Conversion of Czech Models 1/32 T-33 toTwin-tailed T-33 (TV-2)

[amurray]

I promised myself that I would resist detailing this kit. But after I painted them the sparse wheel wells and the absolutely barren speed brake wells screamed for attention. I did not buy the resin wheel well and speed brake wells from True Details. Instead I used scrap plastic, Evergreen strip, solder and electrical wire.

I also detailed the ejection seats with solder and plastic and then washed them with oils thinned with turpenoid.

I have to re-paint the parts as I had painted the wells before deciding to detail them but the contrast shows the detail.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[amurray]

The intakes are coming along but they are a pain!  I sprayed primer on them to identify the remaining problem areas and then sanded them.  I'll have to do some additional minor filling, sanding and some re-scribing.

 

BTW the plastic on my kit is VERY soft.  That makes sanding and filing easy but it also causes surface detail to disappear in a hurry.  It also makes re-scribing easy.

 

The toothpick shim under one of the wing fairings (see a previous post above) did not work as I had hoped because the tension was too great.  When I removed the toothpick the part sprang back to its original shape and the glue and putty cracked.  The filled gap was too wide and  wasn't strong enough to hold across the two parts.  To correct the problem I placed a plastic shim under the intake at the wing fairing and applied ample liquid glue.  This time I'll leave the shim in place permanently.  I will trim the shim after the glue sets and then add filler again.  I'll probably use super glue in the gap this time instead of putty.  It should hold.

 

 

 

 

While I was waiting for paint to dry I removed the rear section of the wing at the fuselage join as suggested by others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[LSP_Ron]

Looks great

[amurray]

Time to scribe the scratchbuilt tail sections. I used the paper parts as templates. This time, though, I made many copies and cut out the parts by sections. Notice I had to add hinges for the horizontal stabilizer. Also, I can't see any trim tabs on any of the three reference photos so I'll omit those. There is also one horizontal line in the center section that I'll omit.

 

I'll also use the templates to mark the locations of the horizontal stabilizer where it meets the vertical tail sections.

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[amurray]

There is one area depicted in all three photos that I debated tackling but decided to take it on. It is the area under the fuselage under the tail. It is prominent in all three reference photos. It is a recessed area with perforations. Aft of it is a package that looks like a parachute with a tripwire to deploy the chute. But I scratch my head over the recessed panel itself. I can only guess that maybe the enlarged tail section attached to the fuselage would not dissipate heat from the engine sufficiently so thinning the panel and perforating it may have been a quickfix. Any of your thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

 

 

 

 

At first I thought about removing the area and putting a thin plastic sheet or piece of metal in its place. I decided not to cut it out but to thin the area instead because the locator for the tailpipe is there inside the fuselage and would have been obliterated. Also, the resulting section at the end of the fuselage would be very fragile. I have started thinning the panel with metal files and a sanding Flex-I-file.

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[Lee White]

Looks like an Ercoupe on Steroids!!

[Shawn M]

my guess is the detail at the rear is for the recovery chute used during spin testing

[amurray]

my guess is the detail at the rear is for the recovery chute used during spin testing

 

Interesting!

 

Any idea how that would work in practice?  I see the chute itself at the tail but what is the function of the perforated panel?

[amurray]

My decision to shape the recessed panels versus cutting and replacing worked well. I delved into my tool box and found all the tools necessary, save one - a large square file. The file I found at Harbor Freight for $3. These tools made very quick work of the project. A little finishing sanding and all will be well.

 

 

 

The perforations are irregular as shown in the photos.

 

The tools:

 

Scriber (not shown)

Large file

Dremel and two stock attachments: small sanding drum and stone polisher

Diamond-tipped Dremel accessories

Flex-i-file

Stainless Steel INCRA Rule

Finger drill

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[Loic]

That's some fine work 

[Shawn M]

my guess is the perforated panel would be a stiffener plate of some sort

[amurray]

That's some fine work 

Thanks!

[amurray]

my guess is the perforated panel would be a stiffener plate of some sort

How does a stiffner plate work?

[amurray]

The AMS Resin tailpipe and engine set are a must unless you scratchbuild your own tailpipe. The kit tailpipe is much too short. The AMS Resin engine part needs some simple sanding/thinning of the upper lip of the piece. It is too large and visible when the two pieces are mated thus giving a reverse telescoping effect. It is a simple fix.

The AMS tailpipe part fits perfectly IF one aligns it properly in the slot inside the fuselage. The mounting flange on the tailpipe is oval, not circular. Be sure you align the oval correctly with the inside of the fuselage.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by amurray
Update

[amurray]

As I continue with sub-assemblies I now have to deal with one of the inexplicable engineering problems with this kit.  The axles on the wing gear struts are........1/32 of an inch!  The receiving part of the wheel hub (resin) is the same.  I bought the Scale Aircraft Conversions white metal set ostensibly to better support the weight of the model with metal.  It is simply an exact metal copy of the Plastic kit part.  I suspect 1/32 of an inch won't support much for long even using 2-part epoxy.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should I solder a metal extension onto the white metal part?  Epoxy a plastic extension onto the metal part?  Or, use the kit plastic part and glue a plastic extension on the axle?

Edited March 7, 2021 by amurray
Update