Airfix's 1/72 Fairey Rotodyne (Full Build)
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Yeah I know, a very niche subject, looking like something out of Thunderbirds. But it's an itch that I've wanted to scratch for a very long time, so, before my eyes and patience go, I went for it. The Rotodyne has a fascinating history. There was a great programme about it on the History Channel some time ago. One option I looked at was the Westland version with roundels and fin flashes and a central fin or even the brightly coloured 'what if' BEA version. It's a shame about the Rotodyne. Like other forward thinking British designs, it never came to fruition.
Just released 01/01/22 on RUclips, Joluqa Malta has a video on this very subject. Well worth watching.
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Excellent work. The masking was an enormous effort. I doff my hat to you sir.
For the record, and thanks to the David Gibbings book, the blue paint is Pantone 2746.
I actually tried to buy Rotodyne back in 1962 when it was cancelled. I offered all my saved pocket money for it - 14/6d!!! Fairey wrote back that it would cost much more than that in fuel. I was 9.
The apprentices at White Waltham built and sent me the Revell kit, and I made local and national press. The local press even arranged a helicopter flight for me out of Biggin Hill. My 15 minutes of fame. Still have the cuttings.gb
A build well done, amazing what a modeller can do with those old vintage kits.
Thanks for making this how-to video, I'm inspired to pull out my Airfix kit and start working on it sooner than later this year.
Beautiful! Had my doubts at first but you pulled it off nicely. Great job! I have never seen that kit before but i remember those old kits with the heavy surface detail and let's just say "rough fits" but i loved them any way. Those were the days when you could find kits and supplies just about anywhere. Thank's!
First saw this at a schoolfriend's house in '65.. Never got around to making it.
You are a Master Masker Greg, such patience! Had to wind down the modelling in my early '40s, by to Presbyopia 😞 Yes, for us Oldies, these channels like yours, is a Priceless journey back to Childhood! Magic.
Anytime 👍
What a fantastic job!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Amazing work... once again!! Your attention to detail and execution is second to none. Thanks for sharing your talents with us . Take care.
Cheers Edward 👍
A new year and a new build from Greg, hell yeah!
Mate you are a Hero even with the thought to build that kit not only building it !!!!!! Wonderful result well done. I'm always attracted to "weird" plane designs and also to exotic air force markings.
Excellent work, and a fitting tribute to a fascinating aircraft!
Excellent, painstaking work! Enjoyable to watch and I picked up some tricks, thank you. The Revell tip jet cans reflect the later variation during first phase noise reduction attempts: you can see the remaining bits of the aircraft with these on display at the Helicopter museum in Weston super Mare (well worth a visit). Can also recommend "Fairey Rotodyne" by David Gibbings, a complete history of the craft, for reference. Great!
Cheers Rob
Great build & video. 👍
Wow, amazing results. I’ve just realised I don’t know how to make a model kit.
🤣 It's all smoke and mirrors
If you have an Airfix Eagle Transporter (Space:1999) hanging around, I would love to see your take on working that!
I love the Eagle, built the large MPC one some years ago. I think the Airfix one was worth some money.
@@GregsModels I have the new Round2 22" queued up in the stash....
Very interesting topic. I was intrigued by how the oval windows were added first, then the fuselage halves were joined, followed by painting. Then a vigorous job of sanding & polishing over both the fuselage & windows.
That was a first for me.
Also, it was never explained in detail why gray was added to the forward portion of the fuselage prior to spraying silver.
Could that be explained?
It may have been to check for any surface imperfections
What an excellent job, considering what you started with Greg. Just a thought. Would pencilling in some panel lines, especially on the wings, add to green finesse of the models and take away the slab like look of the wings?
I was going to create a panel line stencil for the wings just thought the lines might be a little overbearing.
