VOO DOO

[Magpie22]

This kit was issued in the mid 1950s so no problem with meeting the timeline requirement. I do however have some reservations accepting Lindberg as a "Lesser Known Manufacturer".

At that time I was just entering my teenage years and had cut my teeth in aeromodelling by carving up bits of balsa. I saw my first plastic models in my first year of high school, walking up the main street from the train station to Penrith High.

There in the newsagent's window were some of these new fangled plastic model kits. The names I remember were Aurora, Lindberg and Hawk. I saved up my allowance, (skipping lunch helped), and bought a Lindberg P-47 - I think it may have been an N. Putting it together  was a breeze after building balsa models. Paint was purloined from Dad's supply in the shed. I do remember that I used a lot of red.

 

I progressed on from there and even built my first biplane, an Aurora D.H.4. There were also other temptations like XF-88, F-90, P-38, not to mention Aurora's biplanes, all in 1/48, (or thereabouts). A bit later some upstart from England named Airfix, also introduced a range of kits but, these were more like toys in little plastic bags, in some minute scale, not real man's models in 1/48! In later years I did go to the dark side and build some 1/72 models but I soon reformed and went back to 1/48, the only true scale.

 

So, for a trip down memory lane I will be building Lindberg's VOO DOO. That's what it is called on the box and the instructions, although these days we are more familiar with the designation McDonnell XF-88. To describe the kit as basic would be an understatement but, it does have a number of 'features'. These include engines in the fuselage which can be seen by opening a panel on the fuselage top, and moveable ailerons and rudder. It even came with a stand. The raised detail and rivets are also excruciatingly bad. Needless to say these will not be retained as features on my model. Cockpit, wheel wells, gun barrel fairings etc will all have to be added.

 

Peter M

 

[Mjwomack]

What an excellent entrant, and obscure enough for our liking👍

 

1 hour ago, Magpie22 said:

These include engines in the fuselage which can be seen by opening a panel on the fuselage top,

Noice indeed! Oh please retain them😉

 

1 hour ago, Magpie22 said:

The raised detail and rivets are also excruciatingly bad.

So bad they're good!

[jimmaas]

Great!  Would make an interesting comparison with the Monogram F-101.

[2996 Victor]

Looking forward to watching your build progressing, Peter, this should be very good indeed.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Magpie22]

Bit of a hiatus there but now back to the work bench.

First step was to sand off all those raised panel lines and gross rivets. The kit has no cockpit detail and no wheel wells.

For the cockpit and wheel wells I visited the spares box and cobbled together something representative. OK, they may not be 100%

accurate but when the canopy is closed the cockpit will suffice. The ejection seat will fill most of the visible space in the cockpit. I am

having some trouble getting information on the seat used.

The main doors on the U/C close after the U/C lowers so not a lot to see there. 

I also disliked the representation of the gun blast tubes. I sanded off the moulded in kit items, cut grooves in the fuselage and then

fitted steel hypodermic tube. the area around the tube was then built up with filler to try and get the correct appearance.

The kit's plastic, although rather thick, is very good and easy to work.

 

 

 

 

Next I turned my attention to the rear end. The engine exhaust area bears only passing relationship to the actual aircraft. I decided

to try and make this a bit more realistic. In the photos below, the upper fuselage is the unmodified kit and that below shows my

butchery, prior to rebuilding the nozzles and fairings.

 

[Pete in Lincs]

A kit I've never seen before. Those old kits can almost always be a challenge, 

But that's part of the fun. 

Good luck and don't forget to weight the nose!

[Magpie22]

 

Started work on making the new engine exhaust area. Lots of cutting and filing, plastic card, sections of sawn off drop tanks, and lots of filler to come.

 

  

 

      

[Magpie22]

A bit more work on the nozzle exhaust area. Sawn off drop tanks, filed to a taper to get shape and thin rear edge, and lots of filler. 

 

 

[Magpie22]

While waiting for filler on fuselage to cure, I started work on the mainplanes. I removed the 6 inch thick boundary layer fences, which were too far outboard anyway.

Cut the wheel wells and added internal detail. I toyed with the idea of adding the intake ducts where they curved into the fuselage but, decided it would be too much

work for something that would be difficult to see anyway. 

 

 

Then I joined the wing halves, fitted the ailerons, and added the tips. DUH!! Should have checked the drawings first.

The tips supplied in the kit bear no relationship to the actual articles. Out with the saw, do some filing. A bit better.

Kit tips on left wing, (top), corrected tips on right wing, (bottom).

 

 

Panels were then scribed and SWIFU coat of paint applied. I will fit the wing fences after model assembly as I am 

sure to break them off if fitted too early.

[AdrianMF]

For me every paint coat is a SWIFU!

 

Nice work on the exhausts and those wingtips look waaaaay better. I like your cobbled-together wheel bays too.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[AdrianMF]

22 hours ago, Magpie22 said:

intake ducts

Too late for this one now, but FWIW on a recent F-105 build I used a bit of folded paper to suggest a curved intake duct. This link takes you to the post where I added the paper.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Parabat]

What does SWIFU mean?

[AdrianMF]

I'm assuming "Show Where I Fouled Up"....

[Magpie22]

6 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Too late for this one now, but FWIW on a recent F-105 build I used a bit of folded paper to suggest a curved intake duct. This link takes you to the post where I added the paper.

 

Regards,

Adrian

Hi Adrian,

I had read your build but the ducts in the XF-88 would be required to curve which would have meant a three dimensional part. I have done it in the past but decided it would be too much work for what i expect to get from this model. How far do you go in converting a sow's ear to a.......?

 

My version of SWIFU is a bit more direct: Show Where I Fu..ed Up. Same meaning! These days I find I need more than one SWIFU coat.

 

Peter M

 

[AdrianMF]

4 hours ago, Magpie22 said:

My version of SWIFU is a bit more direct:

Never crossed my mind...

[Magpie22]

A bit more filling and sanding. Starting to look a bit better now.

 

The cannon blast tubes. Still a little more to do there.

 

The rear fuselage and nozzle area. Again looking better but, still with some work to do. Think I can assemble the fuselage halves now.

   

 

 

But first, a weight and balance check by assembling the major bits with tape.

@Pete in Lincs you weren't wrong. She needed quit a lot of ballast up front.

 

 

 

[2996 Victor]

Superb work, Peter, and a lot of it! Looking forward to your next update. 

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

P.S. "SWIFU" had me

[Magpie22]

Fuselage assembled and mainplanes added. Quite a bit of filler and sanding needed. Currently a work in progress.

 

 

[AdrianMF]

Gosh that's a lot of fiddly sanding! Looking good though.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Magpie22]

Cockpit now fitted and blended in.

 

 

New wing fences made from plasticard and fitted.

[Magpie22]

Finally found time to get some painting done. A bit more to do and then find/make some decals.