Catching Pictures in the Air

[71chally]

I was being subtle, didn't want you having a sleepless night now!

 

Just a theory, but Ithink that the C-119Js rear fuselage was modified in width only, the height (or top & bottom profile) not being changed at all.

Wouldn't it be great to actually measure one!

 

Interesting with that resin set Tony, I think I'm seeing double curvature of the outside curves, but the surface detail looks like continuous curves.

[TheBaron]

On 2017-6-8 at 10:35 PM, 71chally said:

Just a theory, but Ithink that the C-119Js rear fuselage was modified in width only, the height (or top & bottom profile) not being changed at all.

Wouldn't it be great to actually measure one!

With the right photos you could probably break it down into ratios in order to convert these into scale units.

 

I happen to think your surmise is a correct one regarding width x height James, possibly as a result of needing to have sufficient horizontal separation between the retrieval poles necessary to accommodate the parachute, whereas the vertical dimension was less critical in this regard.

On 2017-6-8 at 10:35 PM, 71chally said:

Interesting with that resin set Tony, I think I'm seeing double curvature of the outside curves, but the surface detail looks like continuous curves.

I've been staring at reference photographs so intently over the last 24 hrs that I now  believe I can see the actual curvature of the space-time continuum.

 

I'm not going to get anything done today, partly because we had to unexpectedly go and purchase a replacement lawnmower this morning, but mainly because a dispiriting week at work has rather robbed me of any mojo today. 

 

I'm not going to bore ye by whinging - it is what it is.

 

Besides, this place provides such succour and sanctuary from such matters that I don't want to drag them in here.

 

In order to cheer myself up I'm currently negotiating the purchase of a compressor blade from the Spey out of a Buccaneer. Of such things are happiness conjured sometimes.

 

I hope you're all having felicitous weekends.

Tony

 

 

[Phil Lewis]

51 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

 

In order to cheer myself up I'm currently negotiating the purchase of a compressor blade from the Spey out of a Buccaneer. Of such things are happiness conjured sometimes.

 

 

 

That should make for one seriously impressive lawnmower 

 

 

 

[TheBaron]

2 hours ago, Phil Lewis said:

That should make for one seriously impressive lawnmower 

 

The only Maritime Strike lawnmower in this townland for sure!

 

From the Slough of Despond to the Slough Bus Depot

Despites my earliers pessimisms, I did manage to  step-up to the horse and get back on the plate. As much for self-respect as anything else:

I needed to transfer the various markings round from the port to the starboard side and Dymo seemed the most stable solution to this matter. Having got that done I began to match the shaping of the upper parts more carefully, pausing frequently.

 

Just as well.

 

As I remembered presently that the buck doesn't meet the fuselage all nice and flush as you see it here, but has to take into account the overhang of the back of the upper wing that fits on from above. You can see the two regions concerned below:

Having Dextered that out however I realized I was now about 0.5mm too low where the buck now meets the top of the descending wing curve. A running repair was therefore necessary, shaving-off the required thickness from the excised region, and gluing it back on to restore the top profile again:

I'll shape that back down in the morning. TBH I'm getting used to carrying out such running repairs - they no longer cause me the kind of freak-out they would have done even 12 months ago, they just seem to be part of the process now.

 

We're off on hols on the 27th of this month for just under a fortnight, so I'm going to try and plough on as much as possible to get the buck finished: if nothing else at to least have a test vacform to show you before heading-off.

 

I just finished paying for the Bucc compressor blade from the good folks of the Buccaneer Aviation Group over at Bruntingthorpe; I went for a polished one in the end as I'd never achieve such a nice finish myself as they've done. I'll fire up a photo of me waving it about and making whoosh noises when it arrives...

 

I've had this on cooking for the last 9 hours as well:

Beef Nihari. A simple and beautiful Pakistani dish that takes about 5 minutes to prepare. Heavy on the cardamom and garlic.

 

Evenin' all.

 

 

 

 

[hendie]

1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

Beef Nihari.

 

ah... thanks. I've never come across that one before.

 

1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

As I remembered presently that the buck doesn't meet the fuselage all nice and flush as you see it here

 

but remember - it doesn't have to.  You can always trim away the excess on the formed part - and sometimes it is easier, especially if you are trying to form around some complex shapes

[Martian]

You're doing fine!

 

Martian

[CedB]

Bad news - "...a dispiriting week at work has rather robbed me of any mojo today."

Good news - "...we had to unexpectedly go and purchase a replacement lawnmower."

Life is in balance.

I hope the new lawnmower is a sit on... did you get the GPS controlled auto-mow? Always wanted one of those...

 

5 hours ago, TheBaron said:

TBH I'm getting used to carrying out such running repairs - they no longer cause me the kind of freak-out they would have done even 12 months ago, they just seem to be part of the process now.

