Catching Pictures in the Air

[giemme]

Outstanding job as usual, Tony

Good to know the cutter works on alu tape too 😉 

 

Ciao

[TheBaron]

23 hours ago, hendie said:

I think you've found a niche market opportunity there.

🤔 Hmmm...there's a thought!

Don't forget we're still awaiting the announcement of the @Fritag etch foundry too!

23 hours ago, hendie said:

Who needs PE when you got sticky metal sheet?

Yep. For such features as these PE often looks overscale to me at 1/72 (and sometimes at 1/48!) for surface features such as these in terms of the height of surface relief it yields.

Besides, it robs you of that inward grin that comes from making it yourself doesn't it?  <outward grin emoji>

21 hours ago, CedB said:

BTW the little white plastic gizmo in the Portrait box that the instructions say is the BlueTooth adapter remover is also a thing for taking the end off the blades for cleaning.

Handy video here.

Perfect Ced- most grateful to you for that.

I thought that tool was some kind of New Age bottle opener and left it sitting up on the shelf...

14 hours ago, giemme said:

Outstanding job as usual, Tony

Good to know the cutter works on alu tape too 😉 

Thou sayest the nicest things Giorgio.

I like the cutter.

Did I say I like the cutter?

I do.

I like the cutter...

 

The ability to innovate with it by creating custom solutions on the fly has given me such a sense of freedom now that I wouldn't go back for all the caffeine-based leisure drinks in China. A positive example (I think) of tech such as this complimenting and extending the reach of modellers without threatening valuable traditional skills.

 

Thanks for you comments guys. Nothing forthcoming today I'm afraid - I'm up to my eyes in scheduling a whole year's worth of work for the coming 12 months using Excel which I simultaneously see the usefulness of and yet hate beyond measure. When the way you work doesn't neatly fit into boxes and has multiple layers rather than simple linearity, you just end up writing the equivalent of fiction to keep the bean counters in work.

Elvis has left the shoulders....

 

 

 

[Brandy]

On 6/15/2018 at 10:42 PM, TheBaron said:

 

Fiends coming down from Belfast 

Tony

 

 

Not much to say to that!

Fantastic work on the lights and inspection panels too, that cutter has really come onto its own on this one.

 

Ian

[TheBaron]

On 6/18/2018 at 3:06 PM, limeypilot said:

Fantastic work on the lights and inspection panels too, that cutter has really come onto its own on this one.

Thanks Ian 

The cutter is enormous fun to use - the only tricky bit is working out by trial and error the output setting (for cutting depths &etc.) for various materials. I switched metal foils earlier and found that even a slightly thicker variant than the one I'd been using previously was enough to get all gummed up and shredded. Luckily now that Ced has shown me how to unscrew the blade cover properly I was able to give it a good clean. When cutting out very small shapes from heavily adhesive materials I've found that you need to give the blade a clean with some IPA on a cotton bud every now and again just to remove any adhesive residue, else it's shredded wheat time on your designs....

 

Gosh, Thursday already. Le famille Baron is off on its holiday this time next week so I'm trying to get lots of the smaller detailing jobs done before we go in and around the necessary 'domestics' of getting ready for travel. 

 

Item 1: Lights:

I did these on a tray whilst watching one of the World Cup matches midweek. Usual sanding and micromeshery, though the wing nav lights are so ridiculously small at this scale that you had to keep checking you hadn't sanded them off completely.

Item 2: Seam reinforcements:

You'd seen those little 2.5mmx0.75mm strips before on the cutter output previously. Here  there were 16 to add to this seam on each boom, and 9 on each side at the smaller counterpart back at the tail end:

With all of these foil enhancements I'm painting them with Klear immediately after application in order to stop any of their edges getting rubbed and lifted during subsequent handling.

Item 4. Recesses for flaps:

The the gaps in the sides of the recesses for the outboard flaps (caused by the hollow interior of the wings) were filled with Milliput, then carved and sanded flush. The added bonus was being able to shape the edges exactly to fit the flaps so that they slot in nice and snug which  should help with gluing them on after painting - still the actuators to build of course but at least now they won't be taking all the strain...

