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Hasegawa Fw 190D-11 Conversion


LSP_Kevin

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  • 9 months later...

Well, just when you thought it was over! Upon opening my display cabinet as a prelude to trying to squeeze another model in, I noticed that this one had developed a serious list:

 

KJkOak.jpg

 

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As you can see, the port landing gear leg has really gone for a wander! I figured it must've just come loose, but on closer examination it appears that the leg itself has bent over time at the junction of the T-piece at its base, circled below:

 

8bHsdq.jpg

 

The legs are metal if you'll recall. It was being displayed on a glass shelf, and the the lack of resistance has clearly been a problem. The question is, how best to fix it? It's fixed pretty firmly into the wheel bay, and in attempting to pry it out I've determined that the resin part will give way before the CA bond does, so just simply trying to bend it back would tear a section of the wheel bay out. I might have to get in there with a hobby knife or something, but I really don't want to make things worse. Any suggestions chaps?

 

Kev

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Sorry for that Kev!

 

I found it typical from Fw 190...

 

What I usualy do when I think one aircarft landing gear might be a bit "weak" (ie Fw 190, Me 109, etc...), I use a "very strong" metal wire (ie: a paper clip) to make the plumbing on the leg so that the metal wire is contributing to the overall strenght of the landing gear.

 

The reason I like paper clips is that they come in various sizes and diametres plus the still can be shaped without too much trouble.

 

Then, it is important that on the top end the wire gets into the wing via a small hope (+ a bit of CA) cause this is going to make the all operation worth.

 

What I would do here if I were you:

- use an extra Fw 190 pair of legs to shape a bit of paper clip (or else) without any risk of damaging the model

- drill a smal hope (diametre of the wire into the gear bay

- fit the wire in place and glue it to both parts (you can use tape to replucate the mating rings on the leg ie

 

I hope this help ;)

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That's a shame, Kev.

 

If it were me, I'd probably snap it off and reglue it at its correct angle in a little puddle of a thick, strong glue like 5 minute epoxy. It won't be pretty in that one little spot, but it would last and be better than a cockeyed leg.

 

D

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  • 1 month later...

Well folks, with other projects pending I really needed to deal with this one and get it off my bench again. After close examination of the base of the problematic gear leg, I've spotted the issue:

 

ZpWMTL.jpg

 

In case it isn't obvious in the photo, there's a crack or tear in the metal at the base of the leg, where the vertical section meets the horizontal stub. I've decided not to attempt to fix this, as I reckon it can only get worse from here. The horizontal stub isn't letting go, and trying to manipulate it to do so is only making the tear worse. I think my best course of action now is to simply obtain one of those acrylic stands that Doogs uses and display it off its undercarriage permanently. It's not my best build, but I put a world of effort (and AM) into it, and it's still recent enough for me to not want to write it off. Landing gear seems to be the bane of my existence when it comes to model planes!

 

Kev

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  • 1 month later...

So, my solution to this model's undercarriage issue arrived in the mail during the week, and after gluing the missing gear door back on, I set it up to see what it looks like:

 

MDriuP.jpg

 

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ACXWFz.jpg

 

This is pretty much how it's going to look in the display cabinet. I can't fix the broken gear let, and I put too much work into it to trash it, so this is a decent compromise for me. Plus, after seeing Doogs use these Flightpose stands, I thought I'd see what they are like. They offer 2.5", 4" and 6" models, and the sizes refer to the length of the supports, not the size of the base! I didn't realise that until they arrived. I bought the first two only, as they were out of stock on the largest one. The one I've used in the photos is actually the smallest one, so the 6" one is probably overkill for most purposes, bearing in mind that they all share the same size base.

 

Anyway, I'm quite happy with both the product and the solution, and may even look to build the odd wheels-up model using them.

 

Kev

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  • 3 years later...

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