jackroadkill Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Your scratch-built details really set the cockpit off well, sir. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Thats very nice work Alex, you really are giving the old Monogram kit a very nice upgrade, I especially like the engine faces you have made, superb.👍 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Echoing Craig's words above, those engine fronts really are fantastic James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Excellent work there Alex, with some very fine detail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted August 28, 2022 Author Share Posted August 28, 2022 (edited) G'day again Chums,a little progress to show. Jack,Craig,James,Robert,thanks chaps it's much appreciated. The intake trunking had a coat of grey paint,the only reference I could find to the colour was here http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/205865-f-5ef-intake-colour/ .The engine fronts have been glued in with no real struggles. The canopy seems to be happy,just a spot of joint concealment to be done. The AFV Club front arch frame has been fixed into place using a drop of Klear.It falls a touch short but nothing serious. The gun troughs were painted silver,it seemed like a good thing to do but guess who's subsequently realised that the whole area is going to be the matt black anti glare panel . The gun barrels were de-part lined and the ends drilled out.These were then glued into place in the fuselage. I've done all the structural stuff that I'm going to do on the cockpit area.It's a minefield of boxes and electrical gubbins that I don't have any clear photos of so it's more of a look busy exercise really. After a squirt of paint it looks better than I thought.There are still the bundles of the wiring loom to go in but that can all be done after the fuselage has been put together.Some more of the Eduard brassware has gone in and has made a splendid difference to the appearance. The cockpit has been fitted into the upper fuselage.There didn't seem to be a lot of contact area at the sides so a frame number tag was cut up and glued in to give a bit more purchase. More soon Chums,thanks for looking in. Edited August 28, 2022 by Alex Gordon 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 Very nice progress Alex, looks as though the 'pit is painted now? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 That is some very nice work Alex, the cockpit is looking very good indeed. I really like the way you are using bits from different kits and scratchbuilding to get the result that you are after. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalako Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 19 hours ago, Alex Gordon said: Hi Alex, I've been through the same process many years ago for the twin-seat and I can't say it was a pleasant experience. But it does offer some lessons like, never attempt to modify a cockpit when the plastic is too soft (Revell), or too hard (ESCI). If I manage to upload one of my other builds, I will show you my cockpit for the two-seat F-5. I still haven't managed to put everything together. Cheers, Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Nice work on that cockpit, Alex James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 Hello again Chums,some big bits this time. Robert,cheers old chum.Apart from the odd bit of touching in it's had all the paint I intend to throw at it. Craig,thanks old lad.I've got the bits,I might as well use them.I'm not sure what to do with all the stuff that will be left over,the spares box is nearly full and I don't like throwing stuff away. Bill,thanks for dropping by old fruit.There's a lot going on in there,I'd certainly be interested to see how you approached it. James,thanks old bean. The fuselage has been put together.This wasn't hugely problematic and the cleaning up of joints wasn't a major exercise. A spot of fillery required underneath. The wiring loom bundles were made of thin copper wire superglued together and painted white.The oxygen hose was thin copper wire wrapped around slightly thicker copper wire using a pin vice and the touch of a midwife. The exhaust is a tad on the basic side,it looks fine from outside but there's nothing inside. The fit will take a bit of work too. A bag cover would go a long way to hiding all of that,besides I haven't found a decent photo to work from and I would like to finish this one sooner rather than later.PVA and bog roll to the rescue,it's a start. The wiring bundles and hoses have been fitted into the cockpit.The black lines are the lining from the edge of a decal sheet to represent the cable ties that hold the bundles together.The PE HUD frame has been fitted too. Fillery has been committed under the wing.This is where I started to consider where the mainlegs are supposed to go. The fin has been glued into place.There's a slight gap on this side but the other side hasn't. The map is clear about which legs and struts go where but is less distinct as to where actually is. @Ol' Scrapiron to the rescue with this photo which can be found in the Reference Thread,thanks ol' buddy. The relevant bits are tacked in place using Maskol while the glue holding them together sets. Thanks again for looking in Chums,more soon. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Lots of good work going on here Alex. 26 minutes ago, Alex Gordon said: The oxygen hose was thin copper wire wrapped around slightly thicker copper wire using a pin vice and the touch of a midwife. No idea what 'the touch of a midwife' means in this context, but that hose looks great; something I want to emulate in my own builds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 That is very good work Alex, especially working out where the undercarriage actually goes, which you have got spot on. The wiring looms and oxygen hose are very nicely done and certainly add to the detailing of the model. Keep up the excellent work mate. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 (edited) G'day again Chums, At last we're back on air.My apologies for absence,the forum update stopped all progress updates. Robert,thanks old fruit.The hose was made by chucking two bits of wire into the pin vice and gently turning using a fingertip to keep it from riding over and the occasional tweak with the tweezers to keep it pushed together.The thick wire is 0.4mm copper,the silver stuff is 0.17mm plated copper. To get to this one needs the touch of a midwife. The harness was jerried up from masking tape and thin wire,the silver stuff in the above piccie,shaped and then flattened using pliers. The HUD glass was fitted and the edges given a hairy stickful of clear green paint.The windscreen was glued on with slightly diluted PVA wood glue. I started to mask the cockpit.A bit of polythene bag went in first to stop the masking sticking to anything that I'm going to vent pointed Anglo Saxon rhetoric about. Masking tape was fitted and cut to shape. More soon Chums,thanks for looking in. Edited October 4, 2022 by Alex Gordon 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Tidy work Alex - neat and effective. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 The extras for the seat and cockpit look really good Alex, top work mate.👍 A very good bit of masking on the cockpit too, should keep all the paint out. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Thanks Alex, that was a very informative post; very comprehensive. Your 'pit looks good, with all that added detail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted October 1, 2022 Author Share Posted October 1, 2022 Hello again Chums,some more to show. Col,thanks old fruit. Craig,cheers old chum.I hope it does,I really don't want to have to re-do it all in there. Robert,thanks old lad.Further to the last post the thicker copper wire came out of some telephone cable and the thinner stuff was out of a length of alarm cable all fished out of the skip on various jobs I've been on. Gloss black paint was sprayed over the joints to show up any flaws.There were lots of them.A rake of sanding and scraping later I thought I'd sorted them out. A coat of Revell 90 silver was sprayed and all the bits I thought I'd sorted showed up. Concave joints,scratches where I'd thinned edges,edges of filler,missing panel lines,everything. There is a lot of remedial work to come. Thanks all for looking in,more soon. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 Looks promising Alex, even if there is work to do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 The joys of metallic paint Alex, it shows up everything and there's always more to do than we thought. The silver paint has given a very nice finish though, I like that a lot. You will get her sorted, I have no doubt about that. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted October 5, 2022 Author Share Posted October 5, 2022 (edited) G'day again Chums,back round the circuit again. Robert,Craig,thanks chaps. A surgical (read didn't get any in the cockpit or intakes) application of Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner brought things back to bare plastic.Milliput was smeared along the various joints and smoothed with a flat spatula and a drop of water. Once set there was some sanding using a small flat block to avoid the concave effect. Another coat of gloss black showed me that I hadn't finished yet.Gentle sanding meant that the paint acted as a scratch filler where I'd thinned leading and trailing edges. The edges of the Milliput kept showing up. But we got there eventually. Trying to do this without destroying all of the panel line detail was tricky. But losing some of it was unavoidable. I started the panel line reinstatement grind.Placing two parallel strips of masking tape all over the place so that I can paint between them and then pull them off only to repeat the exercise another couple of times is tedious but the end result is usually worth it. More soon Chums,thanks for looking in. Edited October 5, 2022 by Alex Gordon 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackroadkill Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 That looks like a big undertaking! Cracking level of commitment to what's a bit of an agricultural kit, sir. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Looks like a good job there Alex, with the Milliput and all. It's great to see another user of Milliput and water! In addition to the wet spatula, I find a judicious application of a damp kitchen towel helps with smoothing things out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Great commitment there Alex, your hard work is going to be rewarded with a nice finish. The loss of panel lines is inevitable with Monogram kits but I like the way that you are restoring them. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted October 8, 2022 Author Share Posted October 8, 2022 Hello again Chums,a spot more progress to report. Jack,thanks old fruit. Robert,cheers old lad.One of my little ruses with Milliput is insulating tape wrapped on to a small wad of bog roll or over a fingertip.The bog roll one is good for getting into tight corners where a fingertip won't go like the upper wing to fuselage joint on this one.The edge of the tape will pick up any lumps and the face sorts out the smoothing. Craig,thanks old chum.As you will see in the next piccie the panel line job came up reasonably well. A coat of gloss black was sprayed yet again.It has shown up some not quite there bits but I'm not going to worry 'cos they're not very visible and I'd like to finish this one sometime soon. The main silver has been sprayed followed by yet more masking for the undercarriage bays,exhaust area and the glare panel and nosecone. Soon time for the stickies. Thanks all for looking in,more soon. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 Great job on replacing the panel lines Alex, very effective indeed. The black coat looks really good and from what we can see under the plastic bag masking the silver looks very good too. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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