Item 5. Nose latches and glidepath antenna:

The recess for the glidepath antennae was gently ground out with a birr in the Archimedes drill. The concave interior was then lined with adhesive foil and filled with CA to form the transparent housing. For the antennae itself I reproduced the detail visible in photographs by simply dropping a piece of black wire into the liquid CA and pushing it to the back with cocktail stick. All you can really see in photos is the horizontal line of the antennae so this seemed a good way to suggest such detail at this scale. After that I used a compass to draw out demarcation lines for the painted nose bands:

These are necessary to give me a datum for drilling out and position both pitots and DF antennae as seen here:

I then used tape to give me a guide for faintly scribing the rearmost of those two lines, which is the seam for the nose fairing:

This was also done to give me a datum as to where to put the latches for the nose fairing:

The latches and metal annulus around the glipepath housing were knocked out quickly on the Silhouette, rubbed flat with a cocktail stick and a wash of Klear to seal.

A little tidying up to do where I'd scratched in guide lines with a needle but once they're smoothed away I now have sufficient visual references on the surface to drill out holes pitots and antennae.

 

Going to be hell of a time masking and painting all that lot when we get to it....

 

I hope you're having a good Thor's day.

 

Tony

 

 

 

[keefr22]

More lovely detail work Tony, those foil embellishments really do look good!

 

Happy summer solstice!

 

Keith

[CJP]

Very interesting techniques & foil work - she's really looking good

CJP

[giemme]

Embarrassingly good!  The foil details are absolutely top notch!

 

Ciao

[Martian]

Progressing well Tony. Clearly you are distressed about leaving the thread while you are on your travels. With that in mind, would you like us to look after it for you?

 

Helpful of Mars 👽

[bigbadbadge]

Very nice indeed Tony.  The lighting is superb  well it is all  superb.  Have a cracking holiday. 

All the best 

Chris 

[TheBaron]

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Happy summer solstice!

And to you Keith! Did yourself and Little T get across to Stonehenge this morning? #nakedsunworship #helpingpolicewithenquiries

3 hours ago, CJP said:

Very interesting techniques & foil work - she's really looking good

 

3 hours ago, giemme said:

 The foil details are absolutely top notch!

Thanks CJ & Giorgio!

At this scale it just seems to fit that no-man's-lands between PE & scribing perfectly as a solution to particular detailing of the airframe.

41 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

With that in ind, would you like us to look after it for you?

After the state you lot got it in last year? (The vicar's only just back from the last round of laser tattoo removal and I'm still finding guacamole in the bagpies.)

Absolutely Martian!

I'll leave the keys in the usual place -

The goat....

 

24 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Very nice indeed Tony.  The lighting is superb  well it is all  superb.  Have a cracking holiday. 

You are too kind, as always Chris. Thank you!

 

I've just been rescribing the various undercarriage doors this evening. The kit is not I think designed with the inflight option in mind, hence the closed fit of the doors is not good and needed quite a lot of filling - having been so conscientious inn doing this however it turned into Britmodeller CSI trying to find the original outlines again!

 

On the plus side a flexishaft for the Dremel arrived this morning and is now attached to the ensemble. I initially thought it wasn't working properly - it was quite slow to begin with -  but had forgotten you need to give them a blast them on high speed for a minute or so to run them in. I went for one with a keyless chuck built-in (which the official Dremel one doesn't have I don't think) as I've quite a collection of odd diameters to contend with in the surgery these days:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Extension-Cord-Flexible-Shaft-with-M8-Keyless-Chuck-for-Dremel-Grinder-Tool/282989970395?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&amp;_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

If you'rethinking of investing in one use a different seller though, this one was in China - not France as they advertised - and it was two weeks late being delivered.

 

A beautiful solsticial evening here. I hope yours is similar.

 

 

[keefr22]

11 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

Did yourself and Little T get across to Stonehenge this morning?

Afraid not Tony, the sun was up long before us two lazy blighters! 

 

K

[CedB]

Lovely work Tony... are you planning to get the paint on before your hols?  

[corsaircorp]

Super job and modelling skills !

Thank you Dear Baron, Don't be afraid so ! We will take care of the goat....

Don't know if Percy will be around this year !

I'm sure that don't want to know what we did with the guacamole.....😂

Whatever, very inspiring job here, lessons learned !

2 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Progressing well Tony. Clearly you are distressed about leaving the thread while you are on your travels. With that in ind, would you like us to look after it for you?

 

Helpful of Mars 👽

Hello Dear Tentacled one,

May I bring some nuns to look after the goat ??

Did you ever tried the Chilli shower Dear Alien ??

Sooo, Take a good time on hols Dear Baron, you and the whole Baron's court !

Sincerely.

CC

[Hamden]

 

Your foil work is superb as is the rest of the build

Have a good holiday we'll see you when you return

 

  Roger

[hendie]

really nice job on those seam reinforcements Tony.  The little strips really set the whole thing off.

