jimbuna Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Fantastic work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 (edited) Added the wing root brasswork and fixed the aluminium rod this evening. I cut the rod to fit across the fuselage so it was just short of showing under the front hinge cutouts on the wing roots. A few minutes with the hacksaw and file cut sections from each end. The red section shows in a front elevation where the hinge will be held between the rod and the wing skin - the white dotted line. I'm not making the wings foldable, although it can be done. The red hinge part will be scratched from plasticard. The rod was dry fitted and marked for drilling out 2mm holes for pins that will secure the undercarriage legs. The holes are positioned to allow the undercarriage leg to almost butt up to the outboard edge of the wheelwell. The rod was slid into place and cemented and the brass wing root was cemented in place and a little filler used to get a smooth joint. The brass edges had the sections in red cut out to match up with the cutouts in the wing root and fitted - the first pic below shows everything assembled and primed. There are 4 of these brass edges, 2 used on the roots and 2 on the wings More detail to be scratched yet, but that's the jist of the structure. I'll tackle the wings next I think.... Edited August 31, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nirvanagr Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 WOW!!! Tough work, really! What are you going to do with the panel lines and rivets? Will you rescribe them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) WOW!!! Tough work, really! What are you going to do with the panel lines and rivets? Will you rescribe them? Now there's a big question. For rivetting I have a Rivet-R rivetting tool. The largest of the wheels supplied with it give a close match for the distance between rivets. As for scribing, I don't know how much I'll do - I'm very much a novice in this area. For latches and small panels with radiused corners, I have made and printed small decals in the past. I don't mind any subtle changes in shade caused by the clear centres of the decals, which mildly emphasise the panels. Fine pencil lines and post shading are my alternative to scribing. I justify it to myself by saying that on the real thing, a 2mm gap would equate to .08 mm in 1/24th. Really though, I'm just ham-fisted. Edited September 1, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 (edited) It was pointed out to me that I'd photographed all the joints etc, but I hadn't shown the sum of it so far. The middle pic without flash is the nearer the Upol primer colour... And the nose is still blunt through clumsiness... Edited September 2, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windy Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I have heard using a pin and superglue for the nose will give you a super sharp point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 (edited) Aye, a pin works. Made some progress on the wings today and sanded off the existing vortex generators to make use of the etched versions which are in the brassware. After filling a few pinholes I primed the wings - I find it easier to spot any flaws in the surface after priming. As the aircraft I'm modelling is a later spec Bucc, I cut the earlier, wider span wing tips off from the end of the aileron to the leading edge, running parallel to the line of the wing root. The triangular area was removed from the tip and it was fixed back in place. When working on the aileron root section, I noticed that where there are holes in the brass part, on the real thing they're dished out outwards. So after smearing it with vegetable oil, I used it as a template to create small discs from body filler onto paper. The brass was removed and the discs left to harden before slicing them off the paper. I added the brass edge to the wing and a few preliminary scratched details. Edited September 2, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) Fitted the fin today. It had a couple of areas of pinholes, which I'd painted with PVA a couple of days back. After sanding the pesky smallest ones had gone and a smear of green filler got rid of the rest. I dry fitted and made small adjustments on the fin joint and got a good fit. I scribed the rudder then attached the fin to the fuselage with a 1.5mm steel pin ( a nail with the head cut off). The joint was given a small amount of filler before sanding and priming. The aft pair of fuselage vents have been added too - the two 'ladder' shaped brass parts - over a hole in the fuselage to give it some depth. It's a bit premature but I was keen to see how it looked... Edited September 3, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Can't believe how quickly you build these Stuart, it's looking amazing too. Really like your idea on creating those disks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richdlc Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 a quick question mate - is the spine a little wonky? Or is that just the angle of the model in the photo LOL sorry no offence, just noticed it that's all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) Dunno - I find it difficult to get photos in exactly plan, side view and front elevations. I always end up slightly to one side and get uneven shadows. Took a couple more pics, but it's hard to tell... Edited September 4, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfpack Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I think with all that work you've put in, a wonky spine (it looks like shadow to me) is allowable. W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) Started working on the undercarriage yesterday, cleaning up the parts to start off. The main gear forks are brass parts supplied. As the photo-etching process won't cope with thicker materials, there are 8 of these parts. I made a plasticard sandwitch basically, to get the thickness I wanted for the 2 pairs of forks - brass/card/brass - then drilled through the card to match the holes in the brass parts. I used a 2.5mm drill bit for the holes at the front where the pins fix it to the undercarriage leg. There are marks on the resin legs showing where to drill and the holes must be absolutely true or the forks won't sit correctly. 