Seamus Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Evening Comrades Here's what will probably become the first of a couple of builds from me in this most glorious of group builds- the mighty Backfire. I'll be building her OOB using the M2 boxing. The contents of the kits can be found in Mike R's build thread for those interested- I can't really be bothered to faff around taking photos of all the sprues as they are large and numerous She'll likely be a long term build given her size, so I expect I'll enter something else smaller, perhaps an Su-15 Been looking forward to this one since I bought the kit, so will make a start just as soon as I have a clear workbench. Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousER99 Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Shaun I am actually planning on starting my build this weekend now that I have a huge order from Hannants finished and am caught up on ancilliary Two Mikes orders. I am planning on doing up some masters for this beast to hopefully make it even nicer as I go along. Its a great model from what I have been able to research, easily one of Trumpeters best. I also just got the M3 in the mail so that one will also be getting built sometime soon. Now, where did I put that Saws All? I need to start the addition to the house now!! Good luck on yours man. I can't wait to see how you progress. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 You might want to update the ejector seats with these from Neomega as those in the kit are the wrong seats. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted October 15, 2009 Author Share Posted October 15, 2009 Cheers chaps Mike looking forward to seeing yours too, and he M3. I actually wish I had waited a bit longer for the M3 as I reckon it's a better looking aircraft, but I suppose we'll see more M3s built up than the M2, so there's that novelty factor I suppose. Robert, thanks for link. I had read somewhere that the seats, as nice as they are, are the wrong type! Looks like it's probably worth investing in those Neomega seats. Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousFO98 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Fantastic looking airprlane Shaun and nice artwork- is that the box art? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alrite Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Definitley watching this! The M3 might soon be making its way into my stash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousER99 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Fantastic looking airprlane Shaun and nice artwork- is that the box art? Walrus That is indeed the box art. Nice huh? The TU-22M3 art is even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Ok, it's been along time coming, but I've finally made a start on this little beauty Not a great deal done mind, just been knocking some of the sub-assemblies together- cockpit, bomb bay and wheel wells, but I wanted to give an impression of the wonderful level of detail this kit has. Here's a couple of shots of said assemblies dryfitted in the two fuselage halves. I'm a little concerned about the fit of fuselage halves, looks like it'll need a spacer. The individual joins don't look too clever at this stage either. I'm not a great fan of fuselage seams along the sides- always seem a bit trickier to sort out, so I'm anticipating some careful filling and sanding here. Hope to start slapping some paint around the place over the next few days Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousER99 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Nice start Shaun. I started mine finally too!! LOL As far as your concerns witht e seams go, I am going to add some plastic on the backside to shore mine up so when I have to sand the seams down, they wont pop open. I will say that dry fitting my rear fuselage section shows no fit issues at all. The only real concern I have is that crappy weak join between the fore and aft fuselages. I am hoping to get my cockpit finished by the weekend and then it is on to redoing the wheel bays and bomb bay. I still need to figure out how best to approach the seamless intakes I want to make as well. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousFO98 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi Shaun with you on that one- never had happy times with horizontal splits (always guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes! ) does look yummy though Hope to start slapping some paint around the place over the next few days never mind the action painting Jackson! concentrate on the kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPNGROATS Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Shaun: That's a smooth looking a/c. Thanks for the update.. Cheers, ggc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Cheers gents As far as your concerns witht e seams go, I am going to add some plastic on the backside to shore mine up so when I have to sand the seams down, they wont pop open. Sounds very much like a plan Mike, definitely the way forward. Work has progressed with more the the sub-assemblies- wings, tailplane, fin, undercarriage and Kh-22 missiles (more like aircraft than missiles, they're so big! ). With all that done, I couldn't resist a wee dry fit of it all. Bit of a beast, in fact too big for my backdrop I've also finished of the cockpit, so next step now is to finally get some paint on it Thanks for