Hasegawa Emil

[LSP_Kevin]

I haven't posted an update for a few days, so I guess it's time to show where things are at. Firstly, I decided I just couldn't live with Hasegawa's representation of the upper exhaust shields, so I replaced them with sheet styrene:

 

 

I also drilled a hole in the front faces of the exhaust fairings. Hasegawa represents them solid, whereas they should be just simple sheet metal cover that's open at the front. A simple hole will have to suffice!

 

I've also attached the lower wing rear tailplanes to the fuselage, and attached and undercoated the rear canopy section:

 

 

The forward canopy is just posed to test the fit. I'm going to try to make a canvas cover for the gap at the front of the canopy, as the real thing had a zippered cover here to protect the rear of the instrument panel. You'll also notice the other engine gun fell off... I reckon the entire engine will fall out before I'm finished...

 

The forward wing-to-fuselage join is a shocker, I'm sure due mostly to my own hacking, so I've shimmed it up ready for a mountain of Milliput:

 

 

Last shot, featuring the rudder push rod thingies from the Eduard PE set:

 

 

Unfortunately they've only got detail on one side, which faces up, and can't be see due to the tailplanes! Shoulda put 'em in the other way up I guess. Still, it's all starting to look like an Emil finally, and I'm really looking forward to getting all the hacking done and moving to the painting stage.

 

Kev

[DaveJ]

I'm really looking forward to getting all the hacking done and moving to the painting stage.

 

That's funny... for me the painting stage is the 'hacking' part!

Looking great Kev!

[ruzlkampf]

Dang Kevin, that is looking great!!! Your kicking tail, 'n taking names with this build. You've got me pumped up to get the new release of the BF-109E night fighter kit that was just released. I'm assuming it's a re-pop of their earlier kit? I've GOT to see how this kit goes together(or doesn't?). Need a 109E to go with the Mk1 Spit I'm going to be building soon. I must enlarge some plans to see for myself what the shape discrepancies are. Sure does cut a nice profile in your pics....is it really that far off? Really getting a kick off this build, and seeing what you're going thru. Don't give up! Always check this thread first to see what the latest development is. I think you're doing an outstanding job, and can't wait to see what's next!

[LSP_Kevin]

Dang Kevin, that is looking great!!! Your kicking tail, 'n taking names with this build. You've got me pumped up to get the new release of the BF-109E night fighter kit that was just released. I'm assuming it's a re-pop of their earlier kit? I've GOT to see how this kit goes together(or doesn't?). Need a 109E to go with the Mk1 Spit I'm going to be building soon. I must enlarge some plans to see for myself what the shape discrepancies are. Sure does cut a nice profile in your pics....is it really that far off? Really getting a kick off this build, and seeing what you're going thru. Don't give up! Always check this thread first to see what the latest development is. I think you're doing an outstanding job, and can't wait to see what's next!

 

Thanks Russ, I appreciate the kind comments. If I were you, I'd wait for the Eduard release later this year or early next. It'll likely be expensive relative to the Hasegawa kit, but will become the 1/32 109E kit, relegating the others to the history books. I for one would not build this one again!

 

Kev

[LSP_Mike]

Kevin, I think there is some immutable law of the modelling universe that states: "and each shall build at least once, the Hasegawa me-109E" or something like that. I'm waiting for the Eddy kit, since I've built 2-3 of these. LOTS of spare parts in my luftwaffel drawer though.

I think you're doing fine, and will be rewarded with a nice loking model.

[LSP_Kevin]

Kevin, I think there is some immutable law of the modelling universe that states: "and each shall build at least once, the Hasegawa me-109E" or something like that. I'm waiting for the Eddy kit, since I've built 2-3 of these. LOTS of spare parts in my luftwaffel drawer though.

I think you're doing fine, and will be rewarded with a nice loking model.

