1:72 Westland Wessex HC.2 Exhaust for Airfix

Aires/Quickboost - Westland Wessex HC.2: resin exhausts (1:72)

This is an accessory (a detail set), not a model. The package contains resin castings that replace the exhaust parts on the plastic kit of the Westland Wessex HC.2 helicopter in 1:72 scale by Airfix. The kit itself, glue and paints are not included in the package.

Why change the exhausts

On the Wessex the exhaust is a prominently visible element: the pair of turboshaft engines vents the gases through side outlets right above the cabin, so it is visible from every angle on a finished model. Injected plastic parts, for technological reasons, usually have solid or merely suggested openings and a thicker wall. A resin casting can have a thin wall, a genuinely open opening and a surface ready for sooty staining, which immediately gives the model scale credibility.

Use

• First wash the parts in lukewarm soapy water: this removes the mold release residue, without which the paint will not hold.
• Cut the casting block off with a fine saw or a cutting disc, never snap it off, as resin is brittle.
• Sand the remainder of the block flat and level the mating surface on the fuselage so that the part sits without a gap.
• Bond with super glue (cyanoacrylate); ordinary plastic cement does not work on resin.
• Apply a primer before painting, then smoky and sooty shades and a light wash; an exhaust should not stay clean.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who are building the Wessex HC.2 in 1:72 and want a quick increase in detail.
• Those who prefer a finished casting to drilling and thinning plastic.
• Builders of dioramas and competition models, where the small things count.

Working with resin: sand wet or with respiratory protection, as resin dust should not be inhaled. Use super glue in a ventilated room and protect your eyes.