Plastic surgery advice for Seafires and Sea Hurricanes

[Spitfires Forever]

Hello 

I'm seeking some tips on how best to install the tail hook sections on 1/48 Hasegawa Mk V Spot and the Sea Hurricane kits. I don't want to make the proverbial "dogs breakfast" out of a couple of expensive kits. I tried using a Dremel tool to cut off the front end of my Academy Spit XIV to install the Daco resin nose and that did not end well so I do not want to repeat the "malpractice" exhibited on the Spit. Has anyone done the surgery needed to install the MDC inserts? Which would be the best way to attack this problem? Perhaps a line with holes drilled closely together then cut? Any experienced advice would be most helpful so I don't lose my modeling licence!

Cheers

[RJP]

Low tech works well for plastic surgery.  If the cut is a straight one may I suggest a backsaw like an X-Acto saw or something similar.  Full strokes with a longer blade makes a more stable (therefore accurate) cut than short blades and short strokes. 

 

If you take it slowly a basic saw won't get away from you.  If you do go wrong it's easy to stop - and easy to correct with filler - before the piece is ruined.

 

Marking the cut line with a sharp 2H pencil is a good start.  Use a straight edge if the cut is a long one.  I like stiff cardboard for that, from a good quality file folder.  The lines are erasable too if you aren't satisfied.  Then the saw.  Clean up the cut with a good file until the parts dry fit well.

Edited August 3, 2022 by RJP
spelling

[FinnAndersen]

4 hours ago, Spitfires Forever said:

Hello 

I'm seeking some tips on how best to install the tail hook sections on 1/48 Hasegawa Mk V Spot and the Sea Hurricane kits. I don't want to make the proverbial "dogs breakfast" out of a couple of expensive kits. I tried using a Dremel tool to cut off the front end of my Academy Spit XIV to install the Daco resin nose and that did not end well so I do not want to repeat the "malpractice" exhibited on the Spit. Has anyone done the surgery needed to install the MDC inserts? Which would be the best way to attack this problem? Perhaps a line with holes drilled closely together then cut? Any experienced advice would be most helpful so I don't lose my modeling licence!

Cheers

The trouble with the Dremel and other motor tools is that they rotates far too fast, melting the plastic. The idea with the holes is neat in theory, but hard to pull off in practice.

 

As I see it the only viable option is a saw, but that's not all. You also need a way to fix the piece when cutting. Duct tape is a possibility or some sort of clamp. 

 

I can recommend practice. Buy a load of Starfix kits and hone your skills on them, before attempting the expensive kits.

 

HTH

/Finn

[spruecutter96]

The golden rule here is "Measure twice, cut once". Or, if you're like me, measure 15 times, dither about for months, cut once and then regret the choices you made. Ho, hum...

 

Chris. 

[dragonlanceHR]

Fine modelling saw like CMK or similar. If you're afraid of messing up, cut next to the cut line and use a flat file do remove the material up to the cut line.

Also, use a marker to mark the portion you want to remove. Visualising before cutting helps.

 

Cheers,

Vedran

[neilh]

If I recall those specific parts, they insert into tapered rectangle you have to cut into the lower rear fuselage?  If I am correct, it may be easier to cut the recess before you join the fuselage halves together. As others have said, measure twice ( at least) and then cut inside the lines with a fine saw, then tidy up with a flat file until the part fits. Worth gluing small plastic card tabs inside the fuselage in case you do go too far so you have a " shelf" for the part and you have something for any filler to push against ( milliput is good in these circumstances as you can clean it up with water). The cuts across the fuselage would be easy enough but the lenghtwise ones are harder. You could scribe the line until it snaps off cleanly, or as you first suggested carefully drill a line of holes inside of the cut line and then cut through with the saw or knife. Good Luck!.

[Troy Smith]

10 hours ago, Spitfires Forever said:

Sea Hurricane

Hasegawa?    Ask for leftover Airfix Sea Hurricane belly panel,(all the kits have normal and hook inserts)   as it also solves the fabric join line. 

Also, it's a lot easier to take out the entire belly section.   Score inside, and then snap out.

You will need to add cuts in the wing roots to squeeze the fuselage side in.     

 

If you just want to use the MDC on the Hase Hurricane, I'll see if I can find my set and how it is supposed to work.   I presume it's based on the Hase resin conversion parts included in their Sea Hurricane specific kits. 

 

10 hours ago, Spitfires Forever said:

I tried using a Dremel tool to cut off the front end of my Academy Spit XIV to install the Daco resin nose and that did not end well

as I have posted on various occasion, the Daco set is not a good fix for the Academy kit,  first, it just makes a mess, as you then have the joy of resin to plastic making good, and more importantly, it ONLY fixes the oversize nose ring, and does nor address any of the other kit shape issues. 

In time there will be a build thread on this....

 

 

[dov]

Hallo 

I have no idea which kits you have.

Carrier based a/c had also some othrr equipment beside hooks. The spools. 4 of them. If you know it, it is fine.

Otherwise lots of folks in the forum are FAA specialists  I could mail you material.

Let us know!

Happy modelling 

[Daedalus72]

Tape the fuselage halves together tightly so they can’t move, mark out the area to be removed and cut out with a fine razor saw, taking it SLOW!

For the cuts along the fuselage, you could use Dymo tape as a guide. As has been said, if you cut the hole slightly undersize, clean up with a flat file whilst constantly testing the fitand you will be fine

[Spitfires Forever]

19 minutes ago, Daedalus72 said:

Tape the fuselage halves together tightly so they can’t move, mark out the area to be removed and cut out with a fine razor saw, taking it SLOW!

For the cuts along the fuselage, you could use Dymo tape as a guide. As has been said, if you cut the hole slightly undersize, clean up with a flat file whilst constantly testing the fitand you will be fine

The Dymo tape is a good idea then I can use my scriber to dig into the plastic enough to use an Xacto knife to cut through them use the razor saw to make the horizontal cuts. Thanks for the tip.

Cheers

[Spitfires Forever]

3 hours ago, dov said:

Hallo 

I have no idea which kits you have.

Carrier based a/c had also some othrr equipment beside hooks. The spools. 4 of them. If you know it, it is fine.

Otherwise lots of folks in the forum are FAA specialists  I could mail you material.

Let us know!

Happy modelling 

I have the Hasegawa 1/48 kits and the spools are included but the placement diagrams leave much to be desired. I have close up photos of the Sea Hurricane that was restored a few years ago but don't know if they left the spools and other ephemera on the aircraft.

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Spitfires Forever said:

I have close up photos of the Sea Hurricane that was restored a few years ago but don't know if they left the spools and other ephemera on the aircraft.

Depends on what Sea Hurricane. 

the IA has spools only, the IB Hook and spools, the red wheels either side of the rad.  the IB has a headrest, for catapult launches

 

AFAIK the Mk.II Sea Hurricanes do not have spools.   As seen here 

 

Note the added aerials, behind radiator and wing

 

 

this may help with the hook.

 

[Spitfires Forever]

Thanks to Troy and all who chimed in.That will help a lot. The kits I have are the Ib and Mk II and the Spitfire kit is a Hasegawa trop Vb. I now have a viable plan of attack to remove the plastic for the inserts. I hope I do a better job on my kits than my dermatologist did with my skin cancer, but I digress.

Cheers