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1/48 SAAF Cheetah C "Spotty"


mitchem

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Fancy that ! I was so busy thinking about what to build next that I missed the start of the GB - doesn't bode well........

 

I'm going to have a go at building a Cheetah C using the Heller Mirage C/B as a base with the Spinners Scaleworx resin conversion, and topped with the markings for "Spotty". Here are the components :

 

re1j0nn.jpg

 

For those of you who want to know what's inside the Heller Mirage III C/B box, feel free to have a look at my previous build of the Cheetah D

 

Contents of the Resin Conversion kit :

 

pZb19Ax.jpg

 

...and the pretty comprehensive decal sheet from MAV Decals :

 

5I4wa2X.jpg

 

(What the hell have I let myself in for !?)

 

mike

 

 

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Nice to see another variation on the Mirage theme even if the real thing does try to make the elegant IIICZ look ugly (something it doesn't quite succeed in doing mind).

 

I'm also glad to see that particular colour scheme, good luck with it, hope your eyesight doesn't suffer as a consequence).

 

I like your previous Cheetah D, you've set yourself a high standard to follow!

 

Welcome to the GB.

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...and we're off !

 

Same procedure as the D - starting with the wings. Top side has been rescribed and the necessary plastic has been removed to make way for the resin replacements. Not too worried about any sloppy rescribing as it will hopefully all be buried under spots :

 

35700908835_403f078750_b.jpg

 

One of the good things about having done the D conversion is that I've managed to learn from my mistakes. I remember having a devil of a job trying to blend the top of the wing into the fuselage sides after gluing the wheel well walls to the top wing. This time I've inserted a stub on either side to raise the wing surface to match the fuselage. I should be able to eliminate the gaps in the wheel well walls with plastic card at a later stage :

 

4wFcVGS.jpg

 

 

Regards

 

mike

 

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Good start Mike, it's damn useful learning from your previous mistakes (although some people never learn).

 

Looking forward to this spotty devil coming to fruition.

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Nice start with this conversion. I went to Louis Trichardt AFB on detachment in 1997, but unfortunately this aircraft had been repainted. Mind you we did get the Sqn sign as a gizzit.

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1 minute ago, Jabba said:

Nice start with this conversion. I went to Louis Trichardt AFB on detachment in 1997, but unfortunately this aircraft had been repainted. Mind you we did get the Sqn sign as a gizzit.

 

Spotty is in the SA Air Force Museum in Pretoria isnt it?

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Ray set the bar rather high with the re-scribing job on his Mirage build, so I've had to pull out the stops with mine.

 

My Cheetah now has teeth.......dog's teeth on the wing leading edges to be precise as the resin implants have been fitted into the wings and faired in.

 

xQKcFtVl.jpg

 

The re-scribing on the top surface has been polished up again and the next job is to start work on the lower surfaces - re-scribing the surfaces and drilling out the all of the scoops.

Before that, I took the opportunity to fit the dry-fit the fuselage halves to the wings to see if my cunning plan had worked............

 

cFwojaVl.jpg

 

Until next time.

 

mike

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Not much progress this week....been fiddling around with the undersurfaces :

 

u3rI9hkl.jpg

 

  • drilled out all of the scoops and gun troughs.
  • added navigation lights on the wing extension edges (and then painted over them with primer....)
  • added the elevon hinges.

Reckon I should be able to start work on the fuselage halves this week - fingers crossed.

 

mike

 

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One of the nice things about the Heller kit is that the plastic is relatively soft, so chopping and scribing isn't too hard. As a result, I've made headway with this week's work already !

  • started re-scribing the fuselage halves
  • filleted the fin
  • removed the rear of the fuselage to make way for the resin replacement

 

puDQMtAl.jpg

 

  • taped the fuselage halves together and dry-fitted them to the wings

 

kFu5Wl2l.jpg

 

So far, so good.

 

mike

 

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Nice progress Mike :thumbsup:

 

I found the plastic soft and managed to destroy or damage most of the scoops (after I had previously drilled them out) with some errant sanding, so I will have to replace a couple under the wings.

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On 7/21/2017 at 1:28 AM, TrojanThunder said:

I found the plastic soft and managed to destroy or damage most of the scoops (after I had previously drilled them out) with some errant sanding.

 

Thanks for the warning Ray - I'll keep an eye on them.

 

I've now managed to finish the scribing on the fuselage halves and I've joined them together. Spacers have been inserted into the fuselage halves to ensure they meet the wings and eliminate any need to go wild with filler and sandpaper. So Far, so good.

 

.......and then I went wild by taping the exhaust on and dry-fitting the resin nose and cockpit !

 

uu5Xgtql.jpg

 

Beginning to look like a Cheetah C but I'm getting ahead of myself ! Need to put the resin goodies back in the box and take it one step at a time. (The longer I can put off the paint job, the better !)

 

mike

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  • 1 month later...

Looking really good Mike. I like the way that you have dealt with the wing/fuselage joints (certainly going to put that technique in the back of my mind for my next one). 

 

Looks like this is going to turn into one very hot ship :thumbsup:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Summer holidays are over and I can't remember where I left my mojo. That and a number of derelict builds lying around has meant that everything has been sitting around gathering dust. In an effort to get going again, I've pulled the Cheetah off the shelf and carried on with the joints. The good news is that the planning paid dividends with the wing / fuselage joints and they required very little clean-up and a minimum of Mr Surfacer.

 

IEoECXel.jpg

 

Of course, this left massive gaps in the wheel wells which needed "boarding up" with plastic card. I made an effort to take more care this time and I'm pleased with the results :

 

AMkf3wml.jpg

 

The ventral fairing has been added, but this needs a bit more work. I've also drilled out the cannon troughs - the idea is to use brass tube for the cannons :

 

UfWkWxdl.jpg

 

Moving my attention to the front of the fuselage, the conversion was one of the original Spinners conversion kits and I'm sure that some of the moulding isn't as as sharp as the later Scaleworx versions ?

 

I'm not sure what this is meant to be, or even what shape it should be ?

 

Y8DtA7fl.jpg

 

I'm toying around with the idea of scratchbuilding a replacement but the jury is still out on this. If anyone has any ideas (or photos), please feel free to share your thoughts.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

mike

 

 

 

 

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