discussion Dave Ward's 1/48 Heller Alouette

[Dave Ward]

View attachment 305971

This is a simple model of a simple helicopter
View attachment 305969

Instructions are old school Heller:View attachment 305972
Some parts are delicate
View attachment 305974View attachment 305973

The cabin is a little too simple, I'll have to try and make it a little busier - all things should be pretty visible through the 'bubble'
View attachment 305970
Anyway, construction will start shortly, in between sessions on my Henschel
Dave

 

[rickoshea52]

I’d like to see how this goes together, I have their 1/50 Gazelle.

 

[yak face]

Looks a good kit Dave , the cabin looks fine to me , a set of belts and i reckon it should be ok , the cabin on the real thing was very simple too , looking forward to this one , cheers tony

 

[papa 695]

Nice one Dave, and thanks for joining in.

 

[Guest]

View attachment 305971

This is a simple model of a simple helicopter
View attachment 305969

Instructions are old school Heller:View attachment 305972
Some parts are delicate
View attachment 305974View attachment 305973

The cabin is a little too simple, I'll have to try and make it a little busier - all things should be pretty visible through the 'bubble'
View attachment 305970
Anyway, construction will start shortly, in between sessions on my Henschel
Dave

Thank goodness it's not by MiniArt ! That thin section looks tricky .

 

[Dave Ward]

I did look at the MiniArt Flettner Kolibri, when it first came out, but a glance at the sprues put me off, - really thin parts!
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Construction started. The Alouette can be built in 3 sections, the bubble, the skids, and the tail boom
3 parts.........View attachment 306058

................and four parts:View attachment 306057
The parts needed a bit of clean up, a lot of fine parting lines, scraped with a scalpel blade, but nothing major (yet!)
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

After 2 sessions, the skids and the tail boom are ready for priming - I've left the engine off, as that will be completely different colours.......
View attachment 306127

All this is dry fitted together, 3 sections. The overall colour is 'green', I'll have to find the nearest match, from my box
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Primed, and basecoated the boom & skids - Vert OTAN, or Nato green.................
View attachment 306247
The engine makes it's first appearance, with the gearbox. I had forgotten how small gas turbines were, naked, it's going to need a little dressing up...........
Dave

 

[Guest]

Very nice Dave.
Looks to have been a good fit , very clean .
John .

 

[Dave Ward]

The moulds date from 1989, and they have stood up well to the years. The fit is quite good, and minimal mould lines/flash. Their age shows in the rather heavy details - particularly around the engine - and a decal for the instrument panel would have been nice
Dave

 

[flyjoe180]

Looks good so far David

 

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
You're off to a great start. After the 'fun' you had with the wing struts on you Condor Legion Recon plane I thought you might go for something nice and solid :smirk: That tail boom looks tricky.
Jim

 

[Dave Ward]

After finishing the Hs 126, I've returned to the Alouette........................
View attachment 307947View attachment 307948
Seat belts from masking tape, instrument panel drybrushed.

I dry fitted the bubble - absolutely perfect fit! The plastic is a little thick and not too clear - I'll dip it in Kleer before painting the frames.
View attachment 307946
This bubble can be fully finished before final assembly onto the airframe
Dave

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looks good this one. Seems to be building up well....nice job
Tim

 

[colin m]

All looking very nice Dave. I think I've only built two helicopters. I must make more of an effort.

 

[Dave Ward]

Coming together, engine added, and basecoated - the 'bubble' is just about finished.....................
View attachment 308070

I was curious about the scale of this model - some of the Heller Alouette III models are quoted at 1/48 and 1/50. Just by the rotor diameter of the model, and the real dimension from Wikipedia, it comes to exactly 1/50! I would defy anyone to spot the difference between 1/48 & 1/50 in a stand alone model!
Dave

 

[Guest]

Dave.
Did you mask all the bubble up to paint ?:surprised:
John .

 

[Dave Ward]

John,
nope, painted freehand with a hairy stick, then any overpaint removed using a sharpened wooden cocktail stick. This works with acrylics - I wouldn't like to try it with enamels!
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

The 'bubble' is fitted to the skids and boom - missing are the aerials, they're fragile, and will be the last to be fittedView attachment 308217View attachment 308218
Engine detail painting next, then adding the engine bracing struts will complete the body, with just the rotors left
Dave