F-117A Nighthawk (channelling my inner scratch builder)

[Uilleann]

Work slowly continues on the Nighthawk, though it is more along the lines of PE design tweaks (and a few added bits, which have expanded the project a little since first inception) as well as looking into properly CAD drafted RCS [radar cross section] screens for the engine intakes.  I've sadly nothing to show here for all the work so far, and the reality is that even at the end of this side project, I may be no closer to done than when I began.  Everything depends on the fidelity if the PE and 3D printing (or more likely stereo lithography) and whether or not the parts translate properly from the virtual world to the real one.

 

As a quick side note, I wonder if any following the build thread here would share an interest in correct RCS screens for their own F-117 builds (whenever they may occur), as well as a smattering of PE parts to further enhance their kit beyond the box offering, and the standard Eduard and Aires upgrades?  Ideally, a full - and most importantly truly correct - set of gear wells AND landing gear legs would be produced, probably in both the early and late versions.  And while the initial focus is on the Trumpeter 1/32 scale kit, I would think with a little work, it might be possible to scale down further to work with the Tamiya boxing as well.

 

As with any small run project like this, economy of scale certainly comes into play.  If there are more interested persons, it will both help to keep the cost of production as low as possible, and obviously make it more economically sustainable for the producer of the parts.  While I'm trying to figure out as much of the PE angle as I'm able, I would not be the one to create the RCS screens, or gear wells / gear legs.  Simply trying to gauge any potential interest.  I certainly wouldn't be involved for any monetary reward - just a passion for this historic airframe, and reasonable accuracy over kit parts when feasible.

 

So...any takers? 

 

B~

[Youngtiger1]

Brian, I might be interested in this. Send me details via PM. Thanks.

[Uilleann]

Hello one and all,

 

Just a quick note that I'm still around and lurking in the shadows.  And still working out details on the PE side project for this kit.  I don't think I had my measurements quite right initially, and it has required a bit of a re-think on a few parts.  Close, but not quite to the level I hope to achieve.  I'll be sure to update as any progress is made. 

 

Brian~

[Uilleann]

Sadly, I have some rather difficult news - though not entirely related to the build here.  On Sunday the 7th, we lost our darling Mosey.  You may remember her from back on page 4, as the cute, chocolate vacuum cleaner.  We're not entirely certain what happened, but we do know that she had what seemed to be a normal morning, but by mid afternoon, it was obvious that something was wrong, and she was in a growing amount of discomfort.  By early evening, she couldn't stand, and so we rushed her to the puppy ER.  They discovered that she was bleeding internally - possibly from a large, previously undiagnosed tumor.  Emergency surgery was suggested, but with barely a 50/50 chance she would survive.  And at that, if she did pull through, the doctor was unsure if she would likely have days, weeks or possibly months left - or indeed what her quality of life might be even so.

 

So we sat with her, made sure she was comfortable with large doses of morphine, and tried our very best to ask if she felt right in saying goodbye.  She has always been a dog stronger than any of us expected, and even with her long list of ongoing health challenges, she was always a fighter.  But this time, we all felt her eyes told us she was ready for her next journey.  So surrounded by her family, warm and wrapped in her favorite blanket, with tears in all our eyes we let her go.  I would give almost anything to have her back and see her eat another important little bit of PE or styrene, just to see her mischievous smile, and tail wagging madly.  But I know she is no longer in any pain, will never again know cold, hunger or fear.  She is at peace - and so must we be.  Eventually.  The pain of her loss is palpable, but grows just a little more bearable each day.

 

It's amazing how deeply these quiet furry souls touch our lives.  We'll certainly never forget our Mosey - and I know that as this build slowly moves along, I will always be thinking of her warm body sitting at my feet under the modeling desk.  If you have a four legged companion in your life, take a moment to give them an extra pet, an ear scratch, or belly rub.  Perhaps a little extra dinner, a cookie or favorite treat.  Throw that tennis ball just one more time.  They can leave us so quickly - cherish every moment!

 

Thank you Mosey

Edited February 21, 2017 by Uilleann

[otis252]

So sorry for your family's loss. You've lost a wonderful family member.

Chuck

[Uilleann]

So sorry for your family's loss. You've lost a wonderful family member.

Chuck

We still have Dugan - our first Chocolate Lab...and Mosey's partner in crime more often than not.  He's helping us get through with loads of lab slobber, fur everywhere, and then of course, there's the gassy end...   

[Youngtiger1]

Oh brother, I'm in tears reading your message. They are a family and a part of our heart/soul. My condolences to you and your family. Especially, to your children's...I can tell they were the most loved my her and cherished her. I'm sure Mosey is smiling down looking at you all and the video

[LSP_Kevin]

So sorry for your loss, Brian. I know what you're going through, and the struggle is real. You've written a lovely tribute.

 

Kev

[Uilleann]

Well well...the old thread is still here.

