Junkers Ju 52/3mg5e - Airfix 1/72

[CedB]

Thanks Jaime

Thanks Benedikt - interesting!

Thanks Trevor. Plunge mould a replacement? Me? Ah ha ha ha

G-BOAF looks gorgeous in her new home with four projectors ready to tun her into an 'interactive' display:

 

 

 

Don't worry, her nose is still white, that's just one of the projectors showing the Windows blue screen of death. I'm sure it'll all be working when they open 'soon'.

Look what they'll be selling in the shop though:

 

Nasty by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

The museum is coming along and 'almost ready', hopefully open in about a month. We couldn't go into the exhibition areas (except the Concorde hanger) as they're still working on it but there is a Fighter, Belvedere, Sycamore, Harrier and a Bloodhound Mk II!

 

Thanks Bill Mould a new one? What from clear resin? NOT using one of those complicated sucky things surely? I don't have one of those... yet. Sunray has one of those dental things. Hmmm. £100 is a lot for canopies...

 

Thanks TT - nice video. I especially like the part where he dumps the leaves on his neighbour's drive

€499 eh... hmmm, even I'm not that lazy... or am I?

[TheBaron]

Glad you got the canopy fit under control Ced but it still looks like a boiled sweet...

6 hours ago, CedB said:

Sunray has one of those dental things. Hmmm. £100 is a lot for canopies...

Ya divven need splurging that moolah on a toothmaker - as long as you have a drill and a saw, a few scraps of wood is all you need to make a serviceable rig for free. Just ask my guru @perdu...

 

Hope all went well with your 1to1.

[CedB]

Thanks Tony

Don't forget you ALSO need a vacuum and an oven. I'm not entirely sure that using these will improve relations in the household...

I think I'll carry on with the build and then, if I have developed any love for the kit, consider my options...

 

I also have to consider my pension pot at the moment.

I'm about the spend a lot of money on a Spitfire.

Correction, I have just spent a lot of money on a Spitfire.

I wasn't sure whether to post this or not but I've always been told to share my toys.

One of the guys at the museum yesterday had a Boultbee flight at the weekend. If you remember, the chap I met at Solent Sky had had one as well.

One of my mates has convinced me that I should do things on my bucket list (it's very short) as, to be blunt, 'we're not getting any younger'.

So in a few weeks I'll be zooming over the Solent in a Tr.9. Can't wait.

 

Best not have lots of parcels arriving for a week or two then...

[perdu]

Yes Ced, sucking the clear stuff onto the remains of the monstrosity

 

As Grasshopper say, a few sticks of wood and Mrs B's vacuum cleaning device

 

You're bound to have heard it making noises behind you when you've been trying to concentrate

 

I, myself, me I'd just fill that benighted bit of clearostyrene with Dolgellau's wonderstuff, pop it on a stick whilst it's setting

 

Bung the stick in the vice and make one by pulling hot-tish acetate over it and down past it

 

My way you don't need to purloin the family suction device and the only attendant noise comes if you get too close to the candle you have hotted the acetate over

 

 

I think you are doing the right thing ref:keeping that Spitfire in the air by voluntary donations

 

Top man, that man

 

😊

Edited September 21, 2017 by perdu

[Max Headroom]

A vac form machine is only necessary if you will be using it regularly.

 

Low tech plunge moulding would be sufficient for your needs. All you need is a piece of balsa wood with a hole slightly bigger than the canopy, flattened out fizzy drink plastic, bulldog clips to hold the plastic on the wood, bluetack on the inside of the canopy to hold the stick, oven gloves and a heat source.

 

Trevor

[perdu]

I keep advocating the simple life for these chaps Trevor, but they get so besotted with complexity they forget how nice it is just to smell the coffee

 

My way I rarely even cut a hole in balsa

 

I couldn't lay my hand on as much as a sliver of 'the light stuff' round here, I'd have to buy it. 😨

[giemme]

Ced, both Bill and Trevor are right about plunge molding -  I used to use a technique which is a combination of the two. Then I built myself a vacuum box, but I was admittedly facilitated there because I deal with vacuum pumps at work  

 

Ciao

[Beard]

55 minutes ago, CedB said:

So in a few weeks I'll be zooming over the Solent in a Tr.9. Can't wait.

 

Enjoy your flight Ced, I'm extremely jealous.

If my syndicate had won last Friday's Euromillions jackpot, I was going to buy one.

If we win this Friday's jackpot I will buy one: http://www.platinumfighters.com/spitfire

 

I live in hope.

 

[CedB]

Thanks Bill Oh, so that's what people mean by 'pull forming / plunge moulding' eh? Sounds a lot easier than making a vacuum thingy but still scary.

Thanks Trevor Still scary...