Wonderful build… let me know when you get bored of me saying “wonderful build”
Link to Joluqa's video - what a coincidence!! ruclips.net/video/87fq_1kkumQ/видео.html&ab_channel=JoluqaMalta
Yes, strange
I build kits, you're a modeler there's a ridiculously huge difference. I'm living vicariously through your builds. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. I also understand that there's time involved for editing and uploading all of this content just sayin. Another beautiful model!
Theres nothing I enjoy more than seeing old, badly done kits given a new lease on life. Nicely done!
Well done! Beautiful model. I never built it then but I did build Hampdens, B-25s, 1/144 Comet, Concorde etc..
I built one of these ages, and I mean ages, ago. It was a fascinating vehicle, that, to me, evokes craft seen in the 'Dan Dare' strip in the Eagle comic. A real shame that it never, if you will excuse me, took off. Having seen footage of the prototype in action, they would have been lovely to see as everyday aircraft. Yet another sad example of the 'It's brilliant... But I don't think so' attitude of British aviation, in the 1950's and 60's.
An aircraft killed by it's own noise levels. The rotor tip jets sounded like a novel idea but the noise generated was unbearable
Thats such a great build! So distinctive I love to see people build and improve on the the old kits that we can all relate to without spending hundreds of pounds on resin and etched parts. Please dig deep into your stash and resurrect a few more classics ! Thank you for posting!
Couldn't agree more!
I love this original old Airfix Kits it‘ a time Travel trip for me Greetings Edward
Love these autogiro.
They need to bring these back to life.
Greetings from California.
Hi Greg it's great seeing you resurrect some of them older kits, it makes me feel young again watching you work with them. A methodical approach has paid off for you again, your model looks better than the real thing.
Happy New year to you from NZ.😉 I'm looking forward to seeing your next builds.
Thanks, have a great 2022
the designers of this chopper must've been like "but what if we put the propellers on TOP of the submarine?"
Thank you for your time and patience, and for bringing this kit to life. Wonderful work. These 60 plus year old kits are my childhood.
OMG I DID THAT KIT.
It was for a Model Badge in my Boy Scouts days. OMG.
I also did a picture of it for my Artist Badge.
Good old days.
I took great care on the cockpit too. I painted the dials on myself and the handle of the joysticks. And the helmets to white. I still remember that.
Thanks.
I will be 69 in February. 😃
This is a great channel- highly competent modeller, enjoyable subject matter, simple and effective format. This is my joint favourite modelling channel, the other being Uncle Nightshift. 👍
Nightshift, now that's a honour!
Spectacular build, a joy to watch from start to finish.
Hah, great stuff. I remember building this when I was young. Covered in glue and gloss paint 😘
Beautiful work, well done. No way I could attempt such a project so I just enjoy your skills and finished masterpiece!
I built one of these back in the 1960's and you have done a great build! I was 13 or so when I built mine and you have done the kit proud!
A brilliant example of how to make a purse from a pigs ear! Keep up the good work.
G'Day, I picked a kit up at Car Boot sale many years ago for $5.00, I painted it in RAAF scheme, added rocket pods to the wings and a mini gun in the doorway, used it for years in War Gaming!
Really interesting to see you build old kit like this ! Must go check out what I got left in the loft ! The aerodyne build you made looks great.
Great stuff on this old kit. Great looking model of a great looking flying machine. Putting it on the stand was a goid idea.
Thanks; one of my better ideas
Greg, watching this brought a big smile to my face. What a beauty! You are joy to watch building the wide range of kits you show us with your videos. This one is superb! Airfix rules!
OMG! Boy does this bring back memories when I was a kid and build Airfix kits thought I never did build one of the Rotodyne. An excellent build as usual Greg, I'm interested to see what you could do with the Airfix Halifax if you have one in your stash.
A very tempting idea
Masking was a work of art. Fantastic job.
Beautifully done, Greg👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I love odd planes and Helicopters, I just finished a Kamov 29 (Hobbyboss 1/72). I love the passengers trick, that really works.👋🏻
I imagine that's one of the nicest builds of that model ever done. Just beautiful.
