KOTR Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 ...the XP-38. First of the breed, IMO the most elegant of all. Well, I hope there is enough time left, the box arrived late... More to follow soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 oooooooooh, now THIS is going to be sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Hi, Looks like a hell of a conversion using the old Revell kit. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allok Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 oooooooooh, now THIS is going to be sweet. I will certainly be watching! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Hi, Looks like a hell of a conversion using the old Revell kit. Good luck. Indeed, that will be a lot of fun, considering the "fit" of the kit Thanks for your encouragement, I'll probably need it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Great idea! Wish I could do something like that too, but time and ability makes that impractical. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 Thank you! I am still not sure if I haven't perhaps bitten of more than I can chew, especially when I compare the cockpit/inner wing with drawings. I haven't decided yet if I can ignore 5 missing millimetres... Anyways, I have been a little busy in the meantime. I cut off the radiators and filled the wholes with some plastic sheet and Milliput. Sanded and primed to check the surface. Next will be adding the new air intakes. Sorry for the crappy pictures, but cellphone cameras are anything but the best choice, and the fact that my monitor doesn't deliver me any red at the moment does not help in judging and correcting the colours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 Moreover, I payed some attention to the spinners. The XP-38 and YP-38s used longer, more pointed spinners than the later production aircrafts. I made a master from balsa, covered it with resin and sanded the surface smooth with grade 1000 sanding paper. Then I made a silicone form, that is allowed to vent for a couple of days. Having to little experience with creating molds, I decided to cast the spinners smooth and add the holes for the props later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 This pictures should show you the shape difference between preproduction and productio spinners... ...I'll do better pictures with my big camera, just it always takes some time to fill and process the film rolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Matt Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Oooohhhh....so nice. It really is an elegant looking plane. Love the work on the spinners. Fantastic. Cheers Matty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Well, after some moron decided to put me offline a couple of days due to some stupid booking error, I am back online to terrorize you some more with my progress I chose not to ignore the length issue on the cockpit and this resulted in some major surgery. Those little cowardish Milliput sister-sissies are hiding, because they know exactly what I'll take from them. Not that I would spare them the troubles and pains... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 As evident in the picture above, I already cut a piece out of the lefthand engine nacelle upper side, to fit in the new cowling. Moreover, the leading edges are yet missing, as I have to move them a little forward and have to delete the wing root fillet. Also I cut out the opening for the superchargers, as they have to be reversed. Meanwhile I also did the new cowlings, the masters, my successfully vacformed cowlings in their sheets and removed from them (each an upper and a lower one), and the structure that will deliver support to them. I'll have to add the oil cooler intake to the lower half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hi Michael, It is always nice to see modellers making a silk purse from a sow's ear. Looking very good at present (the XP-38 is an exceptionally elegent aircraft). I shall watch this one with interest. Good luck with the rest of your build. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Matt Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hey Now this is what I like to see and would like to see more of. Ingenuity and cross-pollination in the builds with different media and styles. The vac form cowls you made looks great. Good to see some major surgery Better get you runing shoes on though....Feb is a short month ( says me who hasn't even started chopping the Me109F ). GREAT work...love it. Cheers Matty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOTR Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Thanks for your comments. Indeed, February is short and I already cut the programme down. I will make the main wheelbays a bit simplyfied, as extending them to their real size would need some more major surgery I lack the time. Well, I am already eyeballing two more Lightnings I might consider doing that correction... Meanwhile, I extended the front wheel bay. The XP-38, YP-38s and early USAF-types including the D or E models had the front wheel leg actuator on the forward end. Later, the actuator was moved to the other side of the hinge, making more room for ammo boxes in the front end. On top of the wheelbay comes the cockpit floor, just as it was with the real thing. The cockpit floor will also have a structural task, it has to stretch the sides of the belly pan. Had obviously something stuck on my eyes when I glued the whole stuff back together, now it is about 1 - 1.5 mm to narrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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