The Bounder's "Mini Me"? Converting A-models 1/72 NM-1 to the RSR supersonic reconnaissance aircraft

[Learstang]

1 hour ago, Killingholme said:

 You'd never hear a Russian saying "Sorry, I'm useless at maths" in the same cavalier fashion, almost with a sense of pride, that the average Brit does!😁 

 

It's the same in America, except we'd say 'math' instead of 'maths'. I certainly feel no shame, nor does anybody else here, when we say we're no good with numbers.

 

Regards,

 

Jason

[billn53]

I can't say I'm no good at math -- For me, it's more like "I'm terrible at differential equations . . . " 😆

 

 

Back to the topic we're all rather good at, here's the latest on my RSR conversion:

 

I scribed the new control surfaces into the wings. I had been worried about scribing over the resin that I'd used to fill in the panel lines, but I needn't have, it all went smoothly. Here's a pic where I've highlighted the current panel lines with a black wash:

 

 

 

Next on my list was the mods needed to model the RSR's more powerful engines. This is how they compare:

 

 

 

 

The RSR's engines were shorter but with slightly greater diameter. Inlets and exhausts were larger, and there's a cone at the intake.  I first considered stealing a couple of engine pods from a B-58 Hustler, but they have a significant "belly bulge" that just didn't look right for the RSR. Instead, I decided to mod the kit's engines. The result will have slightly smaller diameter than I'd like, but one must sometimes make compromises in this hobby.

 

These are the parts I collected together for the mod:

 

 

 

 

On the left are parts for the larger exhaust. The nozzles are from the aforementioned B-58. The afterburner can and flame holder are leftovers from, I believe, from a F-4 Phantom kit. The new intake pieces are on the right. The metal parts are from a Miniworld set for Italeri's B-58 and the resin intake cones are for an early MiG-21.

 

[I don't know why I have so many Hustler items in my stash -- I've already built Italeri's B-58 and I have no desire to build another, unless someone comes out with a better kit. As far as the metal intake replacements go, they weren't available when I did my Hustler so I scrachbuilt my own. For some reason, I now have not one, but two sets of Miniworld B-58 intakes in my stash!  ]

 

 

I began by removing the rear of the kit engine to accommodate the larger exhaust nozzle:

 

 

 

 

At the front end, I sanded back and enlarged the inlet so that the Miniworld replacement would fit:

 

 

 

 

Even though I had cut back the intake, the front of the engine was still too long, so I sectioned it in the constant-diameter area, removed the appropriate length of engine, and glued the pieces back together:

 

 

 

 

Here are a few comparison pics of the original kit engine with my modified version:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bi-conic intake cone has yet to be installed. I plan on mounting it by adding a post at the rear that will attach to the compressor fan piece, as per the Miniworld instruction sheet:

 

 

 

 

That means removing the Fishbed-style attachment "wedges" on either side of the body:

 

 

 

 

One engine (mostly) done! Before I get started on the other engine, I have a few things to do on my Bounder . . . .

 

 

 

[Killingholme]

1 hour ago, billn53 said:

As far as the metal intake replacements go, they weren't available when I did my Hustler so I scrachbuilt my own. For some reason, I now have not one, but two sets of Miniworld B-58 intakes in my stash! 

 

That's one of those sci-fi film moments when someone says "but.....they're multiplying...."

 

There are definitely corners of my stash that might be harbouring new life forms.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Killingholme

[billn53]

I got the other engine modded-up (except for the inlet cone), so now it’s Bondo Time!
 

 

[billn53]

I was working on a school project today, so didn't have a lot of time at the bench. I did manage to accomplish something, however!

 

I made some mounting posts for the engine inlet cones:

 

 

 

 

The new intakes and larger exhausts make the engines look like they mean business!

 

 

[VT Red Sox Fan]

Bill, great work!  I really like how you are sorting out the plug and have scoped success.  Looking forward to more—best, Erwin

[Gondor44]

I don't think you need worry about how accurately you have portrayed the engines, after all, who will know that they are not 100% accurate?

 

Gondor

[billn53]

Just now, Gondor44 said:

I don't think you need worry about how accurately you have portrayed the engines, after all, who will know that they are not 100% accurate?

 

Gondor

Exactly my excuse well-reasoned rationale.

[AdrianMF]

Smashing project! Treading a fine line just this side of madness...

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

[billn53]

2 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Smashing project! Treading a fine line just this side of madness...

 

 

I think I know which side of the line you are on, Adrian, and I’m happy to join you in the asylum!
 

🤪

[Serkan Sen]

All these efforts showed again that you need urgently a 3d printer!..

