Second Attempt at HKM B-17G With Some Minor Improvements.

[geedubelyer]

For the indicator lights, I took some 1/32 inch brass tubing drilled a few holes in the metal panel and soldered the tubes in place.  I then trimmed them down to a bit less than 1mm long, took some clear red plastic sprue that held model car tail lights and stretched it so they fit into the holes in the tubes.  I trimmed those off and put a drop of clear gloss on them so when the light hits them, they'll sparkle. 

Superb work SD. Thanks for sharing the tip on the warning lights. That's a brilliant idea.

 

Cheers.

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks g.  I finished the IP or rather I couldn't think of anything more to stuff in.  I cleaned up a bunch of areas so it didn't look so sloppy and did the sandwiching like I wrote about.  The only change I made was I didn't use acetate in between the back portion and the panel face.  Instead, I used microscope slide covers, i.e. real glass and that's why the instruments look so clear.  When I did large scale cars, 1/8 scale and bigger, I made my own dashboards and used the slide covers over the instruments.  I was hoping it would work here.  

 

As you can see, I also added a few instruments and switches that weren't included in the kit part.  

[marauderdriver]

That My Friend is some OUTSTANDING work

 Love the
Slide Glass.

                     AND You did this with your own two hands.................................I'm JEALOUS  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The Satisfaction of this must feel like " Coffee made with Red Bull"   It'll give you Supersonic Wings.

 

  OH and good job by the way

 

jack  

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Jack.I must add that I use fairly high magnification i.e. 8x.  I still use the surgical magnifiers I used in my practice.  That's a huge key to working this small.  I couldn't do this kind of thing without it.  Let me show you.

 

Here are my 3 magnifiers.  

 

This is what the 3.5 x sees.

 

This is the magnification I work at.

 

When you get used to the magnification which doesn't take long at all, it actually sharpens your dexterity.  The rest is patience, perseverance and time.  

[marauderdriver]

Yes Sir  that really get's you CLOSE..........................I just don't think I could afford that kind of magnification

[Silver Dollar]

None of us can afford that kind of magnification at this point.  I bought those while I was in practice about 10 years ago when I was still practicing dentistry.  I just happened to like to see what was going on at the end of that teeny drill.   It was a business tax deduction and came out of that fund.  If I had to buy them again today, there'd be no way I could ever afford a pair like that.  You could say it was a benefit of my career just like that of a retired cabinet maker who had a high quality router system.  

[Guest Peterpools]

SD

Super work on the IP ... looks fantastic. I always wanted to upgrade from my Optivisor to something with better optics.  I've used the #7 magnification for years but as I keep getting older (66 and counting) I've been looking fpr something with a bit more magnification. Any idea of how much a set my put me back?

Thanks

Peter

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Pete.  I did a little research after I saw your questions about the loupes.  There are three sites I found, in no particular order.  I don't know anything about the companies but the prices aren't too bad at all. 

www.optical-world.com

www.keelerusa.com

www.microscopesmall.com

 

As I said, I don't know how reputable these folks are but I'm sure you could find something to your liking and budget.  I have first hand experience with Keeler and Zeiss but they're really expensive.  In fact, the 3.5x and the 5.5x loupes in the picture are from Keeler. The 8x set I use now cost me about $1500 clams but it was a good deduction.  Some of the ones on those three sites are way lower than that.  The sites also sell head lamps but a bunch of them are just way too powerful for modeling.  Good luck finding something good.  

Edited January 16, 2014 by Silver Dollar

[Guest Peterpools]

SD

Thanks for the links and info and I'll start checking them out and seeing if I can find something in my price range.

Peter

[geedubelyer]

Hi SD, the viewers magnifiers help to explain some of the story but you have still created little gems.

What I particularly like is the stencil data around the switch gear. Very few modellers do that neat trick and it makes for a busy, realistic look.

One thing that I'm curious about is that none of the instruments appear to have bezels around them. Is that how the real instruments were fitted into the panel?

 

Keep up the great work.

Edited January 16, 2014 by geedubelyer

[Silver Dollar]

Hey g.  The instruments should have had a bezel but they didn't work out like I had planned.  When I reamed out the holes with a hand diamond bead reamer, it raised a decent edge around the hole that when painted looked just like a bezel.  The problem was that they would loosen and tear off with very little handling.  I figured no bezels would be better than some in fairly inconsistent condition.

 

 In the real thing, the bezel was not on the instrument panel, it was part of the instrument itself and was designed to hold each individual glass cover in place.  Trying to cover each model instrument with a small piece of glass would be way too hard to accomplish.  

 

As for the stenciling, the trick is to use paint that stays wet a bit longer like enamel.  Acrylic is just too fast drying and causes clumps and blobs rather than simulated writing.  The second part of the deal is the brush.  I took a really small brush like a 20-0 spotter and cut off all the bristles except 6.  It's a tricky procedure and requires good magnification to do it but it leaves such a small amount of paint that it simulates printing. You can do the cutting with a very sharp small scissors or a very sharp #11 blade.  For smaller writing like 1/48 scale and smaller, I've heard of modelers using a one bristle brush.  I haven't tried that yet.  

[Silver Dollar]

Just a quick progress shot.  I covered the back part of the cockpit floor with 1/64 in. birch plywood.  I painted the floor one piece at a time and varied the color of the "varnish" so they looked like individual slabs put together.  The way I painted them was to take clear gloss and tint it with different shades of brown and yellow.  If you dilute the paint with water like a wash, the water will destroy the plywood when it dries.  I could do it with enamel thinner but that would make the mixture way too thin to get a good coat on the wood.  the tinted clear paint had the viscosity to do what I wanted.

The next step from here is to take a fine sand stick after the paint has dried and smooth out the roughness in the varnish.  After that, I'll take some wax and polish the floor.  It comes out like a used varnished plywood floor.  

This one came out way better than my other build.  You can see the roughness which will be gone after the paint is completely dry.  If the paint is not fully dry, it will gum up when you try to sand it smooth. 

 

I also modified the tunnel opening by thinning it way down and adding styrene strips to make it look more like the real thing.  I just wish I could find the Archer rivet decals I bought last year.  They disappeared in the workshop.  

[Out2gtcha]

Kewl!!!!!   

[geedubelyer]

Very cool SG. I imagine you can get real wear by sanding areas with a low grit sandpaper too. This is going to look perfect.

 

Thanks for the explanation on the stencil data application, much appreciated. It looks extremely effective.

Here  are a couple of other suggestions that you could try on future projects.

In the past I've had success with IPs when using white plasticard by scratching away the paint with the tip of a #11 blade. Using a jagged motion suggests lettering and because the tip is so sharp the writing and even lines can be very fine. It's possible to get a similar affect on kit plastic by painting the IP white with enamel paint then using black acrylic paint over the top. With light pressure and practice the acrylic can be removed from the tougher enamel. HTH

 

Talking of future projects, if you choose to construct any IPs again you might consider Airscale etched bezels. They come in a range of shapes, styles and sizes and look superb in place. Not absolutely necessary as your IP shows but they could be considered the icing on the cake for some.

 

I can't wait to see how the wood looks when you're done. I'm grateful to you for taking the time to document each step of the project. This is a superb, entertaining build so please, keep it up.

 

Cheers.

Edited January 17, 2014 by geedubelyer

[Loic]

Looks awsome