Bill_S Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) I've had a couple of copies of the Revell George in the stash for a number of years; I bought them for far less than what they sell for these days. Not long after I acquired them, I went on the hunt for the Scratchbuilders Rex conversion. A post in the forums told me to "Build those high end kits"... so here we go. I've accumulated a little aftermarket for this kit: Waldron Japanese instruments Waldron instrument bezels Brengun N1K2 detail set (x2) Model Technologies PE seat harness (though as things progress, I may go with fabric belts) Some new ground for me here. The cockpit will be quasi-scratchbuilt. I'm still waiting for references, but I thought I'd start by looking at the basics of the Hasegawa kit as a starting point. Sidewall details differ between the mid-wing and low-wing versions; I filled in the voids on the back of the N1K2 pit sidewalls. I like the "tub" approach used by Hasegawa. The sidewall detail on the Revell kit is typical of 70's moldings. It's all gone now. The Hasegawa tub fits surprisingly well into the Revell fuselage. My plan is to cast replacements to go back into the hasegawa kit, then modify the styrene to conform to the N1K1 version(s), casting another copy for the land based version. Edited April 17, 2018 by Bill_S Girlscanplay2, leoasman, AndersN and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Go, Bill! Kev Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Very interesting build series! Looking forward to seeing more! Cheers Alan Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Neat! I have both in the stash too............................ Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) I'm developing a lot of respect for you scratch builders! Got a few of the flat parts fabricated and fitted. Casting blocks on some of the Hasegawa parts that I want to use: I have no experience casting resin; this should be interesting. Edited April 17, 2018 by Bill_S Zero77, mywifehatesmodels, ssculptor and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) Bill, This is going to be a great project. I also have a Revell mid-wing in the stash, so I'm very anxious to see what you come up with for cockpit details. It's still a good kit, in my opinion and the pit is probably the biggest thing holding it back, by today's standards. As for the resin parts, I'm not exactly sure what type of setup you have. Pressurized system, or just pouring it into the molds and pushing/letting gravity do the work? I do a lot of casting for my own needs, but don't have any specialized equipment. There are a couple of spots I can see being possible issues for you, depending on the methods you're using to do it. First, that shelf/platform sticking out of the sidewall could be hard to release from the mold when you make it. This will depend on the type of rubber, of course, but it might be tricky to get it out. With the bulkhead/bracing, if you're pouring that in a vertical attitude, it may be hard to get the resin all the way to the bottom. What I do for molds like that is carefully cut the master out, along the sides, leaving the bottom to act as a hinge, of sorts, which will allow you to peel it back, away from the part. However, this also aids in pouring it, as you can hold it open and be sure that the resin gets all the way to the bottom of the mold, then close it up on the sides and tape/hold it until it starts to cure. This will create some flash, but it's usually very easy to clean up (sometimes, you can just brush it off with your finger). It's also tempting to mold the more flat parts like that by just laying them down, horizontally, but I usually get air bubbles in the mold rubber I use that get trapped under the part. I try to do as much as possible in a vertical fashion to prevent bubbles in the mold, itself. I hope that makes sense and that it may be of some use to you. Learning how to make your own resin parts is a trial and error process. It pays off huge, though, especially if you can avoid some of the physics and mold engineering mistakes when starting out. Best of luck! Looking forward to it! John Edited November 20, 2015 by mywifehatesmodels Bill_S and Zero77 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 John, Thanks for your thoughts. It's exactly the reason I posted those photos! I don't expect to hit the ball out of the park on the first at-bat, but if I can I'd like to minimize the number of iterations required to obtain an acceptable result. I'm drawing on my meager exposure to casting technologies in my professional life. If I can, I'll try and provide passages for air to escape. I don't know yet if I'll be using vacuum. I'll post more when I have some progress. Girlscanplay2 and mywifehatesmodels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) I pulled the lower wing out of the box tonight. It is badly warped. Main spar in the good wing... Main spar in the warped wing... I wonder what the folks at Revell customer service would say if they got a request for replacement parts! Edited April 17, 2018 by Bill_S Girlscanplay2 and Zero77 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Griewski Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I'm developing a lot of respect for you scratch builders! Got a few of the flat parts fabricated and fitted. Casting blocks on some of the Hasegawa parts that I want to use: I have no experience casting resin; this should be interesting. Is this pattern going to be captured in a two-part mold? If not then you should consider filling the voids with thin and flat material else it will very bad experience trying to make a flap mold or even free up your pattern. Just a thought. Rick Zero77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Yes, Rick - I intend to use a two-part mold. Nothing else ever occurred to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Griewski Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yes, Rick - I intend to use a two-part mold. Nothing else ever occurred to me! Bill_S. You did mention that you are new to this resin thing. I have noticed that we all look out for each other's joy in the hobby. Rick Bill_S and mywifehatesmodels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) A length of .065 square brass epoxied to the wing spar fixed the last of the warpage issue. The point of no return: gear doors cemented in, cannon gondolas sawed off. A first coat of squadron white applied... Although this kit has raised surface detail, it's some of the most subtle I've ever seen. It will be a shame to sand it all off. Waiting on the last of my references before I pick up on the cockpit again. Edited April 17, 2018 by Bill_S Out2gtcha, Kagemusha, Zero77 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted November 27, 2015 Author Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) A good shot of the raised detail. Filling and sanding of the Rex wing is nearly complete; the next time you see it will be with a coat of primer! A note about those resin plugs to fill the cannon voids. They stick up on the inside of the wing, preventing the main spar from fitting flush to the inside of the wing. The wing halves won't close completely. I was impatient, and ended up shaving the top of the spar instead. Gear bay "detail". With the gear doors cemented closed, the boss for the gear leg had to be removed to get things to fit. This area can use some work on the mid-wing George. The Hasegawa kit has part of the gear bay molded into the lower wing... This should be easy enough to replicate on the Revell kit. I'm making molds of the rest of the gear bays from the N1K2; with a little modification, they'll fit into the Revell kit. And I've finally cast my first cockpit parts. Edited April 17, 2018 by Bill_S tomv87, Girlscanplay2, Zero77 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Groovy work Bill..... No kidding! Kev Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Nice casting. Sincerely, Mark Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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