Sikorsky MH-53 JMSDF #25 - completed

 

 

 

Seats completed, without armor because all JMSDF are SAR machines.  

Harness looks like True Details mid 90’ 🙁. I will replace them with paper and Reheat 

First research results: I paid 125 € for this kit (regular price was about 90-100€) but IMO it’s a low datail quality kit. I fear I had to rework EACH part and scratch a lot of details. I think I will use two more front bays for the main wheel bays.  

 

 

 

 

It’s very stunning that Reskit molded correctly 2 different types of inner wheel halfes (asymmetrical connection points for the break lines) 

Left side reworked. All etched parts must be bend in both dimensions.  

Because the center of the part is removed I had to scratch a durable support for the tail rotor.  

 

 

 

 

Reinforcement structure (with holes): step 1. 

 

 

 

 

This is the result of a good modeling day🙂: lower visible tail compartment.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research results: engraving & detailing of side sponsons should be reworked  

 

Sponsons completed minus drain pipe and mooring point.  

 

Source: Wiki commons.  

Reworked / detailed exhaust pipes.  

Off white for upper side.  

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I thought that the papering is completed... 

Today I noticed that on the inner side the anti skid area is wider ... 

On course again 🙂 

Here as well there is a problem that needs to be solved: exhaust pipes should be installed before completing the nacelles but if I do that I’m going to make the rest (cleaning, detailing and painting) most complicated. 

Also I will install the exhaust pipes later but I have to prepare the nacelles so the pipes can be attached.  

 

 

 

 

Result of about 1,5 hour work.  

 

I used the bulge of the kit part und combined them with reworked resin part. 

 

 

 

Source: wiki commons.  

 

 

Air filter of engine no. 2 has on the bottom a straight thick support strut and on the upper side two thiNn struts.  

 

Left side of the picture; both outer engines air filters has 1 thick and two thinn support struts.  

 

 

 

 

 

Temporary “hold in the right position” block not yet removed. 

 

 

 

 

Temporary block carefully removed, temporary fuselage holes filled: winch base plate and all 6 support struts in place.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who knows what it is and which function has this device? 

 

 

 

 

Probably it's not possible to see here how many extra parts I added to the bumper (63p).  

 

And so looks the bumper installed in his working place.  

Engines 1 and 3 has an another pattern of black areas on the air filters compared with the middle engine no. 2. 

Well visible prominent red and black pipes/cables. 

Today I begun with decaling. Unfortunately it was impossible to prevent partially silvering.  

 

Courtesy MR Akira Watanabe aka Nabe3saviation.
I finally found very useful pictures of JMSDF MH-53 in the air from below. Why am I not surprised that the bottom of the kit contains a lot of mistakes...
The contour of the sidetank is not correct and the large hatch & rectangular antenna are too large... 

 

 

Several days and several dozens of extra parts later than last picture.  

...the bottom of the heli is finished. Typically for such large multi purpose helicopter the bottom is full of sensors, antennas and mounting points for external equipment. The most of the elements were well visible on the few pictures taken from below. With the exception of the two small external hook hatches were I had to improvise.  

 

 

 

 

For comparison the kit part  

 

 

 

 

Seats painted. Detailing of the console will be continued.  

 

 

Detailing will be continued after painting.  

 

Cockpit rear wall 1.step. Detailing will be continued  

Premiere for the new product of Anyz Models bought several months ago: 3D printed knobs, switches in excellent quality. The handling is very easy and the result is excellent and much better than self made knobs.  

Two etched layer (Eduard) and several plastic parts for simulating panel lights.  

 

Part 7, center console, 3D (a mix of self made and Anyz knobs). For comparison Part 8 (upper console), 2D.  

 

 

 

 

New research results: JMSDF has the foldable seat side panels.  

“Prominent” orange colored heating flexible tubes. Front screen wiper cleaning fluid reservoir (not painted yet white part behind left seat). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All 3 seats have a middle V - shaped strut but you can only see it through the small windows on the first 🙂  

Harness only for the first seat because the others are nearly invisible.  

Interior of the JMSDF MH-53 (courtesy Wannabe3 aviation): thousand and one or more details... 

 

For comparison the interior of the “glorious” kit of Academy in 1:48.  

 

Prepared for yellow.  

Masked on the outside. Green on the inside. Masked for yellow rim on the inside.  

Corner / shape of small window above antenna housing corrected  

All windows has now on the inside yellow rim. 

Different stuff for the main cabin.  

Pilots seat from the kit modified.  

Interior stuff distributed in the main cabin. I’m truly happy that all windows are very small🙂 

 

 

Last parts for the cockpit: different flex cables for intercom connection and illuminating lights made of 0,2 mm and 0,1 mm thick black wire ( bought many years ago, Rairo). 

 

 

No gap, no mess. My idea with the auxiliary holes for applying CA from inside has worked.  

 

 

 

The exhaust tube of engine no.2 has a metallic rim („cover for the gap“).  

