I always liked
the Lynx and thought it a good looking helicopter and very modern compared
to the Wasp it replaced. I remember the Lynx and Scout flying together at
Middle Wallop air show many years ago when it was new and had an affinity
for it since. I came across Belcher Bits and decided to give one of his
kits a go since it looks like the Lynx won't make it into the mainstream
any time soon. Time and technology have eliminated most of the Lynx's of
the good looks however and the latest models look quite ugly, so despite
the options offered I decided to build an early one.
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Once
I opened the box I knew this kit would be a bit of a challenge (see pic)
but once the main parts were together it was easier than it looked. First
the bewildering array of parts mostly concerns the late models and
weapons, second the quality and fit of the resin molding is superb. The
basic fuselage went together in 1 night and was completed after interior
painting. I drilled out the engine exhausts but didn't go all the way in
as ½" hollowed and painted black was enough. I added a cargo hook
and the harpoon underneath. The kit provides 2 superb instrument panels
but the part you really see is the back not the face, so I detailed the
back with wire scraps and this looks a lot better. (see construction
photo)
The
resin undercarriage looked doomed from the start so I drilled out the
location pegs and axles (a bit fiddly) then threaded brass wire into them.
(see photo). These were then tidied up with Milliput for looks and more
strength as the final model is quite heavy. The net result is quite a lot
stronger and allowed those odd extensions above the sponsons to be easily
done. The rotors also looked too brittle in resin so I decided to fold
them rather than make new ones from plastic card. The support poles are
brass wire and blade supports are Tamiya tape wrapped around the blade and
glued. The wires from the roll cage to the rotor head were made from
Phosphor Bronze to be thin and strong. Other additions include door
handles, steps, aerials etc.
The
really hard part was fitting the canopy since its big, very thin, clear and you
only get one! I couldn't get a good finish on it with future so had to make all
assembly with white glue which slowed me down a fair bit.
I
painted the tinted glare panel on the top of the cockpit with Clear blue (50)
from the inside after the rest of the model had been completed. I used a small
dropper to place 2-3 drops in one side of the canopy while holding the model
inverted. I then swished this around for 5 mins till it had dried then repeated
for the other side.
The
main use for the Lynx during the Falklands seems to have been as a Sea Skua
platform so I decided these were appropriate. The problem now is it's almost
impossible to pick the model up as every solid bit is covered by easily knocked
off bits and the easy to get at nose is itself fragile.
The
Lynx looked better in blue than grey so I chose Lynx XZ247 which was on HMS
Birmingham and HMS Glasgow in 1982. This Lynx seems to have been very active in
the Falklands. Colour scheme is as per modified on the operation Corporate early
phases where the roundel white was painted over with black. The model was
painted in Mr Surfacer a few times and then sprayed with Xtracolour Oxford Blue
and finished with Future. Decals were from the kit.
If
the instructions were as comprehensive as the parts then this would have been a
lot easier. There were many parts in the written instructions that were
unidentifiable and time was wasted trying to sort bits out and then parts went
unused as I had no idea what I was looking for. I still never managed to decide
which was part number 65 despite the detailed description of which colour wires
needed to come from it. I found something looking about right and painted it up
only to find it was too big so it must be something else. Thanks anyway to
Mr Belcher for providing us with an excellent model of this lovely little
helicopter.
Colin
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