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VX-4 Bicentennial Phantom


Joe Driver

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OK, I'm finished with the P-38J and the Pin Up Campaign at AeroScale.com.

 

IMG_1721.jpg

 

And now ready to get on with the VX-4 Bird.

 

I did some reviewing of where I ended before putting it in a box for a while. So I'll be starting where I left off with the main landing gear. I'll also need to go back and rework/fix a couple of things on the fuselage. And not fix some other things.

Edited by Joe Driver
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  • 1 month later...

OK now. Pls forgive the delays and such. I've been working on some home projects lately and by the time I get to sit at the model desk I'm half dead to the world and want more aspirin.

 

And since the IPMS/Metro Atlanta contest has been cancelled I can now take some time to add a few more thingies and such in various spots.

 

I started at the main gear wells and then realized that I needed to start at the nose well. The main gear wells would be too exposed while working in the nose well so I decided to start at the front and work my way back.

 

The mains.

 

Decided to redo the inner areas at the fuselage/wing join starting with the left well for now. Current progress.

 

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I removed massive amounts of plastic from the crossmember in the wheel well and made new pieces for the I-beam (they are taped just forward of well).

 

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OK, to the nose gear. Brass strip for the pivot arms of the nose gear strut. In the end I'll mangle the kit part with some brass tube/rod/strip.

 

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Strips bent and tube. Get the idea now.

 

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The nose well with the top cut out. Lazy modeling at its finest.

 

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For now I'll be cleaning up what I cut open and creating a box for the top of the strut to attach with and be placed into the opened well structure. Also create a well roof and then back to soldering the top portion of the strut together.

 

 

More stuff linked in signature.

 

Rob C, go start a tab for me at Cheetah, just ask for John Hicks. You owe me for this mess.

Edited by Joe Driver
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Awesome work Joe,

 

The P-38 is stunning another of my favorite aircraft. :wow:

 

I hope you don't mind me high jacking to thread with a couple of pics.

 

Looking at what you're doing with the nose gear; I think I may have done something that sounds like what you're going to do. I built a box after creating the pivot.

 

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Barry

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Here are some more pics of work that was completed before it was shelved for a while.

 

The intakes. Painted and ready to install. Some of the paint is chipping off the bottom of the intakes so I'm using a pad wrapped around the bottom to protect it.

 

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Lining up the intakes was fun. Didn't know about the panel arrangement so I lined it up line based on various drawings. Also the parts are a slight bit undersized (nature of resin) and that added to the difficulty. Next time I will just use what the kit gives you and be done with it. At worse I'll just use the engine fronts and scrap the tunnels. The laminated sheet plastic looks worse than it was and most of it was sanded away.

 

IMG_1685.jpg

 

Currently prepping the nose gear well and should start on the strut construction soon.

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Made some progress over the last couple of nights in the nose gear well. Been working on the nose gear up lock. I decided to cut apart the kit part and correct various aspects of the parts.

 

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Cut apart, thinned down a bit and scratch part.

 

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Test fit. Test fit. Test fit.

 

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Back to the well tonite.

 

More pics linked in the signature.

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  • 2 weeks later...

More progress on the nose gear well and strut.

 

At the moment the nose gear strut has a slot cut into the top for the support arms. Once I'm finished bending the arms I'll cut a bottom slot and solder the pieces together. I'll make and use a jig for alignment.

 

This strut didn't survive and ended up as a test subject for soldering.

 

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The nose gear box has been cut apart, molded on detail was sliced off, fill and smoothed. The front portion will have a box for the nose strut attachment point. It will be glued together with the top of the well.

 

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All closed up.

 

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Next task will be to construct and solder the top of the strut support arms. After that I'll start on building the interior of the attachment box.

 

OK here's an add-on post.

 

The support arms for the strut have been bent to final shape and the slots have been cut into the tube and now test fitted. The arms will be soldered to the tube.

 

IMG_0395.jpg

 

Later.

Edited by Joe Driver
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OK I screwed up the nose gear strut and I'm starting another one. I was just a bit shy of the width in the well and the pivot points were too big so I'll try again. If this one screws up then I'll go to the Warner-Robbins show and measure a real one.

Edited by Joe Driver
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  • 3 weeks later...

OK boys and girls after a weekend trip to the Warner-Robbins contest and meeting up with Barry to see his drop dead beautiful work on his Phantom I'll head back to work on mine.

 

I took a few more pictures of the nose gear strut and well at the museum and one shot was the final piece to my puzzle on getting that strut together. Also took some measurements and that should help me get this thing together. So hopefully I'll be back at work on it soon (tonite, maybe). As they say, third time is the charm. :BANGHEAD2:

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK now! After some delays from normal life and the dopey dog getting sick I've been back at work on the nose strut.

 

It took three tries but I'm happy with it so far.

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The next part will be the chopping off the bottom half of the original part and grafting it on to my strut piece. Also need to locate and align the strut to the wheel well box sides.

 

Getting there.

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Hey Joe,

 

Looks like you've got it this time.

Good to see you back at it; I myself have been a little preoccupied with "real" life.

 

Barry

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Continuing on with The Nose Strut Follies!

 

The strut is now in the box! The test fit has gone quite well, only needing a .020 shim (so far) on the right side.

 

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Folded up for flying. Look at all that room for stuff to be crammed in and twisted around.

 

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And a before installation cheesecake shot.

 

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On to the chopping block for the kit strut!

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After many measurements and lots of thinking (don't tell SWMBO, she'll never believe it) I finally figured out where to chop the Tamiya nose gear.

 

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Then I rough cut the telescoping parts and drilled the Tamiya part for a brass rod. The tube second from right will be used to attach the kits plastic parts to the new strut after it is cut to final length.

 

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And the test fit of the parts.

 

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It's not much progress but its getting there.

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OK kids it's time for another progress shot or two before the July 4th weekend eats up all of my modeling time.

 

The brass and plastic have been cut to final length and await glue up.

 

IMG_0882.jpg

 

Test fit of strut in well.

 

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