Thanks Giorgio You deal with vacuum pumps at work? Er...

Thanks Simon Good luck with the lottery - if you do win I'll hope for a ride.

 

 

Oooh, hang on, my @TheBaron recommended drill bits have just arrived from China! Nice. The smallest one is soooo tiny! I'll look forward to using those soon.

 

I apologise to readers for being such a grump lately. I blame the various customer services departments I've had to deal with to sort out the Broadband and, I'd forgotten, our 'energy supplier'.

As you'll all no doubt know the 'we care about our customers' doesn't really match the 'we're moving you from our good deal to our awful one' notifications and then the 'we're sorry you're leaving us' letters. Honestly, why don't they just give us a good deal and service? Eh? What? Oh, right, money grabbing middle men, got it. Enough moaning.

 

The Airfix Junkers? That may be another reason - when you're 'relaxing' hobby is a bit of a drudge too there's no escape, NO ESCAPE I TELL YOU aha ha ha

 

Enough I say.

Approaching the bench with a new and refreshed attitude I assessed the issues. Horrible dent in the side of the roof? No problem, out with the Fritag suggested riffler files and a few strikes down the groove:

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

You can't see it in that picture? That's because it's gone!

Note also in that shot how the 'optional' stuck in window/hatch part is thicker than the rest of the fuselage? Yes, it does stop the locating lugs settling properly and causes a bulge in the fuselage.

No problem, chop off the locating pins:

 

 

Just a minute... what's this? Gaps in the windows because the clear parts are too small?

 

 

That will surely cause an issue when I spray the paint on. No problem, some Kristal Klear will soon close those gaps. Easier to apply to the inside than trying to poke it into the gaps from outside (I tried):

 

 

Tum tee dum te dum. Nothing like a little humming as you're happily resolving all the damned issues with (positive now, calm...) the little problems that are common with a kit of this age.

 

The fit of the roof? Of course it's not up to modern standards, but some careful clamping and a bit of TET and it's soon done:

 

 

That bit. We can work our way down the roof later. And support the IP (somehow) to close the gap.

No problem.

I think I'll have a look at the canopy again to see if I can thin it a little.

I'm feeling positive. And calm.

No problem.

[giemme]

I'm liking all this positive attitude, Ced

 

It shows into the nice progress on this oldie

 

Ciao

[Max Headroom]

Hi Ced

 

This may help you.....

 

http://www.ffscale.co.uk/page4f.htm

 

Of course it doesn't have to be clear parts. If you want to fabricate lumps and bumps such as are found on many aircraft then ordinary styrene sheet is the answer. As your techniques improve you could make your own masters from suitably carved/turned material e.g. drop tanks mounded in two halves for example.

 

I've tried the technique myself and in fact for simpler shapes you may even get away with just plunging the softened plastic over the master. For example if you want say a replacement Hurricane windscreen, pack the original with blue tack and insert the stick as above. However you then fix the stick to make it stable, into say a vice, and then heat the styrene (using bulldog clips and oven gloves) and push it over the master.

 

Hope this helps. 

 

Trevor 

[jrlx]

Being positive is a good attitude, Ced. Especially with these old kits. That reminds me why I run as fast as I can away from such kits

 

Good progress, despite the challenges!

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

[TheBaron]

Lovely update there Ced. I'm feeling the positivity from here!

Wait. You're going on a Spitflight? No wonder.

Let me know if you'd like the loan of a GoPro to film your joyous ascent!

[perdu]

I understand Gopro is part of the deal with many of these Spitfire experience companies so it may not be necessary, if not Ced you really do have to share this one with us all

 

Anyway, in keeping with your more upbeat messages to day here is how easy it is to make the clear parts and as Mikes excellent article shows, it can be any shape in any material that can be affected by heat

 

here is (lets keep it Flying Boaty shall we...) a side bubble for a YES AIRFIX Catalina ready for moulding from

Starboard side this un

To make it a mouldable buck I stuck the rising window into the upper and filled the lot with Dolgellaumagic and as it was drying I shoved a piece of dowelling up into the inner space (sounds worse than it i....)

 

The outer surfaces were then sihrsc'd and polished to give a nice clean bubble

 

voila

 

This gives us a look at the bubble and the Airfix canopy turned into a buck

which is then used to pull a piece of acetate over  the buck and down far enough to allow cutting out and trimming

 

Like so

 

You see the Milliput has been taken out past the canopy edges, this allows accurate trimming and reshaping if necessary

 

Doing this allows you to correct any little inaccuracies IF YOU WANT TO the back edge of this would have been modified a bit if I'd used it

 

might not feel it appropriate every time

 

I sent off for a Catalina transparency set to give me the nose turret then ended up using the other pieces but not the turret

 

funny old game isnt it?  

