Jump to content

1:32 F-90 Superstar


Dandiego

Recommended Posts

Hello again,

 

First up, shaping and defining the vertical tail. Bondo applied at base.

 

DSCN3232_zps4iqwem1l.jpg

 

Nose gear well has been boxed in and glued in place. This strengthens the whole nose area and is necessary before the cockpit can be fitted.

 

 

 

DSCN3233_zpsdntt8hcr.jpg

 

Nose gear well with extra strengthing strips added.

 

DSCN3236_zps8mo94cuh.jpg

 

Cockpit opening roughed out and modified F-80 cockpit added. Original F-80 cokpit was too wide and the sidewalls were too tall.

 

DSCN3234_zpstm52qmkj.jpg

 

DSCN3235_zpsoygczx25.jpgDSCN3237_zps9llwopba.jpg

 

 

Last a couple of steps backwards. It took a while but I have realized that the aft end of the fuselage is mis-shapen. The area outlined by the pencil line must be removed and lowered to get the right shape. Oh well. Oh crap. Stay tuned....

 

Dan

Edited by Dandiego
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fixing the aft fuselage.

 

My original work produced a "chunky" rear end. I have needed to remove the skin and change the profile of the ribs in the aft fuselage area. I cut out the skin, re-contoured the ribs and re-skinned. Not pretty but it is better. Sorry about the focus.

 

DSCN3238_zpsypqpvufo.jpg

 

A little bondo and it should smooth out nicely.

 

Here is a shot showing the difference between the original configuration, on the right, and the "fixed", left side.

 

DSCN3240_zpsk9kxiluo.jpg

 

Aft starboard area too be redone.

 

DSCN3241_zpsnautfqcv.jpg

 

Later, Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fixing the aft fuselage.

 

My original work produced a "chunky" rear end. I have needed to remove the skin and change the profile of the ribs in the aft fuselage area. I cut out the skin, re-contoured the ribs and re-skinned. Not pretty but it is better.

 

Later, Dan

 

Ah, the joy of scratch building.

 

Rest assured, Dan, that's pretty normal. Been there, done that...

 

Good to see progress (well, you are much faster than I've ever been...). I'm looking forward to the next installment.

 

 

Cheers

Rainer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok fixing the aft fuselage.

 

My original work produced a "chunky" rear end. I have needed to remove the skin and change the profile of the ribs in the aft fuselage area. I cut out the skin, re-contoured the ribs and re-skinned. Not pretty but it is better. Sorry about the focus.

 

DSCN3238_zpsypqpvufo.jpg

 

A little bondo and it should smooth out nicely.

 

Here is a shot showing the difference between the original configuration, on the right, and the "fixed", left side.

 

DSCN3240_zpsk9kxiluo.jpg

 

Aft starboard area too be redone.

 

DSCN3241_zpsnautfqcv.jpg

 

Later, Dan

 

 

 

Yeah Dan,

I see your problem.. the plastic strips or 'planks' -  around the corner edges are too wide .. they should have been narrower at these points (maybe half or 1/3rd the size)  and using these wider strips (as you used here) along the flatter sides of aircraft... my tip is that I'd be employing more thinner strips... as you move forward along the fuselage - to more tighter contours... you'd be using less effort for better results.

Chamfering the edges (joining edges between strips will help too and lessen filler needs...)

But in any case .. good results so far... with a bit more plastic - physical persuasion!  :fight:

Phil

Edited by Piprm
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah Dan,

I see your problem.. the plastic strips or 'planks' -  around the corner edges are too wide .. they should have been narrower at these points (maybe half or 1/3rd the size)  and using these wider strips (as you used here) along the flatter sides of aircraft... my tip is that I'd be employing more thinner strips... as you move forward along the fuselage - to more tighter contours... you'd be using less effort for better results.

Chamfering the edges (joining edges between strips will help too and lessen filler needs...)

But in any case .. good results so far... with a bit more plastic - physical persuasion!  :fight:

Phil

Thanks Phil,all of the points that you have made are quite valid. I used wider planks on the aft fuselage because the curve wasn't too extreme. I am hand cutting the planks from a large sheet and decided on the width as a time saving measure. As I get toward the front section I will have to modify my methods. Narrower planks for the tighter curves will be the way to go.I have been looking at the front end of the model and have really slowed down.

 

I need to bring many different assemblies together in a small space. The wheel well the cockpit and the intakes all come together in a very small space. I believe that I will attempt to skin the lower forward fuselage around the nose gear first. Then work my way up the fuselage and enclose the cockpit.

 

The aft fuselage was a piece of cake compared to the front. Why do you think I started there?

 

Anyway it is fun but above all a learning experience. I now know several methods not to use in the future.

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good one Dan!

It's fun to tackle new things having not done them before... it opens up the mind a little - it's very easy to get into a modelling rut..

Yes, it seems you are on the right track... another option is the sandwich method... for very < tight >  areas,  it might be a choice for you to build up the shape of a very complex area - even small ones, with layers of thin plastic sheet glued together and sanded, ground down or even carved to shape...but it follows the contours of the tight space - easier.... yes, you have a few options - as you say..

Have fun and good luck!

Phil

Edited by Piprm
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello all.

 

After about a month working on this project I am considering hitting the reset button.

 

I am once again looking at the rear fuselage and realizing that the shape is still wrong. I dont want to rip it up again so I am considering a reboot.

 

This seems to be the right choice for me. I have learned a lot in the last month and would like to use this new knowledge from the start.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello all.

 

After about a month working on this project I am considering hitting the reset button.

 

I am once again looking at the rear fuselage and realizing that the shape is still wrong. I dont want to rip it up again so I am considering a reboot.

 

This seems to be the right choice for me. I have learned a lot in the last month and would like to use this new knowledge from the start.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Dan

 

 

That's a good call. If you didn't, you would be staring at the questionable area every time you looked at it. I will also bet that it will take you half the time to get to the point where you stopped on the first attempt- That's the way it was on several of my models, covering familiar territory goes quickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ok a few pictures and a little explanation.

 

The first picture just to show that I did start over.What went wrong?? First I didn't transfer the size and shape of the spine correctly from the drawing and it was bigger than it should have been. What I did was to trace the shape onto a piece of thin cardboard and then use that to trace the shape onto the spine. What I did was to compound transcription errors and I ended up with a plastic spine that was about 1/8th of an inch off everywhere. Because of that I fit the ribs to match the overly large spine and it resulted in a "chunky" fuselage, especially noticeable at the extreme tail. I used a few exhaust nozzles from the spares bin and they were too large. Basically I made a mistake and continued to perpetuate it.

 

I also decided to make the ribs as seperate halves this time and to glue them to the spine directly. None of this  inaccurate slots that turned out to be weak and sloppy. And last I am framing up the cockpit area first as this was an issue with the first version.

 

.DSCN3245_zpsqldh7mvu.jpg

 

Here are the ribs on the Port side along with the strengthing square stock. Additional glue and strengthing bits can be seen.

 

DSCN3244_zpszbwdc8vj.jpg

 

The new aft end is much closer to the actual shape than the first.

 

DSCN3243_zpsd8egzci6.jpg

 

And last a cut-out shape showing where the cockpit and canopy will go. Wheel well has been installed.

 

DSCN3242_zps04ir5sog.jpg

 

I am planning on cutting the nose cone off of the first version and grafting it onto the new.

 

See ya, Dan

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...