41 replies to this topic

[petrov27]

Not good at all with group builds - but I have a Hellcat that I had just started a month or two back that may qualify? I think joining just the fuselage halves together and fitting  the bulkhead behind the pilot would be less than 25% complete? The aftermarket pit is not started other than getting the parts cut off the resin blocks and test fitting to the plastic joined fuse halves) - but lemme know if that sounds like that would count for more than 25% and not be eligible....

[petrov27]

To better illustrate what I have done so far on the kit:

 

The Trumpeter Hellcat is somewhat known for having a too wide top fuselage and spine behind the pilot that makes it look a bit off (opinions may vary but to me it looks odd.) I had bought a package deal of this kit off another LSP'er some time back - the first thing I wanted to try to address was that too-wide look around the cockpit.

 

To my eye and in comparison to some station drawings I found, the issue appeared to be both in front and behind the pit plus the spine behind the pilot actually seemed to bulge out. I removed some areas in front of the pit and behind it as so:

 

Then using superglue forced those areas together - this seemed to work pretty well and addressed the too-wide area both in front and behind the pit.

 

I have a resin pit intended for the Trumpeter kit - I modified the bulkhead behind the pilot to match the bulkhead from the Hasegawa kit which has always seemed to have a decent shape to my eye. Below is the resin bulkhead after mods compared to the "stock" Trumpeter bulkhead:

 

With the modifications I made to the fuselage halves and further squeezing the top of the fuse together, the modified resin bulkhead fits pretty good and the entire cockpit area is more narrow and looks better to my eye. The Hasegawa sliding canopy even fits OK without having to force it on there. The front windscreen will be more of a challenge as I narrowed the area in front of the pit as well, but I have several vac canopies (intended for the Hasegawa Cat) that I think I can make fit.

Edited by petrov27, 01 December 2017 - 09:53 PM.

[petrov27]

Markings planned for the kit are the Fundekals set:

 

http://www.fundekals...michaelInst.jpg

[Maxim]

Great start and a clever idea to tackle the issue with the fuselage.

[MARU5137]

Patrick,
Eagerly look forward to your build.
NEAT start.
Great choice ...

Edited by MARU5137, 01 December 2017 - 10:55 PM.

[phasephantomphixer]

Oh yeah! Just off to a Great start is all I see! Good eye for significant fix done an easy way.

[LSP_Kevin]

You're good to go, Patrick.

 

Kev

[LSP_Paul]

Very creative fix.. Does look much better!

 Keep up the great work

 Paul 

[1to1scale]

Neat build, quite a challenge, but some good ideas. My only concern would be the fuselage eventually popping loose from the resin and bowing back out. I might suggest possibl using some structural epoxy for automotive bodywork to hold it tight.

[Troy Molitor]

Looking forward to this one as well.

Troy

[Rick Griewski]

I have the same kit so I will keep an eye on how you address its issues. Looks very good so far.

Rick

[petrov27]

Neat build, quite a challenge, but some good ideas. My only concern would be the fuselage eventually popping loose from the resin and bowing back out. I might suggest possibl using some structural epoxy for automotive bodywork to hold it tight.

 

Yep - thats a concern of mine as well - I didnt have any epoxy though - lots of thick super glue and I added a 2nd bulkhead just behind the one that the pilot seat attaches to so I hope that holds things together. On the note of expoxy - I have always really disliked using it - is there a similar single-part glue that performs similarly?

[petrov27]

Some work on the aftermarket pit - seat had cast in belts and I prefer using the HGW style so carved all that off. Of course in the process managed to damage the delicate resin seat bottom so had to fashion a new one from plastic card. Also used a few etched bits from one of the eduard sets that came with the package deal I got with the kit. Front bulkhead re-profiled to fit the narrower pit as well. Fit is surprisingly good at this point. I will be adding elements of the "big ed" eduard set to the resin side consoles and instrument panel...

 

 

 

[petrov27]

Also - anyone built this kit and can comment on the engine? Is it pretty accurate/decent? Or would it be better to seek an aftermarket engine or from another kit?

Edited by petrov27, 04 December 2017 - 12:14 AM.

[1to1scale]

Yep - thats a concern of mine as well - I didnt have any epoxy though - lots of thick super glue and I added a 2nd bulkhead just behind the one that the pilot seat attaches to so I hope that holds things together. On the note of expoxy - I have always really disliked using it - is there a similar single-part glue that performs similarly?

Loctite makes “hysol” which is a relatively slow cure structural epoxy that is reasonably priced. A double tube set is about $17. I agree that epoxys are a pain to work with, but structural adhesives take the place of welding in the aviation and auto trades. They are strong and last forever, they also cure, so they won’t get funky over time.

Edited by 1to1scale, 05 December 2017 - 04:24 AM.