Revell Zero Rebuild

[maverick728470]

Kev,

Just thought of another way to do the wells and this sould be easier for u.Make the wells as a long rectangle and just glue them into place.That way u cover everything as to doing them as to what i told u before.It works out well and u won't have to do all that cutting a gluing as to the shape of them.Either way there is no way to crew them up.Larry

[LSP_Kevin]

As most of us know, rescribing is a lengthy, tedious and laborious process. I'm doing this one in stages, and have nearly completed the top of the starboard wing:

 

 

It's not completely accurate according to the drawings I'm using, but reasonably representative, which is all I'm really after. The shiny streaks are liquid cement brushed along the newly-scribed lines in order to clean up the 'swarf'. The yet-to-be-done port wing is shown for comparison.

 

I'm happy to describe the process in more detail if anyone's interested, but I suspect that would be nearly as tedious as the task itself.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Another update, but nothing too exciting unless you're a fan of rescribing (one of the world's great spectator sports). I've finished most of it bar the cowling, the hinges for which I have no idea how to accomplish yet.

 

 

I've come to mistrust the drawings in the AJ-Press Modelmania book however (an enlargement of which you can see in the photo above). The dimensions are not consistent across the various views shown. For example, the length of the cowling is different in the side profiles from what it is in the plan views! And not by just a tiny bit either - 3mm in 1/32, or nearly 10cm on the real thing. Also, some of them don't really agree with photos in the same volume. They're still a useful guide though, and better than me trying to use photos alone.

 

I made a backplate for the spinner from plastic card:

 

 

My stupid camera has focussed everywhere except the area I tried to photograph. Stupid camera.

 

The kit spinner looks too blunt to me, but I'm not certain. Any Zero experts out there care to comment?

 

I've hacked away the rear portion of the headrest and will replace it with plastic card drilled out with lightening holes. It's a real mess at the moment (the kit's plastic is really thick):

 

 

I need to start working on the cockpit next, but I have no idea how to approach it really. I understand that the Zero cockpit was akin to a cage inserted into the fuselage, but will I get away with simply adding detail to the sidewalls instead? Anything's gotta be an improvement over the non-existent kit detail I guess. This is all new territory for me, so please forgive the newbie questions.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

I thought I might provide a quick update on how my attempts at scratchbuilding are coming along: woeful!

 

Here's the evidence:

 

 

This photos shows, left to right, the kit seat; my attempt to build a better one out of drink can aluminium; and the beginnings of the rear cockpit bulkhead.

 

I'm happy enough with the bulkhead, but the seat's a disaster. Am I better off sticking to sheet styrene for that? I like the strength and thinness of the aluminium, plus it curves nicely for the seat back. But cutting, shaping and gluing it are proving to be real hassles. I'm also having trouble coming up with a decent template for the seat. Time for one of our local scratchbuilding wiz's to step in here with some advice I think.

 

Oh well, back to the drawing board!

 

Kev

[Allok]

I always use 0.25mm styrene for seats. I curves pretty easily and you can just use (very small amounts of) styrene cement.

In this instance I would make the seat from three pieces; two sides and a single piece for the back rest and seat. I would drill the holes before cutting out the rear section.

Be prepared to stuff a few up before you get something respectable.

The kit part looks like it could be ficticious so don't copy it.

Good luck.

 

The bulkhead looks great.

[LSP_Kevin]

I always use 0.25mm styrene for seats. I curves pretty easily and you can just use (very small amounts of) styrene cement.

In this instance I would make the seat from three pieces; two sides and a single piece for the back rest and seat. I would drill the holes before cutting out the rear section.

Be prepared to stuff a few up before you get something respectable.

The kit part looks like it could be ficticious so don't copy it.

Good luck.

 

The bulkhead looks great.

 

Thanks Allok. You're right about the kit seat - purely fictional. The look of the seat on late model Zeros is pretty well-known, and the seat itself is pretty obvious in the cockpit, so I'm keen to get it looking the part. I used the kit part to determine the rough dimensions, and then a combination of photos and drawings (including those in the instructions for the Tamiya kit) for the specifics. The shape is way off, so here's hoping I get closer with the second go.

 

Kev

[Allok]

resin parts

 

!!!!! Where's the fun in that??!!!!

 

Actually, the only resin parts/models I've made have been darn good!

Whole different set of rules though.

 

Go to it Kev and good luck.

 

Keith.

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Here's my latest attempt at scratchbuilding a seat:

 

 

Left to right: kit seat, first attempt, latest attempt.

 

It's an improvement, and the overall shape is closer to the real thing, but I've lost the characteristic curved back. I guess it will look OK painted up and in situ, but I think I'll wait for Manny's resin replacement.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Good looking seat Kev.

 

Give it one more try. I bet you will really like the result. The first couple of trys are only ever rough drafts anyways and how will you get better if you don't push yourself? Besides as you said you've always got the resin to fall back on if your not happy with your results. Though I'd say that going by what you've shown your next seat will exceed your high standards. Can't wait to see what you show next.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan, but hey, I am pushing myself! One area of trouble here is in trying to sketch out an accurate shape to begin with. After that comes cutting it out properly! I do have to be careful to limit my ambitions somewhat though, as I really do want to finish this one, and not consign it to the scrap heap because I bit off more than I could chew. I guess you have to learn to crawl before you can walk (etc), so I can't really expect to go from chronic hack to Radu clone in a single build.

 

More to come...

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

OK, while contemplating my options for the seat, I decided to do some work on the spinner. The first task was to correct the too-blunt profile. First, I drilled a small pilot hole in the end and glued a length of styrene rod into it. I trimmed this and used it as an anchor for building up the tip with Milliput.

 

 

After sanding to shape, I scribed and riveted it, and built some blanking plates for the areas under the propeller blades. Here's the result so far:

 

 

I think it's probably too pointy now, but hopefully it will look OK once painted and weathered. I think I'm finally narrowing down my choice of schemes too, so the prop will most likely be an all-brown affair.

 

Any tips on what to do with that engine? I have no intentions of opening the cowling, so no need for superdetailing.

 

Kev

[ssculptor]

Against all commonsense and logic, I've decided for my next project to rebuild an old Revell Zero I had in the cabinet:

I built this kit at least 15 years ago to a pretty ordinary standard. My motivation for rebuilding is really to give myself a chance to experiment with scratchbuilding some details (something I haven't really done much of before), and to experiment with finishing techniques, all without risking a decent kit. Other than that, it's probably a pretty stupid idea! Originally I had just intended to repaint it, but while removing empennage and the like to prepare for paint stripping, it practically fell apart, so I finished the job, though not without some damage:

Wish me luck!

Kev

Kev,

I disagree with a lot that you said here.

It is NOT a stupid idea! It is a great idea and it demonstrates a lot of common sense and logic. You wish to develop your scratchbuilding skills. So what better vehicle to use than an old, built, cheapie kit. Its already built and you have had it for years so it really costs you nothing.

The nice thing about scratch building is that you are working alone. Thus you do not have to be embarassed by any errors or bits of lousy work you may do. The only person who sees it is you. After all, you are learning, right! A student is expected to make mistakes and false starts and even to travel down the road in the wrong direction for a while.

Fear nought! Charge ahead and develop those skills. After all, what is the worst that can happen? You screw up the entire model? So what, You are learning. You can always get replacement parts from Larry or pick up another old Revell Zero to play with for a small amount of money.

As to that bad wing. Look at that as an opportunity to develop your skills in using putty and sanding and filing.

The worst shape the disassembled Zeke is now the better it is for you.

Do not let yourself get discouraged if things go wrong. You are learning. Do it again and again until you get it right and then you are developing.

This project is a challenge that is well worth accepting.

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks for the encouragement Stephen (and everyone else). I only returned to the hobby at the end of last year and have been feeling my way back as I go along. Just about every second technique I try is new for me, so there's certainly lots of learning going on! Not having the means to simply pick up any aftermarket items I so desire, I'm really forced to deal with a kit's inadequacies the old fashioned way (and my stash is full of these old, inadequate kits!). My Dora build turned out better than I'd ever thought it would, so here's hoping the Zero will also be decent when it's done. To be honest, apart from an exercise in skills acquisition, my main goal with this build is really to see how much better I can make it look than it did sitting on my shelf for 15 years.

 

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Back from a short holiday with my family, so I thought I'd get stuck right in! I've assembled and painted the modified propeller assembly:

 

 

It's painted with Tamiya XF-64 as per RookieLSP's suggestion. It's not perfect, but a major improvement over how it was, which was my goal anyhow. It'll get a coat of Future and a wash next, but before I get too far along, a question: did all Zero props have the yellow warning stripes near the tips? My references for the particular machine I'm building don't show the propeller blades, but most of the drawings and photos I've seen have them. If so, I'll add them before moving on.

 

I've also been attempting to detail (ahem) the engine:

 

 

In the end all I did was add the cylinder bracing struts from styrene rod and some additional wiring from electrical wire. I originally had many more wires coming out, but they kept breaking off every time I tried to bend them to shape, so I left it at what you see. Again, not perfect, but an improvement, and adequate for what little you'll see through the front of the cowling.

 

I know it all seems fairly lame compared to what we see here every day from others, but hey, I gotta start somewhere!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

I've just pulled out the HobbyDecal sheet, and it does indeed have markings for the propeller tips. In fact, it is replete with every kind of stencil you could ever need for a 1/32 Zero, including several for the propeller assembly alone. The problem is, I'm not sure I could successfully apply them to the already-assembled unit. I keep imagining all sorts of horrendous breakage.

 

Also, what type of surface are they best applied to - gloss or flat? I'm sure I saw a how-to somewhere around the place, but can't find it now.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

I thought I'd start with the HobbyDecal stencils by adding the ones for the propeller spinner, but as usual not everything went to plan:

 

 

As I'd already assembled the parts, access was awkward to say the least, and my first attempt only transfered half of each stencil. I was able to line it all up again quickly, but this time I overdid the rubbing, and the grey streaks you see in the photo are where some paint has been lifted off by the backing adhesive (apologies for the poor photo).

 

Any suggestions as to how best fix this one? I'm contemplating coating the entire spinner with Future, and then, when dry, masking the stencil and respraying the affected area. The paint is so thin there's no way I could touch it up with a brush. I think the stencils will need toning down anyway - very bright!

 

Kev