KA-50 Hokum

[Gharbad]

So here is my second build thread!

This is the 1995 Halinski Ka-50:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1280.jpg

I started it something like 2 years ago... and here's what I have from then:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1281.jpg

I'm sure you notice the fact it has a big piece of cardboard sticking out, and has no plastic windows. I never built anything with 2mm frames before, and didn't realize sanding was so important. I think I can just paint it and it'll go away nicely... Why I still glued when it clearly didn't fit is beyond me :o
As for the windows, I think my glue didn't hold them so I didn't bother.

One neat feature; they attempted to shiny up the metal parts by using some sort of glittery ink.

I'm not sure when I'll actually work on it, but having a thread will push me eventually :D

[Lex]

I'm not sure when I'll actually work on it, but having a thread will push me eventually :D
Yea... Now people will keep coming in and ask "any progress on the Hokum?" over and over again :D --Nice build so far.

[JustForFun]

That looks like a great start! I have this one on my "to do" shelf as well. I'm looking forward to seeing your build thread. Thanks for sharing!

[Gharbad]

Thanks guys.

I look forward to this one as well... I actually ordered it directly from Halinski like 8 years ago. It came wrapped in old newspapers :D

Some of it seems pretty confusing, so we'll see how it goes.

[CharlieC]

I actually ordered it directly from Halinski like 8 years ago. It came wrapped in old newspapers :D



And there is a problem? - Josef from SPI used Czech newspapers as packing when he sent out models in his shipping boxes. Always liked trying to figure out what the newspaper items were about. Pity he's closing the shop - always liked dealing with him.

Regards,

Charlie

[Gharbad]

It was a corrugated cardboard sheet, with the models on top, and a little box of canopies. All of this was wrapped in newspapers and taped up.
They survived flawlessly though! So no, no problem, just funny :)

Edit:
I guess I didn't make it explicit the newspapers were the highest level of packaging - no box

[Stev0]

Any progress on the Hokum?

[Gharbad]

No progress yet!
I've been busy with school work, though my middle of winter "spring" break is coming up soon and I'll probably do a bit then.

Anyways, I'm posting because I've been looking it over, and found a troubling problem!
The entire midsection is off by 1mm! I think it could be as simple as a mislabeled former; 1mm instead of 2mm. Adding the extra 1mm seems to fix the issues I first noticed, but I'm worried it'll ruin the skinning further down the line.
This 1mm error is in the length of the skeleton by the way.

I think I'll investigate it further this weekend.

[Gharbad]

Alright so I'm back and alive and back to work!

As it stands, I decided not to thicken the former, and left it at 1mm.
This seems to conflict with 1 or 2 pieces, but I rather trim those than trim the several others that assume the thinner part.
Specifically, I'm talking about the first former behind the completed front portion.

I've just continued with the skeleton, and am working on skinning it.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1649.jpg

And here's the tricky wheel well in the tail section:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1650.jpg

Once I finish those wells, I can finish off the tail.

I have high hopes the rest of it will go smoother now that I made a decision on that problem.

[Don Boose]

Nice work, so far, Kuba!

I'm glad to see this fine model progressing.

Don

[Zathros]

Looks good so far. I remember when the KA 50 first came out. It really is one heck of a helicopter. Kamov makes a nice line of helicopters. The KA 50 has is really scarey looking especially with the counter rotating blades and without a tail rotor there is less to go wrong.

[Gharbad]

Thanks guys!
Yeah I really like this one too.
It was the motivator for me to place an order to Halinski.

So I skinned the tail, and made the little... horizontal... thing. What are they called in a helicopter?

The tail:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1654.jpg

The horizontal thingy:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1653.jpg

Those supports in there are a total guess. They were simply labeled #13 A, B, C, D and with no instructions or diagram. I guessed that the C part goes into the vertical edge parts (#13, but left/right), and you can see both beside each other.

The main section came out alright, so hopefully I guessed right:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1655.jpg

[Don Boose]

Nice clean work so far.

Don

[Gharbad]

Thanks Don, though I don't think I can agree with you in some spots :o

Right now I'm not that happy with this model... I'm getting a lot of issues, and most are my fault, but that doesn't change the frustration!

Here's one:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1656.jpg

I'm supposed to stick the engine skeleton along that line (note the #11 arrow), which you can see isn't even close to straight. Am I suppose to curl the 1mm frame? :confused:
I'd decide based on the skin, but the skin starts from the main body.

Avoiding that mess, I did some other stuff.

Like the tail:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1658.jpg

Sadly it got sort of crooked as I glued it shut, leaving that small gap, but I plan on touching everything up with paint for once.

These are the supports for the main landing gear. It said to use a roll of paper, but I thought the dowel would be easier.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1659.jpg

In case you're wondering, I'm using a green bristol board as the 0.5mm backing.
Also notice the revealed cardboard in the join there... For some reason I always manage to bend the frame as I skin it, and even after a crazy amount of sanding it doesnt fit perfectly. Like I said I'll touch it up at the end :)

This here is the underside of the front section, which holds the front landing gear, as well as the sensors or whatever.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1660.jpg

That's going to give trouble too, since the underside of the front isn't exactly even.

Sorry for the mess! :o

Edit:

Ooops! Forgot about this one.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1661.jpg

That's the main rotor shaft. It slips into a hollow tube of rolled paper so it can turn, and it's stiffened with a 2mm diameter wire.

[Zathros]

I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Have you ever seen real Russian Helicopters? You'd be surprised. I believe the tailplane is called a stabilator. I could be wrong, that is what we called them when i worked at Sikorsky. Helicopter blades are not flat on the trailing edge they have different contours which allow the blades to auto rotate in the event of a power failure. If you ever get to see a Sikorsky Blackhawk blade it is a great example of this. The trailing edge is very different of the inboard end as opposed to the outboard section and there is a transition between the two which makes it noticeable. The outboard angle of incidence allow for lift while powered and the inside allows for airflor and the negative pressure of the leading edge to keep the blades going the same direction. Which is why they do not act like the toy paper helicopters which stop then speed in the other direction upon descent.

[Johnny]

Nice to see a heli coming along :)
And you are doing a great job on it!!

[Gharbad]

Interesting stuff Zathros. My dad is studying CFD right now, so I'll let him know about that.
Thanks for the kind words as well, both of you.

I did a bit of a risky move and just started skinning the engines. It was going fine, then went ugly. It's a very, very strange shape, requiring some complex curves and then a sudden sharp crease.

Here you can see it just fitted on, being held by the leading edge of the skin.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1665.jpg

I also had to paint the number 018 in yellow. It didn't turn out amazing with some paint clearly beyond the lines, since I didn't notice my brush was so bad. Oh well, it looks good when you're not looking super close.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1667.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1668.jpg

I think it went ok, but it's not great. Some of it will be hidden by more details.
If you look at the rear end of the engines, they stick out from the main fuselage - I think I'm going to have to do some creative sanding or patch work. I have no idea how that was supposed to fit at all, so I'm glad to get a reasonable result.

Edit:
Oh and I almost forgot... as I was glueing we got this view through the window:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Animals/deer.jpg

[Johnny]

Thats a really nice view!!

[Gharbad]

Today I tried making these front, side panel thingies. I really don't know many names :)

Trying to fit one side, it leaves a pretty big gap:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1670.jpg

Though, you can see in this that it is where it's supposed to go, as it needs to be level with the bottom; just a design flaw I guess. You can also see how it's not even close to the black line showing where to glue it.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1669.jpg

I think I'll just try to patch it, then paint it later.

The other side worked out much better, though you can see the engine slightly mutilated:

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_1671.jpg

It's asymmetrical, since this side has the cannon. I was worried it would all screw up, but after a few modifications to the grey part, I managed to make it work. It was one of the pieces that was too long, as if it wanted me to thicken the former which I didn't.
I still haven't glued the engine, it's just attached loosely.

[Gharbad]

So, uhhh, it's apparently been almost 500 photos since my last update. Sorry about that :o

You can see I closed up the top, added the engine fronts, and some filler parts between. The part between the engine and the fuselage expected magic - curving in like 5 directions. I got a decent result I think.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_2132.jpg

The tail is pretty much done
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_2133.jpg

Another shot from the top, and you can see the engine exhaust. It's not glued in it, and I haven't put the fins on them yet.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_2134.jpg

The first of the weapons, and I'm making the barrels (40...) at the moment.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Gharbad101/Models/KA-50/IMG_2135.jpg

Sorry about the colours, this is under my desk lamp last night.

[Zathros]

Kepit in a safe place. My dog just ate a Paper blimp I had, the R100. It looking great!!

[willygoat]

Lookin' good Gharbad :D

[Gharbad]

Luckily (?) I don't have any pets, so no danger. Though I did almost sit on it one day...
Thanks for the compliments!

[willygoat]

I don't have any pets either, but I DO have a 14 month old boy. For the hobby of paper modeling, he his about the same as a cat and a dog combined. He can climb up onto tables and chairs and crushes paper things like a cat. Then, he tends to eat things that are paper, much like a dog. I have only about 2 or 3 places that are "safe" right now.

[MiG-23MLD]

I don't have any pets either, but I DO have a 14 month old boy. For the hobby of paper modeling, he his about the same as a cat and a dog combined. He can climb up onto tables and chairs and crushes paper things like a cat. Then, he tends to eat things that are paper, much like a dog. I have only about 2 or 3 places that are "safe" right now.
I have the same problem, but still i love my son, any way this thread of the ka-50 is excellent

[Gharbad]

I don't know if this is a record but this thread is officially resurrected after a 6.5 year hiatus!

Having no idea where I left off, I decide to just make the side wings.

Note of warning, the skeleton of #20 is a bit sketchy.
20b and 20d are a bit large (need trimming to fit), while 20a and 20c are a bit small.
Also, they are not marked left/right and are almost the same but not, so make sure of the orientation...

I added a paper flap on the inside of the trailing edge to prevent it from collapsing. I also had to add a strip to bridge a gap between the skeleton and the skin, because the skeleton (20a) is too long compared to the skin.

256521

Despite my efforts the wing didn't close very well, with a 1-2mm gap on the trailing edge, so it'll be something to patch up afterwards.

256522

[paperengineer]

Wow, that is a long hiatus! I was 14 the last time someone posted in this thread! I'm glad it's back, the ka-50 is my favorite Russian chopper.

[YOAVHOZMI]

very good work

YOAV

[Gharbad]

Did I just make you feel old?
Hopefully it won't disappoint too much :)

Thanks YOAV

Anyway, build goes on with the side... things... (#21) and the first pair of pylons (#22).
#21 A, the former, is undersized for the skin. I had to wrap it with paper which also helped to glue 21a and 21b.

256780

Note that 21 itself, the main skin, is NOT mirror imaged for left/right; they are erroneously the same. It appears the left side was correct, while the right side is glued onto the little details and has the seam outwards. The details are just two drawn-on boxes and the locator mark for 21e, so it wouldn't be a big deal to draw it in myself.

I added some cardboard (the black stuff) to stiffen up the pylon #22.

256781

[willygoat]

I'm very excited to see you bring this model back to life. I just picked this one up a couple months ago. Now I'll have to dig through the thread and get some pointers.