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FROG 1/72 Ta152 - Finished


AdrianMF

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There, I've said it now, I'm in! This will be as near OOB as I can make it. Except for the cockpit, obviously. And the wheel wells. And probably the undercarriage. And the guns...

 

Pictures will follow when I have trawled the Deep Stash.


[edit] Trawled:

9-C46-EECC-9-E60-4-B8-D-B787-B7035-B566-

 

Regards,

Adrian

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14 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

same one

Let me know what number you're using on the side and I'll choose a different one :wicked:.

 

I had a little diversion into the whole colour scheme thing and it seems that Green Is The Word! I got lost in the RLM colour conspiracy theories so I'm going to go with RLM eighty-one and three-quarters over eighty-three and a half, which will just so happen to match the first two tins of green out of my paint store (probably Hu252 and 253).

 

I will also be comparing it to the 1958 moulding of the FROG Fw190 - I have a horrible suspicion that it won't be much better despite a ten year interval between the two kits.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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Hi Adrian,

 

I have, out of curiosity, looked back in aircraft magazines from the seventies (the ones I did not steal were paid with my hard earned pocket money...) and the build review of that kit were surprisingly positive. A few minor shape problems (wing tips) and some microscopic air intakes missing were pretty much the only problems.

So yes, despite the emptiness of the innards, it should be a fun and interesting build.

 

JR

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  • 2 months later...
59 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

Have you still got this one in the diary ?

Frankly, I've been struggling between

a. Just build it

b. Go all AMS (there's plenty to fix and there may be some original plastic left)

c. Step away and get on with  my other GB builds and get ready for NMCZ GB hosting


I hadn't even opened the bag before this GB and it isn't a great kit, even by FROG standards. You may have publicly shamed me into taking option "a" with a strict time limit and filing the finished result in my "crappy Luftwaffe plane kits that looked kinda interesting but I shouldn't have even started" box (next to the Lindberg Me 410, for example).

 

The Jockney KUTA has worked its magic again! (dammit)

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

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Now look what you've made me do:

F8493124-871-C-4-CA8-974-D-B8-BF179-B2-D
 

I've started to remove the fictitious slice of fuselage below the wing roots, made the wing inserts fit properly and tidied up the undercarriage bay, ready for a spar and some detail.

 

This doesn't feel like option "a"...

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9 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

This doesn't feel like option "a"...

That rear fuselage transition to the wing certainly looks odd. But you’re well up to the challenge :) 

 

I find personally that OOB can be a very negotiable idea :) 

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20 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

The Jockney KUTA has worked its magic again! (dammit)

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

Sorry mate, :blush: feel free to return the compliment,  I have unfinished builds all over the place !

 

Cheers Pat 

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It just gets worse ... I found some plans online:

56-F0-E84-E-ECC0-4577-A49-B-2981-D6-A6-C
 

So, this printed copy is about 3% too small (will fix that tomorrow) but there's good news and bad news. 
 

Good:

- length and span agree with Wikipedia

- wing and tailplane shapes look good (wingtips need a brush with a sanding stick) (and wings look a bit thin?)

 

Bad:

- spinner is awful, may be able to sand it down

- propeller blades are moulded backwards! The front surfaces are concave and the back is convex. Hence all the "prop on backwards" warnings. It's just wrong either way round. Shape is off too!

- cowling and gills are very crude

- exhausts are blobby and wrong

- missing bulges in front of cockpit

- canopy is a too small

- tail fin doesn't match the plans

- under fuselage has extra slice below wing

- all the usual stuff in a fifty-five year old kit like raised panel lines, no detail, no interior, toy-like wheels.

 

Nothing too bad to fix (while asking yourself "why am I doing this?") so I will quit moaning and crack on!

 

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1 hour ago, AdrianMF said:

It just gets worse ... I found some plans online:

56-F0-E84-E-ECC0-4577-A49-B-2981-D6-A6-C
 

So, this printed copy is about 3% too small (will fix that tomorrow) but there's good news and bad news. 
 

Good:

- length and span agree with Wikipedia

- wing and tailplane shapes look good (wingtips need a brush with a sanding stick) (and wings look a bit thin?)

 

Bad:

- spinner is awful, may be able to sand it down

- propeller blades are moulded backwards! The front surfaces are concave and the back is convex. Hence all the "prop on backwards" warnings. It's just wrong either way round. Shape is off too!

- cowling and gills are very crude

- exhausts are blobby and wrong

- missing bulges in front of cockpit

- canopy is a too small

- tail fin doesn't match the plans

- under fuselage has extra slice below wing

- all the usual stuff in a fifty-five year old kit like raised panel lines, no detail, no interior, toy-like wheels.

 

Nothing too bad to fix (while asking yourself "why am I doing this?") so I will quit moaning and crack on!

 

 

Blooming 'eck that OOB thing didn't last long did it :whistle:

 

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Well I've added a spar to the wing and worked on the wheel bay and started on the cockpit:

BA5-D45-C3-920-E-473-A-84-DE-AEEFA51670-
 

The underside fuselage has been slimmed down, so I'm feeling confident about finishing by the deadline. 

 

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Well I didn't intend to do canopies today but decided that the kit one was to small and too distorting:

5-BAD1286-BF42-4597-BAAA-115-B244-FACA9.

 

And I couldn't be bothered to set up the vac form setup so I had a go at the bench with my daughter's cooking blowtorch:

C6-E9-E91-F-962-F-4145-918-D-F3-C43-A565

 

Three whole canopies: one too thin (uneven draw, bottom), one started to frost ( too hot) and one just right (or right enough, anyway):

45-F84-B2-C-AE34-4-D9-A-BE12-E8-D449442-

 

Out of six attempts (three were not hot enough to plunge):

4039206-C-348-E-4583-BA2-F-48-E4160885-F

 

And here we go:

2-C382-C9-D-DE66-423-D-A27-D-8-AA66-DCA8

 

I may build up the fairing aft of the canopy too.

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2 hours ago, Marklo said:

just plunge mold

Yep. I thought I would have a go, and the first one was good enough to make me try again. I was surprised it worked as well as it did!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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All painted and ready to close everything up:

4327-A3-E0-DB59-443-F-B19-D-DE94150-BC39

9-AF8967-F-1-F36-449-C-B9-E8-2136-C25-E4
 

I have also propped my scriber up on some slices of card and rotated the cowling past it to get a groove between the cowling and the adjustable gills. I will cut the gills off and replace them with card. The moulded grooves are poorly defined and run onto the cowling front, so I will fill and re-finish it:

C694-C834-FD31-4-A9-D-8-C36-2-A1-AC719-E

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Wings and fuselage stuck together, and the cowling gills have been cut away with a Stanley knife:

AAE22222-194-C-41-D5-B2-F8-378217-EB4904

 

Somewhat to my surprise, no blood was shed in the process - it's that sort of job, hacking away at solid plastic with narrow edges.

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