Catching Pictures in the Air

[TheBaron]

10 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Hi Tony 

Wow some fantastic modelling fella.  I have been away for quite a while and have not been able to read a lot of of this thread but wow so far. Love the glazing work.  Keep up the good work 

 My condolences to your missus and you and your family too.

Chris - lovely to hear from you! I think last time we chatted you were fitting out a loft? Or is my memory playing tricks...

Thanks for the kind sentiments fella. 

1 minute ago, Tomoshenko said:

Nice one Tony. May I add my belated condolences too. 

Tomo - my thanks for that sir - much appreciated. 

 

Right.

Ah, there you all are.

I haven't been idle this last while, only too exhausted most of time to make any halfway articulate postings; nonetheless, being able to duck in to the bench for half an hour here and there made for a good antidote to other more pressing matters. Plastic psychology - the sort of thing you'd make a fortune on in California perhaps as a kind of modelling version of Gwynnie Paltrow's Gloop. Caffeine enemas my a-

err...

well exactly... 

 

Where was I? Ah.

No disciplined approach to these recent jobs - just picking bits to do as they suggested themselves around the cockpit and canopy regions to keep it interesting, so I'll try and organize this post into some sort of condensed thematic to avoid repeating myself.

 

The scratch-built canopy - to my surprise and I have no doubt yours - seems to be a viable process. Needs patience and a prolonged gluing sequence for the various panes, but it worked far better than I had any right to hope. When last you saw these parts they were swathed in kabuki-bandage whilst the glue was curing on the windscreen. Pulling the tape off after 48hrs revealed a nice clear front with a solid bond along the top joining it to the remaining kit roof area:

Despite the extra strength involved in using epoxy for this job I still needed to be careful in general handling when it came to trimming down any excess that you see here along the sides and front:

Angled medical scissors were the best tool and despite the pucker factor involved, those bits were brought in to match the negative space of the fuselage correctly and then it was time to attend to the final section - the triangular corner panes. These I built by fixing the the transparency down with some low-tack tape and marking-out length and angle for cutting, which seems the most straightforward way of doing this accurately whilst avoiding scratched to the medium:

We then went back into Invisible Man mode for another day or so whilst those cured in place:

Thence to the big reveal:

Tadaa!

Not quite the Rose windows at Chartres cathedral but not bad for a beginner:

The intention later is to use metal foil along the seams for a threefold reason - the first to obviously give extra reinforcement to those joins, second to give a better visual expression for the raised framing, and lastly to run the rivetting tool along the foil where necessary to match detailing in that region:

At least that's the theory...(Those curvy-cornered windows lower down at floor level are going to prove a chastening experience trying to cut out and glue-in though I reckon...)

 

What else?

 

Seats.

 

Rather glad that we needed to move things around as there's always more to be done and in this case the kits seats could get an upgrade:

Basic setup for all cockpit seating (bar the crew chief's perch by the flight-deck steps) is a set of rails allowing seats (pilot, co-pilot, navigator and radio operator) to move backward and forward in their respective stations, with the two pilots having lateral rails as well. Not being happy with the 'soft' feel that using plastic in my previous attempt had yielded, I opted for brass this time around.These Modellingtimbers packs are so beautifully packaged and labelled that you're almost reluctant to unwrap them...

0.15x0.4mm strip did for cutting out the initial triangular shapes for the seat brackets:

These were then taped and marked-out for drilling with the Dremelclone and an old HSS bit:

Being able to use an old bit as a sacrificial tool allowed me to grind out the bulk of the negative space to about this point:

...and from here on it was possible to get a small triangular file in there to smooth out any crenellation.

 

Tacked in place with CA for a test-fit:

To build the rails I used 0.4mm brass rod for the laterals and 0.5mm tubing for the longitudinal sections.

These were soldered as one long run for simplicity's sake and then cut apart in order to form the two sets of rails:

Once you see them in situ you get the idea:

Your eyes aren't playing tricks - I've also erased all the moulded shapes from that central console as well as reshapingn it at the rear - the various TACAN, IFF and UHF panels and switches weren't right and I don't like 'not right' if I can help it. I've pencilled in the correct arrangement as you can see and will build these up at the same time as redoing the IP, which is another story in itself...

 

Brackets epoxied to the chairs and soldered to rails now:

Captain Mitchell need fear no longer about reaching the pedals of Pelican 9:

I've also whipped of the mountings for the nav and radio-op seats behind him as these too were 'not right':

Last task on those front seats was to add the perforated strip that runs along the back of each pedestal, plus the circular fitting just above them to which the seat belts are affixed:

Cockpit rear had some final tarting-up, adding a chart canister to the top shelving and various boxed for flare pistol, medical kits and so forth:

As a newbie to using the RP Toolz punch set, I read with some trepidation that within bounds you can also use it to punch out brass. Being such an expensive piece of kit I'd fought shy of trying it out for this until now but needing to make a hole in brass plates for the radio-operator and navigator seats put brass iron in the soul and I whacked away quite happily making 2mm openings:

Delightful results - what a tool!

 

Those plates were then scored, snapped, and taped-down for some 0.4mm rod to be soldered on for longitudinal rails:

A better approximation of the seat mounting:

The central pillar moulded to the seats is not quite lon enough for the structure I've built so these were drilled out:

...and more robust replacements added from old Dornier sprue:

Trimmed to length and fitted:

The actual seats are somewhat more baroque in the under-seat framing department:

...but despite my antipathy to 'not right', I know the limits of what I'm capable of at this stage and this will have to do:

Notice also the absence of a base plate over the rails in the reference photo above - I don't know what variant that shot is taken from but my design follows the seat breakdown in the parts manual (minus the aforementioned 'birdcage' framing down below...)

 

All four seats in for a test fit:

I've taken the precaution all the way along here of using the PJ Productions' crew figures as test dummies to ensure that I get everything at the right height:

It's almost a pity to have to paint the brass over sometimes I feel... 

And that now is you all up to date.

 

I guess I need to turn my attention next to detailing the various control panels and cockpit walls, removing and masking and foiling the canopy, lower nose glazing and then <gulp> back to the rear section.

 

 

Wonder does the Battlestar Galactica have this many parts? 

Nothing.

 

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Blimey Tony that's some amazing work it looks fantastic.  

You were right, I have been converting the loft.  We have gone from a two bedroom bungalow to a four bedroom house (one of the bedrooms is my man cave) still got lots to do, but now able to do some modelling albeit on a small bench in the lounge until downstairsis finished. 

Keep up the good work fella 

All the best 

Chris 

[Tomoshenko]

Seriously good stuff going on in there. The detail in the cockpit and all the metalworking looks amazing. Can't wait to se it painted. Add to that the wonderfully clear canopy which will enable you to see all the innards. The foil riveted strips for the framing will set it off a treat

[Brandy]

Wonderful work on those seats and frames, they really look the part. Add the bonus of actually being able to see through the new canopy...where is it going to end?

 

Ian

[Spookytooth]

Great work Tony, the pit is looking awesome sir.

It`s nice to see you back at the bench again.

 

Simon.

[The Spadgent]

Simply beautiful and wonderful detailing dear boy. Top notch, makes me feel slightly awkward I bought all that PE for the Lanc. I’m sure there will be plenty of scratch work going on too mind. The RP punch is great isn’t it. 

 

Johnny.

Edited February 2, 2018 by The Spadgent

[bbudde]

Excellent as ever.  Nothing more to say. Hopefully you could calm down a bit. Cheers

[perdu]

W O W

[hendie]

Great to see you back Tony - and what an update!   Your work is exquisite as always - those seats turned out pretty darn fine. I'm glad to see you are turning to brass more and more (too many folks seem afraid of it for no good reason)

 

4 hours ago, TheBaron said:

the various TACAN, IFF and UHF panels and switches weren't right and I don't like 'not right' if I can help it. I've pencilled in the correct arrangement as you can see and will build these up at the same time as redoing the IP, which is another story in itself...

