checksix
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checksix got a reaction from Gazzas in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
This is going to look amazing!
Regarding drilling acrylic: I've had similar experience when drilling flat acrylic plates: after drilling what appeared to be clean holes, several days later small cracks and stress fractures appeared. After some experimentation I found that using water as a drilling lubricant prevented the fractures from later appearing. I just used an eye dropper and kept refilling a little puddle around the hole while drilling. I suspect the water has two effects: it provides cooling so the plastic doesn't melt and it also somehow allows the drill to cut a cleaner hole without chipping away at the walls of the hole.
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checksix got a reaction from Zippo The Zipdrive in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Back end
The Barracuda resin exhaust nozzle castings are quite detailed. Installing the tiny actuator rods is a challenge. They are sliced one at a time from the casting block and then CA'd in place. Many spares are provided. I only lost two:
After painting and applying a wash of clear smoke:
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checksix got a reaction from Bill Cross in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
As long as you're putting all those lights in place, maybe you should put blue/pink leds within the engine to create afterburner "shock diamonds" using edge lighting, by adding frosted concentric rings on the outside of your clear support rod? You might be able to achieve an effect something like this:
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checksix got a reaction from scvrobeson in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
As long as you're putting all those lights in place, maybe you should put blue/pink leds within the engine to create afterburner "shock diamonds" using edge lighting, by adding frosted concentric rings on the outside of your clear support rod? You might be able to achieve an effect something like this:
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checksix got a reaction from F-4Phanwell in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
As long as you're putting all those lights in place, maybe you should put blue/pink leds within the engine to create afterburner "shock diamonds" using edge lighting, by adding frosted concentric rings on the outside of your clear support rod? You might be able to achieve an effect something like this:
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checksix got a reaction from Out2gtcha in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
As long as you're putting all those lights in place, maybe you should put blue/pink leds within the engine to create afterburner "shock diamonds" using edge lighting, by adding frosted concentric rings on the outside of your clear support rod? You might be able to achieve an effect something like this:
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checksix got a reaction from Gazzas in F-104D Starfighter - 57-1315 - AFFTC Edwards AFB, 1960
As long as you're putting all those lights in place, maybe you should put blue/pink leds within the engine to create afterburner "shock diamonds" using edge lighting, by adding frosted concentric rings on the outside of your clear support rod? You might be able to achieve an effect something like this:
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checksix got a reaction from themongoose in 1/32 T-38A Thunderbird Completed
All that panel work is really going to look good when painted. Love the decal on back of pilot helmet. Don't rush to get it finished! It's going to be a beauty.
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checksix got a reaction from BradG in 1/32 T-38A Thunderbird Completed
It's difficult to tell without seeing the entire fuselage, but it looks like your nose profile is going to work!
One thing I noticed is that the little cone shape at the front base of the canopy seems too exaggerated.
It's actually fairly subtle, and the shape seems to carry through the canopy and matches the interior cockpit glare shield.
Here's what I mean:
You're going to have a great model. I'm really enjoying watching this unfold...
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
I used original Rockwell / North American Aviation drawings for the B-1B, obtained here:
http://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/catalog/drawndoc.htm
"Airdrawing 2" and "Airdrawing 18"
This was a great resource. You place an order via paypal and he email's you a temporary web address and password from which you download the .zip file containing the drawings.
I used a program called "Imagemagick" to convert and rescale the desired image ("B-1b.gif") into a pdf file that I took to a local Office Depot and had them print on one of their big architectural printers (48" x 36") for about $7.
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
I'm planning on adding "EL" (Ellsworth) markings eventually. My son will be PCS'ing there sometime this year as a pilot. I'm waiting to see what plane(s) he'll be flying so I can pick something appropriate.
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checksix got a reaction from Hartmann352 in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Painting
I was looking for a worn, somewhat aged appearance. After priming with Tamiya gray liquid surface primer, I sprayed multiple thin coats of Tamiya XF-54 "Dark Sea Gray", stopping before obtaining complete coverage. For walkway markings I used XF-24 "Dark Gray". For the nose cone and dielectric panels I used a 50:50 mix of XF-54 and XF-24. The wing pivot areas are X-31 "Titanium Gold". Lastly, I dirtied things up a bit with some XF-1 "Flat Black". The flat paints look good but are delicate. For final assembly and handling I wear thin cotton gloves (thanks wife!).