Serkan

[billn53]

1 minute ago, Serkan Sen said:

All these efforts showed again that you need urgently a 3d printer!..

Serkan

I knew you were going to say that!  And, Yes, you are absolutely right. Any hardware/software recommendations for a newbie?

[Serkan Sen]

Depending on size I would go with Elegoo Mars 3 or Saturn 2 8K. They come with slicing software. For CAD you can use Fusion360 for free as a hobbyist.

Serkan

[billn53]

Okay, I just pulled the trigger on a Mars 3 Pro 4K, plus accessories. Now I gotta learn Fusion360 . . . .

[billn53]

Not a lot of work on the RSR today, most of my bench time was dedicated to the Bounder.

 

 

I did add a bunch of air scoops and other bumps (which Russian aircraft designers seem to be so fond of) to the engines and fuselage nose:

 

 

 

Then, I broke out the Apoxie Sculpt and filled in the scar in the fuselage where I'd removed the main skid fairing:

 

 

 

 

I used some of the leftover to refine the profile of the tail where I'd added replaced the pointy end with a blunter shape. The fuselage had a noticeable 'kink' where I'd added the new rear piece.  I will sand this to shape once the Apoxie Sculpt has set up.

 

 

[Flankerman]

On 6/4/2023 at 3:22 AM, billn53 said:

Some show the main gear to have two wheels, other four.

During one of my many aviation visits to Russia, in 2006 we went to the Moscow Aviation Institute -not only were we allowed inside this once top-secret place, we were given free access to the Structures Faculty, where they had dozens of airframe and parts stripped dow.

 

We were given permission to photograph anything we liked.

 

They have the remains of the Tsybin RSR - the centre section with a four-wheel bogey....

 

 

I have a couple more pics that I can dig out and upload if you want - they don't give much detail though.

 

Other photos of the visit can be found here :- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/mos2006_day02.html

 

Scroll down to find them.......

 

We were supposed to re-visit the place in 2007 - but when we arrived at the entrance, they wouldn't let us in !!!

 

I wonder if somone got into trouble for allowing us access in 2006?

 

Great progress with the conversion....

 

Ken

On 6/4/2023 at 3:22 AM, billn53 said:

Some show the main gear to have two wheels, other four.

During one of my many aviation visits to Russia, in 2006 we went to the Moscow Aviation Institute -not only were we allowed inside this once top-secret place, we were given free access to the Structures Faculty, where they had dozens of airframe and parts stripped dow.

 

We were given permission to photograph anything we liked.

 

They have the remains of the Tsybin RSR - the centre section with a four-wheel bogey....

 

 

I have a couple more pics that I can dig out and upload if you want - they don't give much detail though.

 

Other photos of the visit can be found here :- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/mos2006_day02.html

 

Scroll down to find them.......

 

We were supposed to re-visit the place in 2007 - but when we arrived at the entrance, they wouldn't let us in !!!

 

I wonder if somone got into trouble for allowing us access in 2006?

 

Great progress with the conversion....

 

Ken

On 6/4/2023 at 3:22 AM, billn53 said:

Some show the main gear to have two wheels, other four.

During one of my many aviation visits to Russia, in 2006 we went to the Moscow Aviation Institute -not only were we allowed inside this once top-secret place, we were given free access to the Structures Faculty, where they had dozens of airframe and parts stripped dow.

 

We were given permission to photograph anything we liked.

 

They have the remains of the Tsybin RSR - the centre section with a four-wheel bogey....

 

 

I have a couple more pics that I can dig out and upload if you want - they don't give much detail though.

 

Other photos of the visit can be found here :- http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/mos2006_day02.html

 

Scroll down to find them.......

 

We were supposed to re-visit the place in 2007 - but when we arrived at the entrance, they wouldn't let us in !!!

 

I wonder if somone got into trouble for allowing us access in 2006?

 

Great progress with the conversion....

 

Ken

[billn53]

16 minutes ago, Flankerman said:

 

 

They have the remains of the Tsybin RSR - the centre section with a four-wheel bogey....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very cool, Ken! Thanks for the photo, I've been thinking about going with the 4-wheel gear and now I have details of what it looks like!

 

That must be one of the gear doors behind it. From the looks of it, the bay opening is triangular at the front (not squared off, as I've made mine) and the doors are bulged to accommodate the stowed wheels. Also, the oleo looks to be fully extended . . . I wonder how long it would be under normal load?