looking Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 That's a LARGE beast, innit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 nice one Shaun, should be pretty impressive if its up to your usual standard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted November 19, 2009 Author Share Posted November 19, 2009 Cheers chaps A quick written update, and I've been fannying around with the cockpit some more. I bought the Neomega seats for the beast, seeing as the kit seats, as nice as they are, are the wrong sort, and was expecting them to drop in nicely. Wrong! They sit far too high in the cockpit, due mainly to the launch rail protruding far too far below the bottom of the seat. I've sanded these back considerably, as well as removing the bottom of the foot rests to get them to at least fit within the cockpit, though it's a good job I'm having the doors (?) open as they still wouldn't close. I'm assuming these seats were designed for this kit, so find it a little odd and a bit annoying that they are so badly oversized, but there you go. Still haven't got round to painting the office, but that should hopefully happen over the weekend. Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 OK it's been a while- been busy with a review build- but I've finally made enough progress to warrant a report Firstly, I have completed the cockpit. The pit itself was sprayed in Xtracolor interior blue/green (what an awesome colour ) before picking out the details, applying a light spot of drybrushing and also a light wash with Promodeller black. Slapped on the instrument decals, though I do wish Trumpy would provide nice IP's to go with the well done centre and side consoles The seats are from Neomega, and as mentioned above are a pain to fit without sanding off a load of resin from the undersides, but after painting them up and splashing some more of Phil's wash around, they look the part once installed I reckon. In other news, I've sprayed up the wheel and bomb bay wells and doors and slapped yet more Promodeller Black around the place to pop out all that yummy detail So next step is to get the cockpit installed inside the forward fuselage- early indications have shown there's some work ahead of me there Thanks for looking, I'll do my best to try and keep the updates flowing from now on Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 Ok, it's been far too long since I posted anything on this one. I wound down during December, just doing bits and pieces here and there before putting the modelling stuff away until today. I think the break has done me some good though as I've regained my enthusiasm after a bit of a dip So, here's what's happened over the past month or so. The fuselage is together, with the main seams filled and sanded. I followed Mike R's advice by lining the inside of the joins with plasticard to stiffen up the joins and prevent them from popping when it came to filling. I've restored most of the lost panel lines, though there's still some work to be done there- a lot of the rivets have disappeared, so I'm gonna have to invest in a riveter methinks, probably easier then filling and sanding all of them, or restoring them individually.... The fin and rear turret were next to be added. Dryfitting revealed a sizeable gap between the two, so I had to trim the turret a little so that it would sit slightly further forward and meet the fin, reducing the gap between them. It's much better now, though could possibly still do with a smidge of filler. The intakes have also been attached, which is a tricky business in getting them aligned with the fuselage properly. I've tried to keep the worst of the joins to the underside, so a quick bit of filling and sanding should see them sorted, though again I can see lots of the rivet detail being lost. Other little jobs have involved finishing the wing assemblies and spraying up the engines- the exhausts are awaiting a quick wash before weathering with one of Tamiyas weathering kits, which will be a trial run for when I get round to my Flanker. Will slap a bit more filler around the fuselage later on before sanding it back tomorrow, so that I can then think about getting the wings and tailplane on. One little area I'm a little confused over is the seeming lack of certain parts in the kit. There are two open bays forward of the main undercarriage bays, which don't appear to have any doors to go with them. Similarly, the main undercarriage doors that cover over where the well dissects the bullet fairing (for want of a better description) appear to be missing. Either I'm being a complete numpty and missing something, or Trumpy have made a bit of a boo-boo- both are equally likely, though it wouldn't be the first mistake Trumpy have made.... Anyways, I'll hopefully keep the updates coming more readily now, don't want my first GB failure to come in a GB I'm hosting Talking of which, I'll also endeavour to check in on more of the other builds going on; seems I've been a bit slack in keeping up to date and letting Paul do all the hard work..... Comments welcomed Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phartycr0c Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Thats loverly. Didnt realise it is such a big beastie. Iv'e got a book on strategic soviet bombers, i'll check what the extra bays are about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 (edited) Shaun, nice progress on your M2. By way of relief from the TSR 2 I've decided to start my M3 and am at about the same stage as yourself. Re the fitting the fin..on the M3, well mine at least there is no gap as mentioned by yourself and Ken Duffey in his article in SAMI and the fit of parts is generally extremely good...I haven't noted the thin vac form type plastic that has been mentioned either which makes me wonder if the M3 has been 'tweaked' a little by Trumpeter! The Neo Mega seats also slid in nicely with only a couple of mil being shaved off the base of each. Re the open doors do you mean the small square ones with pipes and bits in, because they were left open on most aircraft..