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checksix got a reaction from RadBaron in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
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checksix got a reaction from The Madhatter in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
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checksix got a reaction from daveculp in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Completed
All done. The base of the display stand was cut from poplar. The vertical portion is a temporary mdf template that will be replaced with clear acrylic.
With clear acrylic display stand, cut from 3/8" sheet:
-
checksix got a reaction from The Madhatter in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Painting
I was looking for a worn, somewhat aged appearance. After priming with Tamiya gray liquid surface primer, I sprayed multiple thin coats of Tamiya XF-54 "Dark Sea Gray", stopping before obtaining complete coverage. For walkway markings I used XF-24 "Dark Gray". For the nose cone and dielectric panels I used a 50:50 mix of XF-54 and XF-24. The wing pivot areas are X-31 "Titanium Gold". Lastly, I dirtied things up a bit with some XF-1 "Flat Black". The flat paints look good but are delicate. For final assembly and handling I wear thin cotton gloves (thanks wife!).
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checksix got a reaction from The Madhatter in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Back end
The Barracuda resin exhaust nozzle castings are quite detailed. Installing the tiny actuator rods is a challenge. They are sliced one at a time from the casting block and then CA'd in place. Many spares are provided. I only lost two:
After painting and applying a wash of clear smoke:
-
checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Front end
Rather than using decals, I painted all lines and markings. Window seal outlines were applied using the Barracuda canopy masks. To make a mask for the refueling markers, I scanned the original decal sheet, did some photo editing to generate a black-on-white image, and printed out the image. Then I overlaid some frisket film on the image, traced out the pattern with a fresh X-Acto blade, transferred the film mask onto the model, and sprayed several thin coats of off-white:
The resin pitot tubes are tiny. They are installed into holes that must be drilled. I used the tip of an X-Acto blade to start each hole and then opened them to size with a finger-turned .081" drill bit.
A needle file was used to ream out each hole for a custom friction fit. A couple of holes came out slightly too large and required a tiny smear of epoxy:
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checksix got a reaction from TorbenD in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Painting
I was looking for a worn, somewhat aged appearance. After priming with Tamiya gray liquid surface primer, I sprayed multiple thin coats of Tamiya XF-54 "Dark Sea Gray", stopping before obtaining complete coverage. For walkway markings I used XF-24 "Dark Gray". For the nose cone and dielectric panels I used a 50:50 mix of XF-54 and XF-24. The wing pivot areas are X-31 "Titanium Gold". Lastly, I dirtied things up a bit with some XF-1 "Flat Black". The flat paints look good but are delicate. For final assembly and handling I wear thin cotton gloves (thanks wife!).
-
checksix got a reaction from The Madhatter in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Front end
Rather than using decals, I painted all lines and markings. Window seal outlines were applied using the Barracuda canopy masks. To make a mask for the refueling markers, I scanned the original decal sheet, did some photo editing to generate a black-on-white image, and printed out the image. Then I overlaid some frisket film on the image, traced out the pattern with a fresh X-Acto blade, transferred the film mask onto the model, and sprayed several thin coats of off-white:
The resin pitot tubes are tiny. They are installed into holes that must be drilled. I used the tip of an X-Acto blade to start each hole and then opened them to size with a finger-turned .081" drill bit.
A needle file was used to ream out each hole for a custom friction fit. A couple of holes came out slightly too large and required a tiny smear of epoxy:
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Cockpit
The kit pilot figures have old-style helmet visors, so I modified them to look more like the helmets that are currently worn:
The windows on the real aircraft seem to have an iridescent yellow tint, so I tried to duplicate that:
The canopy fit was very poor and required extensive filling and blending:
But the Barracuda paint masks fit very nicely:
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checksix got a reaction from Martinnfb in 1/72 Rockwell B-1B Lancer ("BONE") bomber
Wings
The first job is to correct the wings. They need to be longer to match the drawings:
And the wing pivot knuckles need to be larger in diameter:
I made the wings removable so they can be installed after the fuselage is closed up, blended, filled, and scribed. I cut slots into the wings and filed matching flats on the pivots, after inserting wire rods for extra strength: