Diego Quijano Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) I want to begin with an apology to all those who have been interested in the process of this model for delaying so long the preparation of this article. The problem was that the original pictures of the process, besides being quite bad, were in slide format so I needed some time to arrange and remaster them into digital format. You will notice that some of them are not good enough, but I have not been able to fix them anymore. Still, they are better than nothing so I decided to include them. I also want to thank Ralph Riese for his help in the translation. All errors are entirely my fault. Pictures of the finished model: Scaleworks Materials: 1: Good graphic info is essential for this kind of job: books, reviews and the Net are valuable sources. 2: The Fujimi kit and the aftermarket used: Verlinden´s detailing set, Eduard photoetched sheet, Hi-Decal sheet for the adversary markings, and Aztek decal sheet for the "21 Escuadrón" markings. 3: Stretched sprue. To make some rods of stretched sprue first you heat the sprue and when the sprue is soft you can remove it from the flame and stretch it to any thickness you desire. 4: With stretched sprue and other styrene round rods you can make every cylindrical element you need. 5: The styrene strips are useful to build the square-section elements. 6: Styrene sheets along with other material sheets such as tin or aluminum are also useful. 7: Finally, the metallic wire, bared or insulated, is also good stuff. Beginning with the cockpit: 8: The first step is to hollow the avionics bays and other opened panels. Then the inner structure is built with styrene sheet. For gluing the styrene pieces we must use styrene cement. 9: To build the lateral control panels in the cockpit first I engraved the lines on a thin styrene sheet with a scriber, and then cut the piece and glued it in place. Over this piece I attached all the small switches and buttons. 10: The buttons are made with small discs of stretched sprue (black and red) and the switches from small sections of thin stretched sprue (black). It is important to get the right volume in these elements because this will ease the paintjob. 11: The cockpit side structure is a section of styrene sheet over which I glued some other styrene pieces. The metallic pieces are sections of tin sheet, which is easy engrave textures such as the quilting of the compartment behind the cockpit. The small rivets, screws or buttons are made with small discs of stretched sprue. The red wire is also a section of stretched sprue bent to shape with fine tweezers. 12: The main control panel and two electronic boxes located in the compartment behind the cockpit. The main shape of the boxes is made with a thick styrene strip, then we can detail them with more small pieces of styrene. 13: The dashboard cover has some styrene detailing, the HUD frame is Verlinden´s photoetched. At the right is the cover of the compartment behind the cockpit which also has some photoetched elements added. 14: The ejection seat is resin replacement included in the Verlinden detail set. As you can see it couldn't escape from some further detailing. It also got some metallic wires to imitate some tubes. All of the styrene and non-styrene elements in contact with the resin seat were glued with cyanoacrylate. 15: Other interesting area is the cannon and radar housing. Again, the structure is made with white styrene pieces, then I used a few sections of red stretched sprue to imitate some cylindrical details and black stretched sprue for the wires. 16-17: The different elements are not yet glued in place but is important to check the fitting frequently. Edited May 31, 2011 by Diego Quijano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Looks very impressive ! Considering the size of a 1/72 Hornet cockpit I'm amazed at the quantity of details you managed to add. Even putting the right knob in the right position must be a challenge ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgreek Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I agree with Georgio. Really nice work, especially so small! I haven't seen that boxing of the Fujimi Hornet. Is it a Spanish markings one? Could you add a full picture of the box? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 ouch thats good.. considering the pigs ear I am making of the 1/72 Fuji T-1A cockpit (for me its not bad tho)....... look forward to seeing more of your work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 INCREDIBLE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I can't believe that's 1/72! Literally incredible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 Thank you, friends. I agree with Georgio. Really nice work, especially so small!I haven't seen that boxing of the Fujimi Hornet. Is it a Spanish markings one? Could you add a full picture of the box? Thanks It was an edition called "Spanish Air Force". Just the same Fujimi F-18A but with Spanish markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgreek Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Thanks for the picture Diego. I also followed your link to your other work. You are very skilled at scratch-building!!! That agressor Hornet, WOW! Thanks for sharing your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) PART II Link to the finished model 18-19: The work so far, the cockpit is almost ready, the only thing remaining is the canopy. 20: I detailed the canopy frame mainly with Verlinden photoetched pieces to which I added some styrene elements. In the picture you can see some red cylinders, black cables and white square pieces. 21: When detailing the canopy hinge we must ensure that the canopy frame fits properly with the fuselage piece. The cannon build: 22: The M61 20mm Vulcan Cannon was an interesting challenge. The exercise was not only to detail a piece but to build an entire complex assembly from scratch. As WITH many other things it´s not complicated once you get into it. The method is quite simple. To start, I built the main shape with big pieces of styrene trying to imitate the general dimensions, and then I imitated the superficial structure with smaller pieces until I got enough similarity with the real cannon. The last step was to build the small elements as rivets, screws, etc, focusing in the areas that will be visible. Of course, It´s important to have enough pictures of the real cannon and to analyze them so we can visualize the different parts before we build them. Apart from the styrene pieces I also used masking tape to imitate a fabric cover in the ammunition feed system. 