Fvdm

Been working on the bombardier's compartment
 
110_4474 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4477 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4478 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4479 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4490 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
I have added the bomb release switch, bombdoor controlls, a portable oxygen bottle and the springs and pulleys for the two machineguns in the nose. Maybe not all that accurate but it looks fine to me.
 
110_4482 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4484 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4485 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
Could't resist a dry fit. That place is crowded they had hardly room to breathe in there!!
 
110_4495 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
110_4494 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
Also finished the Norden bombsight. Only could't get the crosshairs done. Tried stretches sprue, thin wire ( too thick ) and even the dogs hair so I will probably leave it as it is.
 
 
Thanks to Daniel I know the noseart
 
Liquid8er 1 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
Liquid8er 2 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
 
Rick
 
 
 

"Glamor shot".
 

Thanks Squizzy and Ben, appreciate your interest!
 
As soon as the windshield is in place and the cockpit masked off, the model seems to accelerate. You can actually read the history of my fitting ****-up by the layers of styrene, much like the rings of a tree trunk!
 

 
It does sit nice and snug now, and an added bonus was that I had to squeeze the sides a bit to make it fit, which in turn pushed the profile up a bit from what was a slightly flat frame.
 

 
Some added depth to the rivets and panel lines at the fin "join" as well as some different fasteners to add interest to the surface. The static-wicks are from Profimodeller, but look a bit too long to me. The control surfaces have three skin layers, which I recall Karl replicating with actual layers! I just accentuated the first panel line to create an impression of depth - cheating...
 

 
The APU intake is mounted on some thin styrene card,
 

 
and these lifting handles created from the same 0.13mm sheet.
 

 
The chaff and flare dispensers need a bit of extra attention, and the side fairings really help the look. Stretched sprue for the weld seams and carefully fill and sand the cover to get it flat.
 

 
The kit photo-etch intake grilles really look the part.
 

 
Now at last some of the pedigree created in the Design Bureau is starting to show. What a shape...
 

 

 
Still no soldering , back in a week...
 
Sean

This particular joint was a real headache for me.  I should've used shims right off to counteract the thin-ness of the slat edges.  But I didn't.  Once glued into place, it was hard to get a solid connection along this joint.  That plus a nasty step AND gap at the wing root leading edge resulted in bunch of rounds of filling and sanding.  The last resort was gouging out the gap between the slat and the wing with my scriber and using black CA to fill.

 
A shot of primer to verify the patch job.  There will be a mismatch between the restored rivets and the molded rivets but I'm hoping it won't be too noticeable after weathering.

 
The rest of clear parts have been glued into place.

 

 
As you can see, I am just about ready to paint.  The horizontal tail planes will remain removable... the fit is good and it will be more convenient to deal with the hard mottle pattern on the tail without the horizontal stabilizers in place.

 

 

 
I still need to mask the wheel wells.  I'll probably use packing foam

 
I sprayed the canopy area with RLM 66 Dark Grey.  This will give the interior of the canopy frames the correct color and it also provides a way to evaluate the glue joints which are hard to distinguish on clear parts.  Fit of the clear parts is very good.  The very small gaps were filled in with Milliput.  

 

 

 
I've got a few days before my trip abroad.  I may or may not do some more work on the 262 before I leave.

Before I start building the model, I've got to figure out how I'm going to fabricate the pieces that I'll need to build the model.  One piece that has been on my mind since the day I decided to take on the Camel is the turnbuckles.  There are over 100 of them used on the Sopwith Camel and the ones that came with the kit are not anywhere close to looking like what a 1917 turnbuckle should look like.  Based on my research, the buckles on the Camel were pretty large (in both length and circumference) and were drilled for safety wire.
 
Tonight I started playing around with different sizes of different metals to see what might work.  The first picture is a close-up of a turnbuckle on the Sopwith Camel at the United States Airforce Museum (where I shot about 200+ reference pics).  The next three photos show what the hand-fabricated turnbuckles will look like when I'm done.  The prototype in the photos is a mess because I used super glue just to get a sense of scale and design.  I also only finished one end because this is a design experiment.  The ones that i'll fabricate and use on the model will be much cleaner (solder instead of glue) and will have links at both ends. The new nut in the one I built tonight is a 00-120 but I think I'm going to use 00-90's instead.  Each turnbuckle will consist of 6 pieces and will be drilled out and safety wired (per the prototype).  And i've got to make over 100 of these things!!!  I think I know what i'll be doing for the next week or two.
 
(The silver piece in the last photo is a "turnbuckle" that was cast in pot metal and included in the Model Airways kit.)
 

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks Brian!  I'm just tinkering around with the small bits since I don't want to embark on the painting until after I return.  Still lots to keep me busy until then.  One of the things I can do is to prepare the clear parts.  I've decided to shut the canopy to maximize the sleek lines of this jet fighter.  I'm trying to add the wire that keeps the canopy from flopping all the way onto the fuselage when open.