 

Still blown away by those cockpit window glazing strips though - if they are in shot, my eyes are immediately drawn to them - in the nicest possible way of course.

 

 

5 hours ago, CedB said:

Lovely work Tony... are you planning to get the paint on before your hols?  

 

tanning lotion ?

 

12 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Going to be hell of a time masking and painting all that lot when we get to it....

 

don't look at me - I hate painting (as exhibited by my stalled Pegasus)

 

 

7 hours ago, TheBaron said:

I'll leave the keys in the usual place -

The goat....

 

which end?

 

 

 

[corsaircorp]

11 hours ago, hendie said:

 

 

 

 

which end?

 

 

 

Just follow the guacamole splats…

Sincerely 😈

CC

[Spookytooth]

Great work Tony, the foil additions well worthy.

 

Have a great holiday with your family.

we will do our best to look after the place while you are away.

 

 

Simon.

[Martian]

8 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

Have a great holiday with your family.

we will do our best to look after the place while you are away.

The cargo bay looks a bit drab considering the work that has gone into it. Perhaps we could all come up with some ideas to brighten it up while Tony is away. Perhaps we could go with a sort of Scottish Baronial theme? I'll start the ball rolling but alternative ideas are more then welcome. I'll get Mrs Martian to organise the dancing girls again and my band The Innuendoes can provide the music free of charge. Any takers to organise the booze and nibbles? We  will need plenty of them as it looks like we will be there some time.

 

 

 

Then again, something different for the  flight deck perhaps? Suggestions to a Martian near you and then we will be ready for when we move in for the party. Someone had better bring some bagpipe cleaner for @hendie's pipes this year.

 

Martian 👽

 

[Spookytooth]

5 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

The cargo bay looks a bit drab considering the work that has gone into it. Perhaps we could all come up with some ideas to brighten it up while Tony is away. Perhaps we could go with a sort of Scottish Baronial theme? I'll start the ball rolling but alternative ideas are more then welcome. I'll get Mrs Martian to organise the dancing girls again and my band The Innuendoes can provide the music free of charge. Any takers to organise the booze and nibbles? We  will need plenty of them as it looks like we will be there some time.

 

 

 

Then again, something different for the  flight deck perhaps? Suggestions to a Martian near you and then we will be ready for when we move in for the party. Someone had better bring some bagpipe cleaner for @hendie's pipes this year.

 

Martian 👽

 

No problems there Martian.

6 crates of ale.

12 bottles wine , red and white.

 

A bucket of chilli, sack of spuds, pizza, unlucky fried kitten.

Crisps, pringles , nuts, and chocolate .

 

That shall do for the first night.

 

Simon.

[Martian]

3 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

No problems there Martian.

6 crates of ale.

12 bottles wine , red and white.

 

A bucket of chilli, sack of spuds, pizza, unlucky fried kitten.

Crisps, pringles , nuts, and chocolate .

 

That shall do for the first night.

 

Simon.

Excellent start, although as a cat lover, I will pass on the fried kitten. Mind you, Atomic Kitten as a warm up act for the Innuendoes might be a plan.

 

Martian 👽

[The Spadgent]

Very nice detail work Tony. Hope you have a nice time away. I’ll try and keep them off the carpets. 😆 

Johnny.

[Martian]

1 hour ago, The Spadgent said:

Very nice detail work Tony. Hope you have a nice time away. I’ll try and keep them off the carpets. 😆 

Johnny.

We're planning to take the carpets out to minimise any mess.

 

Thoughtful of Mars 👽

[TheBaron]

22 hours ago, keefr22 said:

the sun was up long before us two lazy blighters! 

What's the point of sunlight if you can't lie there enjoying it streaming in through the windows of a morning?

There's such a thing as being too busy sometimes ain't there?

21 hours ago, CedB said:

Lovely work Tony... are you planning to get the paint on before your hols?  

Thanks Ced. In short no; I don't think there would be time to paint before leaving for Dorset next Thurs with all the remaining detailing to attend to. It is possible that we might see some primer go on but due to the rather complex masking sequence (not to mention Silhouetting the various masks themselves beforehand ) that I've worked out for the paint combinations, I want to come back to it dedicated n' fresh. Truth is I still get a excited as a kid going away and I wouldn't be fit to concentrate... 😵

20 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

I'm sure that don't want to know what we did with the guacamole

Just remember how much fresh chillies sting you depraved Belgian! 🎇

20 hours ago, Hamden said:

Your foil work is superb as is the rest of the build

Have a good holiday we'll see you when you return

Thanks Roger. Not of til next Thurs so you lot aren't shot of me just yet... 😉

15 hours ago, hendie said:

Still blown away by those cockpit window glazing strips though - if they are in shot, my eyes are immediately drawn to them

Too kind there, far too kind. 👀

It was really just a test of the principle - I think I've worked out some improvements to that technique already for next time...

