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A pair of Airfix Hawks in 1/72. Finished.


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2 hours ago, perdu said:

He doesn't seem to have been offended does he?

Striving as h always is for perfection, I don't think he'd get offended by such a thoughtful hint you gave him ... :winkgrin:

 

Ain't BM a great place? :thumbsup:

 

Steve, on the big screen the nose wheel looks truly outstanding, I'm sure it will make a huge difference in the end. I still have no clue on how you can be so tidy and clean with such small parts like these ....

 

Ciao

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You have <1> missed call:

 'Mr. Fritag? This is the Victoria & Albert Museum, Modernism section. We'd like to acquire your Hawks for the nation when they are finished.'

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Stunning. Proper micro engineering modelling.

 

I was going to suggest the Albion Alloys nickel slide fit stuff but Bill beat me to it. It does look much more realistic (well cos it is), and as you stated above it will be easier to mask and look neater. After handling it a lot though, it's probably worth giving it a little polish to get the shine back, and when in place, a little dab of Klear to stop it dulling. Preserves the shine, but being nickel it won't be too OTT shiny if you know what I mean.

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  • 1 month later...
On 16/07/2017 at 7:54 AM, Hamden said:

Any news on this superb pair?

 

On 16/07/2017 at 8:27 AM, perdu said:

STEVE?????????????????????????

 

Am still here.  Promise :blush:

 

On 16/07/2017 at 8:27 AM, perdu said:

Best comment in this topic for months

 

Month singular Bill.  Months plural is a bit harsh surely?  Aint it?

 

As ever excuses first.......Work - fortnight's summer hols in Canada (Montreal/Quebec city) - Wimbledon and the Tour de France on the tv crying out to watched in the evenings - and out on the bikes in the nice summer evenings....

 

To be candid I should also add to those excuses a certain level of frustration deciding what to do with the main undercarriage legs x 4 - and a bit of consequential demotivation :confused:

 

As an aside - All my modelling photo's are on photobucket but I haven't as yet been denied the direct linking facility.  Having read Bill's (Navy Bird) contribution on the 'photobucket stopping direct linking' thread I guess this is because I've got a (cheap) grandfathered Plus account - so it looks like I've got until 31 December 2018 to find an alternative host.........

 

I originally thought that the Airfix main undercarriage legs would do.  But when I looked at them properly I changed my mind.  The prominent 4 x circular brake piston/pad housings on each wheel hub are poorly represented (if at all), the hinge section where the leg and the lower arm articulate is just the wrong shape as is the lower arm axle end and the detail is generally soft. 

 

IMG_1168_zpsaly2jlnb.jpg

 

I was tempted to leave well alone; motivation was lacking and who was gonna look at the undercarriage anyway?

 

But eventually I decided that seeing as I'd worked on the nose leg I really ought to work on the main legs; and the question of whether or not anyone else would look at it the detailing, or care, if they did, has never really been any relevance to my modelling decisions anyway - it's about the pleasure of the build (?).  So with motivation thus slightly regained......

 

Seeing as I've got 4 x legs to do I decided to go down the resin casting route again.  I separated the lower arm from the upper section and scribed and detailed the upper section ignoring any detail that was 'handed' between left and right legs so that I had a master I could cast 4 times.

 

IMG_1174_zpsknjz632s.jpg

 

More RTV mixing.  My set up was as follows:

 

IMG_1171_zpskurbflwl.jpg

 

I tend to use small disposable shot glasses/mixing cups found on evil bay and measure the RTV and catalyst on micro scale to accurately get 10% by weight catalyst for small quantities.  This is the 'quick set' (c. 2 hours) catalyst.

 

IMG_1176_zpsrzwnowxc.jpg

 

Obligatory Lego piccie :)

 

IMG_1177_zpslb30fcbx.jpg

 

And some casts.  They're satisfactory but not perfect as there are one or two resin bubbles to remove.  I need 4 and I've poured 8 to have a few spares.  I'm tending to the view that the quick set catalyst results in slightly less flexible moulds than the normal (8 hour) set stuff.  I'm not sure that this is technically correct (I simply do not know) but I've nearly persuaded myself that this mould is slightly less flexible than I'm used to.  

 

IMG_1181_zps2etlvmoo.jpg

 

I know that resin isn't as strong as injection plastic but these are pretty chunky mouldings and I think resin will be up to it...........

 

I've also re-shaped one of the lower arms - paying particular attention to the hinge point with the leg and the axle end.  And I've added better representations of the brake piston housings from some 1mm rod suitably sanded to fit.

 

There are more details to add.  But this is as far as I can go before adding detail that is 'handed' between left leg and right leg mouldings.

 

(There - that's a few hours of carving, shaping and detailing disposed of in two sentences ^_^)

 

The question now is whether I make 4 of these in plastic (:sleeping:) or cast 4 like this in resin and then add the 'handed' details.   I think the latter.  Again I think the mouldings is chunky enough to be strong enough in resin.

 

IMG_1185_zpsbwlr3ptm.jpg

 

And a quick check to see how the two elements fit together.  I'm quite pleased tbh.  Whether it's worth the effort is a question that I'm just not gonna ask myself.......

 

IMG_1184_zpsha5o2y22.jpg

 

And I'm sorry to say that that is the only progress in the last month or so folks :(

 

Note to self - must try harder.....

 

Right.  I've got all my favourite builds on BM to catch up with.  Now I've at least added something to my own thread I feel (somewhat) entitled to comment on other folks WIPs ^_^

Edited by Fritag
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You are right to be redoing the main undercarriage legs. Partly for our entertainment, but mostly because, having rebuilt the nose legs, the standard kit items would look a bit out of place by comparison and you would never be totally happy with your models.

