Brandy Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 Well folks, despite my best efforts I have caved in to the Vac form and resin kit builders new group build and I will be starting the Scaleplanes RAF FE8 kit which was one of the first vacs I added to my stash. I have some after market goodies in the form of a SmallStuff Monosoupape engine and Aeroclub prop which although slightly too large is at least the correct pitch for a pusher and can be filed down, and a Miniworld Lewis gun. Wheels and national markings/serial have been sourced from the spares stash. The only issue is how I will do the number on the nacelle as I have no decals that will do the job. I'll sort that out when I come to it, and it will be less of a problem than figuring out how to do the tail framing! At least this should keep @pheonix happy! Here's what I have to be going on with: Did I mention how tiny it is? I spent this afternoon scaling up the plans from the Datafile (why are the profiles and plan view different sizes? They are not to any particular scale either!) and sourcing the bits I needed. The last act of today was to outline the parts to be removed. Oh well, here we go..... Ian 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 An interesting type I'll follow along if I may Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 This looks like a highly interesting project. It is our Galactic pleasure that you proceed forthwith. Martian 👽 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 I’ll follow along Ian if I may to see what these vac forms are all about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, CedB said: I’ll follow along Ian if I may to see what these vac forms are all about. What he said. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Great idea Ian ! I'll take a seat at the bar if you don't mind it. The framing look interesting... to say the least... Better you than me ... No Dear Alien, I never again promised to behave Sincerely. CC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 (edited) I too shall follow. I need an FE8 in my collection, now I do have a DH2 kit in my stash ( Eduards I think)which isn’t a million miles away. But even as a kit it looks a little bit scary. Edited March 1, 2020 by Marklo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franky boy Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Great stuff Ian. It’s good to see a vac form being built. Will watch with interest. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 Welcome aboard everyone! @Marklo I too have the Eduard DH2 and I was planning on doing that as my first pusher, but apparently my plans have changed! Since we have some vacform "newbies" here, I'll start at the start! First thing then, is removing the parts from the sheet. You will have noticed in my previous post I had outlined the parts with a black marker. Next step is to break them out, literally! I usually start by using scissors to cut the sheet into sections, each containing a part. Then using a knife blade, score around each part, but not too close. The plastic can then be bent and snapped off. leaving you with this I then score again, carefully right along the edge of the parts. This is why I said not to go too close last time. If you left enough, you can grab the excess with a pair of pliers and bend it away, again snapping it off cleanly. If you prefer you can omit the first snapping out part, but I prefer to work with gradually smaller pieces rather than trying to bite it all off at once, it gives me better control over what I'm doing. That left me with this The wing undersides look like this Don't worry, it's all going to be sanded off! That's why I drew the black lines earlier So that I can see how far back I have to sand them! Not too important on the wings as I will just sand to the correct thickness which, on the trailing edges, will be much thinner than that line. But on other parts it's critical. If the kit is made correctly! Fortunately I checked the fuselage nacelle before I sanded it down... It's actually the correct width without sanding, so that means it's going to be awkward and probably need filler! After sanding the wings down, I checked them against the plans Not too good! The trailing edges need extending, as do the tips, and the centre cutout on the lower wings is the wrong shape, although it's too small so could be cut back. It looks as though I'm going to have to make a set of wings too, so this kit will basically consist of the fuselage nacelle, suitably corrected, and a bunch of scratchbuilt and aftermarket parts! Oh well, good job I didn't pay for it! My printer died this morning too, so I need to buy another one! I guess I'll have to use the one at work for now! Thanks for looking in! Ian 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendie Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 this should be interesting. I'll tag along if you don't mind Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 It's been donkeys since I built a vacform, so I'll be watching like a noobie too Ian - do they still make the things?! Last one I started was a 1/144 Welsh Models BAe Hawk - I remember I'd cut out and sanded all the parts before I put them away somewhere. I probably wouldn't be able to see them now even if I could find them! 18 hours ago, CedB said: I’ll follow along Ian if I may to see what these vac forms are all about. Whatever you do Ian don't show him all the special tools you'll have to use....... 🤣 Keith 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 (edited) I have a contrail zeppelin stakken next staring at me from the depths of my stash, perhaps someday. It’s probably been 30 years since I built a vac form ( a halberstadt I think) although technically my home brewed pfalz, snark( still in progress) and horsa were vac formed. Edited March 1, 2020 by Marklo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Really enjoying the step by step Ian, thanks very much. I thought vacform kits were hard. It’s not very often I’m wrong. And I was right again. Do the plans come with the kit of do you have to source them elsewhere? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, hendie said: this should be interesting. I'll tag along if you don't mind Ian Please do Alan, glad to have you along for the ride! 2 hours ago, keefr22 said: It's been donkeys since I built a vacform, so I'll be watching like a noobie too Ian - do they still make the things?! Last one I started was a 1/144 Welsh Models BAe Hawk - I remember I'd cut out and sanded all the parts before I put them away somewhere. I probably wouldn't be able to see them now even if I could find them! Whatever you do Ian don't show him all the special tools you'll have to use....... 🤣 Keith After Ced's tools made @Martian Hale sick I promise I will never flaunt my special tools online! 2 hours ago, Marklo said: I have a contrail zeppelin stakken next staring at me from the depths of my stash, perhaps someday. It’s probably been 30 years since I built a vac form ( a halberstadt I think) although technically my home brewed pfalz, snark( still in progress) and horsa were vac formed. Good luck with that one Marklo! I have the Roden one, that's enough of a challenge! 29 minutes ago, CedB said: Really enjoying the step by step Ian, thanks very much. I thought vacform kits were hard. It’s not very often I’m wrong. And I was right again. Do the plans come with the kit of do you have to source them elsewhere? You were wrong! What's hard about cutting bits out from a plastic sheet? I inherited this "kit" and got no instructions with it, but it appears that I won't need them anyway, since most of it will be scratch built! I have a rather large stash of vacs, and prefer them to injection kits to be honest, simply because it means I actually have to create something myself, instead of just sticking it together and painting it! You are getting very close to the "dark side" with the improvements you're making to the Skeeter......I'll be waiting! Ian Edited March 1, 2020 by limeypilot 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 8 minutes ago, limeypilot said: Good luck with that one Marklo! I have the Roden one, that's enough of a challenge! My gut feeling is it will never see the light of day. But I am slowly angling towards a scratch build in 1/144. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 12 minutes ago, limeypilot said: You were wrong! What's hard about cutting bits out from a plastic sheet? Indeed, it sounds easy, doesn't it? I'm in because I recently became the latest custodian of a Contrail Saro Lerwick. I like to think I will actually build it one day, and I'm up for any and all sorts of tips on how to put such things together. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 On 2/29/2020 at 7:16 PM, limeypilot said: Well folks, despite my best efforts I have caved in to the Vac form and resin kit builders new group build and I will be starting the Scaleplanes RAF FE8 kit which was one of the first vacs I added to my stash. It's a desease, I tell you. Once started you'll want to build more 😆 Having some vacs in my stash as well I hope you don't mind if I take a seat. 1 hour ago, limeypilot said: I have a rather large stash of vacs, and prefer them to injection kits to be honest, simply because it means I actually have to create something myself, instead of just sticking it together and painting it! Amen. Sometimes one needs a challenge to hone one's skills. Most of my kits are short run and it helped my modelling skills a lot (although a troublefree Tamiya kit from time to time is nice too). Markus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Although I've done two or three vacs, it was a long time ago so I'll be using your build as a refresher and hoping to pick up some tips along the way. Got several in the stash, just need a little encouragement that I'm sure you will provide. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 4 hours ago, limeypilot said: After Ced's tools made @Martian Hale sick I promise I will never flaunt my special tools online! To the relief of just about everybody! Not sure about @general melchett though. Martian 👽 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Interesting subject Ian. Always nice to watch vacform work/ scratch building. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 19 hours ago, limeypilot said: this kit will basically consist of the fuselage nacelle, suitably corrected, and a bunch of scratchbuilt and aftermarket parts! Look on the bright side, Ian: the stabiliser and fin might be correctly shaped and, if you’re really lucky, correctly sized... I saw one of these for sale online the other day, but now I’m no longer even remotely tempted! This will be interesting to watch. Note to self: must get on with my stalled Vildebeest vacform, as soon as I’ve finished my scratchbuilt Avocet. Jon PS. PC/OPC with PBN qual done; line check this week. No rest for the wicked! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Quote After Ced's tools made Martian Hale sick I promise I will never flaunt my special tools online! To the relief of just about everybody! Not sure about general melchett though. Sounds right up my alley! Nice to see someone else having a swipe at vacs....good start, that man. All of which reminds me to insist that Darling insists, broached in the strongest terms possible, that I finish the Overstrand, Skeeter and Avro Bison, before the turn of the century, agreement on a favourable fisheries policy with the EU or onset of the new Ice Age, whichever is the sooner. 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 On 2/29/2020 at 6:16 PM, limeypilot said: I spent this afternoon scaling up the plans from the Datafile (why are the profiles and plan view different sizes? They are not to any particular scale either!) Printing error - I got a properly scaled photocopy from Albatros. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 2, 2020 Author Share Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) 18 hours ago, Marklo said: My gut feeling is it will never see the light of day. But I am slowly angling towards a scratch build in 1/144. At least it should fit o the shelf! 18 hours ago, Heather Kay said: Indeed, it sounds easy, doesn't it? I'm in because I recently became the latest custodian of a Contrail Saro Lerwick. I like to think I will actually build it one day, and I'm up for any and all sorts of tips on how to put such things together. That WAS the easy part... I hope the Lerwick is more accurate! 17 hours ago, Shorty84 said: . Sometimes one needs a challenge to hone one's skills. Most of my kits are short run and it helped my modelling skills a lot (although a troublefree Tamiya kit from time to time is nice too). Markus This is certainly going to be interesting Markus, I wouldn't recommend it as a first vac for anyone! 17 hours ago, mackem01 said: Although I've done two or three vacs, it was a long time ago so I'll be using your build as a refresher and hoping to pick up some tips along the way. Got several in the stash, just need a little encouragement that I'm sure you will provide. The way this is going it's likely to put people off them rather than encourage them, but I'm having fun, so all's good! 5 hours ago, Courageous said: Interesting subject Ian. Always nice to watch vacform work/ scratch building. Stuart Probably more of the latter Stuart! 5 hours ago, Jonners said: Look on the bright side, Ian: the stabiliser and fin might be correctly shaped and, if you’re really lucky, correctly sized... I saw one of these for sale online the other day, but now I’m no longer even remotely tempted! This will be interesting to watch. Note to self: must get on with my stalled Vildebeest vacform, as soon as I’ve finished my scratchbuilt Avocet. Jon PS. PC/OPC with PBN qual done; line check this week. No rest for the wicked! No chance! I never use the fin and stab from vacs, I make my own from sheet stock! Have fun with the line check, at least you only do this stuff twice a year! I must admit though it's much more fun when you do it regularly and get used to the routine! 3 hours ago, general melchett said: Sounds right up my alley! I do hope you aren't referring to Ced's tool! 25 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said: Printing error - I got a properly scaled photocopy from Albatros. Good to know, although I have them the right size now so not needed. It's getting busy in here! Welcome all! On with the latest installment of "Tales from the Table Top". Part 3: The Sorry Saga of a Scaleplanes Vac" When we last saw the FE8 she was feeling very sorry for herself. Methinks it was an inferiority complex caused in part by having undersized parts. Understandable! To remedy that, some minor surgery was required. The first step being to sand off the edges where extensions were needed to give a flat joint surface. The areas needing attention were the trailing edges and tips of all 3 wings. Once that was taken care of, strips of .020" x .060" were added to the trailing edges, and .030" x .100" to the tips. Huh? I've seen people mention it in the past but that's the first time I've had a post posted without clicking on "save"! That was done last night, and some Mr Dissolved putty added to the joints. This morning I started sanding them down. First I tackled the lower wings, the inner trailing edges were cut back to the correct positions and the new edges shaped. One done To make sure they match, I marked the second one using the first as a template. That, and the upper wing, were then treated the same way. Since the parts also have a concave underside, usually perfect for an early aircraft but unfortunately not this one, I did a skim of Milliput fine. It was rolled out into a thin sausage and stuck on, the flattened out using plenty of water, before finally using a scrap piece of thick plastic sheet, chamfered to an edge, as a scraper, again with water to smooth it out and level it off. It's a very messy process and difficult to see how well it worked. Hopefully it will be ok and i can always finish it off with PPP now that I have a solid base to accept the strut pins later. The wings now look much better and the span is acceptable top and bottom. On to the nacelle. Again the kit part is not good. The front end is too low, the cockpit opening is too low, and the cockpit sides are too vertical. Apart from that it's not too bad! Sort of like this This is how the cockpit should be and this is what we get You'll see I've already added some Mr Dissolved Putty to help with the adjustment. That was before I though it through. The first issue was to correct the nose. After pondering a while I settled for cutting it and bending it up. I made a small cut either side, forward of the cockpit and inserted small spacers. Here's the cut on one side Bent upwards Much better! and with the spacers glued in, it was held in place with dolls house pegs. The gaps have been filled with more Mr Dissolved Putty and they have been set aside to set over night. One final pair of shots to show the corrected wings over the plans. Oh look, it's Happy Hour! Time for a beer. Thanks for looking in everyone, have a great evening! Ian Edited March 2, 2020 by limeypilot Posted by itself! 20 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, limeypilot said: I hope the Lerwick is more accurate! I don’t think it’s far off. I found someone who actually built a model from the kit, and it looked okay to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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