2.5mm brass tube was cut to length and fixed into the leg. The excess resin at the bottom of the leg was trimmed off and the forks were kinked slightly, and attached to the leg using a drill bit where the axle will be to ensure it went together squarely. The parts were painted US Ghost Grey and I made a start on the wheels. After painting and assembling, they looked like this - I hope the assembly sequence is clear. I left the solid centre in place in the tyres and drilled through with a 3mm bit. This allows the tyre itself to support the model rather than the wheel hub brasswork. I noticed I'd forgotten to add the little collars in the wheel centres in the photo below... I've still to put the wheels onto axles and add brake lines etc. The wheels should be assembled with the brake side (the wheel on the left) outboard on the model. The two wheels should be assembled as mirror images so that the 2 lozenge shaped cut outs sit at approximately 6 and 8 o'clock relative to the ground. It'll become clearer when I've put them together, but I have to go and drink a lot of beer now and be generally sociable. I've been told there may be some jigging involved too... Edited September 10, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matcham11 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 This build is absolutely mental! The size of it is incredible! The detail, yes, EVERYTHING! The amount of work is amazing! Keep it up big time mate! Looking forward quite alot to see the finished build! Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Coming along nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Reid Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I love these larger scale aircraft.So much room for detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Great progress Stuart, useful stuff regards the undercarriage set up. looking at mine the spine does run true so I'm thinking it must be shadow. Looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Wow that's going to be one big buck once done! Keep up the food work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) Main gear assembled. They're surprisingly heavy - 24 grams each! Edited September 10, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean1968 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 BIG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 What a cracking build, plenty of room for lots of detail. keep up the excellent work. Colin on the Africa Station Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 (edited) I added the vortex generators to one wing a few days back - it was surprisingly easy. The tiny parts are handed left and right and theres a half etched line where they fold through 90 degrees. I used small pliers to grip the vertical part close to and parallel with the etched line then bent them by hand, with the etched line to the outside of the fold. There are several spares included but the carpet monster was feeling benign that day - must be all my previous sacrifices. I drew a line along the wing and placed the VG's 5mm apart, apart from missing out the 5th one out from the root - missing on later Buccs to allow the weapons pylon to be moved outboard slighty. The nav lights were chunks of perspex fixed into cutouts on the wingtip and sanded to profile before polishing with 1500 grit and Duraglit before coating with Kleer. I added the various brass vents to the fuselage. I then started work on the windscreen. After cutting away the excess clear sheet, I added the bottom frames and the arched frame from plasticard. This task requires particular care to make sure the frame arch is mounted true. If the frame isn't mounted squarely, the windscreen frame arch won't match up with the canopy frame arch and sanding isn't an option on these edges since the frame edges would no longer be parallel. Care also needs to be taken to ensure the height of the screen matches up to the canopy. There is a little leeway here, as very small discrepancies can be sorted out by either sanding the depth, on either the canopy or the windscreen bottom frames. Slight adjustment can also be made on the nose itself if necessary. The bottom frames were sanded lightly to match the fuselage section and dry fitted to check everything is as it should be. In this case, I sanded less than .25mm off of the canopy frame. I'll add the curved framework around the flat face before I fix the windscreen to the fuselage. I got a bit ahead of myself as I need to add weight to the nose, add the scratched instrument panel and the decal before fixing the cockpit coaming in place. Then I can add the windscreen. Edited September 11, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dekenba Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Impressive work allied to great photography as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 really starting to look impressive now as all the small details are coming together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratcher Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 (edited) Thanks for that but my camera skills are restriced to point and click. When adding detail though, as The General says, where do you stop? I'll leave the really fine detail till my next build as I want to quickly get this WIP to the point where I've covered all the quirks of the basic assembly. Next time I'll have the benefit of The Generals ideas for adding detail and correcting any flaws, plus the luxury of being able to take my time. Edited September 11, 2012 by Scratcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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