 

Martian

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He just has to be right, right

 

Well he is, the rejigged legs will be superb as ever

 

Nice to have you back

 

Canada, has to be a bucket list destination for this old geezer, then down into the US via the Soult maybe

 

Follow a trail of some favourite fiction perhaps

 

 

OK folks relax, the Castmaster is home

 

 

 

😀

Edited by perdu
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1 hour ago, perdu said:

OK folks relax, the Castmaster is home

Amen! :D (I am relaxing, BTW :coolio: )

 

More lovely casting job, Steve :clap: Yours and Bill's (perdu) build are really growing in me the will of attempting that path

 

PS: take your time in case you want to catch up with my build, I'm on holiday and will be back on the end of the month :whistle::D

 

Ciao

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G'day Mr. Fritag,

 

Yeah I'm kinda thinking your about ready for paint soon! This casting stuff does have its advantage...I wish more would do it as it is true modeling IMO. But your going to be building an Airfix Jag GR1 at some point so I wonder what you have planed. I have a question for you about your JP3 build...do you have any tiny jump seats cast? Just asking...

 

PHIL.

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First Bill and his seats and now you and your legs Steve all making resinating look such a beguiling process.

 

Nice to see you back at work sir. :D

 

Tony

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It's taken me all evening, but I've caught up from the very beginning (two years ago!) It was an evening very well spent.

 

Great to see your craftsmanship, ingenious solutions and commitment to getting things right. My hat is off!

 

Alan

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13 hours ago, LongMan2 said:

I have a question for you about your JP3 build...do you have any tiny jump seats cast? Just asking...

 

I modded the CMR resin seats  in the JP's Phil - I didn't cast any Mk4 seats (wish I had actually).

 

12 hours ago, TheBaron said:

First Bill and his seats and now you and your legs Steve all making resinating look such a beguiling process.

 

It's easier than vac forming Tony.  You've mastered that so no excuse not to start casting your own resin bits and bobs.  Speaking of which....

 

I mounted the u/c lower arm on a bit of scrap sprue.  I cut the notch around the end of sprue to give me something to give my finger nails purchase on to pull it out of the RTV mould later on....

 

IMG_1200_zpsxmfcmkre.jpg

 

Then embedded it in plasticine.

 

IMG_1187_zpswx9czkrt.jpg

 

I use the 'bombs away' method of pouring to try and minimise air bubbles in the RTV mix.  I'm right handed - and trying to take a piccie with my iPad and pour left handed at the same time woz a bit of a joke.......

 

IMG_1197_zpsmcmzscn2.jpg

 

This time I also tried using an old vibrating electric toothbrush to agitate the mould in an effort to better get the air bubbles to rise to the surface.  Here's the base of the electric toothbrush and the bottom of the mould.  I pushed the stub of the toothbrush into the plasticine on the bottom of the mould:

 

IMG_1190_zps2turbesi.jpg

 

Thus.  I secured the bottom of the toothbrush to the mat with some more plasticine and kept the toothbrush running/vibrating as I poured the RTV and for a few minutes afterwards.

 

IMG_1191_zps0j2hrnt5.jpg

 

Dunno yet whether it worked.  I suspect that the quick curing green fast catalyst I'm using traps more air than the slower curing red catalyst and I think I'm gonna get some more of the slower red catalyst....

 

Anyroad up.  This is the current state of play.  The mould has cured.  Lego and plasticine removed - and now you can see why I carved the notch in the sprue lug to give me something to grip to remove the master (it came out ok ^_^)

 

IMG_1199_zpsus6kga0d.jpg

 

I'll try casting some resin copies later today after work.  Then I'll see how the bubble avoidance efforts worked out. 

Edited by Fritag
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Nice trick with the toothbrush Steve - I'm surprised it didn't go flying!

 

24 minutes ago, Fritag said:

I'll try casting some resin copies later today after work

 

 

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Lego box.  Check

 

Red reagent.  Check

 

Pouring task to enter into.  Check

 

Best hunt out that Lecky toothbrush that doesn't like being a minigrinder this morning

 

I read this just in time

 

Phewwww!

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1 minute ago, perdu said:

Best hunt out that Lecky toothbrush that doesn't like being a minigrinder this morning

 

I read this just in time

 

I read about this idea somewhere.  Probably on BM.  Someone gets credit for it if it works and the blame if it don't.....

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2 minutes ago, perdu said:

I wonder which YouTube clips you got there, after

 

I got Shackleton's Hunter, Buccaneers and more, much more Wonka

 

I got some more Wonka, Typhoons and Jaguars, free skiing and a buxom girl doing her first solo in a Cessna 150 :D:whistle:

Edited by Fritag
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Her, her I want to see her buxoming a first solo

 

 

And oddly enough that reminds me that may have seen her or a buxalike doing that a few months ago

 

😕

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YouTube is oh so weird

 

Shack again, Phil Collins, Simon and G, the Hunter again, two guys in greenies who might be sodjers and a soddin big army trucky recovery thingy

 

Trust me guys, I do not have a history of looking up so..bi..ar.. try..rec.. thingies

 

I'd make an effort for the buxomy bird in flight but no sign of her...😠

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1 minute ago, perdu said:

I'd make an effort for the buxomy bird in flight but no sign of her...😠

 

Sorry Bill,  I didn't watch the clip and now she's gone.............replaced by more skiing and aviation clips.

 

If this is cookie based U-tube selection type stuff I'm pleased to report that nothing nefarious has appeared in U-tube's picks for me......

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