Wings of Intent: HO scale (1/87th) Williams Brothers Pictcairn Autogyro

This is the building article, the completed model can be seen here:
http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2017/03/pictairn-autogyro-ho-scale-completed.html

I have been using Williams Brothers products for decades now, through my successive reincarnations as Free-flight, RC, and static modeler.

Others, more informed and capable, perhaps could one day tell the long story of this company, that went through many avatars in these volatile and changing times.

I thought I was quite familiar with their products, but recently I discovered that they had a prolific line of items that catered for the HO scale train community. Among those products are a couple of 1/87th scale planes, who knew.

This build will make my friend Xtmos Psarras of Woofland very happy; each one of those 87th fractions happy, more precisely.

I purchased the HO WB Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro from Jeff and Liz in the Palm Desert area -even if it isn't (sacrilege!) in my beloved 1/72nd scale- so I could pose it in the background of my models' photos, like a prop, together with cars, fuel pumps and the like.

Even for a prop, as it was intended for the train market -that is, not the main focus of attention- the detail is quite good, even if not as good as in their much larger 1/48th autogyro molds, of course.

You get an interior that consists of two bulkheads-cum-seats, decent external detail and a set of decals. My decal set was flawed, but was promptly and very kindly substituted by Williams Bros, whose customer service, by the way, is really great and commendable.

The kit I got was from an ancient issue, and had some minor flash and a bit of mismatched areas in a few parts, but all subsided with a sanding stick.

There were a number of company "publicity" Pitcairns, and you can get decals for three -if I am correct-, a mil version, Champion spark plugs and the Detroit News. Resourceful modelers may create artwork for the many others: Beech-nut, Tiolene Oil, Puget Sound Airways (an Irregular Airway), Silverbrook, Pennzoil, British Consols and so forth.

Even if the destiny of this model is to be in the background, I am planning on adding some detailing, little things here and there will be incorporated.

I have scratch-built these two autogyros some time ago:

http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/scratch-built-172-kellett-k-2-autogyro.html

http://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2014/07/scratch-built-172-hafner-gyroplane-1937.html

and I like the odd looks of these unjustly too-easily dismissed contraptions.

I wish they were still around, milling about.

One point to consider if you want to model Miss Champion or the Detroit News machines is that you will need to create patterns for the masks used for the outlines in wing, stab and vertical stab (the latter only for the DN machine).

I traced the contours directly from the parts before assembly. I suggest you scan that pattern in case you mess-up cutting or need to re-do something.

This HO kit comes with a very small and simplified building diagram, but the Williams Bros 1/48th scale kit version has very nice instructions, so my good Irregular friend James Schubert from Puget Sound provided a copy of those. Thanks, Jim.

The bagged kit as it comes:

Contents:

The reverse of the tab has a diagram, a bit small to be of real use (more on that later):

The parts are of course small in 1/87th scale, and there is some flash:

The parts are easily separated from the sprue:

And cleaned-up:

There is certain amount of detail, commendable for the size and nature of the kit:

The excellent customer service at Williams Brothers sent the decals to replace the kit's ones, which were smudged (see above at the beginning):

The decals are nice:

Patterns traced from the parts in order to make later on the necessary masks for the color outlines on the flying surfaces:

To the two bulkhead/seats that come with the kit, I added two consoles (one with instruments panel), a joystick and seat belts.
Once all was painted the fuselage was assembled, then the wing and tail glued in position:

The engine of the kit is a bit flat, and lacks a sort of ring that interfaces with the firewall, so I made one. AT this time I also drilled the necessary holes for the rigging on stab, wing and fuselage:

The rotor assembly (angled down if you depict the model stationary):

Vertical stabilizer in place and the rest of the parts:

I felt like adding a bit of detail to that engine, so I glued the exhaust lengths that connect to the central ring, and the main exhaust tube:

Openings are masked and primer is applied:

The engine is painted and dry-brushed:

The tailskid, a simple affair, but fragile as thin plastic, is replaced by a wire length:

The landing gear is added, and all parts are primed white:

The rotor is yellow, and the wings and horizontal stabilizer have a yellow contour. The color is therefore airbrushed and will later be masked to apply the blue needed for the Champion livery:

The blue is applied after masking:

Masks removed:

The propeller is masked to be painted aluminum, leaving the black on the back side of the blades:

Decaling in progress. The decals are quite well printed and thin -which is good but makes them a tad finicky-, so be careful applying especially the rotor ones. You will have have to paint the rotor blades' tips with a matching red color: