John Thompson Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said: I've been sanding the trailing edges quite a bit too in an attempt to reduce their thickness, without much luck so far. Get you a Dremel Mototool, or even a cheap imitation one. That'll whip those trailing edges into shape right pronto; just be careful not to grind away too much! John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 21 minutes ago, John Thompson said: Get you a Dremel Mototool, or even a cheap imitation one. That'll whip those trailing edges into shape right pronto; just be careful not to grind away too much! John A darned good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 23 minutes ago, 352nd Fighter Group said: Meatbox8 if your saying the Wing join is bad I will pass on the Airfix Tempest V I might go for the KP kit Certainly mine seems to be. It could, of course, just be me and my modelling skills (or lack thereof) but that particular part of the construction is pretty straightforward and I have followed the instructions to the letter. It is sort of getting there, albeit after plenty of elbow grease, but I'm finding it difficult to get the port leading edges to close up without a gap. Starboard isn't so bad but with both wings there is a gap between the two cannons which will be a little tricky to fill and sand. I sanded the pieces C13 and C14, which are the cannon interior parts, almost down to nothingness but it doesn't seem to have helped. I think filling and sanding will be the only way to resolve the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Ah, Airfix. You can always rely on them to snatch defeat away from the jaws of victory. 4 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 18 minutes ago, lasermonkey said: Ah, Airfix. You can always rely on them to snatch defeat away from the jaws of victory. Indeed, although the kit certainly isn't unbuildable (so far) by any means. Sometimes I think they just over-engineer their kits which can leasd to issues. Their Blenheim kits are a good example of that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 the Typhoon (72nd) was the same - but very nice when built up. No colour call-outs for the gear bay on the instruction sheet. The Hendon Tempest's is green - does that sound right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, FalkeEins said: the Typhoon (72nd) was the same - but very nice when built up. No colour call-outs for the gear bay on the instruction sheet. The Hendon Tempest's is green - does that sound right? I’d guess painted aluminium, but…. Edited March 17, 2022 by Dave Fleming 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ththtttu7 Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 On 3/13/2022 at 8:52 PM, Meatbox8 said: Certainly mine seems to be. It could, of course, just be me and my modelling skills (or lack thereof) but that particular part of the construction is pretty straightforward and I have followed the instructions to the letter. It is sort of getting there, albeit after plenty of elbow grease, but I'm finding it difficult to get the port leading edges to close up without a gap. Starboard isn't so bad but with both wings there is a gap between the two cannons which will be a little tricky to fill and sand. I sanded the pieces C13 and C14, which are the cannon interior parts, almost down to nothingness but it doesn't seem to have helped. I think filling and sanding will be the only way to resolve the issue. I'm pleased to say that mine has gone together well. Scheme B for this one. I will making a second one as a TT5. I bet there will be a future boxing in this scheme, as I'm sure the Hendon Tempest must have been scanned in its design. Colour-wise, this would be a good addition to the range 😎 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 3 hours ago, David A Collins said: I will making a second one as a TT5. I bet there will be a future boxing in this scheme, as I'm sure the Hendon Tempest must have been scanned in its design. Colour-wise, this would be a good addition to the range 😎 walking around hangars 3/4/5 on Sunday I was struck by how many of the airframes there are Airfix new tools ( only the B-24, P-47 and Hudson to go). Here's Hendon's TT5.. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 On 3/13/2022 at 7:29 PM, Meatbox8 said: Hmmm. Made a start on mine tonight and have had to spend a lot of time sanding the upper and lower wing. The fit is not great. The problem seems to be the wheel well walls which prevent the wings from closing up cleanly. ...wonder what's happened there then. Admittedly I haven't put the cannon inserts in yet (or the cockpit) but a quick dry-fit shows mine just clips together neatly enough. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 On 13/03/2022 at 19:29, Meatbox8 said: I've been sanding the trailing edges quite a bit too in an attempt to reduce their thickness, without much luck so far. a really good tool for this is a woodworking gooseneck scraper, I have found them very useful thinning edges, work say 1-2mm in from the edge using a curved part, as it removes material quickly, and then go easy for the final thinning. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152843325908 No connection, just the cheapest one posted . HTH 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 On 3/17/2022 at 1:49 PM, FalkeEins said: ...wonder what's happened there then. Admittedly I haven't put the cannon inserts in yet (or the cockpit) but a quick dry-fit shows mine just clips together neatly enough. Could just be me then although, as mentioned earlier, I followed the instrucitons by the letter. A number of modern Airfix toolings I have built have had very tight tolerances, a case in point being the 1/72 Benheim. When I built the Mk 1 I had to tear out much of the parts between the wings, principally the spars, to get the wings to even remotely fit, whilst with the Mk IV, which has exactly the same parts, fitted perfectly. I don't think it is the cannon parts which are the problem with mine as I have sanded and filed down the internal points practicality to nothingness without it making any difference. Anyway, the wings are together now but I needed to use a substantial amount of filler to close up the leading edges. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishplanebeer Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 Mr Hobby liquid putty is ideal to fill in any awkward and small gaps around the cannon barrels as it flows nicely and can be slowly built up in layers to get a nice flush join. I used it recently to get an aftermarket carb intake to lie flush on the cowling of my Bf109F and it seemed to work really well. As for using a Dremel or similar it's important that it has a low/slow rpm setting as in general the speeds offered are too high for grinding soft plastic with any degree of precision . Regards Colin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 26 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said: Could just be me then although, as mentioned earlier, I followed the instrucitons by the letter. A number of modern Airfix toolings I have built have had very tight tolerances, a case in point being the 1/72 Benheim. When I built the Mk 1 I had to tear out much of the parts between the wings, principally the spars, to get the wings to even remotely fit, whilst with the Mk IV, which has exactly the same parts, fitted perfectly. I don't think it is the cannon parts which are the problem with mine as I have sanded and filed down the internal points practicality to nothingness without it making any difference. Anyway, the wings are together now but I needed to use a substantial amount of filler to close up the leading edges. I wonder if it has anything to do with the shortcrust pastry* that Airfix uses in lieu of plastic. Simultaneously soft and brittle (seriously, how on earth do you do that?) and prone to coming out of the mould in varying sizes. I can't think of another manufacturer that has those kind of issues. *I am prone to exaggeration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ththtttu7 Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 7 minutes ago, lasermonkey said: I wonder if it has anything to do with the shortcrust pastry* that Airfix uses in lieu of plastic. Simultaneously soft and brittle (seriously, how on earth do you do that?) and prone to coming out of the mould in varying sizes. I can't think of another manufacturer that has those kind of issues. *I am prone to exaggeration. Hi lasermonkey, Brittleness can occur in any plastic in my experience, if it's a result of a knit line/cold-shut. The hot plastic flows around the mould in the thicker passages that form the sprue. Each part usually has 2+ tabs joining it to the sprue. Imagine two flows of hot plastic meeting again once they have travelled around the mould innards. In the time it takes from the injection point until it is completely full, the plastic cools. If fill pressure or temperatures are slightly off, it can result in a cold-shut where the plastic has not fused together correctly, hence apparent brittleness. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWFK10 Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 3 hours ago, Meatbox8 said: Could just be me then although, as mentioned earlier, I followed the instrucitons by the letter. A number of modern Airfix toolings I have built have had very tight tolerances, a case in point being the 1/72 Blenheim. When I built the Mk 1 I had to tear out much of the parts between the wings, principally the spars, to get the wings to even remotely fit. I don't know about the Tempest but the problem with the Blenheim I certainly wasn't just you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 3 hours ago, Meatbox8 said: A number of modern Airfix toolings I have built have had very tight tolerances, a case in point being the 1/72 Benheim. ..built two of 'em. Still have nightmares. Couldn't even get the fuselage halves of the Jet Provost together, also wrestling with the P-51 (48th) currently while others have had no issues.. I did manage to finish the Swordfish without filler ..and so far so good on the Tempest.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 3 hours ago, FalkeEins said: ..built two of 'em. Still have nightmares. Couldn't even get the fuselage halves of the Jet Provost together, also wrestling with the P-51 (48th) currently while others have had no issues.. I did manage to finish the Swordfish without filler ..and so far so good on the Tempest.. And yet my Provost went together without issues if I remember correctly. It's a weird thing. Is the plastic which Airfix use prone to distortion I wonder? It is pretty different to most other manufacturers' mixes that I have built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishplanebeer Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Can't say I've had any issues with the plastic in Airfix kits so far as all have gone together quite nicely although admittedly I haven't made that many of late. However I do have issues with my current 72nd scale Eduard Hellcat where the fuselage and cowling joints are most unsatisfactory, so maybe it's just one of those things that can happen to any manufacturer during volume production? Regards Colin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 2 hours ago, Meatbox8 said: And yet my Provost went together without issues if I remember correctly. It's a weird thing. Is the plastic which Airfix use prone to distortion I wonder? It is pretty different to most other manufacturers' mixes that I have built. I'm convinced it is. My first encounter with Airfix's awful plastic was when I bought four of the (then) hot off the press 1/72 Spitfire Mk Is. Of those, two went together very well, two didn't, and I built them all at the same time. Since then, I've built Airfix kits that have gone together flawlessly when others have had a terrible time with them and vice-versa. When I started my B-17G, I noticed that the Cheyenne tail turret parts were undersized, leaving a 1mm step on the underside. It was like that on both of my two B-17s. Other people have found the same issue, when others have the same parts that are correctly sized. I don't know anything about the injection moulding process, but I can only surmise that something is going awry as the frames are taken out of the moulds, with some parts contracting. It's bloomin' frustrating! Anyway, my Tempest should be arriving any day now and I might start it right away. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptmvarsityfan Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Generally found recent Airfix kits to be very good but I did have severe problems with the 1/72 Tiger Moths, the struts kept breaking and often were broken on the sprues. As mentioned above the plastic was both soft and brittle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 My Tempest arrived this afternoon and I couldn’t help but start it. First impressions are favourable. The plastic isn’t as “biscuity” as it has been of late and some of the parts are very fine. The trailing edges are pretty shocking though. I’m in the process of thinning those down. I just wish Airfix would be a bit more consistent in their approach to finesse. It’s almost like they get so far into a kit and then get bored. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Some Tempest info: https://www.hawkertempest.se/ Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 I think I have the trailing edges thinned down enough now. I recommend a single-sided razor blade for scraping away the plastic from the inside of the wing, even though it’s quite messy! Dry fitting has been encouraging. The radiator assembly may need sanding down a touch, as the fuselage halves seemed reluctant to close around it. I was very impressed with the lower wing to fuselage fit. It’s quite ingenious. I wonder whether it will be so good once the wing halves are glued together. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 haven't had any issues. But just try getting part A4 (stage 12) over the gunsight. I couldn't do it with the sight in situ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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