(I 'll find out why!), not too sure what you mean about the main doors though?....I'm going to cut out the main inner flaps to lower them as for some reason Trumpy left them moulded up.(at dispersal the wings were usually swept back with all surfaces closed,) Just one little thing though, the rear bulkheads in the cockpit were painted a mix of light and dark grey not the usual sickly blue green...a mistake I made until I received some nice cockpit pics recently. I'll post my build later on. Keep going, looks a real beauty......it's surprisingly big isn't it!!! Edited January 4, 2010 by general melchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 Cheers Pharty Andy, thanks for your input, good to know I don't have to worry about those fuselage bays. Had a feeling you might struggle with my description of the undercarriage problem, so here's a (crappy) pic of the problem. Clearly, you can see a sizeable void left on that fairing. I assume there was some sort of curved door to close over this when the gear is up, but Trumpy have made no reference to it in the instructions, and I can't seem to see any suitable looking pars on the sprues Is there a similar problem on the M3? Judging by your description of it, it seems they have made some alterations to this kit, I wouldn't be surprised if they were included. As for the cockpit colour, I only noticed the colour error after I had closed it up, hence my hasty respray of the inside of the doors. I can live with it though as it's such a nice colour Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Shaun, quite right , there should be some small curved doors that 'wrap' around the top end of the main door .I have a good photo in front of me of the area in question , (sadly I'm at work and thus no camera!!), but it looks to me as if half the gap is closed and the main door side fixed to the top ( thinner end) of the main door so that as it retracts it is pulled closed to fill the space you show. I haven't looked at my M3 yet , will tell you later!, ( a picture really is worth a thousand words!!!)..... As for the bulkheads I agree it's a great colour and with the seats fitted not a lot will be visable anyway!! I made my own colour up as the Backfires use a lighter blue colour than the usual greeny blue, almost turquoise seen on earlier jets like the MIG 21, 23, 25 etc.. ( similar to the flanker 'pit).. Btw, don't know if you've read Kens build article but he seemed to think there was a problem fitting the main gear side struts, something about them fouling on the bay sides or lack of decent location if I recall, ..just a thought!! .Also the bottom of the windscreen sides are wrong and just need some careful masking to get right.....(well it is Trumpeter!!).... As for weapons load out....well that's another whole story.... All the best........will be nice to see both the M2 and M3 on the table at some point.... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousFY21 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Shaun, Andy. Just had a quick look in my M3 and they are not shown in the instructions, and I can't see anything that would fit the bill. I would therefore surmise that it's another AM opportunity for 2MR. If you're reading this Reevesy, get mastering! Keep it rolling Shaun, looking forward to seeing this at a show or two . rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 Cheers chaps Rich, thanks for looking that up for me. Seems a s stupid thing to leave out really, but can't see it being a difficult fix. Also, given the GB deadline, she should be finished before Yeovilton, so might début her there, if I can find a big enough box Andy, I've been in touch with Ken on another forum- the guys a bit of a legend! He explained the gear door problem to me as well, and also pointed out the main gear legs should have a single strut, extending all the way to the gear bay, as oppose the double strutted, 'floating' strut trumpeter seem to have imagined up. I've no rod or anything that could be used to fix this, so i may just leave it as is, not sure yet Been a fair amount of filling and sanding going this afternoon, so hopefully should have the fuselage sorted fairly soon so I can start thinking about getting the wings on Cheers Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 No sweat Shaun, Here's a lousey shot of the U/C doors, ( my scanners packed up so it's a photo of a photo!!), but hopefully you get the idea!! Obviously this is the port wing looking forward... Yep I'm going to have to use some ali rod to make the struts up...oh well so much for a relaxing OOB build eh!!! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 General sah, that's the money shot right there Perfect pic, showing exactly what's needed. Shouldn't be too taxing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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