Great job, the masking for the blue looks a nightmare. You've far more patience than me.
Absolutely delightful model 👍
Ah the old kits.
What can I say.
We were easily pleased back then.
My first was the obligatory 1/72 Airfix Spitfire.
My favourite were the English Electric Lightening ( still my favourite looking jet.
And the Douglas Skyraider ( I stuck every available bomb or rocket on that sucker )
After a service life suspended by cotton from the ceiling of my bedroom they all succumbed to a fiery Viking funeral of lighter fluid, black powder and bangers usually around the dieing season of November.
Amazing work as always. Thank you for sharing and being such an inspiration to us.
TBH, one review, back the day - 70s, early 80s - in my head anyway Airfix had a reputation for lots of flash to cleanup and potential ill fitting parts - boat decks, etc. Revell was my preferred option. I used to build boats, motorcycles, cars etc - all sorts.
I guess it differs kit to kit, era to era, builder skill level & expectations.
Good build video :)
Great Done do not know much about aircraft, look so fast on its stand =)
Like so much to listen you english and learn =))
Greetings from germany
Thank YOU so much!
Those old Airfix, especially the bigger kits, had horrendous fit. Their C-130 Herculese was a nightmare. Banana wings.
Nicely done. Absolutely stunning and far beyond my abilities. Keep up the good work
Nice job with those passenger cutouts mounted inside the fuselage. 👍🏻👍🏻
Dammit, that's belting! Also giving me childhood flashbacks! Marvellous!!
Great build, going to be video building this kit myself soon. Thanks for the tips.....Mike
Beautiful work! Love your channel, what you did with this old girl is nothing short of amazing, congratulations on such a fine fine build 👏
The first model I built by myself that was not an Airfix Spitfire was a Frog Douglas Boston (showing my age). Now a lot older and wiser I should get back into miniatures modelling. Shame Frog are long gone but will look for a Boston if they're around
i think i might have done this in a custom scheme rather than try and use 50 year old decals.. the old Airfix kits were great for their time but hard work now. i had a series 1 gladiator in a plastic bag...! before they switched to the rather nifty blista packs. 1970's. then came Matchbox kits which were excellent for young modellers.. and gave Airfix a wake up call.
Nailed that mate, looks superb. Fantastic attention paid to the originality, loved the passenger cut out, all added to the overall ambience of the build.
Cheers Mark, you and your family have a great 2022.
Nice build :) mine is not as carefully built! I’m building 4/5 now :)
Well done :)
If im brutally honest not one of your better builds Greg - you seemed to lose interest halfway through and adding the wings prior to paint was an error imho. As a desktop model it looks good but the gash interior passengers look awful. Just my two penneth worth no offence intended. Happy 2022!
I saw this flying at Farnborough and we all thought it was the future of city to city travel. I also built this kit but you have brought this fascinating plane back to life. Shame those tip jets were so noisy as otherwise it might have been a big success.
I saw it there as well. I later saw the parts in a scrap lorry on Scots Hill, Rickmansworth, Herts. Fairey did improvements and research with the jet tip nozzles but after Westland took it on, the Government killed the further idea of development that BEA wanted.
Interested but mine simply glued together, paint with enamels, decals them, hanging with string on ceiling, I was 10 in 1970s.
"very niche" maybe but I like this kind of thing much better than the quezillionth WWII armour diorama.
I know the scales are different, but I might have used the Revell interior to create some interest. You'd likely never know.
Greg, for a 60 year odd kit, it's beautiful.....you've done it justice!, to me your one of the top modeller's on youtube.
So nice of you to say.
Awesome build, to put passengers in their is genius. but where are the woman? all of the few passenergers are man... that's no longer acceptable..🤣
I am really enjoying your content, Greg. I like the subjects you choose to model (the more esoteric or just out there, the better), they're cleanly built, and look really good by the time you finish them.
Just superb. Shows what can be done with those old kits. Kind of reminds me of the promotional models they would have sent the airline companies at the time, especially on its stand. Love it!.
