PlaStix Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Very impressed all round with your progress - and learnt some thing new about talc and superglue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Thanks PlaStix. My teenage daughter donated the talc! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) I am actually impressing myself with how well this is coming along. I have probably put the kibosh on it now, by saying that! Here's what I did today. Not much really, just glued four bits together. But they were big bits: Mainwing's and tailplane's attached. Had to remove quite a bit of plastic from the top of the wing centre, and the underside of the fuselage recess. This helped close the join right up, and the gap is negligible.The two tailplane's just butt joined on. A bit of work to produce two flat surfaces to close together paid off, although a bit of filler will be needed. The underside is a different story. The join at the rear of the wing where fuselage and wings meet is probably the worst fit I've had to deal with. Some filler should blend it all in. He said! And that intake under the nose is going to need a bit of filler too! Back to work tomorrow, but hopefully I will find a bit of time here and there over the next week or so. Cheers, and thanks for looking. Edited May 13, 2014 by chockhead 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Nice. That's looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Lovely construction going on here. And I've seen regular plastic models with worse wing fits than your underside! The talc and superglue worked out well too. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Very nice! That interior looks a treat! Regards, Jason 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I've missed this! Great work - I built a Rareplanes FJ-1 when I was 16! I was a bit limited as I didn't have a big spares box at that age - but it was a lovely kit and made a fine model at the end of the day 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Still coming along nicely! Keep going! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Thanks for the comments guys. AdrianMF, yes the superglue/talc technique worked very well, I can see it getting used again! Learstang, yes the interior has come out quite nicely, can't believe an old vacform has better detail than a typical injection kit of the same period. AndyC, a Rareplanes FJ-1, very cool! PlaStix, its coming along! I have been doing a little bit here and there, when I get a quiet moment. I made up a couple of gun fairings for the upper cowling out of a couple of bits of plastic rod. These US Army aircraft were unarmed, and the ends of the fairings were capped off, so I just rounded off the ends of the plastic rod. I was a little apprehensive about tackling the canopy. But it came out reasonably well. Fired on by my success, I decided to separate the individual canopies, to better show off the fact that this is a two-seater. Still a bit of cleaning up to do. Tail wheel installed, and a couple of doors cut out of some plastic card. Unbelievable that this early monoplane also had a retractable tail wheel. I thought that it would be worthwhile adding the landing light to the wing leading edge. I just need to work out how to do the clear cover. Maybe mould a small piece of clear plastic over a curved 'thing'. I am quite pleased with how the distinctive undercarriage and the fairings are shaping up. Sitting up on tip toes, I will have to put a couple of flat spots on the bottom of the tyres, but the 'sit' is looking ok. Nearly ready to start some painting. Thanks for looking! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 That looks great. The canopy is huge! To make a landing light cover I heat up a small strip of transparent plastic and then smash mould it over the wing leading edge outboard of the landing light. That way I get the right profile and the wing taper gives me an allowance for the thickness of the plastic. Then when it is cut to size it just drops in, in a most satisfying way. On the second or third try, anyway! Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Or try what Natter did on his Boeing Clipper using some tape for lense cover. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 22, 2014 Author Share Posted May 22, 2014 That looks great. The canopy is huge! To make a landing light cover I heat up a small strip of transparent plastic and then smash mould it over the wing leading edge outboard of the landing light. That way I get the right profile and the wing taper gives me an allowance for the thickness of the plastic. Then when it is cut to size it just drops in, in a most satisfying way. On the second or third try, anyway! Regards, Adrian Thanks for the tip's guy's. I like the idea of moulding over the wing, but going outboard a bit to allow for the thickness. Simple but effective. I was just a bit worried about getting melted plastic on my wing, but I don't suppose it will be that hot. Or try what Natter did on his Boeing Clipper using some tape for lense cover. I like that Clipper model, very nice. I don't think I could get the same result myself. Is that selotape? I think I've seen it used before. I will have a bash at moulding some clear plastic over the wing leading edge. I have been collecting plastic packaging, so now it's time to use it! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) The big worry is deforming your wing. I hadn't thought about that but you have a vacform so it isn't a big heat sink like an Airfix 1970's kit wing. I'd use the thinnest possible transparent plastic (cake packaging would work if you have a sweet tooth) and don't heat it too much! I hope I'm not encouraging you to ruin your model!! Regards, Adrian Edited May 22, 2014 by AdrianMF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Hello guys. Sorry about delay in up-dating this build, but I am having some problems with my computer. I borrowed my daughters laptop, and now I think I've knackered that as well! So, briefly. Managed to mould a light cover. Lost count of how many bits of deformed melted plastic I produced along the way, but managed it in the end. I wish I had some clear sticky tape! Some plastic tube made up some passable exhausts. I can't bring myself to 'weather' it. Gaurdsman should be spotless! Interesting fact. Whilst googling this aircraft for info I found an old newspaper cutting from about 1937, claiming that a new aircraft had been designed and built that was 'virtually indistructable' due to its incredible modern construction techniques! It could apparently be 'riddled by machine gun fire, and yet still remain airborne'. Amazing! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Well, I have managed to push on a bit, and think I can call this one finished. I was initially going to try and finish it as the preserved flying example in the States, but by chance I found I had the Wright Field badge on an old Microscale set, and this matched that of an aircraft image I found on the internet. So with a few code letters and numbers I was able to do a period finish, which I am happy with. I used Humbrol Metalcote for a polished aluminium finish, with silver for the ailerons and elevators, although there is not much between them. I am just pleased to have made a Vacform kit to be honest, and I think it turned out ok. I hope you like it, and will have a bash at one yourself. Thanks for looking, and cheers to all who have chipped in and helped out along the way. Thanks also to snapper_city for hosting this GB, there have been some great builds on here, and it has been a lot of fun, honest! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Brilliant piece of modelling, I wish I could build vac form that quick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Thank you very much, Kev67 very kind of you to say so. To be fair, the RarePlanes kit was very nicely moulded, and had most of what you need to make it, plus it's a nice straight forward little monoplane. I have some other 'interesting' vacforms in the stash, but I think they will take a little longer! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 That looks fab. Getting a big pile of plastic rejects is half the fun of thermoforming, or so I tell myself! What a great result! Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Very nice, chockhead! Definitely not one you see everyday. I recently picked up a vacuform kit myself, the heavenly beauty known as the Blackburn Blackburn (an old Contrail kit). Mine's a biplane, so it'll be some time before I work up the courage to build it, though. I'm not afraid of vacuforms, having a few under my belt (B-P Overstrand and Saro Lerwick, to name a couple), I just find them tedious to build. Regards, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Just been checking this out in the gallery. Very smart!! And a vac-form! Well impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Great finish. Thanks for the comments & thanks for entering a good vacform kit. I'm sure I will get one someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hgbn Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Looking great Lain, almost missed the progress on this one. End result in the same range as a good injected kit. Bravo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Very nice work and it's been lovely to see real modelling skills in work on a vac form. Good work indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thanks for the comments guys. Glad you liked it, hope to do another or maybe a resin kit in the Non Injection Moulded GB, fingers crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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