Starfighter Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Thank you all for your kind words! I have a few more pics to show. I have decided to open the LH engine bay as open engine bay(s) are typical for Prowlers during the preflight checks. As usual, the engines are a major PITA to assemble and required a lot of sanding. To give you an idea, here is how the parts look before sanding: After some sanding and a few wires attached. Many more to come... As already mentioned, I'd like to show the Prowler shortly before take off. The crew is boarding, crew chief and deck personnel are closing the last hatches. The pilot is already 'at his desk'. Sadly, I had to cut up this figurine again to build another one... ... namely him. ECMO 2 is waiting for ECMO 1 to step in. Legs, one arm and face are from Warriors, torso from Master Details, helmet from Tamiya. I have to admit that I am pretty happy with this one. It's a shame how much work, money and different figurines are needed to obtain some decent looking Navy aviators in 32nd scale... ECMO 1. Legs from Warriors again, torso from Verlinden, arms from a PWMP mechanic and he head (to be replaced) is from Academy. He looks a little stiff in my opinion as his back is too straight; sadly, I have no more Master Details Navy figurines and they aren't available anymore. There is a sitting PJ Navy pilot, but his torso is too narrow. But compare with the pic in the following link, it doesn't look THAT bad - this ECMO stands rather staight while stepping in: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/US_Navy_041026-N-0499M-024_An_Electronic_Countermeasures_Officer_(ECMO)_climbs_into_her_EA-6B_Prowler_assigned_to_the_Lancers_of_Electronic_Attack_Squadron_One_Three_One_(VAQ-131).jpg If I alter the right arm, I could maybe get close to reality - what do you think? I have also thought about the base for the diorama. Made a CAD drawing of Kitty Hawk's deck, scaled it and printed it out to get an idea of the size: Well... it's too big! The EA-6B is going to sit at this very spot as at least one Prowler was typically parked there on USS Kitty Hawk, but the cut out will be smaller. More on that - later! ;-) Rdrunner, andromeda673, stusbke and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Mighty impressive line-up on this deck. Cool projects going on here. Hubert Edited February 4, 2016 by MostlyRacers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Wow...those figures, especially in the manner they're posed, will impressively animate what is already an awe inspiring project. I recall how the pilot figure for your LS RF-8G Crusader, perched atop the fuselage, added so much interest to that build. Way to go Ben! -Rich p.s. I agree with you regarding the pose of the ECMO figure entering the cockpit. I think that repositioning the right arm in front of the body has the effect of stiffening the torso, perhaps. Edited February 4, 2016 by allthumbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andromeda673 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 HELL YEAH!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leoasman Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Is that an E-2 on the right? Pretty cool, but may I suggest a nice Greyhound instead? Warm the heart of a former COD driver! Very nice work all around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Wow...those figures, especially in the manner they're posed, will impressively animate what is already an awe inspiring project. I recall how the pilot figure for your LS RF-8G Crusader, perched atop the fuselage, added so much interest to that build. Way to go Ben! -Rich p.s. I agree with you regarding the pose of the ECMO figure entering the cockpit. I think that repositioning the right arm in front of the body has the effect of stiffening the torso, perhaps. Thanks for your input, Rich! I will try to reposition the right arm, then we'll see if it works or not! I'll have to add some more depth and details to the other pilot, though. The Verlinden pilot is much better detailed than the Master Details one - which is pretty normal as the Master Details is intended to be sitting in the cockpit and not on top of the fuselage. :-) Is that an E-2 on the right? Pretty cool, but may I suggest a nice Greyhound instead? Warm the heart of a former COD driver! Very nice work all around! That's an E-2 indeed! :-) There even is a thread regarding this model here on LSP, but sadly, all the pics are gone and I am not sure if I still have them. A Greyhound would be awesome, but that would be even more complicated than the E-2 as I'd have to rebuild the entire lower fuselage... this isn't the main problem (thinking about doing this since quite some time), but I was not yet able to source the informations I need to do so - I'd need some pretty accurate drawings including cross sections to build a C-2 fuselage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Wonderful progress, Ben! It's looking really impressive at this stage. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyGT500 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Wow impressive work fella, I like you pilots figures - mostly the second one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Canopies! I wasn't really looking forward to do them, but I have to admit that I am rather pleased with the result so far. They are 3D printed using clear resin; the parts are pretty rough when they come out of the printer, though. This is due to the part orientation I had to choose in order to avoid support structures in the areas which are meant to remain transparent. The rear canopy has already received an initial treatment including polishing - it will need some more work, though. The forward canopy has only been sanded so far, no polishing yet. The canopy frames need to be done by hand - not yet sure if I'll do slightly raised frames using plasticard or if I am going to scribe them. I've made some frames from masking tape to check if the frames from my initial drawings fit. LSP_Paul, blackbetty, Youngtiger1 and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Paul Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The Prowler gets more and more intricate and inspirational with each update. Thank you for letting us watch Ben. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Very nice work so far!! Amazing work on the cockpit detailing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Looks brilliant Ben. How are you going to clear up the canopies? Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Glad you like it! I'll do the classic polishing session with very fine grits (gradually becoming more and more fine), finishing with some car polish and dipping it in Future at the end. Then, I'll need to figure out how to do the golden tinting. Most people seem to use clear yellow on their Prowler, but that's not very convincing IMO. I think I'll try a combination of clear yellow and Hasegawa hologram finish film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easixpedro Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Ben, Looking Awesome! Those canopies are the bees knees! And concur with your thoughts on the yellow. They're actually lined with Gold--it changes hue depending on the light. I think you'll get good results with that film. I just saw your figures. From having climbed on that TINY boarding platform (try balancing atop a ladder--usually in the dark--and swivel about before doing the contortions required to climb into the cockpit...that boarding platform is SMALL and HIGH. Absolutely terrifying at night, at sea, with jet exhaust blowing around you). My initial thought is the legs are good, but the torso needs to be parallel with the fuselage, and the right arm likely has a death grip on the lower canopy rail. There's a recessed hand hold in between the canopies, and I guarantee that his left hand is holding that -Peter stusbke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 3D printed canopies, I never thought that would happen! Just shows how good these machines are.... As for the frames on the outer surface, could you not mask them off and go over with some primer to give you a slight raised effect? I'm not sure how thin plasticard goes to suit 1/32nd but this would be my choice... either way, what ever you do I've no doubt it will look fantastic. Oh, one other thing, I think you need to alter the title, there is no way you've destroyed the expensive kit...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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