Glenn R Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Hi All, I would appear that I must have upset the Gods on my last post by mentioning the 'balls-up' factor, as, coming down this morning, I find that the plastic skinning I applied to the fuselage has lifted. Not only has it lifted, but it has lifted right in the middle of the sheet at the top of the fuselage!!! Bugger!!! The only thing I could do was to remove the offending sheet and adhesive and re-fill the fuselage with Polyfilla as you can see. As soon as the filler is dry I'll sand it down and have another go at covering it. These are the joys of scratchbuilding! If you who think that you are the only person who suffers from the 'balls-up' factor, remember, you are not alone. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Hi All, I've managed to do a little more to my Belvedere. The 'fixtures and fittings' have been started, all lumps and bumps masters have been carved from balsa wood and vac-formed. The intake at the top of the pylon/fin was made from a lump of epoxy putty and then hollowed out with my 'dremmel'. Tailplanes have been installed and a start has been made in casting the rotors. Each rotor takes a day to complete as the epoxy resin I use takes a long time to set. The vac-formed nose has been marked out and what will be the clear portions have been removed from the white plasticard section. I managed to obtain some fine metal mesh and hope to use this for the engine intakes. That's it for now. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponti Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Looking good Glenn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Nice scratchbuilding! btw - what's that vacformer, and where can I get one? Also, what're you using to make the transparencies? Enquiring minds need to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeEaton Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Looking brilliant. About the vacformed nose... Do you make the nose a little smaller in diameter as when you vacform it, surely the vacformed part is going to be bigger than the master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 Nice scratchbuilding! btw - what's that vacformer, and where can I get one? Also, what're you using to make the transparencies? Enquiring minds need to know Hi Mike, The vac-former was made by my pal Dave who was the chief 'skinbasher' when we both worked for the Brunei airforce, so, I'm afraid you'll have to make your own. The basics for making one can be found in :- Scratchbuilt by John Alcorn, George Lee & Peter Cooke, Schiffer 1993 ISBN 0887404170, or The Master Scratchbuilders by John Alcorn, Schiffer 1999 ISBN 0764307959. If you can't find them PM me and we can sort something out. The transparencies are made from the thickest clear plastic sheet I can find around here (Thailand). I'm afraid you have to experiment with this as some clear sheet does not work very well - sorry for the rather vague answer on this, but that's all I can tell you. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted June 25, 2008 Author Share Posted June 25, 2008 Looking brilliant.About the vacformed nose... Do you make the nose a little smaller in diameter as when you vacform it, surely the vacformed part is going to be bigger than the master. Hi Jake, Yes, you are correct, the master is made just a fraction undersize to allow for the thickness of the clear sheet. All the masters are made in the same way so that the finished item comes out the correct size, in theory!!! The masters are also placed on spacers when they sit on the vac-form rig to lift them clear of the holes in the rig, failure to do this results in the formed item not pulling down fully at the base and is 'belled' out. All this sort of stuff I had to find out the hard way - such are the joys of vac-forming. If you want anymore info., let me know. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeEaton Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 But doesn't putting spacers underneath make it more difficult to cut out? Why not just make the base of the master an inch longer so the 'belling out' covers that area instead of the actual master bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 But doesn't putting spacers underneath make it more difficult to cut out? Why not just make the base of the master an inch longer so the 'belling out' covers that area instead of the actual master bit. Hi Jake, Yes, that will work as well, but one inch may be a little too much and thin the plastic to almost wafer thickness. I like to use the spacer method as some of the masters are carved directly on the fuselage and then separated, also balsa wood is in rather short supply around here (Thailand). Only you can decide which is the best method for the job in hand, so my advice is to try both and see which one suits you best. The largest vac-forming I can do is a little under A4 and is limited by the size of heating element available and the size of sheeting I can obtain, I have not yet found a supplier of plasticard here yet, so all my material has to come from the UK. Are you doing any vac-forming at the moment? Good luck if you are. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian @ KitsforCash Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 glenn at last ive sorted out my dead hard drive so heres the link to a wad of belvedere pics belvedere plus others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted June 27, 2008 Author Share Posted June 27, 2008 glenn at last ive sorted out my dead hard drive so heres the link to a wad of belvedere picsbelvedere plus others Hi Iant, Glad to hear that you have sorted out your computer problems. Many thanks for the information, it's going to be a great help. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Hi All, I've managed to make a little more progress:- The cockpit is now completed, the nose fitted and given a coat of matt black. Other bits and pieces have also been fitted including the front engine mesh. I'm having problems with the rear engine mesh as it is a double curve, so I'll have to give this one more thought. Most of the undercarriage parts have been manufactured and the master for the wheels made and a mould cast from it, I'll be able to start casting the wheels tomorrow after the silicon rubber has finally cured. Next job is manufacturing the rotor heads. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Oh my God!!! That is stunning! My hat is cocked to anyone that attempts a full on scratchbuild. Watching this one with close interest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted August 29, 2008 Author Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hi All, I've managed to do a little more to the machine:- All odds and sods have been made and many of them fitted to the airframe and the windows have been painted gloss black and masked. If I had been able to make the fuselage hollow, I would have just left the windows clear, but my vac-form machine will only allow me to do parts a bit smaller than A4 paper size. All undercarriage parts are completed and the wheels have been primed. The rotor heads are now complete and the blades have had the yellow tips applied and masked. Now to throw some paint at it! Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 is about all I can say Glenn. a masterpiece in the making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzH Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 This is just outstanding work, A huge project and some really good modelling skills going into it. Great work, keep the progress pic coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 wow - great skill and patience. a true modeller in all senses of the word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hi Glenn, This is a fair undertaking and you have done a superb job so far . How will you be simulating the raised rivets on this beast? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 Hi Glenn,This is a fair undertaking and you have done a superb job so far . How will you be simulating the raised rivets on this beast? James Hi James, The simple answer is that I won't. Raised rivets are virtually impossible to reproduce unless you can vac-form into a shell, I can't. I could have simulated rivets with a pounce wheel, but on some areas of the model the plastic is too thin to even try, so panel lines only I'm afraid. This is one of the disadvantages of scratchbuilding, everything is a compromise. You are constantly limited by what is available and the depth of your pockets. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Fantastic work Glenn. After all the amazing finished articles you've shown us, it's great to be able to sit it on the production of one. Your efforts are an inspiration to me. Hi Kev,Instead of 'someday' how about 'now', The longer you leave it the harder it is to get started. Try something simpler than a full blown scratchbuild at first, so that you know what you are in for, eg. converting a Spitfire into a two-seater. This will involve moving the front cockpit forward, carving a master for the rear canopy and then vac-forming the canopy itself. The prospect of this is not so daunting as starting totally from scratch. Try getting hold of some of the books I listed on my Rotodyne build to see what's involved. If you need any help, just e-mail me. Regards, Glenn Thanks for the advice and encouragement Glenn. I follow every scratch build thread I can find, and have the Scratchbuilt! book. I can't find your Rotodyne thread though. Anyway, I have a couple of large scale vacs to contend with first, so that should make a nice bridge between kit assembly and scratch building. But you're right, procrastination is the enemy here, and someday I intend to do something about it. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 Fantastic work Glenn. After all the amazing finished articles you've shown us, it's great to be able to sit it on the production of one. Your efforts are an inspiration to me.Thanks for the advice and encouragement Glenn. I follow every scratch build thread I can find, and have the Scratchbuilt! book. I can't find your Rotodyne thread though. Anyway, I have a couple of large scale vacs to contend with first, so that should make a nice bridge between kit assembly and scratch building. But you're right, procrastination is the enemy here, and someday I intend to do something about it. Kev Hi Kev, I fear that the Panther Productions website is no longer there, so if you want to see the photos of my Rotodyne build PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send them. What are the large scale vacs that you have and do you need any help? Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Hi Kev,I fear that the Panther Productions website is no longer there, so if you want to see the photos of my Rotodyne build PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send them. What are the large scale vacs that you have and do you need any help? Regards, Glenn Hi Glenn, I have in fact found the article in question since my last post (Google to the rescue!). It is located at the following URL: http://pantherproductions2000.homestead.co...odynebuild.html My vac kits are the Combat IAR-80, and a 1/32 SAAB J-29 Tunnan that John 'Tigger' Wilkes did a couple of years ago. The Tunnan really only consists of the main airframe components, so everything else will have to be scratch built anyway. I was intending to make a 1/32 Tunnan my first scratch build until I found out Tigger made one. I've also got a He 162 and Rufe conversion on their way. As far as help goes, I could always use some! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamS Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 Glenn This is good stuff! By the way where in Thailand are you? Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted August 30, 2008 Author Share Posted August 30, 2008 GlennThis is good stuff! By the way where in Thailand are you? Graham Hi Graham, Muang Thong Thani, just outside Bangkok. Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn R Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Hi All, I've managed to progress the model a little more:- The fuselage is now painted as well as the rotors and rotor heads. I'll give them a while to dry properly and later spray everything with a coat of Klear ready for the decals. After that it will be time for a wash in the panel lines and adding all the bits and pieces. Till next time. Regards, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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