1/72 Heller Gazelle

[Nigel Heath]

Yeh, that's the stuff, here is my jar with its Japanese labelling:

Highly recommended but go easy with it.

Just a link to my Gazelle detail, have done the basics of the engine!

That looks excellent, reminds me of milktrip's fantastic build which you have to check out if you haven't already seen it.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Brandy]

Lovely work on those doors, I think I need a bottle of that stuff too!

Ian

[Martian]

Must get me some of that Mr Extreme Caution, it looks like something I have been needing all my life!

Martin

[Norman]

Seriously....Mr Extreme caution !! 'IF' one could buy it i'd be running out of it all the time !!!

Mike your very funny

Cheers

[Tomoshenko]

Sublime stuff as ever, you spoil us Nigel. Reckon I'll get a bottle of Mr Extreme caution myself. I think you can buy from the same place that sells rainbow paint and sky hooks, it's a little kiosk on platform 9 3/4....

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

I have just caught up all the work over Christmas, and it is stunning. I struggled to get the kind of detail in 1/48 (-ish; it was Heller's oldie, which is more like 1/50). In 1/72 it is so good that it's silly.

[Hmm. Note to self; must finish that build sometime - it ground to a halt because the canopy was badly cracked, but (not for the first time) reading your build has shown me a possible solution!]

[Nigel Heath]

I also have the old Heller 1/50th scale Gazelle. I must dig it out and see how it compares.

Today the 0.5 and 0.7mm clear PETG arrived:

With the protective film removed it is optically pretty perfect, I readied two discs of both thicknesses:

However, after forming the canopies the 0.7mm was not great optically and the 0.5mm had this crease in it:

I decided to concentrate on using just the 0.5mm as it was easier to work with but then got these bubbles:

I won't, bore you with the subsequent attempts but twelve more later I got one that was free from gross defects but still not as good optically as the one I had with the slight crazed area (the one at the back):

These are some of the ones made just before they head for the bin:

I decided to proceed with my earlier effort and live with the crazing, I started to apply the glazing bars (using more Xtreme Caution^TM):

I used the greenish tape as both a placement guide and to protect the clear areas.

Using a combination of liquid poly, Gator Grip and extra thin superglue I got them finished off like this:

I will let that harden up overnight and let my jangled nerves recover.

Bye for now,

Nigel

[Spookytooth]

Love it Nigel, never give up.

A fine example to us all.

Simon.

[CedB]

What he said ^^

Enjoy throwing the failures in the bin, really hard!

(Although 'failures' hardly seems to be the right word...)

[Head in the clouds.]

Your photography is so crisp Nigel it makes your build come to life when working in miniture. Do you mind if I ask generally what lens and settings you use?

Still loving it by the way.

[keefr22]

I do wish I could remember where I'd left my memory. I 'think' both Perdu & Fritag had the problem of bubbles in Pet-G & I seem to remember it can be 'cured' by baking the stuff before vacum forming. But I can't remember the details.....

Actually it might have been Airscale in his 24th Tigercat build....

Keith

Edit - it was Peter's Tigercat thread - he linked to another forum where the details were given;

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=205666

[Nigel Heath]

Interesting, so the PETG needs to be dried out to prevent the bubbling. I will try to remember that for next time. The 0.7mm sheet was much more prone to the problem than the 0.5mm so maybe it had adsorbed more water. Bubbles appeared in it before it hot pliable enough to vacform so it was quite exasperating.

Do you mind if I ask generally what lens and settings you use?

My camera is a Panasonic DMC-TZ25, I just use it on the Intelligent Auto setting and it usually gives pretty good results.

[Martian]

Would another good bath in Klear help hide the crazing?

Martin

[Pete in Lincs]

I think he needs therapy first.

Oh, Crazing, not, crazy. Sorry.

[perdu]

Someone, I regret I have forgotten who became this fount of wisdom, suggests that preheating the PETG without stretch stressing it first is the way to win with it

Heat over a gas ring before hitting the stretching frame

Myself I just prefer using acetate sheet which I bought at my local arts suppliers £6 for a large sheet that cut down into several A4 sized sheets as well as many Christmas gift packaging pieces

The PETG is sat in the garage awaiting my next 'desperate needs' arising

[Head in the clouds.]

Thanks Nigel .

[keefr22]

Someone, I regret I have forgotten who became this fount of wisdom, suggests that preheating the PETG without stretch stressing it first is the way to win with it

Bill, are you awake? Have a look at my post 4 before yours....

Keith

[perdu]

Simple but not necessarily coherent post reinforcement old bean

Long dining session this evening, Doom Bar content unaccounted for

Anyway folks, wot keefr says

(I'm off to play with my new Chrissie pres, son bought dad a tablet to play with)

[Nigel Heath]

Would another good bath in Klear help hide the crazing?

I have brushed it with Klear and it did help a bit but the stress cracking goes through the thickness of the plastic. It only catches the light at some angles which is why I am OK to live with it.

I think he needs therapy first.

Rude - I might have to strike you off my Christmas list.

Heat over a gas ring before hitting the stretching frame

That sounds incredibly dodgy, may be a gentle warming in the oven would be better?

[perdu]

I have brushed it with Klear and it did help a bit but the stress cracking goes through the thickness of the plastic. It only catches the light at some angles which is why I am OK to live with it.

Rude - I might have to strike you off my Christmas list.

That sounds incredibly dodgy, may be a gentle warming in the oven would be better?

Good thought Nigel, making sure your holding device is HOT capable of course

[Martian]

I have brushed it with Klear and it did help a bit but the stress cracking goes through the thickness of the plastic. It only catches the light at some angles which is why I am OK to live with it.

Rude - I might have to strike you off my Christmas list.

That sounds incredibly dodgy, may be a gentle warming in the oven would be better?

I use the grill on our gas oven which seems to work fine; unless of course, Gill catches me at it!

I heat the plastic which will go floppy at first. It will the start to tighten up again and this is the point at which the vacform machine needs to be turned on. (For vacform machine read wooden box that attaches to the hoover. This also works quite well: unless Gill catches at this as well! )

Martin

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

So, Martin, are you telling us that the adrenalin generated by the constant need to dodgy your lovely wife adds to the satisfaction of creating a vacform masterpiece?

[Sgt.Squarehead]

'Ma Squarehead' was very surprised when I asked for (& got) a Dyson V6 Animal handheld for xmas.....My motives were probably not exactly the ones she was hoping for TBH.

[Martian]

So, Martin, are you telling us that the adrenalin generated by the constant need to dodgy your lovely wife adds to the satisfaction of creating a vacform masterpiece?

It leads me to only vacforming when absolutely necessary. I have enough wrong with me already without getting the hoover inserted where the sun don't shine! To be fair she is always extremely supportive of my hobby.

'Ma Squarehead' was very surprised when I asked for (& got) a Dyson V6 Animal handheld for xmas.....My motives were probably not exactly the ones she was hoping for TBH.

I would have loved to see her face what she saw the use you did put the hoover to!

Martin

[Sgt.Squarehead]

So far it's only been used for evicting arachnids, but a vac-former is on the way.....It's a fierce little thing and no mistake, the dogs are petrified of it!