Procopius Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 34 minutes ago, Christer A said: The two-piece cowls....the bane of modern Spitfire kits it seems It's so they can get it perfect in the box and blame the modeller who had to sand the seam off for the shape being wrong subsequently. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Cookie these are zipping along! Very nice work and lots of learnings being had for all the different kits! the wild cat isn't the new airfix one, not sure which kit it is actually.... hmmm.... but the martlet is.... I might just build them both?! and yes, I totally thought you would go spitfire Rob Edited January 17, 2017 by rob85 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Sorry if I misled or confused you about the overwing bulges on the FR 18. I have just looked at a picture of one in the SAM data file and there are definitely NO bulges. I was convinced that I had seen photos of them in place but my " man cave. " in a state of chaos at the moment after some work in the room above and I haven't had the chance to sort it out yet due to various other reasons. It is possible of course that some were retro fitted post war with the new geometry undercarriage/ fatter tyres for operation from paved surfaces. John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Looking good Cookie, seamless! 7 hours ago, Cookenbacher said: ... a nice bead of superglue smeared over all of the seams and sanded away. Hmmm, interesting... those seams look great and this sounds easy... can I ask please what sort of CA are you using and how long do you leave it before sanding? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Good progress Cookie. I never understand the two part cowl. Even the lovely Eduard 1/48 Spits have them and they aren't that easy to sort out either. Kind regards, Stix 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonL Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Looks great. And ditto concerning the two part cowl - it was just about the only area I had problems with on my build of the Eduard 1:48 Spitfire VIII. I ended up having to glue and fill the seam twice. Or maybe I am just hamfisted? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Great to see all this surgery modelling going on, Cookie Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 9 minutes ago, SimonL said: Looks great. And ditto concerning the two part cowl - it was just about the only area I had problems with on my build of the Eduard 1:48 Spitfire VIII. I ended up having to glue and fill the seam twice. Or maybe I am just hamfisted? My best results came from glooping Revell Contacta cement from underneath and pressing it together to get molten* plastic beading along the top, which was then scraped off once dry. Mind you, it still needed filler after that. But I have 23 more kits of them to figure out the best method. * Slight exaggeration 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonL Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 That was what I was attempting, didn't work out that way though - but then I use Tamiya thin cement exclusively. 23 kits? Does make the aftermarket one piece cowl sound attractive...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 19 minutes ago, SimonL said: That was what I was attempting, didn't work out that way though - but then I use Tamiya thin cement exclusively. 23 kits? Does make the aftermarket one piece cowl sound attractive...... With 23 more to do, it makes the aftermarket cowl prohibitively expensive! I normally use Tamiya Extra Thin as well, but for something like this, I've found that Contacta (which I came by quite by chance in a starter kit) is surprisingly useful. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 I've taken the easy way out and bought a couple of Barracuda cowls for my Eduard 1/48 Spitfires. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 The two part cowl top is definitely problematic. Simon, I doubt you're ham fisted. If you were able to have a reasonable looking cowl at all, my hat's off to you! PC, I did sort of allow the Extra Thin to melt the edges of the cowl halves, and used the ensuing working time to place and adjust them on the fuselage. When the glue had hardened, I used the superglue method to get rid of the seams as best I could. For the Eduard Mk 16, I've got a couple resin cowls that should arrive today, but I may attempt to use the two-part kit piece just to be part of the conversation! 8 hours ago, rob85 said: the wild cat isn't the new airfix one, not sure which kit it is actually.... hmmm.... but the martlet is.... I might just build them both?! I didn't notice the Martlet on the list! Yes, do that one! Uhm, if you don't mind. It would look so cool next to your RN Corsair. 8 hours ago, Biggles87 said: Sorry if I misled or confused you about the overwing bulges on the FR 18. I have just looked at a picture of one in the SAM data file and there are definitely NO bulges. I was convinced that I had seen photos of them in place but my " man cave. " in a state of chaos at the moment after some work in the room above and I haven't had the chance to sort it out yet due to various other reasons. It is possible of course that some were retro fitted post war with the new geometry undercarriage/ fatter tyres for operation from paved surfaces. Thanks John! I wouldn't be at all surprised if some 18's had the bumps and some didn't, but I think the ones based in the Middle East tended to not. 5 hours ago, CedB said: Hmmm, interesting... those seams look great and this sounds easy... can I ask please what sort of CA are you using and how long do you leave it before sanding? I just use plain ol' superglue from the 'home' aisle in the supermarket. My last bottle dried in such a way that I could start applying it on the top of the cowl and work my way back, and by the time I had covered the entire seam, the cowl top was dry enough to sand. My new bottle takes a bit longer to dry, so I have to work on something else for a minute or two before I can start sanding. Folks say that if you let it dry completely overnight, it becomes way to strong and difficult to sand, but I've never had the patience to find out. Some folks also like to add talc, microballoons or other aggregate to make it easier to sand, but I haven't had much luck with that. Just made more of a mess. If you sand it right away, it sands nicely in relation to the plastic. Oh, and I always wet sand, it works much better. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Great tips cookie for a seamless cowl cookie! it will look good next to the navy corsair, which I have to say is up their as one of my favourite builds for last year... it will also look nice next to the FAA hellcat (keep it to yourself but apart from one more transfer it's just about finished.... but that's just between you and me, don't spread it around) i can can feel it in my bones this is going to be a great build thread full of, well spitfire but also great comic moments Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Thanks Cookie - CA seam filing technique noted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperService Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Talking to a guy at a show last year revealed to me an idea that I have yet to try it was thus; Put strips of Tamiya masking tape along the join to be filled just wider than the area that's to be filled in. Apply superglue and wait a couple of minutes. Without removing the tape dry sand down the join until the tape starts showing damage. Carry on wet sanding with a minimum of water until the tape has gone. Should leave the kit surface undamaged and the surface level. It certainly works for filler but without water. Just use finer grades of glass-paper. HTH 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 2 hours ago, SleeperService said: Talking to a guy at a show last year revealed to me an idea that I have yet to try it was thus; Put strips of Tamiya masking tape along the join to be filled just wider than the area that's to be filled in. Apply superglue and wait a couple of minutes. Without removing the tape dry sand down the join until the tape starts showing damage. Carry on wet sanding with a minimum of water until the tape has gone. Should leave the kit surface undamaged and the surface level. It certainly works for filler but without water. Just use finer grades of glass-paper. HTH I often do that when using my ETS (Electric Toothbrush Sander) for sanding seams; it certainly helps preserving the model surfaces and details you don't want to loose, and makes for an easier life in sanding. On top of that, I usually complete the job with a nail file, the type that comes with three different grades on the same (soft) stick - this way you get to a shiny finish of both plastic and superglue. Ciao 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Top tips SleeperService and Giemme - I'm going to try it out right now (Except without the ETS - still haven't built mine yet). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Superglue filler... One of the more fabulous developments in the hobby over 40 years. I find if I blast it with zip-kicker it cures to a very workable state, more or less instantly. Which is great for those of us who lack patience. (Coincidentally, that same user group seems to *not* lack testes... I wonder if there is a link?) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 56 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said: Top tips SleeperService and Giemme - I'm going to try it out right now (Except without the ETS - still haven't built mine yet). Cookie, the sooner the better Once you try an ETS, you'll wonder how you got along without it till that moment... On a more serious note, the ETS isn't my sole way of sanding, but it's a rather consistent help in reducing that kind of chore... Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBaron Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Come for the superglue, leave with the sanding tip. Thou hast to love a thread that giveth so. Tony 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 I had some goodies arrive yesterday: But, in line with our conversation, I'll save the resin cowl tops for later builds (I have plenty of Eduard XVI's to build), and try using the kit parts. I lined the sides of the seam with masking tape as suggested by SleeperService and Giemme. And the result with some metalizer applied to check the seam. Not bad! There's a drop of superglue where I missed a spot. I taped over the two main pieces of surface detail I wanted preserve and gave it a final polishing with 1000 grit to get rid of the faint layer of superglue left outside the seam. Of course I forgot to take a close up of the final result, but I'm quite happy with it - thanks SS and Giemme! Meanwhile, I forgot to remove the bits of the cockpit sides that need to be removed in order to build the kit with a closed canopy. I suggest doing this before joining the fuselage halves - the instructions are quite clear, I just got ahead of myself. The gear wells build up nicely even with the many small parts - almost Tamiya-esque. I thinned down the trailing edges, but the completed wing still has quite a thick trailing edge. I also had to remove one of the male location pins as it had no corresponding part on the top half. I don't know if this is because I'm mixing a 'late' XVI top half with a IX wing bottom. Either way, it turned out fine. I positioned the ailerons in a 'bank left' configuration to match the reference pic. The control stick is even leaning to the left - I actually thought ahead for once. The top of the join required a little filler. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 On to the 18's. The AZ has wings. And I'm filling in the .30 access doors on the Sword kit. First some PPP and then globbed on acrylic paint - the poor man's Mr Surfacer. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Nice work there Cookie, they are making good progress Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Nice work Cookie and I'll definitely try the tape and CA method on mine - you've got those seams cracked sorted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 5 hours ago, Cookenbacher said: I had some goodies arrive yesterday: What it is? A quick glance to Modeller's Heaven? Or is it Christmas all over again? Great job on the seam, Cookie Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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