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A6M 2 Lt Junichi Sasie


spacewolf

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While waiting for some glue to dry I looked around for something that needed doing and the first thing I saw was the rear cockpit bulkhead. I find it hard to get my head around what a jewel of construction this aircraft was. Everything was sacrificed for lightness. There are parts you'd wonder why they didn't crumble like aluminum foil and the parts for the kit show how hard Tamyia worked to capture that. In comparison the Doyusha part is crude.

 

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With some work and very careful carving I'm getting to the point where the copy I'm making will come close to being what this should look like.... but I'm a bit cross eyed, time to call it a night.

 

post-2514-1257165020.jpg

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That's really good work Vaughn! You're on your way to a cracker of a cockpit. It's nice to have decent parts to copy from, eh? Makes the job that much easier.

 

Kev

 

Thanks Kev. Yes it is, it can only result in a better model. My 21st C. kit suffers from poor molding and warpage, you should see the twist in the floor ! I'm correcting and making the parts better than the kit so hopefully it'll look good under paint. It's too bad that they wouldn't sell the tamyia cockpit as a kit.

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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Second try.......

 

post-2514-1257148956.jpg

I loosely set the 21st C. floor, seat and rear bulkhead on the built up area. Looks better don't you think Saber ?

 

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Yeppers, now you're cookin with gas! I was a bit afraid I'd be raining on your parade but I had to say it. The new work is spot on from what I can see. Have at it!

 

Sabre

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Yeppers, now you're cookin with gas! I was a bit afraid I'd be raining on your parade but I had to say it. The new work is spot on from what I can see. Have at it!

 

Sabre

 

Hey Sabre, no worries. Constructive criticism is always ok, you saved me getting in a BIG hole. No, it wasn't fun after all that work but hey, it happens and if I screw up again I hope someone here is kind enough to point it out.

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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After drilling and carving out the holes and openings I ran thin strips of sheet around the opening. This is about as far as I think I can go with this till I get the photo etch.

 

post-2514-1257224270.jpg

 

Now to go make more parts ! :speak_cool:

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Vaughn that is awesome work mate! Looks just like the Tamiya part. Fits OK in the Doyusha fuselage?

 

Kev

 

Thanks Kev. Test fitting it seems to be ok so far although I think it might be a touch big but I have a bit of room to play with.

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

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Yeh, gotta say that bulkhead looks fantastic. My 21st C kit cockpit had a lot of ejector marks all over everything and was a beast to get cleaned up. Doing what you are doing actually makes more sense than trying to fill all the pits n sand n file everything. Nothing comes out square or even doing it that way, while making it new from scratch gives the best result.

 

Perhaps I should kick myself in the butt n do the same.

 

 

Sabre

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This evening has been spent starting the Stbd side wall and refining the rear bulkhead. While it is close there are gaps that need filling. I cut thin angle strips and glued them on and slowly sanded them till the fit was where I wanted it. The large open holes where the canopy rails go through needed to have the bottom edge nipped off so the top of the bulkhead could contact the fuselage. That has been done on the finished side while you can see what it looks like before on the unfinished side. You can't see this once it's in place so no worries there.

 

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Once everything was glued, sanded and fiddled with till It slid into place with the fuselage halves held together I let it go at that. It looks not too bad and definately adds to the look of the model.

 

post-2514-1257237297.jpg

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Yeh, gotta say that bulkhead looks fantastic. My 21st C kit cockpit had a lot of ejector marks all over everything and was a beast to get cleaned up. Doing what you are doing actually makes more sense than trying to fill all the pits n sand n file everything. Nothing comes out square or even doing it that way, while making it new from scratch gives the best result.

 

Perhaps I should kick myself in the butt n do the same.

Sabre

 

Hey Sabre, thanks for the kind words. The 21st C. parts are good enough for basic patterns. I didn't have ejector pin marks but the floor had a twist in it that was quite something to see. The fit is poor, as if it were an old tired mold. I could have used it but this Doyusha kit is so nice it deserves better. Go for it, you'll be glad you did.

 

:speak_cool:

 

 

Vaughn

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