mywifehatesmodels Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) Kai, Your engines look beautiful and, as for the canopy, that's what I love to see on this forum....not being afraid to just dive in and take the bull by the horns. GREAT work! Very inspiring! John Edited December 10, 2014 by mywifehatesmodels EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Great work ! That canopy is plain awfull ...how can they supply this in a kit ?! EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 WOW ! Super work on the canopy buddy !I would of posted earlier, but was at work and company puters block PB, so no pics. This is really exciting Kai, hats off to you. And thank your girl friend for the video. She is a beautiful bird to watch ( the aircraft, LOL).........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaffyMan Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Kai - Nice work with the canopy - been their and I know the pain it can coarse - look forward to seeing it in all its glory. Love a Tank Buster and this looking great Taff EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderdriver Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hey Kai, That is what I was thinking with a the clamshell, Cool work and that is how I build up stuff......Strip and glue. What type of Vac machine do you have? Outstanding Work so far and like the engines watch'in you jack EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmperorKai Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmperorKai Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Great work ! That canopy is plain awfull ...how can they supply this in a kit ?! It's a bit of a head scratcher, isn't it? Only thing that comes to mind is that this kit is one of Trumpeter's first releases, and regardless of all it's faults, I'm still glad they released it- better than nuttin! It reminds me of the ol' Revell days... Hey Kai, That is what I was thinking with a the clamshell, Cool work and that is how I build up stuff......Strip and glue. What type of Vac machine do you have? Outstanding Work so far and like the engines watch'in you jack Thanks for stopping in Jack! So, I've had an old Mattel vac machine just sitting on the shelf for years (about 20- yikes), that I picked up at a garage sale. Wasn't sure if it worked or not until 2 days ago. Short version- no go. Bad seal, warped plate and too small for this canopy. I could fix it, but I think I can build my own for much cheaper- I'll post some pics of the vac machine as well, probably this weekend when I get all the stuff together. Kai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmperorKai Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 While I wait for various parts and materials to arrive, I decided to knock out some peripheral stuff... Was looking over the fins, which still need some scribed lines for the new caps, when I noticed some of the rather bizarre panel lines on the rudders. So filled those in with CA Proofed here with replacement lines that are more accurate. Decided to dry-fit everything to see how it's all coming together. From the front quarter with a good view of the engines. After taking these pics, I had a hard time finding a place to put all the parts aside, so decided to spend the rest of the day cleaning up my workspace... I also started exploring some of the work that will need to be done for the wings. Ugh . The good news is that the landing flaps are together now, and are officially the first (and only so far) kit pieces that haven't needed to be replaced, modified or corrected. After taking a look at how these will fit in the wing and some of the other silliness, I decided to punt for today and work instead on pylons, the centerline tank and the LANTIRN pods. The pylon was cut away from the targeting pod. The navigation pod also got similar treatment, but will need considerably more surgery. That's it for today- Thanks for looking! Kai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phasephantomphixer Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 No other fun like serious modification! So had the N/AW program continued, there would've been about another 8 years of time before DS. The latest (late 80's) systems applied leaves us wondering how they would've been incorporated. So far most likely how you figured, incorporating the already tested Strike Eagle systems. Same mission, but with some Hog flavor (30mm from Hell). Check the Fuel Tank length? Usually an area that needs correction. Luckily the two seater kit nose is more correctly shaped than the single. The main gear sponsons are seriously misshapen in both kits (I see the same issues shared with the old 1/48 Tamiya kit, which leads me to believe it was used by Trumpeter-unfortunately for all of us). Compare the downward taper of the forward portion, and the width. The real ones are Fiberglass, so no need for rows of rivets. Awesome stuff, don't burn out! EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Great work. Sincerely, Mark EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 REALLY nice work on this EmperorKai 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 GO Kai !.........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmperorKai Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) Ok, so stuff is starting to arrive and in anticipation, I've started building a DIY vacuform machine. The clear sheets arrived today- ten 12x12 inch PETG .040 clear sheets I found on ebay. Here, they have a protective blue film on each side and have been cut into 6x6 inch pieces. Found a 2x3 foot styrene ceiling light grid at Home Depot that will work great as a support for the base. A Dremel was used to cut an appropriate sized piece. Here, the grid over the clear sheet. The nubs along the outside edge were then cleaned up. A frame was started around the grid using 1/4 inch pine Two layers of 1/4 inch and a third layer using 3/8 inch pine completed the basic frame. The layers were each aligned on the outside diameter, which results in a small step along the interior of the frame that the grid will rest on. Some perforated aluminum sheet was then CA'd on top the grid. Cuts almost like paper and rolls can be found at craft stores such as Micheal's or Hobby Lobby. To seal up the frame, heavy foiled duct tape was wrapped around the outside. The excess was wrapped along the bottom and then trimmed up. Foam Insulation tape was then added and trimmed along the top and bottom edges. A close up of the completed base. When vacuum pressure is applied, everything should snug up and form a good seal. Here, the completed base with the canopy plug. Good airflow and solid support. Total time spent to make this was about 90 minutes. I'll do one more quick post tonight of the table. Kai Edited December 12, 2014 by EmperorKai Uilleann 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Kai, I can't wait for your updates ! Looks like your pretty handy with wood. All I get out of wood work is splinters ! Carry on Sir.....Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmperorKai Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) The vacuform table is a ridiculously simple affair. 24 inch square 3/8 inch thick plywood with a hole cut in the center using a door knob hole cutter. A close up here of the threaded PVC adapters, which were less than $3 at Home Depot. I didn't catch the size, but rather gauged an appropriate diameter to take either a vacuum cleaner or a dry vac. The bottom of the table. As it turns out, a hose from a vacuum cleaner will fit on the inside, and the hose from my dry vac will fit on the outside. The base over the hole for the vacuum. The really cool thing about this is that additional frames can be built for whatever size of styrene may be necessary. Regardless, they will all use the same table- just throw the frame on the table and turn on the vac. With the PETG sheets, I think the whole setup cost about $40 (I did already have some of the stuff just lying around though). I'm hoping to build the frame to hold the styrene sheet tomorrow. Thanks for looking! Kai Edited December 12, 2014 by EmperorKai TaffyMan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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