23: To imitate the ammunition feed system I used a leftover 1/35 photoetched ammo belt, sorry I don´t remember the manufacturer. I bent the extremities of the projectiles and then I curved the belt to get the right shape. 24: The ventilation duct is made with coiled copper wire. The intake is also made with masking tape. 25-26: Notice that I only detailed what will be visible through the open panels, that is, the left side and the bottom. The avionic bays: 27: The first things to build are the walls that separate each compartment, and then you can detail the interior according to the pictures. I paint the electronic boxes separately and only glue them in place after painting. Attaching them to plastic sticks makes painting easier. I like to glue as much wiring as possible before painting but there are some cables that must be attached after all the boxes are glued in place so there will be more wiring after the paintjob. Of course is essential to check that all the boxes fit in place before painting. 28: The avionics bay doors have several identical locks so I decided to build only one lock and make a silicon mould. I then made the 12 locks I needed with two-part polyurethane resin. 29: Each door is made with two overlapping pieces of styrene sheet. The internal piece is made from 0.5mm sheet and the external piece from 0.1mm sheet. The external piece is a little bigger except in the upper side, which gives us an easy way to reproduce the border that mates to the fuselage. Next we can add the locks and the remaining details. 30: The cannon/radar bay hatch is a very important element because as it has really attractive wiring. I used the kit part and refined the edges with files and sandpaper. Along with the multicolor stretched sprue used to make the cables I also used metallic wires with white insulation. These imitate the real thing perfectly. The big greenish square that represents the ammo drum quilting is made from epoxy putty and textured with a brush. 31-32: And here´s the result. Everything fits in place and looks good, so it´s time to celebrate with a cold beer...or two. Edited January 21, 2011 by Diego Quijano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 jaw droppingly brilliant.... my 1.72 Hornet will be OOB ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 PART III Link to the finished model The landing gear: 33-34: The landing gear details are made with both styrene pieces and stretched sprue sections. I made the structure details with styrene pieces, and then added wires and pipes with stretched sprue. 35: A comparison between pre-detailed and detailed front landing gear. The front landing gear strut was painted separately to simplify both the masking and painting of the well. 36-37: The interior of the front landing wheel well. In this case the first step is to add wall relief details with styrene stripes and other pieces. Next I added the pipes along the bottom of the well using insulated wire or stretched sprue. Finally I detailed the lateral and raised elements. 38-39: The main landing gear. Again, the firs step is to build the well structure detail. Unlike the front strut, I decided to attach the landing gear struts before the painting phase. The reason was that the union between struts and wells is much more complicated here with many more elements. I detailed the struts before attaching them to the wells. 40-42: Several views of the detailed main landing gear. With the landing struts in position the next step is to add the wires and pipes with black stretched sprue. This is a bit burdensome and boring but not difficult. 43: The wheel well doors also need some detailing. Firstly I thinned the edges with a sharp blade and eliminated the round mould marks, and then I added the details with styrene pieces. On the left you can see the doors before detailing; and on the right the detailed ones. Fixing the wings: 44: I wanted to display the flaps and slats extended so I had to cut some pieces off the wings and bent others. In this picture you can see the pieces that must be cut from both wing halves. The cuts are made along the panel lines with a sharp blade. The two marked lines don´t need to be cut but only bent. To do that I engraved the marked lines on the lower surface of the wing halves with a scriber to thin the plastic. Now is easy to bend these two pieces. 45: Comparison of the lower wing before and after fixing it. On the left you can see the lines that must be cut (green) and bent (black). On the right you can see the slats line bent and the flaps separated. 46: Comparison between the upper wing before and after. With the two halves of the slats glued and the line bent there is a gap on the upper wing for the folding surface. I made this with a rod of slightly conical stretched sprue (red). The curved surface of the flaps is made with Tamiya epoxy putty and sanded to the right curvature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Even more impressive. The details in the wheel well is simply amazing ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Fantastic stuff! And what amazes me is how you manage to get stretched sprue to take & keep such tight smooth curves! Whenever I try to use the stuff it just kinks or breaks so I end up having to use lead wire! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Fantastic stuff! And what amazes me is how you manage to get stretched sprue to take & keep such tight smooth curves! Whenever I try to use the stuff it just kinks or breaks so I end up having to use lead wire! K Hi, K. Lead wire is a nice option. I like stretched sprue because it can be glued with styrene cement that leaves no residues. But if you manage to make clean joints with cianoacrilate, lead and copper wire are nice stuff. Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 The detailing is absolutely fantastiv...unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 PART IV, FINAL Link to the finished model The rear section: Airbrake and engine bays: 47: The first thing I did was to relocate the engine´s cooling grilles a little rearward. After hollowing the plastic I made the grids with styrene stripes, then Fujimi´s grilles were eliminated with putty. The airbrake housing was detailed in the usual way; the thicker pipes were too curved so I used copper wire instead of stretched sprue. 48: The two halves of the kit are not separated exactly on the access doors hinge line so I had to cut a section of the lower half of the kit and attach it to the upper one, then I eliminate the join with Tamiya putty. The next step was to make the firewall that separates the two engine housings with thick styrene sheet. 49-50: The interior detail was built using the arsenal of styrene and stretched sprue. The pieces with panel lines and round rivets were marked before gluing them in place. The port side bay is less detailed because is where the engine will be located. The access doors are from the kit; before detailing the structure I first thinned the inner side with a curved blade, files and sandpaper. 51: The General Electric F404 turbofan engine. First, the main shape was made with plastic pipes, and then I detailed the slightly raised elements and made a resin copy. Over the resin piece I built the complex elements mainly using styrene pieces although you can also see some elements from metallic wire. The exhaust nozzle is also made with pieces of styrene sheet. Putting the things together: 52-53: Ok, the main detailing phase is completed so is the time to assemble the model. Nothing exceptional to mention: styrene cement, some putty here and there, sandpaper...the usual. As you can see I removed the rudders to relocate them slightly moved. I also added the structural strengthening pieces from styrene sheet. 54: The F-18 has slotted-flaps. This type of flap has a gap between the wing and the leading edge of the flap. In order to locate the flaps in the proper extended position, I used sections of copper wire to ensure a strong flaps-to-wing assembly. 55-56: In these pictures you can see the correct position of the extended flaps and the slot between flaps and wing. 57: The air intake interiors must be painted white before they are assembled. It is also advisable to paint the camo-coloured zone in front of the air intakes before attaching the deflector panels. 58: This is the end of the detailing and assembly process. I have avoided the pictures of the cockpit painting in order to focus the article only in the detailing and assembly. The only zones painted at this moment are the cockpit, the cannon bay, the air intakes and the zone in front of them. In the picture you can see all the pieces that must be painted before assembling them. I know that there may be some steps that I have not explained too well, so if anybody has any questions or observations please contact. For me, adding some detail to a model is really gratifying. I hope this article will help other modellers to find it gratifying too. Finally I would like to thank Ralph Riese again for his help in the translation and making this text comprehensible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Brilliant stuff I cannot believe its 1/72, so much detail you have added, you must have good vision for such small work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robw_uk Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 holy crap...... thats good and in 1/72 too!!!!! am just starting to plan my prowler build and thought "will mock up a couple of accees panels and avionics bays".... erm whats the point ;-) might as well glue her altogether out the box and save myself the embarassment of being a million miles away from this (joke - will still do the bays, have 4 in mind plus maybe the rader) and then loko at the cockpit - smoked glass so perhaps you cant see much.... anyway - will be back to mug your for ideas (do you objecft to me messaging you via IM to get tips/tricks not covered in here?_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthCake Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I didn't know humans are able to do such a detailing on a 1/72 scale model. This is really impressive. I'm pretty sure that good vision is not enough, you must have some goblins around to do this level of detailing ... After seeing this, all my efforts on scratch building seat belts just looks ridicules. But pleas, continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Absolutely brilliant. I give up. Well, maybe... When I've used some of these techniques on the kits in my stash. Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Almost lifelike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Jellyfingers Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Bloody 'ell and strewth !!! Stunned from Hyde ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Quijano Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Thanks for your words people. holy crap...... thats good and in 1/72 too!!!!! am just starting to plan my prowler build and thought "will mock up a couple of accees panels and avionics bays".... erm whats the point ;-) might as well glue her altogether out the box and save myself the embarassment of being a million miles away from this (joke - will still do the bays, have 4 in mind plus maybe the rader) and then loko at the cockpit - smoked glass so perhaps you cant see much....anyway - will be back to mug your for ideas (do you objecft to me messaging you via IM to get tips/tricks not covered in here?_ Hi Rob, Of course you can contact me for anything, no need to ask. Thanks for the compliments. Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuts Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Bloody 'ell and strewth !!! Fantastic work I had to look twice to see its 72nd, I couldn't do that in 32nd....off to build a tank . Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mideast-mover Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Crikey...does this thing actually work? Utterly fantastic detailing there. Something to really aspire to. I just wish I had the patience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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