[billn53]

While I ponder how best to construct the four-wheel undercarriage, and what wheels to steal from my stash (again, this is exactly where 3D printing prevails!), I glued the three main fuselage pieces together (nose, plug, and rear body), taking care to keep everything as straight as possible:

 

 

 

This was followed by a generous layer of Bondo* across the plug area:

 

 

 

*Truth in advertising: Actually, here I used Dolphin putty, a Bondo-like material. Besides it being poo-brown instead of scab-red, Dolphin is a little less viscous than Bondo and stays workable longer before drying out.

 

 

I also did some more work on the engine pods. I sprayed Alclad metallic along the seams to highlight any flaws and filled them in with Ammo's new "Putty Surfacer". This is my first time using Ammo's surfacer. I find the thick version to be less "gloopy" than Mr Surfacer 500, and dries faster. We'll soon see how well it works at filling the seams and flaws in my engine pods!

 

   

 

 

[billn53]

After sanding down the "Bondo" on the fuselage plug, I airbrushed Mr Surfacer 1200 over the fuselage, sanded again, and sprayed some Alclad metallic to see how well the plug faired in with the fuselage. I was amazed by how well this worked out!!! See for yourself:

 

 

 

The joins where the plug meets the nose and rear fuselage are still visible, but could easily be mistaken for panel lines. I'll fill them in a bit more and then call them done!

 

Next job was to make a section of dorsal fairing, to span the gap over the fuselage plug. I began by making a mold of the existing fairing using Siligum:

 

 

 

The Siligum only took a few minutes to set up, giving me a nice mold into which I could pour casting resin:

 

 

 

Unhappily, I discovered my supply of casting resin had gone bad (crystallized) and was unusable. I was about to run out to the craft shop for more, then had an idea . . . What about using UV resin instead? It worked great at filling the NM-1's panel lines, and I had just used it for my Bounder project. 

 

It took a few tries, but I soon had a replacement dorsal fairing in-hand. At first, I had simply poured the resin into the mold and hit it with UV light. That didn't work -- only the top surface hardened, the resin at the bottom of the mold was still liquid. My solution was to build-up the resin layer by layer, painting it into the mold with a brush. Sort of like doing 3D printing without a printer!

 

Here is the result:

 

 

 

It's not a perfect fit (fault of the Siligum mold, not the resin), but close enough! A bit more "Bondo Magic" should finish this off nicely!

[Serkan Sen]

39 minutes ago, billn53 said:

That didn't work -- only the top surface hardened, the resin at the bottom of the mold was still liquid.

Which is not a big surprise 🙂

Even it is impossible to cure it such a thick resin under the  sun light and your little uv torch can't do that as the light can't penetrate to the opaque resin more than a millimeter. Applying a light coats and increasing the thickness layer by layer was a wise decision.

“Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions.” — Mark Twain

[billn53]

Thanks to Ken @Flankerman I now have a good reference for the RSR's main gear:

 

 

 

so I proceeded to work up a four-wheel assembly to replace the two-wheel one I had built earlier. Here are the primary components:

 

 

 

After painting the tires, I discovered that Goodyear must have had an office in Moscow!

 

 

 

 

Next, I finished the engines and had some fun with Alclad!

 

    

 

 

 

All the major parts are now ready for assembly  😃 .  Time now to add a multitude of brass pins, as I did with the Bounder. It really helped with getting the flying surfaces straight and square.

 

 

 

 

 

[cpoud117]

Fantastic work 😮

I'm in awe of the amount of effort you're putting into this!

[Killingholme]

That's such a cool looking aircraft it would definitely be an exception to my "no paper projects" modelling rule. If I had your modelling skills, of course!

 

Out of interest, do you know whether the partially-completed RSR airframes were ever photographed before the cancellation of the programme?

 

Will

 

(P.S. You definitely need to do a Bristol 188 as a companion piece!)

Edited June 20, 2023 by Killingholme

[billn53]

37 minutes ago, Killingholme said:

That's such a cool looking aircraft it would definitely be an exception to my "no paper projects" modelling rule. If I had your modelling skills, of course!

 

Out of interest, do you know whether the partially-completed RSR airframes were ever photographed before the cancellation of the programme?

 

Will

 

(P.S. You definitely need to do a Bristol 188 as a companion piece!)

Thank you so much! I haven’t found any photos of the RSR at all. The only one I have is the pic of the landing gear, taken by @Flankerman

 

I do have the Bristol in my stash, along with a few other ‘similar’ aircraft, so expect some more whiffers from me future. 

[billn53]

I finally finished my Bounder, after four-months on the bench. Now, I can focus exclusively on the RSR! The RSR is a large aircraft, but looks deceptively small in comparison to the Bounder: