VintageEagle

Thank you. OK, that would be an option. I contacted Daco in the meantime and they replied that an extended version of the stencils decal sheet is almost ready for printing and should become available soon. So, I’ll wait for the new set then. 
 
Thanks,
Roger

I have vague memories of Microscale markings for a 388th TFW Block 1 F-16A from Hill AFB, Utah.
It would have had a black radome circa 1978-79, quickly superseded by the less conspicuous grey coating. 
But maybe the scale was 1:48. 
 
If it were me I'd search for black codes, serials from generic 1980s F-16C sheets, coloured 388th TFW & TAC insignia from wherever.
 
Tony 

Alas, as far as I know the only 1/32 full sets of stencils released by Microscale/Superscale were a low-viz one: set 32047 and a F-16N one: set 32134. Moreover, close to all A model markings sets they released focused on their late use (e.g. ANG units). Possibly in an old Hasegawa or Revell kit...?

The earliest I could find was for a Block 15 AFRes jet:
 
https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SS32205?result-token=Lx33E
 
Microscale must have done some back in the day for early Hill and Nellis aircraft, so trawling ebay etc might turn up something.
 
Tony 

I just got my F-15C set and they are just super nice. Really detailed.
They seem very sturdy as well.
 
Niels 

April 9/24
 
Lots of small updates, but mostly an introduction to 7 different after-market items you might not be aware of for this and the Block 50 kit.
 
First some housekeeping, to remove that panel line around the AOA probe on both sides of the nose cone.  While it’s usually stained this way due to the protective cap that's placed over the probe when parked, it isn’t a real panel line, so I want to remove it. Same thing holds true for the Tamiya F-15 kits.
 

 
This kit has a removable nose cone to show off the radar stuff like the Block 50 kit, but it doesn’t have the radar screen anyway, so it should be glued into place instead.  The nose cone join isn’t very strong as a result, so to reinforce the join I glued Part F-35 to the nose cone first, then a styrene spacer from scrap that was sanded down to size to fill the gap behind it.  I used thick CA glue to weld it to the metal weight at the front, which gives you about 5 minutes to wiggle it around to get the best fit from all sides and angles with ordinary Tamiya ETC applied around the margin.
 

 
The nose cone join was then sanded down where needed, with eroded fastener detail restored with the usual tools to do so, like a Mega Tool for the big fasteners.  For the AOA probes I cut off, I’m using Master brass replacements which I’ve used a few times before on my other jets.  I think they really “kick them up a notch”.
 

 
The other side.  These probes fit into small holes that I drilled, so I can leave them off until the end of the build.
 

 

 
Another addition to this build is Kopecky horizontal stabilizers, which I heard about from our friend Marcel about 18 months ago, so I ordered a set for this future model.  The Kopecky resin I’ve used so far is excellent and probably on par with ResKit, which is saying a lot!  The service is excellent and their website is here:
 
Kopecky Website
 
This set comes with nice subtle rivet detail, but if you want almost no rivets, they now make a smoother version (32028).  Although most of these stabilizers are quite smooth, there are a few where you can clearly see the rivets like on Page 30 of Jake’s book, so I’m happy to stick with these instead.  As usual, trying to photograph this snow-white plastic is a real struggle, but next to this dark resin, it’s even tougher.  As you probably know, those moon craters next to the stab axle on the kit parts are way too deep, while the Kopecky rivets are at the surface where they should be.
 

 

 
The Kopecky stabs also have really nice recessed hollow internal detail that is missing from the kit.
 

 
Even if you don’t care for the resin stabs, you should buy this kit for the super fine brass static wicks that come with it, also made by Master.  The kit one in the middle sure looks crude and chunky when set next to them.
 

 

 
As an added bonus, there’s enough wicks for the vertical stabilizer and the rear tips of the wings.  The little resin wick holders fit the kit parts perfectly.
 

 
While we’re looking at the vertical stab, that top panel line at the front should be filled and rivet detail added, while a static wick should be added, right behind the top light assembly that will be added later.
 

 
Kopecky also makes really nice LAU-129 missiles rails, which thankfully come in a set of 4, because you’ll need all of them.
 

 
And a really detailed center-line pylon, which comes in two parts, just like the real deal.
 

 

 
This will be added at the end of the build, along with the landing gear cover piece it attaches to, Part C27.  It looks so good from the bottom, I may not add the fuel tank, so that you can see all the work I did in the landing gear bay unobstructed.
 

 
I have struggled for years to find a decent ACMI pod, because up until recently, the only resin ones available were poorly made and it’s hard to keep up with all the new versions that seem to come out every second year.  Here’s the one on my subject, which I took in 2022.
 

 
Thanks to 3D printing, we now have a few good options, like Phase Hanger Resin (1 ordered) and a new aftermarket supplier I found in the UK, Bandit Resin Factory.  This supplier doesn’t have a full website yet, but they do have a Facebook presence, where you can see some of their products and contact the owner below, who will send you his catalogue.
 
Bandit Resin Factory (Facebook)
 
Apparently the ACMI pod above is a “Type E”, so I ordered 2 of them so that I had a spare for the stash.  This is the nicest ACMI pod I’ve ever seen and it even comes with decals.  Highly recommended!
 

 
I also bought a travel pod that I’ve never seen before, which is also excellent with a door that opens.  I didn’t open it yet, because I’m not likely to use it on this particular jet.
 

 
As mentioned before, the front flaps on F-16’s rest a few degrees in the upward position when parked for some reason.
 

 
So I decided to cement mine in permanently now, just in case I struggled with the fit and angle later.  With a microbrush holding up the flaps while the glue dried, they seem to be roughly correct.
 

 
Rear flaps were attached as well, but these ones can still move up and down.
 

 
The next aftermarket parts I used were the CrossDelta external reinforcement plates that I showed earlier, which for Block 25 and Block 32 Vipers have the “lawnmower blades” to reinforce the vertical stabilizer base and the big 5-piece plate at the wing root to reinforce the fuel tanks.  Tamiya includes a decal set to replicate these plates, but they are too thin and the rivet detail won’t show, unless you leave them unpainted white.  I thought these CrossDelta plates would be metalized plastic, but they are actually made from real metal and are self adhesive.
 

 
Tough to see on the white plastic, but this is where they belong based upon the instructions and Jake’s book (P. 23).
 

 
Since they are super glossy and metal, I scuffed them up a bit with 1000# sandpaper to help with paint adhesion, which isn’t too rough to leave scratch marks.  I will need to use a metal primer as well if I want the paint to stick.
 

 
Not in the CrossDelta instructions or in Jake’s book, Block 25’s like my subject have a small reinforcement strap just below the canopy hinge on both sides, so I cut up one of the bigger plates to create 2 of them.  Since they are so small, I wicked a little thin CA glue underneath them to hold them securely, then cleaned up the edges with CA glue remover.
 

 
On the starboard side, the strap is just aft of the panel hinge.  I also opened up that tiny vent on the side, which I should have done earlier from behind before the top fuselage Part B28 was cemented into place.
 

 
One thing that’s a little surprising to me with F-16’s is that there’s a small gap at the base of the vertical stabilizer, unlike other jets.
 

 
This small gap is perfect for the very tight fitting kit stabilizer, which is friction fit, so you don’t really need to glue it on, so it can be painted and decaled off the fuselage for ease of handling.  Note that the small air duct on the base was cut off, which Block 25’s don’t have.
 

 
Well that’s it for now, but I thought I would throw out a question that I’ve always wondered about.  If F-16’s have 16 static wicks trailing all the control surfaces, why don’t other fighter jets like F-15’s and F-18’s have them as well?  Hmmmm…….
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Wow, that's a very kind comment sir and I thank you.  "By doing something til it works" it pretty accurate for me, because I often try things that don't work at all, like my first attempt at exhaust staining using bits of masking tape, which turned out quite bad.  With the pressure from the air brush the tape was pushed against the exhaust, creating a bit of a mess, so it was back to the drawing board with something I knew worked before, which was bits of stiff styrene instead.
 
I have often seen some of my relatively unique techniques used by others which makes me smile.  What's the saying?  "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" or something like that? 
 
Having said that, I use plenty of techniques in my builds that I learned from others, but I always try to recognize where I got my ideas from if they are special.  Marcel's anti-skid walkways using a rough surface Rustoleum in a spray can and Pete's white latex paint dipped F-16 intakes come to mind, but there are many other techniques I can't think of right now.  Although I don't use these methods any more, they really helped with some of my past models, so I try to give back to these forums whenever I can.
 