 

Thanks Mike. This is my first stab at this kit, and I'm pretty sure it'll be my last. Still hoping to have a crack at the Matchbox kit (o' wherefore art thou Ian?), and hoping the Eduard kit doesn't give me sticker shock when it arrives. Despite my grumbling, I am enjoying building this one, but once is enough!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

It's been a week since my last update, so it's probably time for a status report. I've mainly been working on little bits and pieces, creeping ever closer to the painting stage (can't wait!). Here's a shot of the current state:

 

 

Points to note:

 

- wing gun barrels replaced with aluminium tube and fitted into place;

- instrument panel levered into position (man, that was a bugger of a job!);

- styrene tab added at the wing root to facilitate a better, stronger join.

 

I've since glued the starboard upper wing half on, dislodging the machine gun in the process ( ), and also forgetting to paint the area directly above the radiator underneath the upper wing ( ).

 

More soon.

 

Kev

[ruzlkampf]

Looking GOOD Kevin!!!, Glad to see you're still pecking away at it. Thanks for the inspiration...I believe I'll have to FINALLY finish off my project.(just have to apply squadron codes and a clear flat coat...sheesh) I'm curious as to what you applied to the rear canopy piece to bond it to the fuselage? Not sure what those vacu-formed canopies are made of(acetate?), but they appear to be hard to "stick" to anything.(pretty darn thin too) Got any tips about what to do/not do when playing with those canopies?

Can't wait to see what the next steps are! Really enjoying watching you build this. Thumbs up! Russ

[LSP_Kevin]

Looking GOOD Kevin!!!, Glad to see you're still pecking away at it. Thanks for the inspiration...I believe I'll have to FINALLY finish off my project.(just have to apply squadron codes and a clear flat coat...sheesh) I'm curious as to what you applied to the rear canopy piece to bond it to the fuselage? Not sure what those vacu-formed canopies are made of(acetate?), but they appear to be hard to "stick" to anything.(pretty darn thin too) Got any tips about what to do/not do when playing with those canopies?

Can't wait to see what the next steps are! Really enjoying watching you build this. Thumbs up! Russ

 

Thanks Russ - I always appreciate your feedback and support! As for the vac canopy, I used the same Tamiya CA gel I've been using for the PE parts. It seemed to work pretty well, but I tackled it one side at a time. This allowed me to concentrate on dealing with the uncertain shape of the thin canopy with respect to the rear fuselage. Being so thin, and no longer attached to the rest of canopy, this section tended to flex a lot, so it would have been murder trying to get it all lined up and glued in one go. As it is, it's ever so slightly narrower than the fuselage. I blended it in Mr Surfacer 1200, but it would have been better to use 500 (which I didn't have). We'll see what it looks like when it's all painted up.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

The weekend is here once more, and that's when I usually get the bulk of my modelling done, so it's time for another update. I've been experimenting with creating a 'liquid plastic' by dissolving cut-up pieces of kit sprue into a jar with about 2cm of lacquer thinner in the bottom. It's not a new idea, but you don't see it talked about much. After 24 hours, I got a goopy, viscous paste that looks like this:

 

 

I then took a wooden skewer and experimented with applying it to the model as a filler:

 

 

Now, bear in mind I'm not advocating this a cure-all for filler woes; it's just an experiment on my part to see how it turns out. Already there are some problems. For one, it's hard to the get the consistency right. Since concocting this mixture a couple of weeks ago, just enough lacquer thinner has evaporated from the jar to make it slightly too viscous. That's easily solved of course by adding more lacquer thinner. It's also quite difficult to apply with any finesse, as the photo above will testify. Thin layers begin to harden almost straight away, so you don't have much time to work it into a joint or gap. Another issue with this specific example is the colour. I used sprue from the same kit, which being the same colour, makes it hard to see exactly what you're doing when applying it, and will probably cause problems sanding it back too. Using sprue of a different colour is the obvious answer here.

 

The main advantage of course is that it's essentially the same material that the kit is made of, so you're filling like with like. The lacquer thinner should give it a decent bite into the plastic as well, so there should be no adherence issues. And, it will sand just like the surrounding plastic (I hope...).

 

Anyway, it should be hard enough to start sanding in a couple of hours or so, so I'll report back then!

 

Kev

[Patrick]

Anyway, it should be hard enough to start sanding in a couple of hours or so, so I'll report back then!

 

Kev

 

Admire the idea, and not wishing to teach granny etc but....are you sure it'll be set then? I'd personally be lary that the liquid placcy has softened the base model (and give it a day or so for caution.)

 

Kudos,

 

Patrick

PS Nice work, and specifically this tab you put in at the wind root - did that do the job?

[LSP_Kevin]

Admire the idea, and not wishing to teach granny etc but....are you sure it'll be set then? I'd personally be lary that the liquid placcy has softened the base model (and give it a day or so for caution.)

 

Kudos,

 

Patrick

PS Nice work, and specifically this tab you put in at the wind root - did that do the job?

 

Thanks Patrick. And you're right, after just finishing a rough sanding session, I can confirm your suspicions. It was still slightly soft, and probably did need an entire 24 hours to properly harden. However, I actually found it quite easy to work with in this slightly softened state, and brushing some more liquid cement over the sanded areas seems to have sealed them up nicely. So far though, I'd have to say this technique offers no real advantage over the Milliput route I would have otherwise taken at this point. Another problem I wasn't expecting is that, once you sand the surface off, the thicker areas of the stuff had a honeycomb of tiny air bubbles underneath. Perhaps these would collapse with the eventual hardening, but it's hard to know for sure. The next step is to give it a coat of Mr Surfacer and see where all the inevitable problems are.

 

As for the plastic tab - yep, did the job admirably. I had to take out most of plastic face at the wing root, so there wasn't much left for the upper wing to grab on to otherwise.

 

Kev

[ruzlkampf]

Interesting, and cool experiment Kevin! I've thought about doing this exact same thing, but didn't know what to use for a dissolving solvent. Figured it'd be a lot easier to re-scribe lines in some kind of plastic, than a putty on the seams. Did it shrink very much as the solvent evaporated? Thought of using this technique to melt down some extra sprue and pouring into a mold of sorts.(verses heating/melting/pouring) Maybe not a good idea if a lot of bubbles form, and it shrinks a lot? Hmmm. Like you said, a lot might depend on the viscosity?(plastic/solvent ratio) You have my curiosity aroused as to an application for this trick. Good idea. Russ

[LSP_Kevin]

Interesting, and cool experiment Kevin! I've thought about doing this exact same thing, but didn't know what to use for a dissolving solvent. Figured it'd be a lot easier to re-scribe lines in some kind of plastic, than a putty on the seams. Did it shrink very much as the solvent evaporated? Thought of using this technique to melt down some extra sprue and pouring into a mold of sorts.(verses heating/melting/pouring) Maybe not a good idea if a lot of bubbles form, and it shrinks a lot? Hmmm. Like you said, a lot might depend on the viscosity?(plastic/solvent ratio) You have my curiosity aroused as to an application for this trick. Good idea. Russ

 

I also had the idea of using it with some kind of mould Russ, but after actually trying to use the stuff, I'm not so sure. It's sticky as all get-out, and really hard to control or work with. As you note, being a little less viscous might improve that. I'd also be concerned about all the air bubbles, but I didn't leave it long enough to be sure that they'd take care of themselves as the mixture fully cured. Something for a subsequent experiment!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Another update folks. I've finally got a coat of primer (Mr Surfacer) on the top sides, but as usual it didn't go to plan. I didn't get the Mr Surfacer thin enough, so I had spiderwebs floating around the workbench, settling on the model, and generally ruining the entire exercise! And because I knew I'd need a lot to cover the entire model, I didn't have any room at the top of the paint cup for any more thinner... At least I've got a respirator now. I've sanded back most of the rough areas, and will do the underside today. I'd really like to start painting by the end of the weekend, but I think there'll be too much remedial work to do first.

 

Anyway, here's my bald eagle:

 

 

The eagle-eyed among you (nyuck nyuck) will notice that I managed to get primer overspray on parts of the engine. That took a lot of planning and the precise misplacement of various masking agents, but I got there in the end.

 

More soon.

 

Kev