 

Master modeller stuff indeed  

 

Mould it! Mould it! You can't expect us to wait while you're on holiday... the suspense would be unbearable...

 

 

[The Spadgent]

I was only thinking to myself this morning what a wonderful place BM was for the soul. Great work on the Buck by the way, you make it look effortless these days. I bet you're looking forward to that holiday no end eh?

please say it's a sit on mower, pleeeeaaassseee. 

 

Jont.

[canberra kid]

Really good progress Tony, I too am getting all too used to putting things right, but that's all part of the "fun" of a good kit bash, keep up the good work that man!

John 

[Martian]

I am correcting my mistakes all the time.

 

 

Martian

[TheBaron]

17 hours ago, hendie said:

 

but remember - it doesn't have to.  You can always trim away the excess on the formed part - and sometimes it is easier, especially if you are trying to form around some complex shapes

That's true hendie , and something I have to keep reminding myself of repeatedly.

 

In this case, although it adds a bit more complex negative/positive space to the mould, the motivation for cutting that top 'shelf' out of the buck is that it lets me get  it in to both fuselage and upper wing more accurately at this stage of the process in order to establish the required widths and profiles. at different points in the rear of the aircraft.

16 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

You're doing fine!

The one thing I have learnt from this process Martian is that when something looks apparently straightforward - it ain't necessarily so!

 

[TheBaron]

16 hours ago, CedB said:

Life is in balance.

I hope the new lawnmower is a sit on... did you get the GPS controlled auto-mow? Always wanted one of those...

 

6 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

 

please say it's a sit on mower, pleeeeaaassseee. 

Yep.

 

Absolutely.

 

Definitely....

It's a bit of a tail-sitter though so I might need to add some lead up front...

 

They had some of the new Husqvarna robotic ones at the place we bought it from, and the owner being a bit of a tech-head, had no problem getting a demo of the 8-grand model at the top of the range. They had one out on hire and he was able to immediately show me on Gurgle Maps where it was in the corner of somebody's garden 30 miles away and what height it was cutting etc. 

 

All it was missing was a sensor pod and some Hellfires to keep the cats off the dahlias...

 

16 hours ago, CedB said:

Mould it! Mould it! You can't expect us to wait while you're on holiday... the suspense would be unbearable...

I bet you were a nightmare on long journeys as a kid. 

 

6 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Great work on the Buck by the way, you make it look effortless these days.

Purely on account of the quality of advice available from our fellow forum members Johnny. Without that I'd be shamefully concealing a mis-scaled wooden potato from onlookers at this stage.

 

Well, I might still yet, but let's hope not....

6 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

I bet you're looking forward to that holiday no end

Brother you know it! 

 

I really hope you had a  great time yourself?

 

I must take a look later at your thread to see if holiday snaps are available of a bronzed Spadgent giving it the full Club Tropicana poolside!

 

6 hours ago, canberra kid said:

Really good progress Tony, I too am getting all too used to putting things right, but that's all part of the "fun" of a good kit bash,

 

5 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

I am correcting my mistakes all the time.

John, Martian. Thanks for that lads.

 

You know as daft as it sounds, it's only about 18 months after having returned to modelling again that I've fully realized getting a kit 'right' doesn't just mean sticking the pieces together correctly; there's the whole struggle with the intrinsic qualities of different materials, as well as attempting to keep a mental picture of the overall shape and form of the thing in your head, to name but two aspects...that's before you even go anywhere near colour issues.

 

With regards to advice on such matters, I came across this typically pithy phrase by Marcus Aurelius a while back:

 

'To change your mind and defer to correction is not to sacrifice your independence; for such an act is your own, in pursuance of your own impulse..'

 

He's not well-known as a modeller of course, but the sentiment seems appropriate.

 

Right. I've some pics for you but I'll stick these in the next post to avoid a single long screed.

 

 

 

[TheBaron]

Hmmm. The forum must be under siege again as it keeps jumping and giving error messages.

 

Battle-bowlers on and let's see if we can persevere...

 

Having stuck on a balsa patch a couple of nights back, this photo should make clear the necessity:

After some judicious filing and sanding, the profile is returned to match that of the upper fuselage:

You can see that I found it necessary to attach the upper wing to the buck for this part of the undertaking, as it would be far too easy for the likes of me to remove too much in between offerings-up. This way you can keep an eye on profiles the whole time (trying of course not to file off any of the plastic where they meet), particularly as you see here, when we move down the curve to address the side of the aircraft, the need to keep constantly cross-referencing is paramount:

The width (about 48.5mm iirc) is about right now in order to match the main box-part:

Bouncing back and forth between the kit profile and reference photographs, eventually the rear fuselage as far back as the junction with the BT is now looking pretty much sorted on top:

On the photo in the background of the above shot you can see from the changing horizontal curvature just how much the cross-section of the aircraft gradates from rounded on the upper fuselage to more linear on the top of the BT.

 

One problem that has been occupying my thoughts throughout all this is the necessity of keeping all four sets of surfaces square in relation to each other. Especially so for the sloping profile of the BT, which will be so prominent in the completed result. For this a carpenter's square or similar is an absolute must:

You can see from the above shot just how necessary, it terms of identifying particular areas that remain too proud, and making accurate marking of such patches much more precise:

Actually a carpernter's square is a must IMHO for levelling-off the slope as well as measuring it. With a piece of sandpaper wrapped around the metal side, it provides a perfect method of sanding such a shape down to an identical level all the way across horizontally, like so:

Having got the essential upper profile of the BT sorted, it was then on to addressing the difference in curvature where the fuselage and BT meet, as well as the upper curves along each topside, which taper down towards the 'beak' of the BT at the rear:

There's a few places you can see that have picked either up a ding or where a balsa patch has been applied, that need a little filler later:

..but the important thing at this point is to establish symmetry between both sides of the region, as any inaccuracies in contour will leap out at the viewer on the finished aircraft:

That is about as much concentration as I have today folks.

 

A last look then at how it is shaping up against the kit:

Another session dealing with the upper areas you see here is still needed for final shaping, and then moving down the sides to tackle the underneath:

That was quite an intense session today, lots of sustained concentration on three-dimensions but it leaves me feeling much more positive than I have been for the last few days. So far the balsa seems to be an amenable material to shape and I feel after today that I'm getting a better sense of its material qualities now.

 

I had some 1mm sheet delivered during the week and I ordered a couple of 1.5mm sheets yesterday as well in case there are thickness issues at the vacform stage.

 

Expect a lot of tests to get it right.

 

Tony

 

 

 

 

[perdu]

First shot

 

Well we can make predictions can't we?

 

As the practised scratchers in here will likely attest the first one gets it better than the next

 

This doesnt preclude refining and such later and the buck will give you several pieces to practice with but

 

My money (€ cents 50) is on first shot is the charm

 

The buck looks really good and yes it looks as if it can stop

 

Here

 

 

Sorry bad joke day, I'm off in a field in France mentally

 

24 heures du Mans next weekend and I'm there already in my silly head

[71chally]

That's coming on very nicely Tony, getting the shape just so!

 

Hope work cheers up for you, going through the same here and it does knock the stuffing out of you, hopefully a manager will hang at some stage!

 

As mentioned earlier, modelling and this forum can be a real tonic to such maladies!

[Nigel Heath]

Great work on the buck, its really shaping up nicely.

[keefr22]

You won't need kits to stick together properly soon Tony, you'll be scratchbuilding the whole thing!

 

Very nice woodworking there!

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[TonyTiger66]

The profile is looking extremely convincing Tony. Nice careful work there, the use of the set square in sanding is a great tip and aid.

 

I hope this week at work is a little better .

 

By the way; nice comfortable looking seating on your new lawn mower. I imagine a Panama hat would look just the job on the driver .

 

Best regards 

TonyT

[TheBaron]

22 hours ago, perdu said:

First shot

 

Well we can make predictions can't we?

 

As the practised scratchers in here will likely attest the first one gets it better than the next

 

This doesnt preclude refining and such later and the buck will give you several pieces to practice with but

 

My money (€ cents 50) is on first shot is the charm

 

The buck looks really good and yes it looks as if it can stop

 

Here

 

 

Sorry bad joke day, I'm off in a field in France mentally

 

24 heures du Mans next weekend and I'm there already in my silly head

It's purely guesswork on my part, but I surmise that you're favouring an early result here Bill. I could be wrong, but I just get that sense.

Oooh le Mans eh?

 

You driving down?

 

 

 

22 hours ago, 71chally said:

That's coming on very nicely Tony, getting the shape just so!

 

Hope work cheers up for you, going through the same here and it does knock the stuffing out of you, hopefully a manager will hang at some stage!

 

As mentioned earlier, modelling and this forum can be a real tonic to such maladies!

Thanks for that James.

 

Those two shots you added a curve to and posted previously have been brilliant as references - you always seem to come through with just the right sources, every time!

 

And yes, modelling is a tonic to the crudest gin that life attempts to serve you...

 

Hope all is well in your own instance sir.

 

19 hours ago, Nigel Heath said:

Great work on the buck, its really shaping up nicely.

'The Buck' says Hi!

19 hours ago, keefr22 said:

You won't need kits to stick together properly soon Tony, you'll be scratchbuilding the whole thing!