Very interesting aircraft.All thats left now are i think a few bits on display at the Weston Super Mare helicopter museum.
Always liked the Rotordyne. Yet another world beater cancelled by a stupid Government.
Love it, beautiful kiddo!
Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow....
I’m wondering how those passengers felt knowing they had test pilots flying them around!
I don't have your skills Im afraid. Fabulous job you did bringing this to life.
Well marra you would never believe that's a sixty year old kit she's a stunner , how about a Kamov Ka 27 . Happy New Year Greg all the best for 2022 . Regards Gav.
Cheers Gav, let's hope this year is better than the last two. I have my doubts, getting cynical in my old age. Have a great year Bro.
Very interesting model never knew about that plane or helicopter looks both excellent build sir.
Really nice work here Greg! I have two in the stash. I need to get on them and get them done. I'd do one in PanAm the other in Delta Air Lines.
Here's Fairey's film of the Rotodyne: ruclips.net/video/y9633v6U0wo/видео.html Great model Greg!
Thanks for doing a video of the Christmas break. Interesting subject with a great outcome. Cheers Stu NZ
You really are a hero!... 🙂
May I ask what ink or paint you use for printing the decals?
Impressive how you beat this one into submission! Stunning build!
I wonder if the decals will yellow again after being in the sun. You sure made a silk purse out of that one.
Sows ear into a silk purse - beautiful build a less that stellar kit - how about a fictional RAF transport version ?
I made this model when I was 10 years old. It had my fingerprints in glue all over it and I never had any paint to finish it. I recently explored the history of the Fairy Rotodyne and I'm left with the feeling that the British government interference in civil avaition killed off this most promising aircraft. It would have been ideal for the short hop between towns and cities in New Zealand as well as a valuable cargo plane to the back country farms.... not to mention the value to the tourist industry in ferrying people to the remote scenic areas of which NZ has many. Such a shame... but you did a brilliant job with this one :)
Thanks Louisa
I love the aircraft. I had a senior engineer as mentor when I started out who’d been involved. He said the noise was indescribably loud and shrill
@@chrissmith7669 Yes, four mini jets whizzing around makes you wonder how noisy it was in the cabin.
If I could do a tiny fraction what you achieve then I'd consider myself a modeller. Thank you for dedication you put into these.
Thanks Simon
18:10 These are most probably not anti abrasion guides, rather, deicing pads.
If old kits could be living beings, they'd be begging you to build them!
I must apologise, I could only give you 1 like, you deserve many more!!
That actually turned out looking good, great work.
@18:12 that black stripes at the props are not "anti abrasion" protection - they're electric anti-ice boots.
G'day Greg, I watched your comparison and build video closely. It's a real pity that both of these old kits leave quite a bit to be desired because the subject aircraft had a fascinating development story.
The Fairey Rotodyne composite aircraft was widely thought by aeronautical engineers at the time, to be one of the most extensively tested airframes ever to come out of the British aircraft industry. It was first conceived, on paper, in 1946 but Fairey first had to teach itself all there was to know about helicopters, gyrocopters etc. which they did.
Sadly, one of their early, small craft crashed killing the crew. Generally, however, that was put behind them as they successfully went ahead with the creation of more smaller aircraft design features using autogyro technology and then using engines for forward movement.
The Rotodyne employed a novel approach to mixing an increasing number of helicopter design components with two short, wings that held engines similar to those found on, say, a Vickers Viscount.
The Rotodyne had a unique system of 'bleed feeding' from the prop engines to small thrusters on the end of two of the four 'helicopter' blades.
BEA expressed great interest in a full-scale aircraft that could carry 40 passengers from main city centres around the UK.
The RAF expressed slightly less interest; however, it was enough to qualify them for development funding from the Dept. of Supply to come up with a Rotodyne that could carry army medical teams with ample litter space to evacuate battlefield casualties.
