Thom216 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) Yikes! I totally forgot about this! Seems I'll have to get cracken, as so many others have progressed with so much fine work already! Still may take a day or two to get started. I'm starting with Tamiya's P-47D and converting with Kosters vacform kit. There were two prototypes, and I've decided to go with XP-47H 223296. Overall olive drab over gray with an aluminum rudder. I'm going to use most of the Tamiya fuselage, as the detail is greater, so this will require a bit of cutting and chopping Probably won't be a quick build. I may use all the remaining time in the GB, but that's as it goes! Edited February 2, 2016 by Thom216 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Welcome aboard Thom, and I'm so glad someone is going to build one of these!! I know this mod kit and would have attempted it myself except VacFrom scares me! Have build a few but am just not a fan! That said the moulding from the photo's looks great. I'll have to follow this one for sure as the temptation to build one of these is really great! Well good luck with the build, hopefully there will be no issues and it'll be trouble free. Do look forward to seeing this one in the gallery....and I may still have to get one for myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Thanks for confidence vote! I'll need it. Never done vacform before, and I'm thinking of splicing the kit halves together to retain as much as the Tamiya detail as possible to boot. As for getting one, it would be best to get one now to make sure you have one in the stash. As the gentleman told me, he's not getting any younger... Email is in the upper left corner. http://www.swannysmodels.com/images/Koster35/productlist.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I know these guy's well. Will have to put it on the todo/wish list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 First cuts done! Now to match them to the Tamiya parts. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 And test fitting. I'll need a few shims and cleaning, but the fit is just a smidge from right on! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Now you've made me want one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Now you've made me want one Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I have sooo may projects waiting on the shelf already..... though it might be a good one for WhatIf IV on SEAC colours???? The fit looks pretty good, do you have to remove the lower section from the Tamiya one, or can you chamfur the vacform section to fit? This might give you a stronger body for the new model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arniec Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I have sooo may projects waiting on the shelf already..... though it might be a good one for WhatIf IV on SEAC colours???? :Tasty: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 6, 2016 Author Share Posted February 6, 2016 I was thinking about just cupping the bottom of the model with the vac-parts. Possibly can do, but it would end up being wider than factual and would require a lot of sanding to slim it back in again. I just cut it, butted it and then strengthened it on the inside. I'm working my way along the seem from back to front, because if I have the back of the parts even on both sides, then front should be even by default! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 (edited) Well, while the sides are being pieced together, I went ahead and detailed the wheel bays. Just a little drilling, some bent wire and round stock plastic. Since it was a prototype, I won't being weathering these too much once the paint is on. Edited February 7, 2016 by Thom216 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 (edited) I'm just about done with the wheel bays. A little detail and a little paint. I may scuff them up a leetle it, but not much considering this was a prototype, so I'm assuming it didn't get a lot of wear in there to match the line fighters. Once that's done I'll be able to close the wings up. One thing I did see in the pics, is that the wing canon were deleted, or at least their barrel apertures are not there. Oddly enough, the chutes for the spent casings are still there... So I put the barrels into the holes, then glued them in. I've already snipped them and will sand them smooth and closed when the wings go together. Progress continues on the fuselage. The sides are now 'whole' and just awaiting sanding to clean the edges. They're ruff on the insides, but we're not going to see that after a while, so I won't be worrying about that! I have some colored PE coming for the cockpit as well as some resin replacements for the side walls, so I'll guess I'll go on with that - once it gets here... Carry on! Edited February 9, 2016 by Thom216 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) A leetle update here! The wings are coming together real nice. The wheel bays look pretty good all set in their place. Cockpit is already coming along nicely. Still need that PE set... The two little white ovals in the upper right of the picture are the air scoop mounts from the Koster kit. they'll be sanded and flush mounted to the Tamiya fuselage. Also did a little more splicing from the Tamiya kits disregarded parts to replace the soft vacform detail, such as the exhaust and the vents. They look a little messy right now, but I'll shim them in and sand smooth. the exhaust on the vac parts are really soft and bodgy. And here with the Tamiya parts just dropped in see how they look. This is the rear vent area. Again the vac parts were soft and meandering on detail so they were cut out too. I'll be using some PE misc vents used mostly for superdetailing Gundam kits to make the new vent fins and glue them to a back plate before mounting that in the hole. And that's it for right now. Soon I'm going to have to figure on how to mount the propeller hub... Edited February 16, 2016 by Thom216 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 very nice work, it's a great idea to use those nice mouldings from the tamiya model! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Great modelling. I like the detail you added to the wheel bays. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Impressive skill on the kit crossing and detail work on a very interesting subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) Thank you, Gentz! Makes a man feel goood! The vents low and to the rear. I was going to go with PE, but the metal was too thin and too difficult for these fumble-thumbs to work with. So, out came some styrene strip that just happens to be the perfect size!! Huzzah! I traced the holes into blank plastic, then cut and mounted three strips with super glue, otherwise known as CA. Then, since they did not protrude enough through the fuselage, I mounted those on a backing plate and test mounted. They need to be cleaned up some, for sanding and because there was a leetle too much super glue, but I like the look. And it's not as fragile as the PE would have been! Sweet! Edited February 18, 2016 by Thom216 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 I opened up the vents on the nose. I'll be putting some ducting in there so as to block the empty cavity. And the fuselage getting closer. Still awaiting the PE for the cockpit. And to figure how to work the mounting of the spinner. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 And I think the spinner issue is solved, just minutes after mentioning. I was picking through a parts drawer, and that is a good tip for any, DO NOT THROW ANYTHING AWAY!! when I found this little thingy. I have no idea where it came from, but ti was there. And it is a perfect snug fit!! I think I'll go with it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 21, 2016 Author Share Posted February 21, 2016 (edited) Here is the lower intake and grill. On the outside it's a nice piece. But inside, the inverted V splitter is off a bit and there are a lot of tiny bubbles that need to be cleaned out. So to make that easier and fix the misalignment, I'm going to sand it out from the back and replace with styrene and metal screen. But of course, I sanded it wrong and took off too much detail on the backside bottom. Which just means I'll just have to fill and sand an area that I was going to have to fill and sand anyway. Oh well. Next I'm going to take some of the intake detail from the Tamiya kit, the bottom half of Part E22 and fill the empty space in there. This is cut down and drying. Need to clean it up some. Edited February 21, 2016 by Thom216 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 nice work on the intake, looks so much better!! I'm loving this build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 Now I'm asking myself a question. I don't know if the original mesh detail in the resin piece was supposed to be there, or was just a filler for empty space. I'm wondering if I should remove the mesh I put on and just leave the detail exposed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 that's a good question?? I don't think I've ever seen a detailed photo of the main engine intake...surely there must be one somewhere out there! It sort of makes sense there may have been a grill there to help protect everything downstream, but the Mustang with a similar scoop further back didn't need it...hmmm The original mesh does look very even as though it was intended to be there..... I'd be inclined to leave it in, as a one-off test aircraft it could very well have had additional protection not intended for production aircraft! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Will be leaving it as so. I also emailed Koster and that was his impression as well, and I also looked up pics of the P-40, but they are too dissimilar. So, absent of pics to the contrary, it stays! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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