 
Obviously, a canopy restraint system should be attached to the part that opens but I couldn't figure out a way to do that.  So I just put the terminating end on the same frame as the spring end when in reality, it should be on the adjacent frame.  The painted canopy frames and the headrest armor should provide enough distraction from this inaccuracy.

 
 
Now that I've decided to close the canopy, I need to cover up the two notches on cockpit sill.

 
Instead of filling with putty, I decided to use a section of folded brass.  It does not extend all the way to the fuselage surface so as not to impede the canopy from sitting flush.

 

 
I've added brake lines (lead wire) to the nose gear as well as the main gear legs.

 

These 7 little items had me puzzled when initially identifying/sorting bits, 7 cylinders so I thought they were engine related:

 
But no!  Only 4 are required, they are in fact vents on the engine cowling:
 

 



 
I've also sorted the empennage.  There are some reasonable locating holes for the pins to mate with, but care still needs to be taken to get everything square and level:
 

Awesome work Kent. If you don't have problems with decals i expect you don't get problems with the wooddecals. Just go for it.

After a long time, I come back to update this post also thanks to work done in the Christmas holidays.
I've started to paint the interior using the "black base" thecnique with Mr Surface1500 adding some sprayed spotted texture of light (raised parts) and medium grey and at last aome light layer of RLM66 until the result let me satisfyed.
 

 
Tomorrow  I will continue the painting adding the various details and  with the weathering process
I'we doing somethign on the wheel wells , openig the holes on the inner part. I'dont like too much the Hasegawa wheel wells because are no detail on the surface so probably I'll replache these with some aftermarket parts.
 

 
In the meantime, I've take back the other Bf 109 that I've stopped some months ago for some problems to fit the Aires cockpit into the fuselage.
It is the G-6 Revell that  I would to backdate into a G-2/trop using the Alleycat set. The Revell is lovely and have very fine details.
The camouflage I've chose is the standard desert scheme in RLM 78/79 but with an interesting field variation of an overpainted "wave mirror" in green RLM80.
In this way I could go in tandem, saving a lot of time.
I'dont have the decals for this G-2 but I think that not will be a big problem. I'll try to use self made mask for painting numbers and unit emblem.
 
[/url]
 
So I've started to detail the external surface adding rivets and emptying the inside of the exaust stacks and the air vents and scratchbuilding the exaust protection as doing on the F-4 model also I've added the sand filter from Quickboost.

 
I painted the cockpit as described for the F-4, in the end the result satisfies me. Just a little touch of desert sand on the floor using pigments.

 
and after the worst challenge.....put in the Aires cockpit. I think this is an adjustment of the old interior for G-2 hasegawa kits to use it in the new revell .
At the end, after a lot of file and sandpaper work, I did it.
In my opinion the set Aires is not essential because the Revell's interiors are beautiful and detailed, only the rear seat belts molded together with the seat back (5 minutes working with the round blade cutter). I do not know why I took this set.
Now I can close the fuselage and glue the resin top of the engine cowling. To be able to assemble the two brass MGs after painted the model, I glued two small styrene tubes inside the cowling just in correspondence with the holes for the machine guns.
 

 
Here is the two Bf109 togheter


 
It's all for now, hope you like the progress.
Sebastiano

I'll take a break from  this model now. Next step is to mount the thing on a display plaque, but I have no idea when I'll get around to do that. 
Here are the latest photos. 
 
The tail wheel got some dust coloured  oil wash. 

 
Masking tape was removed from the canopy. 
Some unwanted paint was removed too, with white spirit. 
Not the ideal solvent but the alternative, rubbing alcohol, would have made a mess of the Future on the canopy. 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

Hi all,
The wing struts and the cabane struts have been pre-rigged and left 'slack'.
They'll be finally tightened and secured once the upper wing is fitted.
As with the undercarriage bracing, the end fittings are 0.4 mm nickel-silver tube with 0.5 mm aluminium nuts, although it's difficult to make them out in the shots..
Now it's on to pre-rigging the wing and flight controls!!





Mike

Beautiful plane + nice paintscheme = great showpiece!

Awesome!

P-51K Maj. Leonard "Kit" Carson
1/32 Tamiya
HGW wet transfers & belts
Barracuda wheels
Colors MRP, Gunze Sangyo, Alclad                        

The model that reached me the day before the new year.
I couldn't wait and decided to take him to the workshop right away.

The model F-5F from Kitty Hawk is a typical model of this manufacturer, definitely I not recommended to people who don't like fighting with matter.
Cut without sense, with disappearing rivets and dividing lines.
As I mentioned a typical KH model.

I chose different painting versions than in the set using the Two Bobs decal.
Model made straight from the box

So much talk, time for the model:
 
F-5F VCF-111 Kitty Hawk 1:32
 

Hi Guys first off a happy new year to you all, hope there are not too many soar heads!!

let me introduce you to the 1/32 Revell GR4 Tornado, I used Aires ejector seats and cockpit, and pilots from PJ Productions, with the decals from fantasy workshop, the rest is OTB.
The kit goes together ok, but you need to be patient with it , I used HATAKA acrylics which are turning out to be my favoured brand, enjoy.
 

As I wrote in WIP...
I bought very old Revell F-104 and after buying I started to think what I've done and what to do with it
In grim and cold night I hit upon an idea - not black but white eagle, nod yellow but red plane - polish whiff
I've ordered masks for eagle, seat from Aires, Pitot's tube from Master. Side panels in cockpit were scratchbuild ,exhaust had to de detailed and here it is. Polish F-104 in occasional scheme
Painted with Mr.Hobby range.
Many thanks to my friend Bogdan Zolnierowicz for masks !









 
 

Hurry up !  Only 11 and a half months left  !! 
 
 

 

Ok, now this is a bit of an FYI since we are looking at nacelles.
I hope Neil (ex Paragon Designs) dosent mind me posting this 2 photo's here for illustrative purposes.
 
Neil spotted an issue with the kit many years ago when he was making his resin sets for this 24th Airfix kit.  Neil knows his Mosquito's and he found something I hadn't noticed either.  The undercarriage hangs out too far below the nacelle and the bracing against the firewall needs shortening by a couple of mm to sit the kit down lower on its legs.  I have done this and agree with Neil that it makes a difference to how everything sits in relation to each other.  Most noticeably the u/c doors in relation to the door guides on the legs.  Simple fix, and I think quite important.
 
Anyway best to decide for yourself if you are building the kit.

 
And nestled into the well

 
And this is my subject aircraft to illustrate
 

 
Hope this is of interest if you didn't know and have the kit
 
Cheers Anthony
 

It's time for a little update.
 
Been working on the wings on an off, trying to get an acceptable finish before painting.
So I'm starting to add some wood grain to the spars and ribs, keeping it light.
 

 

 

 
I intend to use Uschi von der Rosten veneer decals for the leading edges of the wings...
 
Cheers: Kent
 
 
 

Great work Brian, looks fantastic.  

Here are some sub assemblies I managed to stick together. Generally I like to put as much together as I can before painting.
 
B-25J by The 3rd Placer, on Flickr
 
B-25J by The 3rd Placer, on Flickr
 
I found the whole rear gunner station could be built without the machine guns and they could be slipped on after detail painting the parts. Simply cut off the pins as shown below.
 
B-25J by The 3rd Placer, on Flickr
 
The forward upper turret station and pedestal were also completed....that seat looks uncomfortable.
 
B-25J by The 3rd Placer, on Flickr
 
B-25J by The 3rd Placer, on Flickr
 
Ryan
 
 
 
 
 

Next up was a design for the  Ruhrstahl X-4 missile's joystick control in the cockpit.  This is just a piece of stretched sprue for the joystick itself, a small #9 shot of lead for the ball control it connects to, a square of styrene sheet for the box itself, an AirScale cockpit placard for the surround and some EZ Line for the electrical wires. I just drilled out the back of the box to accept the lead ball, then glued on the joystick:
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Finally added to the IP, and IP glued in. The only thing left to do in the pit now is to get the Ruhrstahl X-4 elbow rest installed which will go on the starboard lower console:
 

 
 
 
 
 
Once glued in, all the work behind the IP is still visible, but its HELLA crowded back there now. Its still over-scale, but should look sufficiently busy once the windscreen is glued in, as the macro is NO ones freind:
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Lastly for the weekends work, I finished off another Do-335 A-2 Trop mod, an exhaust shield for the front engine to keep the more forward positioned trop filter from picking up exhaust fumes. Its not 100% perfect, nor finished yet, but I tried to make it a flowing shape, and am to this point very happy with it:
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Thats all for this weekend gents. I think I will attach the spine section to the fuselage and smooth that out, then will work on the 24 individual Quickboot exhaust stacks.
 
Thanks for looking in on me! 
 

Thx guys! I was really surprised at how weathered this particular aircraft is since the paint job is relatively new.
 
Here is the Zacto Aim-9X training round. The resin is just incredible, it just doesn't get any better. So wish Chris would produce some Aim-120's.
 

 

 

 
And here are the completed Aim-120 dummies. These seem to have become standard wingtip equipment on the Aggressor F-16's.
 
Note the blunt nose (vs what would be a pointier nose for the live round). You can get these blunt-nosed bodies from the Tamiya F-15E kit. The wings are from Cutting edge and thus realistically thin with the correct diamond c/s. I painted the back end bright orange after seeing that on some of the dummies in Jake's book.
 

 

 
Note the "peeled off" paint revealing the yellowish primer on some of the pylon leading edges above.
 
And here a little WIP of the Elta EL/L-8212 pod that is often carried by the 18th Aggressor Squadron (but not by any other unit)... I have been busy scratch-building this.
 

 
Cheers,
 
Marcel