Foiled HKM B-25J Strafer - 345th BG Air Apaches - Lady LiL

[Ripaman]

Your B25 is brilliant Brian, just love it.

 

Regards

Richard

[JRutman]

Engines really look the biz,

J

[Daywalker]

Brilliant stuff Brian, taking super detailing to a whole new level. I am quite impressed with your exhaust color shades, looks SPOT ON!!!

 

Bring on the updates!

[Kagemusha]

Great technique on the engine cylinder thingies, think you get a tidier effect than the opposite way. Hellava

[foiler]

I have been so busy countin' rivets that I haven't caught up with this thread in a while. All I can say is that it is a shame that most models cover up some of your best work once the fuselage is glued together. Your work keeps getting better and better Brian; maybe one day they will make clear foil.......

 

Ken

[Kagemusha]

Tried sending you a pm Brian, think you're inbox may be full.

[Out2gtcha]

Roger that Andy..............clearing things out now.

[Out2gtcha]

Cleared out mate.

 

 

 

 

 

I just got done finishing one of teh Mitchell engines.....................WHAT A PITA! The valve covers really do not fit that well without the second set of push rods, and there are like 3- 4 differently shaped valve covers so be careful placing these if your building this thing.

 

 

The engines just seem SO time consuming.............maybe its cause I have to make two? Not sure but will post some pics soon, once I have some more substantial things to publish.

 

Im also working on fixing something that has been bothering me about this kit ever since I first saw it. Ive taken some flack from some other members in other posts about the way I "see" or "view" things as either being right or off.............without publishing photos of the real deal.

 

Well Im here to fix that. Its something that (from what I can see) no one has ever even mentioned.........but it seems pretty clear to me that it looks OFF. Again this is no mystical power, I just know what the real deal looks like and something about this area on the HKM B-25 is off, but I think I have an idea on how to fix this.

 

 

Pics and explanations to come fellas.................

 

Cheers,

[leoasman]

Hey Brian, was the bottom half of your horizontal stab warped? Just spent the afternoon warming it up and trying to form it to shape... Only part I've found with this problem, but its a big one!

 

Leo

[Out2gtcha]

Was that the piece I sent you Leo, or was that the upper half? I cant remember.............

 

And no, I dont seem to have that issue. Ive already assembled the vertical stab and didnt notice any warping. Maybe I should check again!

[leoasman]

No, nothing you sent me. It was the kit lower horizontal piece.

[fastzx]

Brian,

 

The engines look great. They will most certainly be gems in your build and well worth the extra attention. One of those details one sees upon closer inspection after soaking in the whole plane.

 

Superb!

Jon

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks Jon!

 

 

No, nothing you sent me. It was the kit lower horizontal piece.

 

 

Ah, ok Leo, thats cool. Thought I might have sent you a warped part and not known it!

 

 

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Ok, ok, folks.................

Its been a while for an update I know. Life, and the warm weather round here, have forced me to get outside and take care of some crap Ive been needing to do for quite some time…………..but that being said, Ive still been making steady progress, if not frustrating some times.

 

Ill explain that “something that has been bothering me”…………..its the engine cowls. I cant believe no one to this point has noticed or said anything? I know, its not scientific or anything like that but something is rotten in Denmark!

 

This pic is neither perfect, nor scientific because im on a new PC without my drawing programs so I can post dimensions and the like, but this is the gist –

 

The opening is just plain too small on the HK. Its not really where the transition is (AKA the farthest point sticking out of the cowl/the peak point where it transitions back inside the cowl) its more that there is too much lip after the cowl lip takes the transition back inside the cowl. Its not far off……….at all. As a matter of fact, its just a few mm off it seems –

 

 

 

 

There is just too much lip after this inside transition, and it makes the overall cowl opening just a bit too small, or closed off IMHO. If you look at the point at which the cowl transitions back inside, you can see how much more lip the HK has than the real deal –

 

 

 

 

 

I have a plan to fix this but it will not be until after Friday morning. I bought a hard wooden dowel at the local hardware store that is literally just a few mm larger than the cowl opening. Im taking it to a guy who does wood lathe turning, and he is turning a perfectly symmetrical point on the end so I can wrap some sand paper on it and smooth off that last little bit of cowl transition on the inside, which will slightly open up the cowl and get a little bit more realistic look IMHO.

 

I also have not been happy with the Eduard/Brassin B-25 wheels…………and since someone, *COUGH*…….*COUGH*…………*DEREK* hasn’t gotten his wonderful set out yet, I decided to go another way, and that’s to try to sub in some parts from the new True Details P-61 set. The Brassin set of wheels was just way, WAY too weighted for me, so I attempted to augment that by adding on the bottom to make them not as weighted……but since the tread is raised on the OOB wheels, this didn’t work out like Id hoped. Besides the TD wheels have a nice little bulge at their base, and are just as tall as my modified ones but without looking so flat –

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the main hubs are quite different, but with a little luck, and not too much difficulty, I can make the Eduard hubs work on the TD mains –

 

 

 

 

 

The inner workings of the mains that the TDs P-61 wheels are missing is really not visible to me when assembled anyway, so Im not worried about that.

 

The nose wheel however, I was not so lucky on. The TDs P-61 nose wheel has a different number of spokes, is quite a bit taller, and the hub is much larger. So in this case I will have to use, and live with my modified Eduard/Brassin nose wheel –

 

 

MORE……………………………………….

Edited May 16, 2013 by Out2gtcha

[Out2gtcha]

I have also completed some other quite annoying (to me anyway) tasks, like adding the wing landing lights and smoothing their transitions to the wings out. These will also get a coat of Future on the outside before permanent install too –

 

 

 

 

 

 

While letting other parts dry, I got a start on the engine bearer frames and painted them. –

 

 

This was the next step to furthering the nacelles, since I have now completed the engines and finished weathering the props. Since the Lady was in the hot and humid climate of the Philippines, the props showed significant wear.

 

 

By far and way what seemed like it took forEVER, were the engines. There were just so many individual parts, and when you add making two on it…….it was just too much and seemed to hold me up quite a bit. The exhaust stacks are not on yet, as the engine framing has to be added first which is why they got a coat of paint straight away –

 

 

 

Engines wired and complete except for the exhaust stacks which will be added after engine frame is added –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Props also completed, and freewheeling nicely on their new brass mounts –

 

 

 

Tiz all for now lads. Ill be back on the Lady tomorrow after having my dowel made to open up the cowling. Once that is done, I can forge on to get more of the re-scribing done……..and once that is done, Im close to adding the last remaining main airframe parts, and I can get on with foiling. Sooner than later I hope!

 

Cheers,

[Kagemusha]

Wonderful engines, pity about the wheels.