Template of Tamiya tape and in shape cutted piece of self adhesive aluminum foil. Painted brownish metallic. 

 

Several access panels for the tail rotor shaft tunnel. All have different length. 

A long rectangular stripe of 0,13 mm thick plastic cutted in 7 parts. The mounting “ears” are made of discs from flattened round rod.  

Maintenance panel hinges.  

 

In comparison with the hand&fingers of a technician duringy maintenance I calculated the thickness of the tube with 5 cm.  

Fuselage bottom in place. Detailing completed minus 2x fixed landing light.  

 

 

New research results: the roof is too short. Because it’s very difficult to fix this mistake I left them too short.
 

Washing and filtering coming at next.  

Gull gray (H-129) and shading (slightly darker H-129) in place.  

 

Clear nose will be installed at next.  

As usual: postshading and polishing the panel & rivet lines.  

After one hour of CA gluing and about one hour of careful sanding I’m very satisfied. One half more hour I spend for restoring panel lines and rivets.  

 

 

 

Last task completed before painting nose dark grey (interior color), 

Dark gray and off white in place. Gull grey coming at next.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self made antiskid mat 

Upper fuselage have an unique antiskid layout.  

 

 

Nose landing gear in place without mess and trouble.  

 

 

 

 

Main gear in place.  

At last on own legs and not on the belly...🙂 

Fuselage closed. The ramp is fixed with 4 pieces of wire. Visible gaps are OK because present on real heli too.  

 

Rubber sealing on the lower side made of Cutting Edge Black Magic tape.  

 

Prominent cables: 1 x red, 1 x black and 1 x Aluminium.  

Right engine in place.  

Rod antenna made of 0,47 mm wire and 0,5 mm brass tube as holder.  

The mount and base plate in płace. Unfortunately I lost the winch housing and have to scratch them. 3 wires on lower strut and one more on the upper strut made of 0,35 mm soldering wire  

 

Nothing is better for a mirror than mirror foil... 

 

 

Side windows are mounted via 2 x wire piece (0,25 mm). The dampers are made of 0,65 mm steel tube. 

 

On course again: the mirror booms are grey and not more white.  

 

Thick self adhesive alu foil as cover between the stabilizer and fuselage  

 

 

Anyz Models knobs are useful as screws too. 🙂 

 

Repainted mirror booms in place. 

 

Scratched wipers 

I really managed to attach all parts on the fuselage without desaster, mess or breakdowns... and now are to do the rotors.  

Wiper completed. Probably it’s not clearly visible that each wiper contains 15 parts... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotor head- side blade hinges. (14p) 

 

Swashplate separatet from moulding block. Screws added. (29p) 

VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH RESULTS: RESKITS INSTRUCTION FOR INSTALLING THE HINGES IS WRONG.  

Cooly hat reworked. Connection plates for the blades reworked. (45p) 

 

VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH RESULTS: RESKITS INSTRUCTION FOR INSTALLING THE HINGES IS WRONG. Left & R respective right & L is correct.  

 

 

Outer plates for hinges, rotor side, are designed very well. Because plastic is better for mounting of small parts than brass I duplicated the parts of 0,3 mm plastic.  

Hinges with connection plates for the blades in place. (52p) 

Blade hinge lock made of wire and plastic rod (11 p per blade). 

Each blade has as usual by Sikorsky a own blade hinge lock. (129p) 

Different parts and screws&bolts. (234p) 

Hydraulic lock mechanism for the hinge (22p / blade, 366p). 

Blade hinge locks and first batch of wires and cables. (454p)  

Another details on the 6 foldable blades: hydraulic distributor (7p) and blade folding motor (6p). (532p) 

 

4 more wiring per blade and detailed/prepared hydraulic damper: 77 more p. (609p) 

2 more wiring: fold/unfold switch and cable for the blade (deicing and light). (661p) 

 

Blade shafts in place. All blades are detachable. Detailing not completed yet. (703p) 

 

Wiring for the blade completed. On the upper side the original have 3 fasteners (a cube of 0,5 mm plastics and “spoon” from PE (spare box). 

Ready for installing the 7 blade connectors on the rotor head. (794p) 

After several weeks of detailing of sole hinges/blade connectors I glued the rotor head together. 🙂. 3 more cables & hydraulic lines per blade in place. (863p)  

 

 

 

 

 

The last 3 “fixed” lines on the blade connectors. (905p) 

 

Connection hydraulic lines to the cooly hat: 6x1 left side long and 6x2 right side short. I had to try several combinations of wire and isolation to find a satisfying result: thin enough and enables clean installing (4p per each line). (977p). 

18 hydraulic lines to the cooly hat in place. Ready for paint. 🙂 (995p) 

 

Pitch links completed and meanwhile painted and installed. (1016p) 

 

 

 

 

Rotor head completed (1032p). The last 100 m to run: the blades. 

 

 

Last puzzling - task before painting&finishing: blades reworked and detailed (9p/blade). Rotor is now completed.🙂 (1095p)