The Viper Aggressor is coming along very nicely now, with most of the parts now used.  I should have an update in a few days once I finalize a few assemblies that needed a tweak here and there.
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Thanks Guy!  I ordered some decal material that might work for those “No Push” stencils instead.  I prefer decals to painting them, because if I don’t like them or screw up, I can just remove them.  With paint, I’d have to repaint them all over again and I’m not doing that again!
 
April 4/24
 
One of the interesting features of these PW100 engines is the color of the shroud around the engine just back of the nozzle, which I’ll just call the engine collar.  The Pratt and Whitney collar is quite different than the GE110 collar, which is shallow and always dull titanium grey.  The PW100 collar is fairly wide, irregularly shaped, shiny and is often blue, presumably due to heat.  I say “often”, because it’s not always blue and the intensity of the blue color is all over the place.  After looking at dozens of PW100 collars, here are some examples of what I'm talking about:
 
Intense Blue and evenly colored, which is fairly rare.  I think if I painted my model like this, it would look unrealistic, despite the fact it can be real.
 

 
No blue at all.  Again, sort of rare, but they exist.
 

 
And a few examples of what I think is more common, which is more interesting to my eye.  The blue is there, but it’s mottled due to weathering and other factors, like type of engine and maintenance.
 
Note that some of the bands are not blue. 
 

 
Blue almost everywhere, but blotchy.
 

 
I decided to paint the model engine collar right now for a bunch of reasons:
 
-        Since it’s metallic, I want a super smooth surface with no other paint underneath, like a regular primer or paint from adjacent areas.
-        This collar is situated in an area between the speed brakes that will be difficult to paint later
-        I just want to!
 
The first step like I always do with Alclad metallic paint, is to start with a primer coat of Tamiya Gloss Black Lacquer from a rattle can decanted into a bottle.  I’ve tried the relatively new LP line of Tamiya lacquers in a bottle like LP-1, but I don’t find it as glossy as good 'ol TS-14.
 

 
The collar is predominantly a relatively shiny metallic color, so I started with Alclad Stainless Steel.  Unlike the “High Shine” Alclad colors like Chrome, this one is tough and can be masked without lifting.
 

 
To create a mottled look, I applied liquid mask with a sponge.  Salt would work just as well, but it’s messy.
 

 
I then sprayed Alclad Hotmetal Blue followed by more liquid mask and Alclad White Aluminum in an iterative sequence of light mist coats.  2 of the rings were masked off so that they would not pick up as much of the blue.  Everything was then sealed with clear coat of Tamiya Semi-Gloss lacquer to knock down the shine a bit.
 

 
The results.  This is tough to photograph to see the real colors and relative shine.
 

 
Parked on the model fuselage with the nozzle attached, it starts to look more natural and you can see that it's much shinier than the exhaust, as it should be.  I used a screw at the top through the alignment holes to hold things in place, since this assembly isn’t glued in yet.
 

 
The small gap between nozzle and collar will be much tighter with glue.

 
Of course I had to show off the exhaust staining again.      I’m pretty happy with how things turned out, because now I have the “blue look” of the collar, without it looking too pristine and unrealistic.
 

 

 
With the engine collar now painted and sealed, I can then mask it off and assemble the entire engine as described earlier.
 

 
It now just slides into place
 

 
And is now securely glued to the fuselage.
 

 
Last peek at the afterburner face before I fill this engine cavity with foam and mask it off.
 

That’s it for now and thanks for your continued interest and “like” responses, which I appreciate very much.
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Thanks Guys!
 
 
Thanks Pete.  Funny, I was just researching this very topic this morning, since I'm now painting the engine parts.  Here's the ResKit nozzle once more for reference, with lots of tiny rivet detail.
 

 
What I found in my own pics of these nozzles and on the 'net was all over the map, but it's clear that 90+% of the PW100 petals are smooth as you point out with no super obvious rivet marks like this one.  The nozzle collar isn't always blue either, but since I think it looks cool, I'll be adding some Alclad Hotmetal Blue to mine.
 

 
The next thing I thought, was that maybe ResKit was trying to match the newer 229 engine, which has a distinctive carbon fiber look which is almost black.  The little dimples are super tiny and random, however, so it can't be that.
 

 
Digging around, I found a fairly rare pic of exhaust petals that are near new, which show the rivets fairly well.  Those "No Push" placards are usually cooked on and you can barely read them like the first pic above.
 

 
 
Over time, heat and weathering, this is the look that's more natural.
 

