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Scratchbuilt 1/24 Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat


Jim Barry

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Some 3D prints came back last week. First the revised wheel (Version 2). I like it a lot, but have already added more rim and will probably do the inside of the wheel with the brake and caliper  in 3D so version 3 is in progress.  

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The next pieces are the gear. Here in the youtube link below I am playing with it as it does "operate". I've decided against what I feel is just too much to actually build it all in a working configuration. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was getting it to stay extended and or retracted. Something somewhat unreal would probably have to nested in the bay to lock position and well, I just can't stomach it. 

 

https://youtu.be/pYu4BGnJyCs

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not a lot going on lately.  Kind of my off season. But time freed up today and having dusted off my 3D skills lately I got to work on the tail wheel. 

 

Here's a youtube vid of it

 

Other 3D work done in the past week were doing the brakes and the propeller's interface with the driveshaft. Kind of ups my interest in doing the cockpit in 3D. 

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This morning I set out to finish the cowling master for vacuforming and just felt that I was working too hard to get it right and there was still so much more to do. Frustrated enough, I decided to try it in 3D. I ended up quite happy with results. Here I put all the parts together in one model to sort of test  everything. We are living in the future for sure digitally dry-fitting our models. Too much! 

 

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Back at it big time today. Finally a rainy day to just be inside. Started the cockpit and exceeded my expectations -- much more detail to go which should go well. I've been struggling how I'll encase the cockpit and provide a surface for the exterior paneling and thought I was headed to some crude build up, but then I learned to manipulate panels in 3D without much trouble and so made these here. 

 

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I tried to build some interior framing in 3D and basically could not figure it out. I decided I would just do it manually after the parts printed but then it dawned on me (after a good break)  I could make a copy of the panel and offset it just enough to make an interior wall, and then with some cubes as cutting tools I could then cut it up into a frame/lattice thing. As you can see in the video below(stepping though "redo", I did not do it this fast!)  it went really well, but the real cheating part was there at the end when I just select "mirror and the work goes to the other side. Parametric modelling is a very good thing! 

 

Video

 

 

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Edited by Jim Barry
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Added some more details to the pit  tonight . Throttle pod with throttle, radio button,  mixture lever and pitch controls set on a rail. Then on the port side "box" I put the tail wheel lock control lever, the dive recovery flap control, the knob for the aileron tab, knob for the rudder trim, the fresh air control (shaped just like what we see on today's airliners notably), the hydraulic pressure gauge just below that,  and finally I cut the map case hole. I uploaded all this to my Shapeways work folders and it all passed their checks as long as I used the Frosted Ultra Detail (or Frosted Extreme). Price is good and though have more stuff to go, I think I'm in the clear here with thicknesses etc.   

 

This is definitely a lesson in "one step at a time". I recall looking at my Kinetic 1/24 Razorback P-47 kit I purchased as a possible engine source and thinking as I pulled out sprue after sprue after sprue, that there was "NO WAY" I could make all these parts and that I was crazy. I suppose it's actually happening.....one little part at a time. Thanks for stopping by. 

 

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And though small, I made an extra effort to detail the stick which took well over an hour tonight. It's all about those triggers and red buttons, right? For those interested, the top button is bombs , the side button  is rockets and the front trigger is for cannons (or early versions like mine were 4 Browning 50 cal mgs). 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tom, Glad to hear your input and appreciation. 

 

Tonight is more project news and life news. The Bearcat has taken some back seat to work I've had to do on my studio hutte, like finally building a proper ceiling and not having insulation dangling down on me! Also I've had some bike races on weekends that have taken me away. And finally we got a puppy this week which is very time consuming too. Here is recent work in the pit adding the rubber boot for the stick. 11 little discs stacked just right on the stick's pattern. 

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And here is little Ruby.  8 week old Golden Retriever. We lost our family dog last March at age 12 and our family was heartbroken. Ruby is really cheering us up. We love our dogs. 

 

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