AndyC Posted January 28, 2012 Author Posted January 28, 2012 Hi all Had a good long day at the bench today and got something done on all my current builds! I have managed to paint the cockpit on this one as follows...Xtracrylix Light Gray and then artists acrylic for the panels and buttons/dials and switches. There was no throttle quadrant in the kit so I built one out of sprue and some spare etch. Since I took the photos I have also put the seats together and primed them ready for painting the cushions and details tomorrow. I have also weathered the cockpit by adding Neutral Grey and Tan scuffs. Will post again once I have finished the seats Thanks for looking Andy
Phartycr0c Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 Good grief, I didnt realise you had such a renovation job on your hands! Only to glad to be of assistance. As far as separating glued parts I think sticking them overnight in the freezer then prising them carefully apart works. I look forward to the finished Article with that lovely camo.
AndyC Posted January 28, 2012 Author Posted January 28, 2012 Cheers mate! Now you know what I was up against! Still, your replacement parts seem to be turning out OK! Andy
AndyC Posted January 31, 2012 Author Posted January 31, 2012 Hi all - a bit of an update Lot of work on the kit seats and a trial fit into the cockpit Before final detailing (cushion belts from Tamiya tape painted, and the front-of-seat ejection handle made out of copper wire and painted. I need to do RIO control stick (lost) and fashion a pilot stick tool (lost). there is also an extra set of belts to go on back cushions I turned my attention to the actual sequence on the instructions. The phantom glue monster had been at the elevons too and what a bloody mess they are! Severe sanding undertaken but areas may need filling and further sanding as the plastic is scarred. It is a similar story with the nose (see earlier photos). Kind of one step forward, two steps back at the moment. I also think one half of the nose area is warped (not because of glue damage) but the wheel-well doiesn't seem to fit. Will have to try and immerse it in hot water and heat the warp out of it. Till next time Andy
Iain Ogilvie Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Great progress - I blink and she's coming together nicely Smeds - this has just reminded me I forgot to check for Tamiya pit - will try and look in next few days... Iain
smeds Posted February 3, 2012 Posted February 3, 2012 Great progress - I blink and she's coming together nicely Smeds - this has just reminded me I forgot to check for Tamiya pit - will try and look in next few days... Iain No probs mate no rush smeds
Iain Ogilvie Posted February 11, 2012 Posted February 11, 2012 No probs mate no rushsmeds Good job really - I have a brain like a sieve!! Loft-side this 'arvo - promise. Iain
AndyC Posted February 21, 2012 Author Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) Hi all Finally got round to having a look at this one a bit further... Took the wings and tails off the sprues and after removing some stubborn ejector pins plus a lot of flash got them glued together. I then took out the Dremel and removed the last of the glued-in (old) cockpit ready for the new one. I did a trial fit of the nose parts and we have warpage! I'm pretty sure it's glue-induced. I may be able to glue the top and then the bottom. The problem is that the wheel well piece sits in the rear of it and that is quite badly out-of-kilter. Looks like I may have to resort to hot water and try and bend the parts back into shape. Ho-hum Thanks for looking Andy Edited February 21, 2012 by AndyC
Deacon Posted February 21, 2012 Posted February 21, 2012 That tub looks the business Andy. But this kit seems to be fighting you all the way. Deacon
AndyC Posted February 22, 2012 Author Posted February 22, 2012 That tub looks the business Andy. But this kit seems to be fighting you all the way. Deacon Thanks mate. I knew this would be a battle when I took it on - I could have bought a brand new one for £40 (or a Tamiya one for £100) but I preferred the challenge of rescuing what would have been thrown away otherwise. I think she'll look great when (if) I have overcome the problems Andy
charley420 Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Looking good buddy, Reminds me I NEED to get motivated to finish mine.
AndyC Posted February 24, 2012 Author Posted February 24, 2012 Hi all A nice result on the cockpit from the deformed shot a few posts back. I bit the bullet and immersed it in very hot water (with gloves on!) and attempted to bend it back into shape, and... It worked! So, full steam ahead now! Thanks for looking Andy
Shar2 Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Nice work on the cockpit Andy, and a good save on the fuselage.