 
 
I don't see me filling the rivets in, because the detail is so fine, doing so will likely create a bit of a mess of the delicate blade boundaries.  I think, however, that I have a few ways of toning them down, at least at a bit of a distance.  Time will tell if I'm successful- or not!
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Great to have the option for an accurate landing gear for the F-15. They write:
The E type nose landing gear will not deform when weighing less than 500 grams(C type less then 350 grams), and will deform slightly when weighing 1,000 grams. The rear landing gear will not deform even if it weighs over 2000 grams.
Does anyone know the weight of a Tamiya 1/32 F-15C with some resin parts (roughly)? I’m a bit concerned that the front gear leg will bend over time.
 
Thanks,
Roger

Details look brilliant! Lucky we are by what can be achieved with 3D printing... although the $47 price is a bit steep, imho. I respect the brainwork and effort for creating such stuff but still high considering it is about one-fifth/sixth of a contemporary full resin kit.

Yes, the shimmy damper is only on the E model.  They have a strut set specifically for the C version (circular lower nose strut cross-section) so be sure to order that set if you’re building a C. 

I believe that might be the shimmy dampener?
I haven't seen that on any Charlie models either. 
I expect it will be easy to remove if necessary although photos on the website don't show it installed. 
I think the nose gear arch is also a different shape between -C and -E models so hopefully that is recreated.
 
The detail looks superb. 
 

Well, this is kind of a tricky question as the total weight of the model is not what's applied to each strut.  It's almost like weighing a real aircraft; only a portion of the total weight is carried by each strut.  For "accuracy's sake" It's not quite as simple as the total weight divided by three but a good majority of the weight is carried by the main landing gear and the rest carried by the nose gear.  For lack of a set of "scale model" load cells, I should think that total weight divided by three would give you a nice safety margin.  Now back to your original question....  My built Tamiya 1/32 F-15E weighs in at 0.625 kg (625 grams or 1.375 lbs) so those struts should handle the weight without any issue.

Phew, almost at the finish line with this project. Here are some closer views of the load-out... all quick phone pics, so apologies for the poor pic quality. The inboard pylons are from Reskit, as are the TER's and Mk82's... excellent stuff from Reskit. Fuze wires on the Mk82's are made from 0.2mm lead wire. I'm aware that they should be sticking out 4 inches beyond the fuze but I inadvertently bent during assembly. The lead wire is so pliable it will about bend when breathing on it.
 
The AIM-9D's are (from front to back): Reskit noses, 4mm styrene fuze section, rest is Zacto. I've noticed that most manufacturers do the AIM-9D's with window fuze sections ala AIM-9L/M, but this section seems to be smooth and metallic on the D.
 

 
 

 

 
Almost there. A friend is printing the spine antennas, once those are on she'd done.
 
I'm really please how the wing hinges turned out, it's pretty much a press-fit with just a tiny bit of white glue required.

 
I'll be taking photos with a better camera once she is complete, I'll then also take more detail pics of for example the wing hinge mechanism.
 
Cheers,
Marcel

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 16/24
 
Not a lot of modeling progress, mostly because the ejection seat is a model on its own and takes a long time if you want it to look right.  With that in mind, I bought another Aires seat because the cockpit kit seat was broken and my repair of one of the corners just didn’t look right.  This is the so-called Type A seat and as you can see, other than different colored resin, it’s identical to the cockpit set seat.
 

 
Before I show anything new, its best that I review what you need to do to the seat in order for it to fit on the Aires cockpit set seat rail properly.  This is what you get with no instructions as to how to get the rail past that valve-like feature at the back.
 

 
After scratching my head for a bit, I realized that you cut off the valve, because the seat rail has a replacement valve, albeit bigger.  Further, in order for the seat to fit low enough, the bottom needs to be sanded down, completely eroding off the lower control as shown.  None of this in in the instructions.
 

 
The correct position of the seat rail has the valve assembly attach to the middle-rear of the Flight Control System Recorder, while the back plate lines up with the triangular seat supports.  This pic also shows that I used the kit air sensor pitots or “horns”, because they look good for scale and are much stronger than the photo-etch Aires version, which require the addition of a small rod for the pitot tubes.  These parts were cut off kit Part G9 and glued in place.
 