 

funny you should mention that.  In a helicopter thread not a million miles from here.....

 

It's hard to believe you're accomplishing such (almost) filigree like work in 1/72.  I struggle in 1/48 & 1/32 for some of those finer detail tasks.  I can only applaud your skills and tenacity from about 3,500 miles afar

 

[Hamden]

 

More and more stunning micro engineering, superb workmanship!

 

  Roger

[keefr22]

Do those seats actually move on the runners Tony? They certainly look like they do!! Wonderful work - as is that you've done on the new cockpit glazing! 

 

Keith

[CedB]

Wonderful stuff Tony; informative, educational and humorous, always a pleasure to read. And the results - just wow, as usual

[TheBaron]

On 2/1/2018 at 8:58 PM, bigbadbadge said:

We have gone from a two bedroom bungalow to a four bedroom house (one of the bedrooms is my man cave) still got lots to do, but now able to do some modelling albeit on a small bench in the lounge until downstairsis finished. 

Eeee the looxyery - you won't know yourself Chris. Next thing you'll be wearing spats and a monocle at the bench! 

On 2/1/2018 at 9:00 PM, Tomoshenko said:

The foil riveted strips for the framing will set it off a treat

If I can channel only a fraction of your foil-skills toward that job I'll be happy Tomo; I think the foil framing will be fine as I used a similar method back on the Sea Venom, as to whether the rivetter will work on them at this scale, well, it's worth a punt eh?  

On 2/1/2018 at 9:43 PM, limeypilot said:

where is it going to end?

In a Hogarthian state of penury at this rate quite possibly....

On 2/1/2018 at 10:47 PM, Spookytooth said:

It`s nice to see you back at the bench again.

Thanks Simon. Withdrawl symptoms are an awful thing....

On 2/1/2018 at 10:52 PM, The Spadgent said:

Top notch, makes me feel slightly awkward I bought all that PE for the Lanc.

Come come dear boy - we're all counting on your for a positive Smörgåsbord of Lancastrian etchery in due course and I for one shall be cheering on every fold! 

On 2/1/2018 at 11:06 PM, bbudde said:

Hopefully you could calm down a bit.

 

 

On 2/1/2018 at 11:18 PM, perdu said:

W O W

Sounds just as good backwards.

Thanks Bill! 

On 2/2/2018 at 1:15 AM, hendie said:

I'm glad to see you are turning to brass more and more (too many folks seem afraid of it for no good reason)

I too was one of those until falling under the spell of 'the golden alloy' - there is just no substitute for the 'crispness'* it can give to the definition of shape and form is there?

Well,

Titanium perhaps, but I gather it's a little harder to work....

 

*not to be confused with Crispination  - being the application of insane grids of rivets to Sea Kings....

On 2/2/2018 at 11:40 AM, Hamden said:

More and more stunning micro engineering,

Thanks Roger: The downside is of course the headaches from squinting after a couple of hours....

23 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Do those seats actually move on the runners Tony?

Shamed and mortified so I am to reveal that they are a fixed asset your honour.

2 hours ago, CedB said:

Wonderful stuff Tony; informative, educational and humorous, always a pleasure to read. 

My thanks for those gentlemanly sentiments Ced.

I have to say that the level of support on here puts me under a moral obligation as it were to put on a good show, just like they used to on Britmodeller in pre-Internet days.

Here's some rare early footage of the 'Chat' thread:

Builds must have been a lot more demanding in those days, when RFIs meant using gum to paste photos into a leather album and then sending it in a brown paper parcel to one member at a time.

 

So many  things competing for attention recently made me realize that productive bench time was being hampered by the homegenous mess that my work area had turned into, with tools and materials mingled so much that I was repeatedly losing things.

 

Lidl had some wall-mounted pegboards in store so I grabbed a set and subsequently spent this morning deep cleaning and sorting out the debris-field into something approaching order:

It was immediately apparent to me why the grown-ups do this kind of thing, in that you can bloody well see where things in a vertical arrangement, rather than as a series of horizontal sedimentary deposits across the bench:

Note also a nice new A2 cutting mat - the old grey one has so much glue and filler disbursed across it that finding somewhere level to cut had grown rather too challenging.

 

I don't know about your workspace but over a period of weeks - especially at filling and painting stages of a build - mine becomes infested with swabs:

It occurred to me that rather than binning used cotton buds, snip off the ends and they make great paint stirrers. No doubt this has been independently noted on countless other occasions but I am conscious of limiting the amount of wast plastic I get through, no matter how small the scale.

 

One last job today was to separate the canopy from the fuselage again:

The bonds all appear to have held successfully and although there were inevitably one or two glue runs to deal with, I was pleased to find out that acetone will remove cured epoxy - just lightly brush it on and then gently stroke across the surface with a fresh scalpel, cleaning off any residue with a cotton budand repeating the cycle as necessary. This avoids all danger of scratching the transparency. 

 

After taking that last photo I turned the canopy over and added a bead of epoxy for added strength all around the inside seams where the new sections attach to the kit roof.This is tucked away safely on a shelf to cure overnight, and indeed completes this...

no wait up,

there's

this too:

'None of these things is quite like the other ones.'

 

Kit part is no match in shape and not at all correct in detail for the actual one from Pelican 9, whilst the far right is the result of about 90 mins struggling to put back together three separate illustrations  - from the actual aircraft handbook -  reproduced in Alwyn Lloyd's Aerofax volume on the C-119.

 

Oddly enough the latter was not symmetrical and no two parts matched exactly, indicating I think that each photo in the original handbook was taken from a different location and distance relative to the IP - from the point of view of stitching back together, quite annoying. Not that it really matters because a test print reveals the density of detail vs. quality of the reproductions is a non-runner for decalling at 1/72 due to, well, all but the biggest dials being invisible. At this stage I might just build the IP from scratch, to match the lower console.

 

Have Nolan's Dunkirk to watch with the family this evening- having seen it at the cinema it will be interesting to see what a second viewing yields.

 

I hope your own evenings are a a source of satisfaction also.

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

[Spookytooth]

Nice work on the tidy up at the bench Tony.

I/we try to do the same but it never works for long though.

Having to build in the living limits things a bit but at least we have a bench to work at.

 

IP`s a p.i.t.a. at times but I am sure that you will construct a fine replica.

 

Simon. (Having Pizza tonight.)

 

[bbudde]

5 hours ago, TheBaron said:

I hope your own evenings are a a source of satisfaction also.

Hello Tony. Nice work bench! For the IP I like the Pelican9 most.

Maka Hannya.... ehh, ...Ja.  I doubt this is something for me. A bottle of red, some nice classic movies with good music will do more and be much better:

 

https://youtu.be/71F6QnajBSw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUif3bNnYko

Cheers and a nice weekend. Benedikt

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by bbudde

[hendie]

7 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Lidl had some wall-mounted pegboards in store so I grabbed a set and subsequently spent this morning deep cleaning and sorting out the debris-field into something approaching order:

 

 

I did that too when I first built my man cave.

 

 

 

 

 

doesn't last long before it reverts to 'normal state'

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, TheBaron said:

At this stage I might just build the IP from scratch, to match the lower console.

 

oh goody!

 

 

 

[The Spadgent]

Those wall mounts!  I saw a small documentary with Phil Tippett recently. He had a work shop with those old school holed peg boards and I yearned for something similar and you’ve gone and beat me to it. I hope they work out for you . I’m heading that way myself I think.  The work on the clear parts is coming on a treat. Fingers crossed for the IP. 

 

Johnny.

[TheBaron]

22 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

Having to build in the living limits things a bit but at least we have a bench to work at.

I'm lucky at present Simon in that when we bought our place there was a building boom going on and it seemed a competition between builders to cram as many separate rooms into a half-acre site as possible. Everyone wanted to be lord of the manor until they realized how much it turned out costing to heat the places...

 

I'd always hoped for open plan of course....

21 hours ago, bbudde said:

A bottle of red, some nice classic movies with good music will do more and be much better

That came perilously close to confessing that you like Steel Magnolias Benedikt....

15 hours ago, hendie said:

 

doesn't last long before it reverts to 'normal state'

Nonsense hendie! You'll be able to eat your dinner off of my cutting mat...as long as you don't mind ingesting foreign objects...

14 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Those wall mounts! 

9 euro for three panels in Lidl, but I don't know if the ones in the UK are in a different sales cycle to here Johnny?

 

Everyone was too tired when it came time to put the movie on last night so I popped back into the workroom for an hoiur to check the alignment of the cockpit interior with the fuselage as a precaution before getting down to any further detailing. The height of the floor and forward positioning seem ok when matched against shots of actual aircraft looking in through those two lower windows (memo to self: forward taller window needs widening in a forward direction slightly):

One issue that does need addressing however when viewed from above is the gap between the rear of the IP and the front lip of the cockpit opening:

I consulted the plans for that region and the IP 'hood' is too shallow on the kit and needs to be extended forward about half as much again - not an issue as the hood is not the correct profile anyway and too thick so

Snick!!!!:

...and  it's gone. Also gone (using the 'how did I ever live without this tool' micro-chisel) are all of the fictitious bits of instrumentation Italeri put on the IP, leaving only the central cluster of dials which are as close as they need to be at this scale. As to reinstating a correct tip section to the IP, it seemed simplest just to grind the top flat and add a correctly sized extension from 1mm card:

This was roughly cut out and left to glue overnight:

FFwd to:

And that now looks a whole lot more like it should do. Those single-edge razor blades @CedB reccomeded via @giemme some time back have proven a smashing little tool for scraping/planing back filler of all kinds in tight regions like these...The actual hood along the top will get added when I've finished adding dials and stuff.

 

At this point I then had myself a time hole-punching and this appeared at the end:

To give an idea of the scales involved, the biggest central dial added at top centre is 1.6mm diam., the smallest 0.7mm.

 

Panels for the central console are on the right (bottom to top) for radio compass, IFF, TACAN, UHF and VHF, and simlarly on left side, intercom, TACAN and main radio frequency controller (I think, in the last case):

To make the drum-like throttle/flap/elevator pedestal (to replace the kit part that I'd removed previously) some scrap sprue was machined-down in the lathe and checked for diameter by eye against the console:

The grooves for the various levers were then measured with dividers and transferred onto the plastic, before deepening with a chisel:

As you can see, lighter plastic colours aren't always easy to gauge depth and separation on at this scale so I found brushing some powder paint in for definition quite useful.

 

Test fitted:

This next couple of images I'm dedicating to @hendie who as we know, likes a bit o' brass:

Courtesy of my tin of watch innards, those brass discs are perfect for elevator wheels at either end:

Glued into place, along with the newly-minted IP:

There's still some detailing to add to the central console panels of course, but as a lot of this is comprised of tiny knobs and switches, I'm mulling over how best to achieve a reasonable facsimile of that region. Either way there's no rush as the above parts were all epoxied so need to cure. 

 

As well as adding a deeper hood along the top of the IP, I need to look at making some rudder pedals and re-drilling new locations to put the control collumns, then I think time to look at the side walls and ceiling.

 

More during the week mes braves!

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hendie]

Very nice work and the IP is looking particularly effective. (and I do like a bit of brass)

For the center console I'm at a bit of a loss as to how you would detail the myriad of switches and little doobries populating the top section without the use of PE.  Even then you wouldn't be able to have switches - just basic representations

 

I await with baited breath to marvel at your solution

 

[Brandy]

That's looking rather good. A lick of paint should make it almost jump to life!

