ericg Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 That cockpit is very nice indeed. My office is a twin turboprop and I really appreciate the details and the way in which you have painted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 As I chose to finish the exterior shape of the fuselage first, I had to cut it again to insert the cockpit. Looks a little wild here... ... but works fine. Here,the cockpit is in place, just missing its sidewalls. Next, I took the not-so-easy way again by deciding my favorite paintjob was worn by a Hawkeye 2000. This means: not only the props and spinners need to be scratchbuilt, but also the belly radar. I simply carved the base out of PU foam which was later sealed with super glue. No big deal, it just takes some time to make sure the radar base perfectly matches the fuselage underside. After adding the radar dome, some sanding and a coat of primer, the belly radar looked like this, shown here with the mostly finished cockpit roof. Groove lines and raised details will be added later. The next pic shows the belly radar in place with a few details already added. That's how the radar still looks like today, I need to finish detailing yet. Next step was thinking about the props and spinners. I simply turned that spinner on my Dremel which is no problem. But when it comes to drill the holes for the prop blades at an angle of exactly 45°, that's where difficulty starts. I still need to find a satisfying solution for this issue. mark31 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Smith Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Ow,this not "up to date " here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 Uploading all the pics takes quite some time... I will follow up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Excellent work so far! HÃ¥kan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Absolutely amazing work, as the level of work is simply brilliant. The front office is a gem and fuselage corrections are so very well done. Thoroughly enjoying and learning from each update. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Amazing work! Looking forward to more. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 WOW! ..that is some brilliant work - my kind of popcorn that's for sure ..it's so cool to see vac-forms de-mystified in a thread like yours - and cool to see corrections being done to make the best of it - thank you for posting ..inspires me to try it one day Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hey mate great work on the Hawkeye so far! Quick question, what is PU foam and where can you get it from? Cheers, Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Thank you all very much! Lee, of course I know your build - it's been a big inspiration for me! Du you have any in progress pics of you approach on the wings? Your idea sounds very good! Troy and Thomas, there is nothing so special about this build. I am not very good at scratchbuilding, so there is nothing you couldn't do! It just takes some time and research to do this kind of modifications. Rich, the foam idea wasn't mine - lots of other people have done that before me! It doesn't add much weight as the foam is extremely light, but it makes joining the halves much easier as it eliminates almost all possible flexing of the fuselage halves - it adds quite a lot of rigidity! Hi Starfighter, sorry I don't have any more pics- the total time to glue, install the wedge, reinforce the seams with CA, fill with foam, and putty( but not sand) totaled about 2hours. I'll try and draw pics and upload them. Incredible work on the E-2 .... If i had a hat, I'd take it off to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Very nice indeed. I've never given a thought to doing a vac, but this is inspirational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Thank you all very much, I really appreciate your kind words! Peter, I think there is nothing so special about vacu kits. It just takes more time to prepare and glue the parts, but when you work with a good kit - and this one is a good one, even if it has its shape problems - working with it is not that much different from an injection moulded kit. You should give it a try! Craig, the PU foam I have used comes from Pattex and is normally used to fill joints around windows etc. You can find it in any do-it-youself store. Lee, I'd be very interested in a drawing or so. I am not 100% sure if I'll be able to use yourmethod as I plan to lower the flaps and slats, but any input is warmly welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Absolutely superb! I've always looked at this kit and thought that it doesn't interest me... how wrong I was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Absolutely stunning workmanship on show here... I too love the big vacs and may well be treating myself to a Hawkeye after seeing this... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Well, it's been quite long since I have updated this thread. I didn't have time to work on my Hawkeye, but I have promised to show you what I did to correct the engine nacelles. The main problem is that the nacelles are much too wide and too fat. The following pic shows the difference between the (already slightly modified) kit nacelle on top and and the almost finished one below. The difference is quite obvious, I think. Here are the side views of the finished nacelle. The strengtheners on the engine hatches were CAD drawn and the lasercut. Material is 0,3mm PS. As the nacelles are identical (and not mirrored! Hasegawa and Kinetic did not pay attention here), I have moulded the corrected nacelle. As it was my first attempt at moulding, I have added FOD covers to the air intakes and the exhaust to ease casting. The casting turned out OK but still requires some sork to eliminate bubbles and a few other flaws. I wish I had a vacuum chamber... I haven't taken a pic of the casting yet, but here's a look at the FOD covers: Finally, I have made a CAD file of the spinner which has then been 3D printed by Shapeways. Here is a pic of the primed part. That's it for the moment - I hope to have more time for model building once I have moved and my new modelling room is ready... Comments and critique are welcome as usual! Uilleann 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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