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Aircraft skeleton frame where to find?


sonny

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Hope posted in right area.

Im after small plastic strips with holes in, like what you find on the inside of the aircraft frame (I dont know correct name). I have tried evergreen who supply a lot of small plastic parts but no joy.

I have tried making them but lets say they didnt come out as expected :/

Ideally for 1/72 / 1/100 sale

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Thanks guy, thats very similar but not in "I" beam style more like Meccano, however meccano is way to big.

Hmmmm the search continues

Edited by sonny
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Take a sheet of plastic card.

You could try various thickness'

until you find one that suits.

Mark out the shapes you want.

Mark out where you want the holes.

Drill the holes using a smaller drill than needed. (Pilot holes)

Redrill to the correct size.

Now you can carefully cut out the shapes you marked earlier.

If you do it the other way around the shapes will tear as you drill them.

Aircraft frames are generally of a U or L cross section BTW.

What you can do is glue thin strips to the edges of your shapes.

good luck and I hope you succeed in your endeavors.

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Is this what you're looking for?

OWT-201.jpg

http://plastruct.com/shop/structural-shapes/90931-owt-201/

Plastruct does a few different sizes, listed as 'cellform open web truss': http://plastruct.com/?s=cellform&post_type=product

Pedant alert. These holes are lightning holes,in bent/formed sheet metal as opposed to machined Billet.Machined Billet works differently. Flanged holes in sheet, this makes it possible to manufacture frames of a thinner gauge and so they are lighter. The one above wouldn't be found on an aeroplane of metal construction because of the sudden change in cross section and the flange wouldn't be the complete circumference as the flange couldn't cut into the top and bottom angle negating any advantage of the lightning hole. I dont think flanges are important in just about all normal model scales, it would have to be an enormous model before it showed up. Just aswell,trying to flange plastic strip would distort it beyond recognition.

I think the only way is to do as some of the others have said and a lot of boring (sorry) work with tiny drills. In the end it depends what you want achieve though. I don't think anyone would say thats wrong because of...what I said above.

I've done it for real with a Brake Press,its quite satisfying to do aswell.

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If you have a punch set, you can mark out where the holes go, punch them, and then trim to the proper size. Be warned that unlike on the 1/1 version, scale model lightening holes make the parts very flimsy.

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Another pedant alert , perhaps you meant "lightening holes" rather than holes for lightning to pass through? :winkgrin:

Might have done MASH, or a device to see if anyone read it ! We actually call them lightning holes ,quicker and inaccurate but everybody knew what it meant.

:whistle:

Edited by bzn20
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Thanks, ok thats a good idea about drillings holes first then cutting. I know about the flange holes as a friend done that to his race car so inderstand the process and yes detail would be lost so not worth doing. Looks like i will have to persevere and get motivated and get drilling lol.

Take a sheet of plastic card.

You could try various thickness'

until you find one that suits.

Mark out the shapes you want.

Mark out where you want the holes.

Drill the holes using a smaller drill than needed. (Pilot holes)

Redrill to the correct size.

Now you can carefully cut out the shapes you marked earlier.

If you do it the other way around the shapes will tear as you drill them.

Aircraft frames are generally of a U or L cross section BTW.

What you can do is glue thin strips to the edges of your shapes.

good luck and I hope you succeed in your endeavors.

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As a marginal 'cheat' version, but would still look quite good -

Print a long row of full-stops on clear decal transfer film, apply to the painted plastic strips.

Done.

I did a similar thing to make all the rivet and panel lines on my 1/32 Jaguar E2A modded from the standard Airfix Jaguar.

Mine were tiny circles, but you could use solid 'dots' to represent holes.

Roy.

P1010073_zpsi02gjj1m.jpg

Edited by roymattblack
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