 
Modern Viper seats have black sheepskin seat cushions that replace the original olive drab version, so we modelers typically create this rough surface by various methods.  Thinned putty roughed up with a microbrush is a common way of doing this, but I find it looks a bit too chunky for scale, so I tried some True-Earth anti-skid acrylic paint instead.  I think this method nails the look.  Besides being used for actual anti-skid surfaces, it would look great for Navy ablative coating on bombs as well.
 

 
A close-up.  The paint dries very quickly and is ready for flat black paint in no time.
 

 
As mentioned above, I was dreading the seatbelts which are photo etch, which makes them stiff and hard to paint.  Further, how do you not paint all the tiny buckles?
 

 
A few of you above suggested assembling the seat belts, painting them, then scraping off the paint on the buckles with a knife.  That turned out to work very well, so here’s what I did overall:
 
1)     Paint the seats like I did the cockpit, using gloss black followed by grey enamel, then a sealing coat of X-22
2)     Add painted detail and decals according to references.
3)     Spray with dull coat to knock down the shine, especially the seat cushions
4)     Anneal the seat belts with a flame for about 30-40 seconds to soften them
5)     Assemble the belts according to instructions, which is very hard to do and makes the assembly of HGW cloth seat belts seem like child’s play.  Since the Aires instructions are useless, I used mostly photo references to figure out what they should look like.   Since they are metal and will scratch the paint on the seat, I assembled them and shaped them to my spare kit seat.  If I did this again, I’d shape the seat belts before painting the seat
6)     Paint the shaped belts with enamel paint, which can be removed with solvent as required.  To hold the belts for painting and retain their new shape, I stuck them to poster putty rather than masking tape which would force them to be flat
7)     Scrape the paint off the buckles with a #11 knife.  Be careful to not dig down too hard, or you will reveal the brass underneath
8)     Glue the belts to the seat.  I used extra thin CA glue which is very tricky to do cleanly, but holds the belts rock solid immediately
9)     Re-spray the seats with dull coat, to knock down the shine of CA glue residue
 
The finished seat, at a magnification much more than can be seen with the naked eye, so please excuse the bits of crap here and there.....
 

 

 
All of my reference pics show that the forward belts are a darker color than the rear belts and shoulder belts, so I painted them accordingly.
 

 
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Airscale and their fantastic 1/32 Modern Jet Cockpit Warnings and Labels decal set (AS32), which I’ve used on my last 3-4 jets.  Every warning label you can think of is on this sheet, including some seat labels.  They come off the backing paper readily in hot water and react very well to Microsol to soften them over curved edges, but you have to be careful to not overdo it.  Take your time and you can position them on almost every complex surface imaginable.  If you like to build modern jets, they are a must have.
 

 
When the seat is placed into the cockpit, it really makes everything come together with additional detail and color.
 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
So that’s it for awhile Gents.  As mentioned earlier, I’ll be vacationing in the southern hemisphere for the next 6 weeks, so modeling is on hold once again.  No worries, because I always finish my models and have yet to have a model hit the proverbial SOD!
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a longer break, work continues. As those of you who have built Revell's Me 262 know the fit of the two cockpit side walls with the center floor piece is not great at all. I knew this and spend a lot of time dry fitting and ensuring a more or less acceptable fit. While I managed this, I was still not happy and also noticed that the cockpit in the orignial was one piece with the steel floor riveted onto it on one side. Hence, I filled the seams and sanded it to become one part, then added rivets using rivet decals from Quinta Studios (I used the double row 1/48 scale rivets, which were a perfect fit for this puropse) and painted the steel part in RLM 02. It know looks like in the original. 
 
First, an example of how Revell tells you to assemble the parts (with the complete center piece in RLM 02 and panel line across the cockpit tube; photo is from Chris Wauchops excellent Me 262):
 
 

 
Then how it should look like:

 
Weathering and painting of the wooden blocks on the left still needs to be done, but the cockpit is then finally complete.
 
I have also started to work on the nose wheel landing gear & bay and have made some modification. I'll cover this next time. 
 
Cheers,
 
Roger

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all for your kind comments! That motivates me to continue with this build! Next will be riveting. I know that putty was used on the original, at least in certain areas, but in wartime close-up photos you can still see the rivets. So, I'll add them, but try to be subtle. 

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it.
 
Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include:
 
OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console
 
KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. 
 
RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. 
 
Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Roger
 
All parts of your cockpit are so beautifull
Very nice job !
 
Gilles