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HPH stuff


Phartycr0c

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In my experience the key trap with a resin kit is that most kits will allow you to assemble it not straight and true.  All minor and major joints must be made true/square and pinned to first aid alignment and then for strength.  All thick areas such as the trailing edges of top and bottom wings must be made closer to scale thickness.  Fixturing is a must. Prolong glue together of subassemblies to the next level up/bigger as long as posible (e.g., engines to wings, wings to fuselage, tail plane to fin and fuselage).  Pin them, tape them and fixture them and check from all angles.  Glue while ithe model is in the fixture if possible.  Finally be carefull when sanding to square things up and or get good fit.  Cleaning up one area can undo the fit of another (e.g., sanding the front of an engine flat then causes the propeller spinner to appear to small in diameter).

 

HTH

 

Rick

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Are you allergic to cyanocrylates?  Superglues were invented, as many of us know, for medical reasons...gluing wounds together.

 

YEP!!!! i'm really really allergic to CA glues, at least the fumes that form from bonding resin pieces together, found that out quite some years ago, after working with the stuff and finally almost ended up in hospital because my sinus cavities  were clogged.

Anyhow, at present when working CA glues with a project like e.g. the Catalina i'm all dressed up for chemical warfare so to speak........

But ofcourse two component type glues will work as well (which i'm not allergic to), so eventually a resin project will be feasible!!

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Are you allergic to cyanocrylates?  Superglues were invented, as many of us know, for medical reasons...gluing wounds together.

 

 

Thats an Urban myth. Although used for that purpose, even by myself, they were invented by a guy at Kodak during testing of clear plastics for Gun sights, they didnt work so it was shelved, then a few years later it was revived as they thought it might be suitable for canopies. Then the inventor discovered by accident its adhesive qualities. This then became the worlds first Superglue Eastman 910.

 

I really do know some pointless things. 

Edited by ade rowlands
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As others have said, they look nice in the box but are very challenging to build. I feel that sometimes the kits seem like they have not been test built by Hph before putting them on the market, or if they have, they have not changed the parts sufficient to make them easier for the builder.

 

Eric.

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Thats an Urban myth. Although used for that purpose, even by myself, they were invented by a guy at Kodak during testing of clear plastics for Gun sights, they didnt work so it was shelved, then a few years later it was revived as they thought it might be suitable for canopies. Then the inventor discovered by accident its adhesive qualities. This then became the worlds first Superglue Eastman 910.

 

I really do know some pointless things. 

Yes, but what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

 

I'm actually looking forward to the Walrus more than the others.  I love the challenge of an almost unbuildable biplane.  The only one I've ever seen built is Brian's, and it's not even completely done yet.

My Walrus is also on the "to be completed" shelf.

 

Before WNW released some of their more expensive kits, it was the most money I paid for a kit. And the least rewarding kit to build.

 

A pain in the posterior from the very first step. Sand, dry fit. Sand, dry fit. Repeat ad nauseum until you have had enough, then confine it to the SoD, least it be propelled forward at a rate of knots similar to a catapult launch.

 

Good luck!

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Fisher, MDC, Silver Wings, and Lukgraph kits got together nicely with little to no drama. The main fuselage parts are generally free from their molding block and taped together, or in the case of Fisher, often one piece.

HPH needs some extra care.

In retrospect, I'm all but totally convinced it's because of the need for the builder to remove everything, including the main fuselage and wing halves from an encircling pour block. There are plenty of places to leave things a hair too thick or too thin while doing this, thereby dimensionally blowing the entire structure out of kilter.

 

These kits are engineered with a parts layout and build sequence just like an IM kit. So the initial reaction is to just charge ahead like you're building a Hasegawa 109, but if a big part or two is off be a mm or two, look out for issues down the road.

 

I agree ! That's the main issue with HPH kits. And they have a lot of parts, too.

While a Silver Wings, or Fisher, or Lukgraph kit only need a few minutes for each part to be clean of casting block, the HPH parts need a lot of dusty sanding (with water it's not dusty, but it's still dirty !), which need to be very careful if you dont want to mess up the parts. And it takes a lot of time in my opinion.

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Still undaunted, I can completely understand why HPH kits are so labour / time / accuracy* intensive, as the finished product is propped up as being museum quality, and seeing the results of the few builds I have managed to find, I can see why. 

 

I have built resin cockpits etc with the "best of em" and i now understand I am embarking on a completely different voyage. TBH I am looking forward to it now, Thanks all for the pointers. Even learnt about superglue. 

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People seem to forget that HPH kits are still handmade limited edition kits. Even Fisher kits which are generally less complex than HPH kits and which are understood to be "easy" in terms of assembly (compared with other resin kits) still require much more work than an ordinary plastic kit!

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People seem to forget that HPH kits are still handmade limited edition kits. Even Fisher kits which are generally less complex than HPH kits and which are understood to be "easy" in terms of assembly (compared with other resin kits) still require much more work than an ordinary plastic kit!

 

 

While I empathise with the frustrations of others, I tend to agree with this line of thinking ...

 

Two things HpH can be commended on - They pick out subjects in large scale that most mass-kit producers would ignore or at least baulk at ... and they are very well detailed ...

I think that, as long as you expect to have some heavy clean-up and test fit work during the build process - and a fairly high degree of difficulty in assembly, expectations shouldn't exceed reality by too much.

With the due care in assembly that should be used for any and all limited run or resin kits, most seem to turn out very well. So I give them a healthy 'handicap' when it comes to this.

 

Now, if it were a Trumpeter, Hasegawa, Zoukei-Mura or HK Models kit ... I'd be riding them into the turf!! ... IM kits are supposed to be designed for cut-n-glue and minimal cleanup should be required as a result - at least in this day and age.

 

Rog :)

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People seem to forget that HPH kits are still handmade limited edition kits. Even Fisher kits which are generally less complex than HPH kits and which are understood to be "easy" in terms of assembly (compared with other resin kits) still require much more work than an ordinary plastic kit!

 

I'm afraid I respectfully disagree.

 

Resin manufacturers manage to put out some beautiful kits. Silver Wings, for instance, have kits quite close to IP in terms of clean-up and fit. Fisher kits need some clean-up, but not too much. Alley Cat's little kits are almost ready to go. Lukagraph are very similar to Silver Wings, MDC are very buildable.

 

To me, there just seems something fundamentally wrong with HpH. They are poorly designed when it comes to actually building them. The pour stubs can be huge, or are across the largest cross-section. Fit is not great, a lot of filler is required. Alignments can be a matter of guesswork. In many part it's not clear where the pour stub finishes and the kit part begins (Fuselage formers in particular!)

 

The Walrus can build up into a great, unique subject. But I'd only recommend it to a very experienced, patient resin builder who is forewarned and forearmed concerning the "challenges" the kit will present.

 

My advice would be:

1. Research, don't rely upon instructions;

2. Sand;

3. Test fit;

4. Patience.

 

I think the Fw189 is a better kit than the Walrus, but it's still a hell of a challenge for your very first resin kit.

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