 

nb this item is removable any time you wish it to be, if you don't want it I'll shift it

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2017 by perdu

[keefr22]

7 hours ago, CedB said:

So in a few weeks I'll be zooming over the Solent in a Tr.9. Can't wait.

 

Ced, I appear to have gone a shade approximating to the inside of said Spitfire. Jealous, moi....??!! 

 

Enjoy, you lucky so & so...!!! 

 

Keith

[CedB]

Thanks Giorgio - speeding up now

Thanks Trevor - good advice and a great step by step link, thanks. Bookmarked

Thanks Jaime - staying away is a good idea

Thanks Tony Thanks also for the kind offer of the GoPro. As Bill says below they offer a 360^o video as an additional package and of course I've ordered that. You're not allowed to take anything into the aircraft in case you drop it and it rattles down into the bowels. They say you may be able to mount your own GoPro but it won't compete with their multiple views and intercom recordings. Fingers crossed it all works!
Thanks Bill The Airfix Catalina is in the stash ready for this GB so I may try your method on that - although the clear parts look pretty good (I've just checked). Your post bookmarked too, thanks.

Thanks Keith - I am very lucky, providing the weather is good. Keep your fingers crossed for the 10th.

 

 

Remember the canopy? Bit scratchy on the inside at the bottom? This one:

 

 

Out with the Micromesh, a first pass:

 

 

 

Hard to work inside that shape so out with the electric eraser, some Micromesh punched and glued to the rubbers with Copydex:

 

 

Much better after some attention and a coat of Aqua Gloss:

 

 

Still needs framing though. Ho hum.

The fuselage has been joined up with much shaving and sanding, a lot of clamps and then Touch-N-Flow'd

 

 

Onwards!

[keefr22]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Thanks Keith - I am very lucky, providing the weather is good. Keep your fingers crossed for the 10th.

 

 

Fingers & toes Ced!! Hope it's like it's been here today, lovely autumn afternoon, clear blue skies with some fluffy white clouds - ideal!

 

Good polishing work on that milk bottle bottom!! Some painted decal strips for framing?

 

Keith

 

 

[CedB]

Thanks Keith - I'm hoping for exactly that; blue sky with the occasional fluffy clouds to beat up but hey, anything will be great

 

Next step? Empennage.

Let's see how Airfix can connect the parts to the sprue and use ejector marks to make this bit 'interesting':

 

Untitled by Ced Bufton, on Flickr

 

Not too bad I suppose. Easily trimmed off with the chisel blade, a bit of sanding and ready for a drop of filler.

The tailplanes and elevators are, of course, weird and it's not obvious what glueing them on the bench will do:

 

 

OKish. I'm going to need to get the Lego out anyway to help the fin settle:

 

 

Eldest daughter here tonight so I don't expect much will get done until the 'morrow. Unless she's engaged with her social networking of course.

[bbudde]

Looks good by now. No need to worry about finishing it in a very good way. By the way, I think you'll be working on this in one or two hours. I know my sister. Just in and tidddeldilledilit; oh my Handy's going: facebook of course, next twitter, (bird chirp) oh What's app... and so on. No wonder I'm really not a handy fan at all. Cheers and a nice evening.

[giemme]

Definitely speeding up, Ced!

 

Great job on polishing that canopy

 

Must try that Aqua Gloss myself; it's Revell's, right?

 

Ciao

 

[Brandy]

What a huge improvement on that canopy, and it looks as though the fuselage has been suitably bullied and told who's boss!

 

Ian

Edited September 21, 2017 by limeypilot

[jrlx]

Good work on the canopy, Ced. And every part of this kit seems to present a new challenge

 But you're getting there!

 

By the way, Giorgio ( @giemme ), Aqua Gloss is Alclad's acrylic gloss coat. It does wonders to canopies

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

[giemme]

7 minutes ago, jrlx said:

By the way, Giorgio ( @giemme ), Aqua Gloss is Alclad's acrylic gloss coat. It does wonders to canopies

Alclad, of course. Don't know why Revell came to my mind. Must have been tired - well that's my excuse, anyway

 

Thanks Jaime

 

Ciao

Edited September 21, 2017 by giemme

[Max Headroom]

Powering your way through! That canopy now looks as if it is useable . 

 

Those sprue gates and 'holes' look interesting.... 

 

Lots of positive thoughts coming your way!

 

Trevor

[TheBaron]

15 hours ago, CedB said:

Keep your fingers crossed for the 10th. 

All of us will be doing that for you Ced!

 

I'll be in the middle of a lecture on that date so may slip this in to the screenings in your honour:

 

PS. If you spot anything with two engines whilst aloft, you are required to mutter dakkadakkadakka quietly to yourself...