spacewolf Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) The outer 'feathers' required masters. Looking at what was needed I made the part in two halves. Once pulled, trimmed and put together they would form up with the 'veins' and finish the tail. They also neatly covered the gaps between the inner 'feathers' and the whole assembly became a part of the model, a very strong join at multiple points. Edited February 28, 2013 by spacewolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 im fascinated watching this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logan181 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Vaughn Any more progress on the Ta-183 ? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 im fascinated watching this Glad you are enjoying ! Vaughn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Vaughn Any more progress on the Ta-183 ? John No there hasn't been any John. Life and an operation got in the way, and due to my current living conditions I can't do woodwork in the house so It's sidelined till spring and/ or the vac group build, whichever comes first ! Cheers Vaughn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 After getting the tail on, filled and sanded (quite a chore given all the curves !) Looking at the model from front.... And back.... I was pretty pleased with how things were going. There was still tones to do though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 The rear 'rays' were squared up and glued in place... And faired into the wing tip 'veins'. I used a lot of plastic dissolved in glue as my filler on this build, it was both a blessing and a curse, a strong plastic join when it dried, but took forever to dry and often left pinhole air bubbles that had to be filled with regular putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi Vaughn, A quick Q about your mold making technique- Back around post 48 or so, you showed a plank-on-frame structure used to make the body- Did you fill that with anything to make it solid? I always thought hollow molds were a no-no, as they could get crushed during the forming process- thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi Vaughn, A quick Q about your mold making technique- Back around post 48 or so, you showed a plank-on-frame structure used to make the body- Did you fill that with anything to make it solid? I always thought hollow molds were a no-no, as they could get crushed during the forming process- thanks! Hey Lee. No, I didn't fill it at all. I think (it's been years now) I placed a former every two inches and planked with 3/32 hard balsa. sanding would have brought that down to 1/16. I used a similar technique for the fuselage hulls for my Spacewolf so I don't know....being that I use a household vacume cleaner for suction perhaps I get away with it, where as an industrial outfit might use a stronger suction ?....All I know is that I've never had a problem with crushing or distortion on large parts. Cheers Vaughn Lee White 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 With a lot of the major construction done it was time to get to small details.. and lack of for thought/ enthusiasm came around to bite me on the a**.... I had made the main thrusters and glued the two halves together...forgetting that a flat strip of sheet was going to run through both engines and the rear of the wing to mount them... so I had to carefully cut the openings on both sides of each engine and slide the strip through.. this would have been so much easier if I'd trimmed the openings before I glued the parts together. Also, I had never thought of a blanking plate for the openings of the thrusters.. you could look right down them and see the mounting bar... ...To fix this I had to cut openings, slide in a blanking plate, glue it, trim it and sand the body of the part smooth again.. Was I happy ?..what do you think ?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 It had taken me several weeks of going over various sites and information to finally settle on a length for the ship. Once I settled on it, everything fell into place, but I had decided to make a cockpit for it, so to check things I needed a figure. I found an old 1/24th British figure that was missing parts but could be modified enough to let me size things up. I added an arm made from spru and a bit of squadron putty to give him a Minbari bone crest. The opening I'd left in the wing center area was perfect for one of the pill vials your super glue comes in. It was a glove fit to the opening of the cockpit and using a bit of balsa to prop the figure up, it looked about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 I made up some ring parts from 1/16th doubled, cut slots in them and added 1/16th strips to give the ribbed look from the show, A front cap was made by laminating two disc's. The front part overlapped the rear leaving a 1/16th difference so that it snapped into place into the edge of the vial. The center hole was cut 1/16th larger than the back plate to allow for the cockpit glass. A flat floor was made as the pilot was laying down to fly the ship. The triangular double lights around each rib were cut from sheet and glued in, then the structure was painted the color seen in the show. The assembly was a smooth but tight fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) With the pilot figure in place it matched the views from the show.. I was rather pleased. But, more problems.. as you can see, I'd done the same thing with the front openings as I'd done with the thrusters... they needed blanking plates.. nothing for it but to cut into the parts, cut sheet to shape, glue it in and trim and sand the surface...all the thrusters and openings... brings to mind the old poster that said ' plan a h e a d'....... Edited March 3, 2013 by spacewolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 While I was at it I made up the master for the wing leading edge openings, vacuformed the part, backed it, trimmed it and added the shelf part, then glued the assembly on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 The last real construction was the raised blisters around the cockpit. I carved one to shape, then vacuformed over it. A second pull made the bottom half, of which only the front third is used. The parts were glued together... The stations were drawn on and as each blister was made, glued in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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