside the port side for the brass air conditioning exhaust to neatly slide into, scribed some panle lines in on the fin and refined the shape of the side panel I attached to the side and slightly modified shape of the opening where the mesh is to be inserted. Probably more importantly I adjusted the incidence of the tailboom to the engine cowl. I was never happy with the boom angle in relation to the fuselage, but with all the work gone into the boom joint I couldnt bring myself to saw it off and re-glue it. I tcame to me at work one day.....I went home and grabbed my saw and about 1mm forward of the joint I cut a slot (from the bottom up and about 1mm wide) 3/4 of the way up the cowl. I then tweaked the boom down to close the gap and quickly MEK'd and superglued it. Only a couple of deg but a huge differenct to the "look". It is all now filled with CA, a layer of Mr Surfacer and buffed down smooth again. No one would ever know! Back to the fuse again. I wasnt satisfied that the interior panelling wasnt exactly the same as the one I was building. You can see by the pics that I have added card in certain areas. I also then placed strip around to seperate off the different panels. See too that I had to cut back the top rear door opening(white strip) at the top. That is where the top door tracks run....glad I noticed it now!  I dont know if this pic illustrates how much further down from the opening the door tracks are.  Then I back filled them with Mr White putty and glued in the next panel. As you can see I have seperated off each panel segment like the original chopper and am accurizing it as I go.  Notice too that I have used spacers on the second panel to get the correct curve at the door opening and keep everything in perfect alignment.   I have also started puttying in the window surround now. In the next shot you can see that I have now nearly finished off filling around the window, also glued in the bulkhead/rear door frame. Opened up the pilots door and started putting in the framing between the sliding door and the pilots one.  Thanks for dropping in for a look Cheers Anthony |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 29, 2008 12:20:18 GMT 12
Your attention to detail always astounds me Anthony, it's brilliant.
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Post by kiwichappers on Sept 30, 2008 7:31:01 GMT 12
Great work Anthony. I am really enjoying this thread as brightly coloured helicopters have considerable apeal for me. As an aside whats happening with the Mustang?
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