Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Hey guys, long time reader first time poster.
I need some really sound advice as I am at a big wall I need to climb. Here it is:
I picked up 2 large old heim bell 222 fuse's at the sulphur fly in a week or so ago. I want to put some modern mechanics in her but have no clue what to use. THe manual ( or what I have of it ) is in german. This thing is very big. I really would like to use something I can get parts for here locally in Houston, Texas. I was going to opt for a raptor 60. THe stumbling block is the boom. I think any mechanics will work but its the boom length thats getting me. If I go with a belt and boom then it has to be right on the money. I was thinking about either flex drive or tail shaft type so that I can adjust it if needed to fit.
Has anyone had any experience with this type of fuse?. I just got done building the skid gear from brake line tubing and that worked great.
Any info that you can give would be most helpful. I went to century's site and their bell 222 will fit the raptor. But this isnt their bird and its 20 years old.
I plan on putting a remote glow system as well as remote start system in her.
Well, thanks for your time and Ill see what comes back.
William
Also, I would like any information in regards to a few other things, such as:
The little hindges for the doors, the best way to attach the mechanics and how to secure the top removable piece of the fuse once its completed to be able to have access to it.
I can however, give you guys the measurements from the german manual.
its 1450mm long, 220mm wide, 480mm height, states the main rotor could be 1400mm (700mm each) rear rotor blades are 140mm.
ANy help would be greatly appreciated.

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

You got my attention with the Vintage Fuselage's (old heim bell 222 fuse's ). WHAT a great find, glad you bought them.

SO far I don't have any bell 222 fuse's, but maybe someday.

So far I've got the old Kavan JR's and an OLD Agusta 109 Coast Guard, so can't help ya at all I'm afraid (sorry) .

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck, I'm sure you will get it all worked out in the end.
We are going through similar problems with ours as well, we are still very new with the Vintage fuse's and still learning.

Anyway, Good Luck with your project.

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

The Heim's were .60 powered helicopters. They were also top of the line in quality and price, so you never saw many around. I imagine that most modern .60 or .90 size mechanics may be adaptable to the scale fuselage. CCPM heli's would probably be easier to fit than a Raptor or Stinger type with the large collective arm they have since the 222 slopes down just forward of the swashplate. I am currently building a FunKey Bell 222 .50 size, using Stinger 50 mechanics. It is close on the collective arm, but plenty of room otherwise.

You might have to measure some different mechanics to see what would fit. No matter what you use, you can depend that it won't just drop in. My Hughes MD500 is a ThunderTiger kit that is made for raptors or Stinger 60/90's, but I installed my Minature Aircraft Fury Extreme mechanics in it. Lots of problems to overcome, but it's always possible....note that one of the cyclic servos is sticking out above the canopy....unless I cut the frame and moved it, that was a compromise I made.

Rod ;)

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Something else I just remembered. The Heim's were shaft driven tail rotors as were about all .60 size heli's back then. If you go to belt drive mechanics, then you may also have boom length problems. At least with a shaft drive, you can alter the length if needed. Many also used a flex shaft drive on scale heli's that didn't have the tail rotor gear box in line with the drive output shaft on the main frame, but that shouldn't be a problem on the 222.

Rod ;)

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Thanks for the Tips Everyone, need all I can get.
;)

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Well, I had been away for a bit but I want to say thanks...i got 2 of these birds and I am selling one of them..As for the other..Still a work in progress..

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Is your 2nd still for sell?
Depending If I can Affordt itanyway ;)

Thanks

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

yes it is still for sale...the tail section was not attached and some wood has been done to it but no mechanics have been placed..just a few wood inserts and the first shot of primer paint...but thats the way i got it...no holes cracks or otherwise..make me a deal..do you know what they go for? cause im asking $250...

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

60 or 90 should do the trick with flexy tail drive.good luck.

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Sorry all. Just wanted to let you all know that this bird is sold...thanks for all the info...

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

never mind happy flying.

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Never mind the bird (Just kidding!!) let me see that paddle in the window, lol.:D

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Ahhh...you mean the CW Bug? I scratch built that one and another for a friend about 22 years ago. I borrowed an original off a friend, took it apart and made blueprints so I could build one. Since I'm a machinist, it wasn't a problem to build at all. The hardest part was the spring steel it used for the oscillator. That took a little experimentation. I finally made them from a piece of banding strap, ground to the thickness that gave the same response as the originals.

If you have never used a "Bug", they are quite interesting and each has it's own accent, so to speak.

Rod ;)

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

I posted earlier i this forum that I was building FunKey Bell 222 heli. Well..i'ts finally finished except for the side windows and I'll do that after I get all the testing and trimming done. It's always good to have some easy access to the mechanics.

So, here are a few pics of my 222 and a pic of the full scale I modeled it after.

Rod :D

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

That heli is absolutely beautiful. Fantastic job!!![8D]

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Dear heli Rod,

CONGRATULATIONS on an amazing scale job - really beautiful. I am currently in the early stages of a 222 scale project based on a Darth fuselage for a Corona. My chosen model has a similar pattern of lines. Therefore, I should very much like to learn how you did the fine line part of the paint job on your model.

Best regards,

Bing117, Copenhagen, Denmark

PS: attached a picture of the full-scale I am trying to model and of my Corona before the beginning of the scale project.

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

It isn't difficult to do, but does require a lot of patience. The fuselage was painted white first with automotive basecoat/ clearcoat paint and wet sanded with 600 grit. The strips are all done with 1/8" (3.174mm) blue plastic automotive stripe tape made by 3M. The stuff is expensive, about $6 US a roll and it took about 1 1/2 rolls to complete.

I used a carpenters laser level to align the straight lines, using a soft pencil to put light marks as a reference. That helps a lot getting the lines straight and even. The curved lines are done just by looking at the pictures and trying to get them as close as possible. The spacing between the lines at the narrowest part is also about 1/8". I layed out all the trim lines with the 1/8" stripe tape before anything else was done. Take your time and if your not satisfied with the lines, pull the tape off and re-do them. This tape is quite flexible and easily goes around corners..however, try not to pull and stretch the tape. Allow it to follow the curves, gently pressing down as you apply the tape. The inside curves are where you will have the most problems. if you stretch the tape at all doing the inside corners, it will lift off the surface, allowing paint to get under the tape. I still had some lifting occur, but I used a very fine paint brush to touch up those areas after the colors were applied.

After the 1/8" tape has been completed, mask off any area you don't want to paint. You will have to do this for each color you apply. I had to mask mine 3 times. Again I use automotive materials (green masking paper and 3M 1/2" green low tack tape). I left all the 1/8" trim tape on the model until I finished the color paints. The color paints on my 222 are Createx or Fascolor water based paints, sprayed with an airbrush. After all the colors are applied, touch up any imperfections with a small brush. The model is then finished with clearcoat automotive paint.

I hope that helps a little,

Rod

;)

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Dude! You just saved me I dont even know how much agrivation, I wouldn't have thought of that in a million years!!!

RE: Old heim bell 222 project.
 

Hello Rod,

Thank you for a most illuminative answer. I appreciate that - and I will try to follow your example.

Attached should be some brand-new pics. When my scale job is finished I shall present it here in the forum.

Best regards,

Bing117