AndyC Posted February 24, 2012 Author Posted February 24, 2012 Nice work on the cockpit Andy, and a good save on the fuselage. Cheers Dave! Yeah, am pleased it worked - that was the only major hurdle after the melted 'pit! Have managed to get some sections glued tonight - time for a glass of wine shortly! Earned, I think! Andy
AndyC Posted February 27, 2012 Author Posted February 27, 2012 Hi all I've managed to get the cockpit shut away which is quite a relief from where I started from! The nose area is still a little warped and the fit isn't great but it is nothing I shouldn't be able to fix with card and putty. I have also spent some time starting to glue wings and aim to get the fuselage and intakes glued and painted this week. 'Til then and thanks for looking Andy
Andy Mullen Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Looking good Andy. It should be plain sailing now
AndyC Posted February 29, 2012 Author Posted February 29, 2012 Looking good Andy. It should be plain sailing now Thanks Andy - let's hope so! A further update... The cockpit is in and glued - was a little bit of a struggle as the sides were slightly warped still but some brute strength and clamping saw to that. There was a small gap between the upper part of the cockpit and the RIO fairing which I filled with a shaped piece of card to be filled and filed I then managed to get some Squadron Green on... And once most of that had been sanded, I tried to replicate the canvas coming covers a little better with toilet roll, folded, fixed with watered down PVA and then sealed with the same - the front one needs trimming I shot some white Halfords undercoat into the intake pieces and underside and then started to put the u/c legs together. Not good as the detail is clunky with lots of warping and flash - leaving a particularly nasty seam down the middle of the forward strut, front and back. I contemplated filling it with card but my two attempts were hopeless, so I took my thinnest plastic rod (like angel hair pasta this stuff) and flooded the join with liquid glue and 'poked' some of this rod in. It looks to have worked a treat and should now be easy to sand or scrape down I've now got to work out how much weight to stick in the nose before fitting the cone! Thanks for looking! Andy
AndyC Posted March 7, 2012 Author Posted March 7, 2012 Hi all Well, a bit of progress after a busy week with other stuff. I had primed the intake tunnels with Halford's White and it went all orange-peel on me, so I sanded it down and re-sprayed (in admittedly warmer conditions). There is a nasty seam inside the intake so I spent some time tonight cutting a card template to fit back into the intake to cover the seam - a partial waste of time (see below). I fitted the intakes and the fit was OK apart from under the rear which needed some sanding and filler I trimmed up the PVA'd canvas covers and then taped over the cockpit innards ready for a coat of NATO Black I then carefully glued the upper and lower fuselage halves - the fit wasn't great but by progressively glueing it and then clamping it seems to hold together I then started to look at the burner cans and realise that I've only got one of the two! One is missing The burner petals are there but no can inside on one side - so I will have to finish the a/c with FOD covers over the burner cans (not what I was anticipating). This also means that for the sake of completeness I should also have covers on the intakes - the IRIAF seem to have FOD boards that fit inside the intakes (rather than on the outside) from the few photographs I have, so I'll have to make these Ta for looking and all comments welcome Andy
Metallicus Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Coming along nicely sorry to hear about the cans
Shar2 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Seems like you've had to put a lot of work into this one Andy. Looking pretty darn good so far though.
AndyC Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 Coming along nicely sorry to hear about the cans Cheers - yes, it's a pain but there area couple of good articles on home made burner can covers I can use. Seems like you've had to put a lot of work into this one Andy. Looking pretty darn good so far though. Thanks Dave. It's actually a decent enough kit - however the state of the cockpit was a 'mare and as a consequence the fit has been marginal in places. The burner can issue is the icing on the cake. However! It was a £45 kit I got for £15, I knew it needed a bit of TLC and I'm supposed to be a modeller... Photo update tonight! Andy
Radleigh Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Looking good Andy, Could you not take a mould of the part? Or email Revell?
AndyC Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 Looking good Andy, Could you not take a mould of the part? Or email Revell? Thanks Radleigh - good suggestion, however I'm now kind of wedded to the idea of a parked up Iranian Tomcat with FOD covers - I've got a few photos. If my efforts end up looking crap, I may resort to begging for a replacement can! Sadly the pics I have of those that are parked up seem to rarely be armed but I may take artistic licence on that one! I will also need to find RBF tags too... Andy
Radleigh Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks Radleigh - good suggestion, however I'm now kind of wedded to the idea of a parked up Iranian Tomcat with FOD covers - I've got a few photos. If my efforts end up looking crap, I may resort to begging for a replacement can! Sadly the pics I have of those that are parked up seem to rarely be armed but I may take artistic licence on that one! I will also need to find RBF tags too...Andy Is there any chance of seeing the photos, or are they off A.net?
AndyC Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 Is there any chance of seeing the photos, or are they off A.net? I think there are a couple on there. I have also got the SAM Datafile on the F-14 which has some good shots of stationary IRIAF Tomcats in desert camo and also the newer 'Flanker' type grey (you might find these generally on the web) and there are some nice shots from a copy of Aviation Classics magazine on the Tomcat (a bit more lightweight but a good read).
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