1/72 XF8U-1 Crusader prototypes 138899 and 138900

[busnproplinerfan]

Another project, the XF8U-1 Cruasder prototype, Bu no. 138899. This is the 1/72 Academy kit. I plan building a few of these, so I may end up boring everyone about F-8s. The guns are filled in, the first bunch were. I found some CMK wheel well replacement parts. The kit parts are still quite useable, but these have the plumbing added. I actually like the Aires parts more, but they are out of production now. If nothing else, use the aftermarket parts for referance, be a lot cheaper. It has an Aires cockpit with a backdated instrument panel and a soon to be modified A-4 seat to represent the Vought seat. Luckily the actual aircraft was just restored and I found a few pictures online. The nose and wing top are from David Newman of Muroc models and fit quite good, just need some tweaking since it was meant to be used with the kit cockpit. I also have the second prototype being built alongside, just no pictures yet. The dolly is the 1/48 one from the B-29 kit, Good use for it. I fixed two of them up and they make great dollies for holding aircraft and look good to.

Edited October 9, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[busnproplinerfan]

Here's an update on #899. The instrument panel is a photo reduced copy of the original I found online. I had to add small strips to the area where the windshield it to glue in because it's a vac formed part and very thin. I want it to fit flush to the sides.

[airjiml2]

Neat project. Some photos of the XF8U-1 as it looked a few months ago can be found here:

http://www.ascalecanadian.com/2015/03/vought-xf8u-1-crusader-unveiling.html

They did a great job on the restoration.

Jim

[busnproplinerfan]

Neat project. Some photos of the XF8U-1 as it looked a few months ago can be found here:

http://www.ascalecanadian.com/2015/03/vought-xf8u-1-crusader-unveiling.html

They did a great job on the restoration.

Jim

Yes they did, took them long enough to. To bad the original spoke main wheels were changed at some point after it was refurbished in 1960.

Edited July 16, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[airjiml2]

...took them long enough to.

No question about that!

Jim

[busnproplinerfan]

Since the F-8s I'm making are prototypes, they need the nose instrument probe. Wasn't sure how or what to use. I tried streched sprue which looked good, but worried it would break or warp over time. I did one from a toohpick, which also looked good, a bit wavy, hard to work with, but it can break to. I settled on a brass rod, just how do you grind one down without a lathe? I used my motor tool(no free advertising from me). I trimmed the tip of the rod flat after cutting it with side cutters and then grinded the tip to a rough point. I then held it as carefully as I could on a piece of wood using a coarse file to keep pressure on it while running the rod in the motor tool. I ran it back and forth, took a few minutes, using more pressure near the tip, eventually getting the shape. I then replaced the file with some worn out 320 grit sand paper. While in the motor tool, you can look down it and make sure it's straight. Took a little while, plus I made three, might need a couple more. Now to drill a hole nice and stick it in the nose.

The seats are the early vought seats which don't come in any known kits. The A-4 seat is very close. These are from Quckboost, Pavla also makes a good one. i had to replace the two piece headrest with a single headrest. I also had to cut 2 mm off the bottom so it would sit fully down in the cockpit. I had to make the ejection cable since the A-4 part is wrong for this. I was going to get a wire bender from Micro-Mark, but my dollar is so bad, it' would've cost about $65 for a little tool. I thought of using the triangle file and stretched sprue, just have to mark where you want the bends with tape, so they all are the same. I still have to make a small ejection loop handle that goes between the legs.

Don't know why the pictures went to the right side of the screen, oh well.

Edited August 2, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[busnproplinerfan]

Here's one of a few seats from an A-4 that I modified. These are very similar to the Vought seats used on the first few F-8s. I just had to modify the headrests and ejection handle. Found a good use for a damaged file.

Here two photos of the two planes with paint. The paint is Alclad airframe aluminum, which is more brighter than polished aluminum. Unfortunately some of it came out a bit more dull than I wanted, mostly on 899. Several panels are painted silver(don't know why), I decanted Testors silver spray and airbrushed it right over the alclad, only thing I could figure out that would give that silver paint colour. The stripes are painted after tons of masking. I still have to touch up a couple of small spots. The tail section was painted with alclad titanium gold over the airframe aluminum. I found it to gold, so I lightly sprayed over it with more airframe aluminum to tone it down. I think I should add a bit of gold back, you can see it in th esun, but under inside light it seems just a different shade of silver. The wings and wheels are done, now just the rest. I figure also I will combine the WIP stories of 899 and 900 instead of two separate topics since they are being built together.

Edited October 7, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[airjiml2]

Both fuselages are looking excellent.

Jim

[busnproplinerfan]

Both fuselages are looking excellent.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I'm crossing my fingers among other things, hoping the paint turns out good. Kinda hard to build with your fingers crossed though.

[busnproplinerfan]

I just noticed in important screw up in the kit and the aftermarket outer main gear doors I have. The landing light is shown going on the port(left) door, it even has the notch. It is wrong, it's supposed to be on the right (starboard) side. I confirmed with the reference books I have.

[Val]

looks great so far

[busnproplinerfan]

Got the landing all on both last night and today. 899 sat a bit low and 900 sat a bit low on the right, so I pulled three of the main gears off and will try again to line them up. Hard to move them around when you have to use super glue since the wells are resin and don't have any epoxy. Epoxy doesn't work that great for me anyway. Maybe I should try it.

Edited October 11, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[Matt_L]

Like that a lot!

Matt

[busnproplinerfan]

Thanks Matt and Val.

[busnproplinerfan]

Finally they wear wings and wheels, well the wings are still removable. I might leave them that way for easier transport. I started the decals and remembered what someone here said about the Academy brand decals, they are not great for anything but flat surfaces. Luckily I have a couple of F-8s with the Cartigraf decals and robbed them of a few of the stars and bars. I had top find a couple of insignia sets on evilbay to replace them. I left the Academy ones on the bottom of the wings since they are behaving.

The wheels. These are wheels that I helped design with Devon at click2detail.com in York Pennsylvania, they are 3D printed. The wheels from Muroc models aren't bad, but I'm super picky when it comes to wheels and wanted them a bit better. Not much for good reference on these early wheels since these were replaced in 1962 with pre A-7 parts and no one then ever thought of holding onto anything then. These also have improved brake detail.I did find out, it's a good thing I made the nose probes from brass because I would have broken it off several times by now.

Edited October 13, 2015 by busnproplinerfan

[John R]

I've only just discovered this thread and it's of great interest as I am planning to build one of these. There are a lot of pictures here.

http://s473.photobucket.com/user/940735/library/XF8U-1%20Crusader?sort=3&page=1

Regarding the 'Several panels are painted silver(don't know why)' comment. I heard from Tom Cathcart who was in charge that 'the magnesium skins used extensively of the XF8U-1 were given a 'pickling solution' to treat the bare magnesium then coated with aluminized lacquer. That provides for the patchy look of the fuselage and wings'

[busnproplinerfan]

I've only just discovered this thread and it's of great interest as I am planning to build one of these. There are a lot of pictures here.

http://s473.photobucket.com/user/940735/library/XF8U-1%20Crusader?sort=3&page=1

Regarding the 'Several panels are painted silver(don't know why)' comment. I heard from Tom Cathcart who was in charge that 'the magnesium skins used extensively of the XF8U-1 were given a 'pickling solution' to treat the bare magnesium then coated with aluminized lacquer. That provides for the patchy look of the fuselage and wings'

Thanks for the info, I guess aluminized laquer is some kind of aluminized paint. Thanks for the detail pics, I wish I had those a month ago. Oh well, my two are quite close. Did you take those pictures? I want to get some of the Jeep(I think it's a Jeep, I know there was a Jeep body version) power unit, whatever it's called.

[busnproplinerfan]

These are now done, but trying to get good pictures but it snowed a lot and want to take them outside. When I get something figured out I will post them in the inspection section.

[busnproplinerfan]

These are now done, here's the link to the finished page. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235000773-172-xf8u-1-crusaders-138899-and-138900-done/#entry2325484

[Val]

Great work!