72nd Sentry AEW.1

[Devilfish]

The kind comments are very much appreciated, there were times I thought this build would drive me to distraction.

I`m very pleased with the weathering, although I think I could have been a bit more bold with the rotodome as they are pretty beat-up looking after near constant service over the last few years. But after the shambles I had early on with the rotodome I`m happy with the way it is.

I never knew the rotodome was locked in different seasonal positions, very interesting. I`d studied parked pics to get it right and noticed that there were variations but didn`t know that there was a reason for this. I`ve learnt my new fact for the day, nice one.

The boys in blue are the sprites who came out at night to mend the worst of my mistakes!

Thanks again for the encouraging words, all the hair I tore out during the build seems worth it now.

Cheers all

Ian

The dome looks fine...TBH, they get pretty well looked after, so they wouldn't be that weathered (apart from around the cooler inlet/exhaust)....Altho I haven't worked on them since '02

They are stopped, rather than locked. Still free to rotate and in fact can be moved by hand. When outside in winter, to enter the hatch in the white area, someone usually goes up in a Boxer cherrypicker or nowadays, a raising platform, and rotate it to the crossways position, as its easier to enter it if its away from the airframe.

I'm not sure if other air forces follow the winter/summer orientation, but the RAF ones do....Like I said, it's purely aethetics....lol

Edited March 26, 2010 by Devilfish

[bentwaters81tfw]

Very nice!

I have one of these stalled for many years. How did you do the rotodome with all the white fiddly bits?

[thomasweir]

A brilliant display

[Tabio]

Very nice, you just need a C-17 to go with it, it won't look so big then

[4scourge7]

Thanks again folks, much appreciated

Bentwaters- The kit rotodome was sanded down and the raised detail replaced with Flightpath photo etch for UK E-3D Sentry AEW1, Item FHP72054.

The large PE is very difficult to adhere to the sloping dome so I pre-shaped the large pieces, painted them white, and used a resin mould of the dome`s shape to apply pressure evenly over the whole PE piece when it came time to fix it ti the kit dome. The kit dome already had been painted and the large white stripe down the centre helped guide placement of the PE part. All I had to measure was an equal distance from each edge of the PE to the rotodome rim and apply the PE within these guiding points, applying even pressure over the whole PE by using my `jig` made from the resin casting of the dome`s curved shape.

Build thread- (Resin `jig` is about a third of the way down page one, posted Oct 30th 09)

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....howtopic=195904

Hope this helps

Cheers, Ian

PS- Flightpath rotodome details are in my first post on build thread, painted white, and you get much more PE for the fuselage, engines etc... Flightpath PE is the copper coloured items.

Edited March 30, 2010 by ian buick

[Daniel]

Looks good to me, so used to seeing them fly over the city.

Dan

[AnonymousDFB1]

Impressive and big

[4scourge7]

Impressive and big

I got asked about the size elsewhere (ARC I`m pretty sure), it is very close on 2 ft by 2ft (60cm by 60cm) and is a pig to handle due to small PE on fuselage (top, bottom and sides), the rotodome on top, and the already strained u/cart beneath. It is literaly very difficult finding how to handle it; where to get a handhold. And because it is so heavy you dare not support it by the wings or tail.

I reckon it will be in the cabinet for some time to come, I simply don`t know how I`d get it to a show (I simply don`t know how I`d get it out of the house ) .

I`ve stood next to Sentries at airshows but nothing prepared me for this in 72nd scale.

I fancy that I might be selling that B-52 that`s still in my stash.

Thanks again all

Ian

[Alan P]

Wow! You've actually made the entire RAF! (as it will appear in 2012!)

Great models, and just to point out to the sceptics once again.... GREY JETS ROOOOOOL!