Hasegawa Fw 190D-11 Conversion

[automaton]

Bingo! Why the heck didn't I think of that! So simple, so obvious. The only challenge will be blending the glassware with the plastic frame, but without moulding a new piece entirely in clear plastic, this was always going to be an issue. Thank you automaton!

 

Kev

 

 

Well, that's the kind of solutions I'm best at-the simple and obvious. The complicated and elusive not so much.

 

And along those lines, I was just typing a lengthy response in the "What Have You Learnt This Year" thread and managed to hit a wrong key and lose it. If I'm sober enough when I get home from the Christmas party I have to leave for in about 5 minutes, I'll try it again.

 

Anyway, I'm glad that helped. I'll be following this build, pretty interesting.

 

Regards;

 

Automaton

[LSP_Kevin]

Hoooooold the bus Banana Splits!

 

 

Since the release of the original EC-14 sheet and the first D.O.T.G.C book, the research has moved on somewhat. Confirmed by Jerry himself in this thread, that "Red 4" was fitted with a blown canopy after all...

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1198749710/1198796988/Focke+Wulf+190D-11+-+flat+or+blown+canopy-

 

S.

 

Ah, just in the nick of time Steve! Thank you so much. I much prefer the look of the blown canopy, and found it strange that any D-11s would sport the earlier type, so this 'new' research makes sense to me. Luckily I haven't done enough work to commit myself in either direction, so it's all good. Blown canopy it is!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

OK guys, the first of a series of questions for the Dora cognoscenti: does the Ta 152-style cowling intake have any kind of mesh or grille inside the opening? Neither Jerry's resin piece nor the RM 1/48 kit supply any such thing, and I seem to remember a discussion somewhere stating that real thing did not either. Anyone have any definitive information?

 

Kev

[Christian]

Hi Kev,

 

Hope you had a great Xmas.

 

Your conversion of the FW190 and your problem solving skills is fantastic.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Christian

[LSP_Kevin]

HI Kev,

 

No mesh screen was fitted to the front of the intake on these aircraft.

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=31360

 

Cheers,

Steve.

 

Ah, as I suspected. Muchas gracias Steve. The intake from Jerry is very neatly formed and will look fine once painted up, but the 1/48 version looks awful from the front and will need quite a bit of work in the absence of something to hide the mess.

 

So, onto the next question: Does anybody sell a set of prop blades suitable for the D-11? The Rutman conversion set I have is incomplete and does not contain the prop blades. The kit blades are in white metal and not really subject to practical modification. I don't want to bother Jerry about it, as he's made it plain recently that he's out of business for good and isn't fond of the continued request for parts. Besides, I suspect he may have sold the masters to Grey Matter. To that end, I've sent Tim a PM, but was curious if there were any other options (Google says no).

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Well, while I await any suggestions regarding the prop blades, I thought I might post a quick sequence of photos that shows how I scribe lines into objects that feature compound curves, such as spinners in this case. The prop spinner in this kit is missing the panel line that sits just above the blade cut-outs:



Here are the 'tools' involved:



In the middle we see a lump of children's modelling clay (the type that is re-mouldable, and doesn't harden). Ideally you'd use a larger lump than this. Put it to use like so:



In this case I've used a second lump to support the rear of the scribing tool, but normally a single larger lump would suffice. Stability is key to a good job here! The initial result:



It looks quite messy in that photo, and is in fact slightly more grungy than what I'd normally expect. This is mostly down to me using too small a lump of clay for the main support, and therefore not having quite enough stability to stop the tip of the tool wandering. Even so, the final result after clean-up is still pretty good:



With a little more clean up, and coats of primer and paint, it will still be quite acceptable. I will confess to putting the line slightly too low though!

I've seen various methods and approaches for doing this type of thing, but what I like about doing it this way is that it's very easy to put the cutting edge exactly where you want it (despite my confession above), and quickly. Just press the tool into the clay until it hits the desired height. If you go too far, pull it off, knead the clay back to shape and try again. You then get the added bonus of the modelling clay gripping the tool for you and helping to hold it in place. You could use a hobby knife, rather than the needle-in-a-pin-vise that I use, but the needle requires no attention to orientation, whereas the knife blade would have to be set (and kept) perfectly level.

Anyway, hopefully this has been of use to somebody!

Kev

[JRutman]

I was taking time for the holiday and so just read this update. I have fresh molds for the D-11 props blades if you want them. The D-11 pix I have seen have a slightly different blade than the D-13 or Ta152 in that there is a little sharp corner at the tip. This is the blade I have. I did not sell the masters for these to Tim. Remember the spinner will also have no cannon opening.

HTH,

J

[Guest Peterpools]

Hi Kev

Just finished reading all 7 wonderful pages of your FW190D-11 conversion. Just love the way you tackled one problem after another; I tip my hat hat top you on your dexterity and sticktoitiveness!. I particularly found your answer to the wing to fuselage fit problem an awesome way to go and some extraordinary thinking working out the cure.

I felt your pain with the epoxy problems, as I suffered through them with the Panther repair.

Looking forward to your next updater

Peter

[LSP_Kevin]

Your conversion of the FW190 and your problem solving skills is fantastic.

 

Thanks Christian! I appreciate your kind words.

 

 

I have fresh molds for the D-11 props blades if you want them.

 

Thanks Jerry. I'll get a PM off to you shortly.

 

Hi Kev

Just finished reading all 7 wonderful pages of your FW190D-11 conversion. Just love the way you tackled one problem after another; I tip my hat hat top you on your dexterity and sticktoitiveness!. I particularly found your answer to the wing to fuselage fit problem an awesome way to go and some extraordinary thinking working out the cure.

 

Thanks Peter. I don't possess any great skill in modelling, except for the one you hinted at: problem solving. I use it in my day job too, and it's an essential skill. Of course, I've still got to learn to not create these problems in the first place!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Right, time for some actual modelling progress! I've finally got the lower wing glued in place:




Stupidly (especially after the praise Peter bestowed on me for it), I completely forgot about my solution for improving the forward wing-to-fuselage join:





This is what happens when you model in as slow and piecemeal a fashion as I do. I joined the fuselage up ages ago, forgetting to not glue the forward section, so I could spread it later to better accept the lower wing. Now I'm back to the original problem of having quite a step to deal with. Ah well, it's more sanding...

I've also boxed in the exhaust openings, ready to accept the styrene examples I found among the spares Wumm sent me:



The rearmost opening on each side is covered by the resin engine block, so I'll attempt to mount their respective exhaust pipes directly onto it. The upper wing pieces will have their own fit issues to deal when the time comes:



By now I've had plenty of experience dealing with this sort of stuff, so I'm not overly bothered by it. What I am scratching my head a little bit about though is what to do with the 'see through' zones where the flap cut-outs protrude into the lower fuselage:



I have no idea what the structure looks like in this area, or quite how do deal with it. I'll need to do it for the 190S too, so I'd better figure it out!

As always, thanks for looking.

Kev

[Thomas Lund]

Looking quite good Kevin.

 

Believe me Kevin, I know all about building several kits at once over a long time, and forgetting small details resulting in a screwup later!

 

With regards to the flap well opening into the fuselage, I can recommend the Eduard flaps. They box in that area nicely. And look good too!

Edited December 27, 2011 by Thomas Lund

[LSP_Kevin]

With regards to the flap well opening into the fuselage, I can recommend the Eduard flaps.

 

Ah, thank you Thomas! You've reminded me that I've actually got this set for my 190S build, so perhaps I'll break it out and attempt to copy it in plastic for this build.

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

OK, now that I've got its smaller brother out of the way, I can return to this one again. Earlier, I assembled all the photo-etched pieces for the cowl:



They're stainless steel (I think!), rather than brass, so while quite fiddly, they're also quite strong. However, I'm entirely unconvinced by the cowl flaps:



For one thing, it's almost impossible to get them all bent to the same angle. The material they're made from is quite springy, and doesn't stay in place the way etched brass usually does. The main issue though, is that they're perfectly flat, and don't conform with the curvature of the cowl ring. They're also quite 'gappy', and there's nothing in behind there.

Does anybody have any suggestions for how to deal with the lack of curvature? The cowling assembly is not fixed to the model, but the etched flaps are glued to the plastic cowling, so I suspect that heating the metal will do more harm than good at this stage.

From the shot above you can also see that I've got Jerry's cowling parts on:



There's now a noticeable gap between the front and rear parts:



This is most like due to the original single piece being separated at that panel line at some point. I should be able to fill that gap pretty easily with thin sheet styrene.

I've also dealt with the various steps and gaps where the lower wing meets the fuselage:



So, some progress at least!

Kev

[LSP_Paul]

Kev, Looks like you're getting it sorted out! And the progress is impressive! The cowl flaps however I wouldnt keep if it were my model. Unless you're absolutely dead set on using them, I'd use them as templates and cut out new ones from .015 styrene or even coke can aluminum, something you can bend around the edge of a hobby knife or paint brush handel etc. Once you get the curvature correct, glue them on with Superglue. You could also cut out the plastic parts from the kit suplied cowl ring, you'd have to modify them a bit but they would work. Also, If you wanted to, Once you have the steel ones off, drill out holes for the actuator rods and make them from .015 rod, then add your new cowl flaps. The rest is looking great! Won't be long now till we see some paint!

Keep up the great work,

Paul

[LSP_Kevin]

Kev, Looks like you're getting it sorted out! And the progress is impressive! The cowl flaps however I wouldnt keep if it were my model. Unless you're absolutely dead set on using them, I'd use them as templates and cut out new ones from .015 styrene or even coke can aluminum, something you can bend around the edge of a hobby knife or paint brush handel etc. Once you get the curvature correct, glue them on with Superglue. You could also cut out the plastic parts from the kit suplied cowl ring, you'd have to modify them a bit but they would work. Also, If you wanted to, Once you have the steel ones off, drill out holes for the actuator rods and make them from .015 rod, then add your new cowl flaps. The rest is looking great! Won't be long now till we see some paint!

Keep up the great work,

Paul

 

Thanks Paul - good suggestions! The only one that won't work is using the plastic parts from the kit - there aren't any! You only get the photo-etched flaps in this kit; no plastic alternatives. I think you're right though: if I'm taking this model seriously, the PE ones have to go.

 

Kev