15 hours ago, hendie said:

which end?

You're as bad as:

3 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

Just follow the guacamole splats…

...that depraved Belgian!  

3 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

we will do our best to look after the place while you are away.

Fear stalks the land....

3 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Perhaps we could all come up with some ideas to brighten it up while Tony is away.

^Cough: I can still hear all this you know, I'm not off until next Thurs! 🤣

3 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Perhaps we could go with a sort of Scottish Baronial theme?

That's all I need to come back to. Bloomin:

The massed kilts of Britmodeller in full flourish...

3 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

That shall do for the first night.

😨

2 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

I’ll try and keep them off the carpets.

Please do Johnny. Else the surviving band members may leave altogether this time:

22 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

We're planning to take the carpets out to minimise any mess.

A Mafia hit? 

Well they were quite erratic creatively but I do think that's going a bit far....

 

Well, as the thread looks like it has only a few days'grace before Sodom & Gomorrah breaks forth I'd best cram in as much as poss. New panel lines at junction of tailplane with insides of booms have been scribed in now:

Quite by accident I found that running a pencil along a line scribed with a sewing-machine needle is good at cleaning it up - presumably the graphite simultaeously acting as a lubricant helps mollify any rough edges to the lines most effectively. You might recall that the kit join sits inward of the boom by about 2mm whereas on the actual aircraft the seam curves up from the leading edge and runs flush along the base of the tail fin. All other main seams on the boom/empennage interfaces received simply needle and pencil treatment too:

Nextly it was on to building the DF antennae that sit either side of the nose on the 'J' variants used on Corona recovery missions. These allowed the aircraft to home in on the radio beacon in the capsule as it fell toward the ocean. Albion tube and rod seems the natural choice but what size:

Gauging various sizes by eye I settled on 0.8mm tube for the horizontal arm and 0.3mm rod for the vertical antennae. Having admired hendie's various tube and rod assemblages over on his West Country Helicopter Extravaganza I decided that an homage involving drilled tubing would give the most realistic representation of them antlers at this scale. I wouldn't have considered such an approach at this scale without the workstation for the Dremel letting me pillar-drill the tubing in such a controlled manner. Prudence dictated a test run first to see if it would work out:

At 0.8mm diamter there was no way that vice was going to hold the brass tubing reliably without slipping or crushing so I resorted to sandwiching it between two ice lolly sticks, which held it perfectly.

Ta-da.

0.3mm rod in 0.8mm tubing works:

Time to mark up the real thing:

You'll have noticed that (going from left) there is a double set of holes three back from the tip. There is a rectangular antennae at that point as opposed to the single 'spines' of the others - too complex to bend and fit at this scaleso I decided to add the verticals only and cap the ends with some fuse wire later. First tube drilled-out:

Right at the last hole of the second antennae I decided to snap my only remaining 0.3mm drill bit so had to drill it out using a 0.5mm bit that nearly sheared the tube. Luckily it just held so I reckoned I could reinforce it again later at the soldering stage.

The Britmodeller I Ching :

Hopefully that's an ideogram for 'Divine Success'...

All 'spines' slotted in, levelled-up and taped down for soldering:

Quite straightforward to solder and not much in the cleaning up department:

Another little 'discovery' was that the broken stumps of drill small bits make a most precise and excellent tool for grinding away excess solder in difficult to get at areas like those between the spines. Followed by a square needle file, the clean-up took about 10 minutes with no snaps or breaks. 

 

I've the pitots to do tomorrow though they will be much simpler, thence some tricking drilling into the curves of the nose fairing for a test fit.

 

Off to knock up some Thai Fish Curry with Roti breads. The beautiful evening seems to demand something delicate and flavoursome.

More over the weekend you mutinous Jacobites.

Tony

 

 

 

 

[Martian]

Mutinous? Us? I never heard such a thing! Next Thursday will be fine, it will give us more time to lay our plans. Nice work on those aerials.

 

Martian 👽

[giemme]

Top job on the antennae, Tony

 

Interesting tip about the pencil clean up for scribed lines. I normally go with an old fine brush slightly dipped in Tamiya Green Cap, but I shall give your method I try...

 

Ciao