Looking for reference photos of the rear of MK I Whirlwind model - WIP restoration

[Beaky Brigade]

Hello Fratters,

Last year I received this MKI Whirlwind model in a shoebox collection of old minis and I'd like to strip it and do it up as close to original as possible. which will most likely involve scratch making a few minor parts.

I'm a bit confused by the rear end of the vehicle as I'm not quite of the vintage to have built one of these new in box.

I can't find many photos online of this part of the model, so I wondered if anyone with their own vehicle of this era could share some photos to clarify how the rear is meant to look, and whether anything is missing, or built incorrectly, and I can go from there.

I'm mainly unsure about the overhanging bits on the roof of the vehicle, and the use of the predator front plate upside down in place of the Rhino troop hatch.

Can anyone clarify?

Edited October 17, 2022 by Beaky Brigade

[Firedrake Cordova]

Honestly, the rear looks right to me (i.e. the same as mine), although there's obviously some breakages elsewhere.

I would scan my instructions for you, but I'm not exactly sure where they are, and the model is a bit difficult to get out. I did find this picture online, if it helps? The image in the old Citadel catalogue isn't overly helpful, as it doesn't show the rear.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Firedrake Cordova
Added info

[Grotsmasha]

4 things I see
1- Top turret plate is misaligned and should sit in the gap neatly,
2- All exhaust stacks should point rearward,
3- The front top plate is incorrect right to left, in that gap should be a radar dish, and the radar should be on the left (as viewed from the front),
4- The rear plate is upside down.

https://imgur.com/QbC01Jj

EDIT:

Apparently the rear plate IS NOT upside down

Edited September 3, 2022 by Grotsmasha

[Firedrake Cordova]

11 minutes ago, Grotsmasha said:

2- All exhaust stacks should point rearward,
3- The front top plate is incorrect right to left, in that gap should be a radar dish, and the radar should be on the left (as viewed from the front),

Urgh, how did I not notice those? 

[Beaky Brigade]

Thanks guys that's really helpful! Bonus error with the model is the exhausts are mounted too near to the centre, you can see the mounting holes for them the builder ignored! 

This might be a MKIbb (Beakybrigade) when I'm done! 

 

[Firedrake Cordova]

3 hours ago, Beaky Brigade said:

Bonus error with the model is the exhausts are mounted too near to the centre, you can see the mounting holes for them the builder ignored! 

That's it, I'm not posting before the first coffee of the day again! 

Edited September 3, 2022 by Firedrake Cordova

[Magos Takatus]

In addition to that the Imperial Fists markings on a blue vehicle, Who hurt the person that originally built this Whirlwind and why did they take out their anger on this poor innocent vehicle?

Until about a month ago I had some Whirlwinds I could have shown a few photographs of a Whirlwind in better condition but I passed them on to a friend for his Oldhammer collection.

Bear in mind that the Rhino chassis was made to be built with multiple hatch configurations so even if the rear hatch was assembled differently to the reference photos above it wouldn't look too out of place. Those exhausts however, those are very wrong. Since the tops of the exhausts are broken off it might be possible to replace them with some parts similar to this:

 https://www.bitzbox.co.uk/product_info.php/28mm-brazier-accessory-p-11131 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/CSGCJ36NS/backpack-base-braziers?option

https://zealotminiatures.com/product/braziers-x2/

https://zealotminiatures.com/product/wall-torches-x4-alight-x2-extinguished/

I'm not sure if they are the ideal size but it's an idea to get you started. What with 3d printing being as popular as it is these days you can probably find something similar and get someone to print it to the correct scale is these are too large/small.

[Slave to Darkness]

19 hours ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

That's it, I'm not posting before the first coffee of the day again! 

It happens to the best of us lol 

[Beaky Brigade]

6 hours ago, Magos Takatus said:

Bear in mind that the Rhino chassis was made to be built with multiple hatch configurations so even if the rear hatch was assembled differently to the reference photos above it wouldn't look too out of place. Those exhausts however, those are very wrong. Since the tops of the exhausts are broken off it might be possible to replace them with some parts similar to this:

 

It's a good suggestion, I think I was either going to try bending some brass rod to be more sturdy, but easily chipped exhausts, or get some plasticard tube to make some MKII style stubby straight exhausts.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Here's a picture of the whirlwind I painted ages ago, which I believe was assembled correctly.  Please let me know whether you still want or need any pictures of it from other angles.

