Phantom FG1, XT597, 25th Anniversary Scheme - Nose Fit

[Steve Coombs]

So here I am, turning one of Airfix' 1:72 scale Phantom FG1s into the A&AEE beauty from 1983 celebrating 25 years of the Phantom in UK service, and have just installed the Freightdog Doppler nose. It's a beautiful casting, but it has sprung the kit fuselage ahead of the windshield by a couple of millimetres (I wick Tamiya Extra Thin along the jointline as I push parts together, which is usually a strong enough bond but evidently not so here).

What I would like to know is:

• Is the replacement nose slightly too large?
• Am I too ham-fisted for the conversion?
• Is it a combination of the above?

My immediate reaction is to fill the gap (there was a seam that definitely needed cleaning up in any case) and then carefully fair in the upper nose decking of the windshield when the time comes.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, and if so, what did you do about it?

[Troffa]

I don't have either the kit or the Doppler nose, but "a couple of millimetres" gap on a 1/72 seam sounds a bit excessive to me, so I have the following questions:

 

1. Does the outer dimension of the resin Radome match the Outer dimension of the Airfix forward fuselage?  I'm guessing it does, as Freightdog have been at this for a while. If so, and assuming the part is designed specifically for the Airfix kit:

 

2. Have you trimmed/ cut/ removed any of the pour stub from the blunt end of the resin radome?  That would be standard practice for Resin Parts as these are not part of the moulding and can be quite irregularly shaped. 

I have found a photo of the part online, and it appears that the pour stub might be flared at it's rear, and narrows towards the radome itself, where there is a ring in the casting, just at the circumference of radome boundary that looks almost like a grommet to me. 

If the pour stub is too large for the internal diameter of the airfix forward fuselage (as I suspect it is) and is fouling the kit parts,  you will need to trim/ remove some material from the part and perhaps thin the walls of the airfix parts as well, until you get a good fit with no gap at the upper seam. A good razor saw would do the trick on the radome.

 

Just be careful with the cutting / trimming of any resin  parts, the dust can be quite nasty dependent on its constituent parts, and inhalation / ingestion is not recommended. 

 

Edit: And You can always contact Freightdog directly and ask how their part is designed to be used, they are the experts in this case!  (Contact details in the link below)

 

Good luck!

 

troffa

 

 

Here is a link to the part for any interested parties:

 

Freightdog Resin Nose

[Steve Coombs]

I cut off the pour stub with a razor saw, leaving just the ring that looks like a grommet as a plug to fit into the forward fuselage. Otherwise, the nose would be a butt join and susceptible to alignment problems.

The grommet ring is a perfect fit, that is, there is no external step at all between the forward fuselage and the new nose cone - the outer dimensions match excellently. All but for where it popped a seam.

Never mind. I have filled the gap and it all looks good. When the time comes, I shall check the fit of the windshield (my build will have open canopies, so there are multiple transparencies) and react accordingly.

I wondered if anyone had experienced the same issue, and the answer looks like not yet!