 

Look at that.  I think it's a fair bet to say that 2016 on the whole was a particularly brutal year for many of us.  The loss of so many incredibly talented artists and performers, and of course, our pup Mosey a year ago this month.  Unfortunately, about a month after, my beautiful bride also lost her little brother to suicide.  Needless to say, we're all forever changed.  To say it's been hard to find the desire, and the happiness, in even simple things (like modeling again) would be massively understating our past year.  But I have slowly felt some of that inner push to get back to the bench.  In addition, the model store - the *only* model store anywhere near my house, that was a great place to find paints, tools, and random plastic and metal parts, went out of business and closed their doors forever.

 

But - through it all, trying to keep calm and carry on. 

 

In addition to the above, my web hosting carrier was sold or some such nonsense over the past year, and all of my images got locked away in a new 'secure' file structure.  Which required me to copy everything into a new directory, and then start the joyous task of going through one by one, and updating links to all the images in this now 4 year old thread.  It was a treat I can tell you!    I think I got everything sorted out, but if any of you good souls notice broken image pointers or links, and would be so kind as to let me know, I'll happily fix them asap.

 

One of the last things I was working on here and there, was an attempt to sort out some custom PE parts for this kit.  The gear door uplocks were one item in particular I was very interested in trying to get right (as they're fairly visible).  And the more I looked at it, the exhaust vanes in the famous 'platypus' system used on the F-117A look quite different from the Trumpeter interpretation.  So I added that to the PE workload.  Still have a bit of tweaking to get final shapes and dimensions correct I'm afraid, but I am at least, closer than when I started.  The current iteration looks something like this:

 

 

Exhaust vanes, uplocks, and a few bits for the gear wells in general.  I'm honestly not sure if I will ever get them to a satisfactory spot or not, but I'm determined to give it a go at least once.  Again, a MASSIVE shout out to Peter over at airscale.  The man has been nothing but absurdly giving of his time, skill, and boundless knowledge.  He's quite a treasure, both in modeling badassery, but even more so in just amazing human being-ness... 

 

Here's to progress, no matter how small, or indeed how slow. 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Uilleann

[Uncarina]

Brian,

 

I am just getting caught up, and I have SERIOUS respect for your perseverance. You have a fire lit, and I know that will see you through a great deal. You are making me want to blow the dust off of my build, but in any case, thank you for sharing your work!

 

Cheers, Tom

[Uilleann]

Hey Tom! You absolutely should dust off! If I can get my PE set sorted out, I'll throw one in the mail to you straight away. Just to help keep your own Nighthawk fire buring as well. ☺ Let me get it all banged out first of course, and make sure the bloody thing even fits first though. Hehehe

[Uncarina]

Brian,

 

Thanks!

 

Tom

[EagleAviation]

I like your work on the landing gear. Can't wait to see more 

[F`s are my favs]

Wow, I forgot what I wanted to comment around the first pages, but now after going through the entire topic, I could only say - this is fantastic!

[Uilleann]

Progress continues - at a pace that would make a lethargic snail blush - but it continues nevertheless!  Work on the Nighthawk has been almost exclusively virtual as opposed to practical of late.  But with a touch of luck, and more than a little homework, I believe I've cracked something of an enigma concerning the RCS screens in front of the engines.  Photographs always show the screens to look completely darkk - no visible light seems to pass through the screens to illuminate the engine faces, or indeed even the bright yellow coverall of ground crew standing immediately behind the screens (in the opening of the aux. blow in doors during a FOD inspection.)

 

This had perplexed me mightily for years, as I tried to work out precisely how, you could move enough air to keep the engines from stalling, but block any visible light getting through.  Recently, I rediscovered an old illustration I'd come across years ago, but never paid close attention to at the time.  It describes a principle of radar energy reflection and absorption utilizing horizontal wedge shapes, deftly staggered and placed immediately ahead of the engine face roughly as follows:

 

 

Utilizing that concept, and after a few long hours trying to re-learn SketchUp, I set about building a conceptual model of something similar.  The result was surprising as anything.  I was able to create a grid, that appeared on the face to look like a standard rectangular grid just as in all photographs of the prototypical jet.  But due to the numerous strange (slightly insane!) angles involved (geometry was *never* a strong suit of mine!), I was able to recreate a grid structure that was very open to airflow, but extremely difficult to see through directly.  Subtle changes to the pitch and spacing of the horizontal wedges made a substantial difference in visibility - or the lack thereof - through the screen.  In the end, I settled on a general design that I am quite pleased with:

 

 

 

Now the big question is, can I get my sizing, angles, and final dimensions sorted out with enough accuracy to be viable in 1/32, and can I find a manufacturer with the ability to create the parts -with the needed fidelity- to truly look the business?  Time will tell of course, though it seems there are more and more high precision, short run capable companies that might just be able to help me pull this off.

 

My hope though, is that this, perhaps with the addition of the photo etch frets I tried sorting out a while back (and am still hammering away at slowly), may just make this kit something particularly eye catching. 

 

Brian~

Edited January 8, 2019 by Uilleann