 

Not this time Keithski. But I am plotting something daft for the future....

18 hours ago, TonyTiger66 said:

The profile is looking extremely convincing Tony. Nice careful work there, the use of the set square in sanding is a great tip and aid.

 

I hope this week at work is a little better .

 

By the way; nice comfortable looking seating on your new lawn mower. I imagine a Panama hat would look just the job on the driver .

Thanks for that Tony T!

 

The week's not off to a bad start as it goes, and I hope to get an hour or so on Uncle Buck tomorrow. ( I just know the last part of that sentence = hostage to fortune in this thread...)

 

As to Panama hats, I'm forbidden by Mrs.B to consider such apparel; something to do with retired Majors and letter to the Telegraph in green ink iirc.

 

So it's a toss-up between a Pith Helmet or a Fez from Snooks of Bridport this year then.

 

Tony

 

[CedB]

Tilly hat. I was told you have to have them fitted to make sure they don't blow off (fnaar!) BUT mine is great for the summer days. They also have a lifetime guarantee AND insurance!

Aussie bush hat for the winter.

Panamas reserved for 'the Englishman Abroad' look when wanting to make sure the locals are absolutely sure of one's origins.

 

On 11/06/2017 at 13:44, TheBaron said:

I bet you were a nightmare on long journeys as a kid. 

 

Are we there yet Dad, are we??

 

(When my eldest was about six she asked that question and Mrs B said "We'll be there in two shakes of a Lamb's tail". Lottie then proceeded to say "Shake, shake, baaa" for the next forty minutes. Ah, memories...)

[The Spadgent]

Good wood! 

so much work going into this kid it's going to be awsome.

 

Jont

[TheBaron]

On 6/13/2017 at 6:05 AM, CedB said:

Tilly hat. I was told you have to have them fitted to make sure they don't blow off (fnaar!) BUT mine is great for the summer days. They also have a lifetime guarantee AND insurance!

That range looks most smart Ced. Such things are important to a chap. 

On 6/13/2017 at 6:05 AM, CedB said:

Panamas reserved for 'the Englishman Abroad' look when wanting to make sure the locals are absolutely sure of one's origins.

 

Being singularly prone to 'a touch of the sun', Mrs B ensures I remain well covered-up in cosplay headgear:

That way when we holiday in England, it appears to my countrypersons as if she is being accompanied by an extra from Assassin's Creed...

On 6/13/2017 at 6:05 AM, CedB said:

 

(When my eldest was about six she asked that question and Mrs B said "We'll be there in two shakes of a Lamb's tail". Lottie then proceeded to say "Shake, shake, baaa" for the next forty minutes. Ah, memories...)

That is extremely sweet Ced.

15 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Good wood! 

so much work going into this kid it's going to be awsome.

...or else: ' so little kit going into this work' !

Cheers John. Nice to have you back.

 

Scarcely a glamorous couple of days sanding and shaping so I refrained from posting any pictures until there was anything significant to show you. I think we're at the stage now where the basic shaping and equalizing part of the process is nearly complete:

If you recall the last photo update saw the upper regions at the back taken care of, so the next part of the process was to continue the dinminishing curve on the upper corners down to the 'beak' at the rear, as you can see above.

 

That done, it was time to flip the piece over and work on the (less-drastic) curves to the lower regions. Port:

Starboard:

Again the carpenter's square/sandpaper method was invaluable in reducing and matching profiles between both sides of the aircraft - especially as there was an errant 'hump' on the underside that needed some attention to get right.

 

This part of the process was quite time consuming additionally as with the gentler curves on the undersides:

..it would be easy to get carried away with the file, so restraint was the order of the day.

 

The proof of the pudding is really in the rear aspect view, as any lack of symmetry between either side, or irregularities in the curvature would leap into view:

We're in the final furlong of this process I feel from looking at that. I want to tidy that up some more and add a little filler to some of the repairs, with the intention of a test shot at the weekend.

 

The plan at the moment (have I mentioned this already?) is to split the buck into an upper and lower section for vacforming, so than neither section is higher than 25mm. That's the plan anyway.

 

Thanks for looking.

Tony

 

 

[hendie]

I look at this....

 

1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

 

 

 

 

and I see this....

 

 

 

wot am I doing wrong ?

 

 

[TheBaron]

38 minutes ago, hendie said:

I look at this....

 

 

 

 

and I see this....

 

 

 

wot am I doing wrong ?

 

 

Curses!

 

My Easter Island diorama plan is rumbled.

 

You got me bang to rights!

[Martian]

5 hours ago, hendie said:

I look at this....

 

 

 

 

and I see this....

 

 

 

wot am I doing wrong ?

 

 

I think its time you got yourself a decent optician. Hopefully before you start your next project!

 

Martian