[Beaky Brigade]

Thank you @Dr_Ruminahui !

 

Do you have any idea why these gaps exist? It seems like there are some big problems with the hull lol.

I am tempted maybe to turn the hull into a battlefield wreck (it wouldn't take much work!) and retrofit the whirlwind parts on a MKII chassis...

[Dr_Ruminahui]

You're most welcome.

I think the gaps are just because the model was built really shoddily.  Built with a bit of care (its not a difficult model to build, and none of the 6 or so I have built have had any kind of warping), it really doesn't have any major gaps.  I'm trying to make sense of the little tabs on the back, though - in the side picture, they seem attached to the top, in the back picture they seem attached to the back (my recollection is they are on the top piece, but I would have to go look at my 1 unbuilt model to figure that out).  My advice would be to trim those off where they protrude beyond the hull of the model.

Personally, given the amount of work it would take to rehabilitate, the best option is to turn it into terrain and save the whirlwind launcher for some other project.

[Cactus]

Yes, the overhanging tabs at the back are part of the hull's top plate. Because the top and bottom of the hull are identical pieces rotated 180 degrees they also appear at the front, next to where the dozer blade connects.

[Beaky Brigade]

So I've decided I'm going to at least try fixing it. The sides weren't glued on very firmly and I was able to mostly prize them off with a scalpel.

The weird gaps in the hull are because of this:

 

 

Hopefully I can set this nicely when I put it back together:

 

Now for a bath in alcohol with some other classic minis I got in the same collection. Some old tactical and termis and 3rd edition grey knights, got the makings of an oldhammer combat patrol:

 

[Grotsmasha]

Ohhhhh, now we're getting a full restoration...

[Evil Eye]

On 9/7/2022 at 1:00 AM, Dr_Ruminahui said:

Here's a picture of the whirlwind I painted ages ago, which I believe was assembled correctly.  Please let me know whether you still want or need any pictures of it from other angles.

I love that! Purest Oldhammer/Rogue Trader joy.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Thanks, Evil Eye - I have a bunch more stuff from that vintage in this thread.

[Beaky Brigade]

It's been a little while, but the paint was just that thick! 

 

 

Taking this appart was not easy. The launcher tubes were stuck on to their support arm by what seemed to be a whole tube of super glue. 

 

Several cycles of Freeze and boil wasn't doing the trick on those metal pieces, so I had to resort to superglue glue remover and for one of the launchers, drilling a small hole and hammering a 1mm pin from the other side. Brutal but satisfying. 

 

Some superglue remover was also required on the plastic because dried glue was protecting the old paint in some places. 

 

It's not a pretty model with the paint removed. They also used excessive plastic glue, but the good news is I have a partial fingerprint if I decide to press charges for miniature cruelty. 

 

 

 

It's not going to be quick but I'm confident I can restore it to relatively authentic condition.

 

First up, rebuild the chassis after repairing damage from shoddy construction and my diasembly. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Beaky Brigade

[Magos Takatus]

Wow, I have to credit you with a great deal of determination to get that mess apart. The machine spirit must have been very sad in there. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Ugh, that does look a little ugly in places. It's amazing the sins a thick layer of paint can cover! 

 

I'm sure you'll have it looking a lot happier soon. 

[Beaky Brigade]

While filler was setting on the chassis I had a go at the stripped metal pieces with a brass wire brush to get the last of the paint and glue off. 

 

 

This little fella polished up pretty well! There's more character in his forefinger than some newer Gw models, though nostalgia glasses aside there is a lot of vents to remove and none of the parts fit perfectly, so maybe things weren't so brilliant in the past! 

[Grotsmasha]

Definitely don't miss working with metal, although some of my favourite models are from GWs time with metal.