really don ! !!!!! how am i gonna compete with that skill lol . and im running out of compliments !!! dont want to sound like a broken record . but you are a very talented person . like i said i can only hope mine comes out half as nice awesome work . and i was thinking of ordering the ready made panel online lol

I have the panel on order, too. I know it will not be exactly like this one (this is from MD manuals and is scaled from them) but the instruments will be what is coming off of them and then placed on this one. If the panel is not to scale for my purposes, I'll sell it to the first person that wants it. The only way I can get this panel is to get the prebuilt one as it is not a kit, sigh. I'm also going to get a bit more structural plastic tomorrow for the up and coming TOW sight. I'm not even going to try and do that ahead as there are no pictures of it complete. Thanks a bunch and get that bird on the go as soon as you can. Take care.

Don

...

will do !! im calling first in line for the left overs lol

That's a very nice dash, how did you make it?

I scratch built it from plastic sheet, square tube, and angle. All from Evergreen Scale Models. I finally got some instant plastic welding liquid or those complex curves would have been really frustrating. It does need the instruments and switch panels that are in process somewhere as I am not bothering to buy any more stuff for the cockpit until those two assemblies get here. This "faceless" panel will look a whole lot better than nothing and it gave me the opportunity to finish the floor off. I also found a picture of a vent for instrument panels that are not covered in (commercial and executive versions are covered for the most part). I will most likely wire the entire rear part of the panel and make some false instruments for the wires to go in as the panel will be lighted. Here are some more pictures of it now.

Don

The hood is undercut to set the indicator light panel in




The hood top reshaped

Really like those pilots,showing of how much realistic cockpit detailing does for the overall impression of a scaler,im convinced that when finished and doing a low flybay it gone be a eye catcher,god job!

Cheers
Jack

Thank you, Jack. I found a picture of a fresh air diverter for the front air intake that I have not see before. Had I been building the OH-6 or 500D with the standard panel, I would have a solid housing from the panel to the windscreen. What was missing in every book I have been through is this one diverter that is actually easy to make. I might have it done in a few hours. Take care and thanks again.

Don

As I said, I got the fresh air diverter ready for installation and that will be when I get the landing light dome done later this evening. I will use one batch of Hysol to permanently mount the diverter in and then tomorrow, I'll shape and paint it to match what I see in the background of the first picture. That is the only picture I have so what I built inside it is pure conjecture, lol. Take care.

Don

I thought I would do a picture walk-through, from raw plywood to ready to paint, of the next part in the build, the landing light housing. It would have been easy to get a cigar tube, cut it off and use the rounded end but I don't know anyone in this condo that smokes them and none of my friends smoke the big Havana's. There maybe other things like plastic test tubes or spray bottle tops that could work but I would rather just make it rather than spend a tank of gas trying to find something that would work. Entre my favourite build material, birch aircraft plywood. I don't own a lathe nor drill press so I need to improvise one. One drill to turn the work and the dremel to shape it. Good ol' engine turning. It certainly works when nothing else is handy or available. Hope you like this change of pace.

Don

When do you plan of flying it?

Long time ago in another forum someone was building an Airwolf. He had stuff in it was crazy but after year plus of reading his posts and posts it never flew and he just stop posting.

Just wondering if you have a time when you plan on flying it?

I am a fair temperature flyer so when it hits above 10 degrees and the flying field is fairly dry, I'll bring it out for a maiden. I hope it is soon as work is looming. Take care.

Don

I finished the two little projects that have kept me occupied for the last 24 hours. I didn't take any pictures of the front of the air vent as it was not even worth the look/see. The real ones have a rubber seal that goes around the opening and the flap closes up on it to create the seal. I have seen lots of pictures that do not show the seal but it turns out that the seal is painted at the same time as the body and closed flap so the only time you notice it is when one of those vents is used a lot. I also took a side shot of the landing light to show it completed. Both are a vast improvement from what the factory provided. Both those openings are the same size and they shouldn't be but it is far too late in the process for the air vent to be reduced to 3/4's of its current diameter. Next time.

Don

No building today but I did a bit of touchup painting as the paint will flake off around the doghouse quite easily. I also repainted the mounting bases for the flashing red lights on the top of the boom and the underside of the cockpit. Those silver rings stood out like a sore thumb.

Now the great news. IT FLYS. Well, sort of. I wanted to spool up the blades to check for tracking and I had the opportunity in a nice heated gymnasium to do so. I really didn't want to take it off as I have one blade only that needs to be trimmed and I was not close enough to it to check which of the five marks was low (that I was able to see but it is very slightly low) but the sound, man the SOUND of that rotor brought shivers to my spine. I thought it was the tail rotor as it is a really fast spinning tail but the real sound was from that lovely 5 blade head. I will have a link shortly for the video that was kindly shot by another pilot at the fun fly. Just a slight amount of right collective once it is light on the skids and it came up really nice. I didn't take it very high at all as I didn't want to jeopardize our indoor flying privileges. It is not perfectly balanced but it should be a snap to do so. Tomorrow I pick up the Skookum GPS/Altimeter upgrade so when the chassis is out, the weight will be put in but it will be left very slightly nose light to allow for the last of the details to go in. I am talking a couple of ounces this time round. As soon as I find the video, I'll download it and then upload it to my channel so it is not lost. Take care.

Don

Always read the updates, and thanks for sharing your building tips! It's really great to see all the detail your going too and look forward to seeing that video.. See your going with the big boys in the form of the Skookum+GPS!! Be interesting to hear your take on that unit!

If your interested I've started doing a min-review on the NAZA-H + GPS http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1827567

But won't get round to flying it for another couple of weeks as waiting on parts!