Guest Peterpools Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 John Outstanding work and the precision of a surgeon. Absolutely first class workmanship all the way. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andromeda673 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 pardon my french, but hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! this is unreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 I thought it would be smooth albeit challenging sailing to the end with only the canopy, pitot tube, and antenna wire to complete.Sometimes karma catches up with us.......The vacform canopy and sticky tape chrome is really a nightmare and the canopy turned out to look just terrible. I simply can't use this canopy on this model and ruin all the hard work I've done on the rest of it by having a shoddy piece of work in such a visual focal point.Let me show some photos to illustrate what I'm talking about. This is the start of the aft canopy work with the side framing in place. You can see from the photo that it's extremely difficult to get straight lines with the chrome tape because it's almost like it's impregnated with contact cement or instant CA. Look closely and note in this photo that you can't see any frame lines on the clear portion of the canopy..... And yet there are several more pieces to install before this portion of the canopy is complete. The extremely faint nature of the frames in the vacform piece was a major source of trouble: The next photo shows the front center piece of chrome tape installed. Note the small gap between the end of the tape and the side frame already in place. This was a typical situation: The next photo shows the top center frame installed. Again, you can see it's simply too short to mate with the side piece. There is a small gap on the other side, too. And, finally the rear piece installed. The wrinkles in the tape and the gaps are simply unavoidable, it's the nature of the parts in the kit. I won't bore you with a step-by-step on the center section and the windscreen, but here are the completed photos of both: And, the full canopy: OK, I've gone to great lengths to describe and illustrate the problem.....what's the solution?Well, there is a solution. I have a canopy from the Tamiya kit which would be usable if not for a glue mark on the aft canopy section, but test fitting shows it to be a perfect fit for this model.So, I've ordered a clear sprue for the Tamiya kit on the phone today and it should be here by sometime next week. My plan is to use Alclad Chrome or Stainless Steel for the frames and to use it in place of the kit supplied vacform. I think the result will be very acceptable.....I just wish I didn't have to wait for it.Here is a photo of the unfinished (and unusable) Tamiya canopy dry fitted to the fuselage: I think you will agree that this is a workable solution. You may be noticing a small gap at the sides of the windscreen. Not sure why it's there, but it's probably just a difference between the two model designs. I'll fix it by gluing a small piece of card stock on each side and painting it as if it were part of the windscreen framing.You can also be sure that I will be writing to IMCTH about this situation complete with even more detailed photos. I can't understand at the price point of this kit why they didn't supply an injection molded or clear resin canopy with good raised framing. I hope they will change that in the future.So, I guess if we can all be patient for a little while longer, we'll put this beast to bed.Thanks for reading, and I hope you are enjoying it. dutik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Lund Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 If I understand you correctly, then the frames had a sticky background so repositioning them would be a nightmare, right ? Couldn't you remove the sticky part with some cellulose thinner and then position them and glue them with future. I know it might be too late, but for future reference... In any case, I dont think it looks too bad in the overall picture. Really close up photo's always reveal something bad I'm sure the Tamiya canopy will do fine anyway. Impressive build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutik Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 That cockpit frame is a punch below waistline. What a pain! Regards - dutik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bellis Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 My plan is to use Alclad Chrome or Stainless Steel for the frames and to use it in place of the kit supplied vacform. Just a suggestion, but maybe use Bare Metal Foil for the frames on the Tamiya canopy instead of Alclad? I would think it would be much easier to pull off the same effect that way. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks, Thomas, I appreciate the comments and suggestion. Unfortunately the foil is so thin, only a couple of mil thick, I think, that it would be impossible remove the sticky backing without bending or distorting the frames beyond anyone's ability to repair. Yup, Dutik, it certainly was a shot below the waist. D, I had not thought of using Bare Metal Foil to do the framing on Tamiya canopy, but I think it could be a really great idea. Since I have the old unusable canopy, I'll give it a try on that while I wait for the real one to get here. Thanks for the suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) John Right with you and totally agree that for what the price point is, including a vacuform canopy couldn't have been a poorer choice. While IMCTH might not have wanted to go the cost of a full set of canopy molds, a resin canopy, equal in quality to what Paul Fisher includes with is awesome kits, would have been the way too go. Sad to say, the vac canopy is an eyesore and in no way belongs on a kit which required an abundance of delicate work and a steady hand. The Tamiya canopy is unquestionably the right move and will look fit and the bill perfectly. Keep 'em coming Peter Edited July 4, 2014 by Peterpools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Agree 100%, Peter. Went to my LHS this afternoon (I'm amazed we still even have an LHS in this little town) and, to my amazement, they had some Tamiya Gray Fine Surface Primer in stock. I'll plan on using that as a base for the Alclad gloss black. I'm also going to spend some time playing with BMF on the canopy frames using the canopy I already have (which is unusable) and see how that looks. We'll get this problem resolved and wrap this beastie up, finally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 John Good luck and looking forward to seeing this baby in the books. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) Too bad the vac canopy is not as good as the rest of the kit. In fairness to the manufacturer who seem to have been striving to replicate the delicate structure of the Zero, a vac canopy is the only medium to represent the scale thickness of the original perspex. Not sure from the look of it that it is a female molding though, and that the material is thick enough to hold a precise shape ... Good Plan B, John ! Hubert Edited July 4, 2014 by MostlyRacers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 Thanks, Hubert, Yeah, I can understand the reasoning for using a vac canopy with an all PE and white metal kit as a means of maintaining the delicate appearance. And, I would be all for it if the vac canopy had been of even reasonable quality and the framing material been designed better. But, I'm not going to rant any further about it. What's done is done, and I'm moving forward to Plan B. Not sure yet if that will be a canopy framed in BMF, or an Alclad painted affair. I've got a practice piece to work on so I think I'll try both approaches since it should be pretty fast work. Been held up here with a spot of illness. Nothing like feeling bad to kill your modeling mojo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Great job so far! Really takes skill and a TON of patience on this one. It IS a shame about the canopy, as I too hate vacs and at this price they make such nice clear resin and IM lately, that not including one in this kit is ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Finally......she is completed. Oops. I have to post this in two parts because there are two many photos in it, so consider this Part II really pondered what to do about the canopy, and after really looking at the vacform and the Tamiya "matching" part side by side, I decided that putting the Tamiya part on this model would be a mistake; it's just too thick. Everything about this build has been fragile and delicate and to put a thick injected canopy on it would create a whole different look which could be even worse than the &^%$# vacform and sticky chrome tape.So, I did what we all do when we have a problem that needs work; I worked it. I used Bare Metal Foil to patch in the areas where the sticky chrome canopy wasn't sticking, and I'm satisfied with the result. It's not perfect, but there are a lot of things about this model that aren't perfect.In spite of it all, it was a worthwhile experience to do it. It's certainly a unique item and very showy looking, and I'm quite proud of it.Some of you may recall that I built the Tamiya A6M2b as a companion piece for this one, and now I'm going to display them side by side, just like my two Mustangs.Without further comment, here are the photos of the completed aircraft model. hamfists nz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Part II Sparzanza and D Bellis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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