 

Ian

[71chally]

Amazing work in the flightdeck there Tony, looks like you could walk around on it!

 

Sorry to hear of your previous sad news.

[CedB]

Lovely work Tony, very impressive multi-material work

[TheBaron]

On 2/4/2018 at 3:19 PM, hendie said:

I'm at a bit of a loss as to how you would detail the myriad of switches

That makes two of us! 

At this scale I just don't see a way of having raised switches with so small a gluing area that they'll waft away in the first breeze (or a more likely - a clumsy thumb) and don't want to put in anything oversize that just looks like, well, like the original kit mouldings that I wasn't happy with in the first place, so I may just have to express these in the negative - pressing a pin head in to the metal foil to leave a mark where the switches are. One last throw of the dice before doing this will be to try some kind of 'brass rubbing' approach with foil to give raised detail, but we'll see how that pans out.

On 2/4/2018 at 3:21 PM, limeypilot said:

That's looking rather good. A lick of paint should make it almost jump to life!

Merci Ian.  

On 2/4/2018 at 6:21 PM, 71chally said:

Amazing work in the flightdeck there Tony, looks like you could walk around on it!

 

Sorry to hear of your previous sad news.

Thank-you for those kind words James. 

 

I'm currently alternating my reading between the parts manual for this and a book on German history, which is producing some oddly structural dreams...

On 2/5/2018 at 6:56 AM, CedB said:

Lovely work Tony, very impressive multi-material work

My thanks Ced.  My stash of various grades of foil from assorted foodstuffs is almost becoming a fetish - I must sort through the box of scraps to see if there's anything might help with detailing the console...

 

Based upon an odd tingling feeling I had when handling the canopy earlier to check the epoxy had set ok, I pulled the masking tape off of the canopy roof as I was uneasy at it having sat there for so many months and wanted to check that the underlying transparency was ok. I had a nasty shock when I did:

'Obscured by Clouds'...

This is not on the face of it what any of us like to see is it?

Causation? Well, those parts were masked inside and out with Tamiya Tape for several months, but I've not heard of the adhesive reacting with a layer of Klear like that. The only culprit I can think of is the two tiny (and I mean tiny because I'm conscious of it fogging canopies) beads of CA (used to tack the roof in place whilst epoxying the new transparencies in place) had outgassed and been absorbed by the tape. I can think of no other mechanism for this self-inflicted injury.

 

Cue some angsty toothpasting and Micromeshing, neither of which made a whit of difference to the ghastliness.

 

At this point I recalled the way that I'd got a bit handy with cleaning back layers of paint and varnish on the Dornier using a felt buffing head, so figuring there was nothing to lose at this stage fixed one of these in the Dremel and buffed away on the slowest setting. Fine powdery particles were observed to start coming away and within a minute we were back (thankfully) to the original kit transparency:

That ate into most of my spare time this evening so I contented myself by finishing of the rear of the IP, adding the beam and braces back there:

Followed by the 'hood':

Being so thin, that plastic can be trimmed and shaped to match the IP contours once the glue has cured:

 

18 minutes ago, Tomoshenko said:

Man of my own heart.

I knew you'd like that! 

16 minutes ago, perdu said:

I will call you back if anything comes of it.

Please do - I'm open to offers!

14 minutes ago, giemme said:

I had completely missed this long term project of yours. 

Great to have you along as always Giorgio! 

(I'm equally remiss in only noticing your A-10 thread this afternoon!)

 

 

[Tomoshenko]

13 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

My stash of various grades of foil from assorted foodstuffs is almost becoming a fetish

Man of my own heart.

[perdu]

Call me Arnie

 

I'll be...

 

I've been considering some way of depositing 'materiel' in holes to give us built up switch sticky out bits

 

Kind of drilled holes, silicone dunked and drained and dried then maybe stupogoo or a mix thereof shoved down the hole and then pulled off vertically leaving sticky outbits

 

I will call you back if anything comes of it.  😕

Edited February 6, 2018 by perdu