CH-101 Merlin JMSDF #92

What I’m facing now is a lot of rebuilding because the differences between the HC3 and CH-101... 

Template for 3 additional windows. In the middle the hole for glueing on the underground is well visible.  

I hope so that the big bag is big enough...🙂 

Fuel filler caps „housings“ added. 2 flush in the kit vs 3 recessed in the original.  

Wiki commons: Mr. Hunini.  

Reworked door - opening with reinforcement sheets. The small door on the left side is a two-piece swing type (like Seaking).  

Raised rim around 2 windows (reinforcement-sheet) is made (airbrushed) of Mr color 500 Surfacer. Three of six attachment points for the antenna are in place. 

Cooling gills for the gear opened. Further detalis coming soon. 

Modified details here and there. 2.nd door sliding rail added. Rectangular piece top left is the foldable maintenance step (on the right fuselage side too). 

Trapezoid shaped panel with 4 screws is the attachment point for fixing the outer blade when folded. 

Air intakes: the fit is OK but it isn’t Tamiya and cleaning is required. I used for this task CA as filler and a small oval milling head. Left: middle intake not cleaned yet.  

Modelers best friend: mini tool and different milling heads.  

I consulted the original pictures and found out that the Japanese SAR - Merlin’s has only 14-15 seats and that the seatframe have an different layout.  

JMSDF Merlin’s has a different screen layout (6 equal and rectangular) in comparison of the CH3 troop carrier  

As usual I made switches of 0,25 mm wire, installed in holes without painting.  

Unfortunately I confused the direction of the control sticks and so the layout of the 7 elements is off by 180 degrees (too late to fix this mistake🙁) 

Different service panel and air inlets added.  

JMSDF has a hinge for folding the tail. 

Attachment point for the winch, bumper (fuselage) and cable holder.  

Windows in place. They have different layout and function.  

Small lower windows has black rim. For easier painting/masking I intend to paint the rim black before installation and install them after airbrushing the entire fuselage engine gray.  

All large decals in place. Stencils comming soon.  

In most cases the decal carrier film is invisible.  

Despite semi matt surface no carrier film and 0,0% slivering: Mr Setter 232. 

Steps and small details on lower half coming soon.  

Very top part of the landing gear I cuttet of and installed from above (it was impossible to install the entire leg from the bottom). 

Antenna booms are made of soldered brass 0,7 mm tube and 0,4 mm cooper sheet. 0,48mm wire fits perfectly in the 0,7 mm (0,5mm) tube.  

Anti skid mat made of airbrushed (unthinned paint and low pressure) decal. 

Winch housing and supports struts.  

Winch hook. 

Reworked wippers.  

Discharge cables for the fin.  

Door in place. 

Mirrors and mirrors booms.  

Mirror front covered with mirror-foil. 

Source: Wiki commons, Mr. Hunini 

Tail rotor completed minus cables (coming soon after airbrushing). ATRSQ: 45 parts.  

Tail rotor completed: 90 parts.  

Day 1: rotor head base plate. ARSQ: 73 parts.  

Source: wiki commons.  

Day 2: blade pitch links and dampers. Additional parts on the rotor head. ARSQ: 147 parts.  

Day 3. Blades should be corrected because folding. ARSQ: 197 parts.  

Day 4. Blade-hinges printed of Shapeways reworked. ARSQ: 212 p.  

New research results: Shapeways rotorhead-side of the hinge is too small🙁 

Day 5: all 5 blades has correct „cuffs” / hinges. ARSQ: 222 p. 

Wiki commons: Mr. Hunini.  

Day 6: All 10 parts sanded at same time as one block.  

Inner lips of the hinge (rotor head side). ARSQ: 232 p. 

Day 7: Lockhousing and e-engine housing (3,5 mm rod). ARSQ: 247 p. 

Not all has the same design.  

Day 8: compared with Seaking’s hydraulic rotor folding is the electric solution very clean and simple (fortunately for the modeler). ARSQ: 307 p.  

Day 11: light gray for topside and hinge.  

Day 11: dark grey for lower side.  

cleaning and repainting light gray 

Day 12: leading edge in Metall. Mix of magnesium Metalizer, Sealer (Testors), few drops of Gunze Mr.metal gold and HU125 

minor color corrections via brush.  

Large screws painted dark grey metallic. Templates punched with 2,5 mm brass tube.  

cables and screw security-wires in place. ARSQ: 347 p. 

Day 13: decals on the lower side in place.  

Day 14: the first hinge is completed. The first is always most time consuming. The remaning 4 will need less time.  

Day 14: 1,1 mm brass tube as axis for the hinge. Installing AFTER gluing the halves together possible.  

The blade will be installed via 0,8 mm brass rod after mounting all hinges. 🙂 

Day 16: Outer lips on the hinge added (rotorhead side). 3 of 5 hinge housings completed. ARSQ: 407 p. 

Day 18: all hinges are now at last completed! ARSQ: 457 p. 

Day 20: painted and marked: white, yellow, black, red and blue.  

All hinges in place in the correct sequence. Underside, the round “windows” are well visible.  

View from the top. "Taumelscheibe" (swash plate) is all ready installed.  

Vibration damper and blade pitch links in place: nearly completed.  

Cables in place = rotorhead completed. ARSQ: 487 p. 

Day 21: completed.