LSP_Kevin Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 So, how did you feel about the vac as opposed to an injection moulded kit? Well, it's hard to judge really, especially since I took such a truncated approach with this one. They're certainly more work to build, but that doesn't necessarily make them more difficult. After all, this one's now officially done, and it's only been a week! There's definitely and increased level of satisfaction though. Have you thought about how you're going to display her? Plinth? Funny that you should ask mate, as my next post was going to talk about that. I've got a circular craft base, to which I'm going to attach a print-out of the Swedish roundel. I've got a length of 6mm clear acrylic rod on order, and will use a section of this to attach the model to the base. I'm gonna have to work out firstly how to cut it, and then how to bend it into a semi-circular shape. Anyway, here's a rough mock-up of where it's going: I'll probably paint the base black, and the Swedish roundel will obviously be in colour (I'll have to wait until I'm back at work to print it in colour). My other challenge is to work out how best to attach the acrylic rod to the base. I have bugger all in the way of real tools, so it could be interesting. I'll have to wait until the acrylic rod arrives before I make too many more moves. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Here's an illustration of what I'm hoping to achieve:We'll see how it goes!Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 I just received my new OTT light today, so I thought I'd set it up and see if it would improve my at-the-bench photos. Firstly, here's what the lamp looks like: It features a 13W daylight tube, the housing for which folds away when not required. The switch is in the hinge, so when you fold it away, it switches off, and when you open it out to use it, it switches on. Neat! Anyway, here's a photo of the Tunnan taken under the lamp, without flash, and brightened just a bit in software: That is several orders of magnitude better than before! The tones are natural and realistic, and much closer to what it looks like in the flesh (as opposed to in the flash). I simply couldn't take photographs without the flash using my old lamp. I'll have to see how effective the OTT lamp is during the actual build process, as it's much less bright than the old one. Anyway, this model is done apart from the base, but I'll wait until that's done too before taking any glamour shots. Thanks everyone for following along! Kev Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 You certainly have more guts than I. I've never been able to persuade myself to attempt a Vac kit. In fact, the only Vac kit I ever even owned was a War of the Worlds Martian War Machine, sold a few months back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 So, Kevin, in the end, was it as bad as you might have anticipated, or was there a sense of "That wasn't nearly as bad as some have made vacs out to be!"? I found my first vac to be very satisfying, yet somewhat anticlimactic in that It really wasn't that hard.... Good job on the Barrel, BTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 So, Kevin, in the end, was it as bad as you might have anticipated, or was there a sense of "That wasn't nearly as bad as some have made vacs out to be!"? I found my first vac to be very satisfying, yet somewhat anticlimactic in that It really wasn't that hard.... Good job on the Barrel, BTW! To tell you the truth, I found the cutting out and sanding part harder than I thought it would be. Following the shapes accurately, especially where they weren't well-defined on the sheet, was a bit tricky. And sanding the excess plastic from the mating surfaces took a lot more effort than I expected, especially for a tiny little model like this one. But this was really just toe-in-the-water stuff, and my approach from the outset was, I can't do anything to this model that Milliput can't fix. Which of course in the end turned out to be exactly right. But what I enjoyed most about this build was the cavalier abandonment of all AMS tendencies, with no goal other than to successfully complete my first vac build. I know the next one will be more difficult and demanding, simply because I'll approach it with more traditional modelling goals. But to anyone else contemplating their first vac kit, I heartily recommend taking this same approach. It completely frees you of the paralysing fear of stuffing it up, and the sense of satisfaction upon completion, no matter how good or bad the outcome, is priceless! Kev Lee White 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Kev, I think it came out great. Never seen this one before...............Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Awesome man! That really does look neat under the new lighting.............................I think Im going to follow your lead on my first vac (a combat models F7F) and go the wheels up, in flight mode. I also have the added benefit of mine being a what-if racer, with other convenient things like the engines already taken care of by AM bits, as well as no documentation needed Great result Kev, looking forward to the completed project and base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Well Kev, I have been saying for a long time that you could do it, and you now have done so - Well done! Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 But to anyone else contemplating their first vac kit, I heartily recommend taking this same approach. It completely frees you of the paralysing fear of stuffing it up, and the sense of satisfaction upon completion, no matter how good or bad the outcome, is priceless! Kev Somewhere, Larry Hawkins has got a gigantic grin on his face. Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Somewhere, Larry Hawkins has got a gigantic grin on his face. I agree !.................Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Somewhere, Larry Hawkins has got a gigantic grin on his face. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Kev She sure looks great and you accomplished everything you were hoping to do. Nice going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks for the kind words fellas. I'm still working on the base, having sealed the edges and painted them in gloss black enamel. I'm still waiting for the acrylic rod to arrive, and I can't print the roundel for the base until I'm back at work in a couple of days. Never worked with acrylic rod before, so that will be interesting! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 OK folks, creeping towards the very end now. The acrylic rod arrived this morning, so I tootled off to the hardware store to get a heat gun and a 6mm drill bit. Drilling MDF, especially end-on (effectively) is a treacherous business! But once I'd cleaned up and painted in the hole it looked OK. The heat gun though, decided to blow up 5 seconds after I turned it on, taking a circuit breaker in the switch box with it. I'll take it back for refund/swap tomorrow, but it's really frustrating to be foiled by cheap sh!t! In the spirit of experimentation though, I thought I'd try a candle instead, as I'd read that they can be effective on acrylic rod too. This is only 6mm stuff, so not too thick. Lo and behold it worked! The candle really only produces localised heat though, so I only got a bend, rather than the gentle curving semi-circle I was hoping for. Still looks OK though I think. Here's some photos of the set up in mock-up stage: Everything's just loosely hanging in place. The Tunnan will be at a steeper angle when it's fixed in permanently - climbing and banking towards the viewer (or away if you're looking at it from the other side!). I also bought some felt sheets, so I'll endeavour to attach some to the underside of the base, for that professional touch. What do you reckon guys...does it look OK? Kev Lee White and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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