Also, for its size, it had a huge cargo capacity near the ground which made cargo handling swift and straightforward.
That's when Fairey aviation really ramped up all manner of safety and stress testing for every major component of the Rotodyne. Vibration and the other stresses of the transition from a helicopter take off to forward aircraft flight, via the prop engines, adding thrust to the blades was their biggest hurdle.
At the time the Rotodyne was the fastest 'helicopter' in the UK
These testing programs took a great deal of time and demonstrated that Fairey were dedicated to making the Rotodyne a UK and international success, especially after US airlines and even the US military were said to be cautiously interested.
The Fairy company were just one of the, then, 21 aircraft manufacturers in post-war UK. Quite suddenly, a new government decreed that these companies would be merged into just three larger conglomerate businesses. Some smaller companies fell by the wayside and Fairy joined the only parent group company that dealt with all helicopters and associated craft built in Britain; ending up with the Westland helicopter company, primarily along with Bristol, etc.
Meanwhile, in the US great strides forward in helicopter designs started to eat away at the worldwide demand for such aircraft. Development of the successful Rotodyne concept slowed down to a point that the British MoD and even BEA decided to go with other manufacturers.
The entire Rotodyne project was cancelled in February 1962; on the grounds of excessive rotor noise, however, it was felt that this was only the 'cover story' for the cancellation of this well tested, innovative craft.
The last great pity is there is no complete Rotodyne extant in any flight museum. This is probably why every Rotodyne model kit suffers from design accuracy issues. Frankly, the Revell kit is a shoddy mould riddled with design mistakes; the Airfix kits are only slightly better. Airfix made their first kit some years after the last Rotodyne had been scrapped. Judging by the shocking Revell kit, they probably never had access to a real Rotodyne either.
Unless Airfix completely retool and reintroduce a Rotodyne model from any existing Fairey blueprints, I'm afraid there never will be a true Rotodyne kit made in the future.
If only Fairey had started a production line 6 or 7 years before the cancellation, I believe there would have been hundreds of these flying around, safely, making a name for themselves.
Thanks Greg, I've been tempted to do a build of a Rotodyne but, given the size of my stash and my age, plus your experience, I think I'll give the Rotodyne a miss.
Cheers, Bill H
Thanks for the read, Bill. I think, if I'm correct, Frog released a Rotodyne too. It would be interesting to see that kit.
I can see why the Rotodyne failed. It was flying 75% empty.
Would like to compare it with old painted model when new the paint quality now must be far better
El Kit Revell se veía claramente superior, pero cuando hay habilidad y talento, hasta el mediocre kit Airfix, quedo fantastico. Felicitaciones. Dan ganas de buscar esa rareza de kit y armarlo. PD la cantidad de masking usado...
Thank you 👍
Stunning build......ops normal for you Greg! Happy New Year.
Cheers Jason, have a great 2022
The black edges on the props are electrically heated de-icing strips.
Excellent set of skills you have there. Very evident this ain't your first rodeo. I really enjoy watching someone who knows what he's about. Much appreciated, Greg! Cork from the hills of Virginia.
Thank you
A Like and a HEART for this impressive works !!!
And YES, I actually built this kit! Back in the mid 1970's 👍😁! I don't recall much about it, except that I don't remember it giving me much grief during the build. I also had the Bristol Belvedere helicopter model, Airfix too I think...😎
Yes, I remember the Belvedere. The canopy was split in two halves down the middle, pain!!
@@GregsModels HAH!!! That's right! Poor design for the glass for sure, but overall not a bad old kit. Still wish I had mine, don't know what happened to it. Cheers my friend!
I built this iconic plane yesterday and finished it today😊
Hi Greg. I have started building my trumpeter 1/24 hurricane mk1 kit because of your RUclips video on the mk2. I will be getting it but it seams you have started something cos lots of people are now building the mk2 kit on RUclips. All the best and keep on model making you are an inspiration mate!
It's great to hear so many people building models, and if I can help inspire in some way, the more the better.