Tamiya F-15C Kicked Up A Notch- Dec 1/17: DONE!

[Norm In Toronto]

Ok, I'm NOT going to repeat myself, nor will I attempt to "outdo" comments made by others here, soooo...

 

I will NOT tell you that you are doing a terrific job, I won't - NO you can't make me. So there!

 

Norm.

[kike_gt]

To smooth off the tire and add back tread detail, I used my Dremel tool again as a lathe, which fit perfectly in the rear of the wheel.  As the tire turned in the “latheâ€, the tire was first sanded smooth on the bottom to remove irregularities, and then I used my chisel scribing tool to carve tread grooves back into the tire that the resin block had filled.  It didn't come out perfect, but with flat black paint and pastels, I doubt that I will notice any imperfections later.  Note how thin this tire is, which is about 2/3's the width of the kit rubber tire.

 

 

 

 

 

How did you secure the chisel and the "lathe" against each other? or just free hand??

 

I don't want to sound like an echoe here but I can't go trhough without mentioning how awesome your cockpit is!

[Shaka HI]

Awesomesouce !!!.........Harv

I think it's AwsomesAuce!

[A-10LOADER]

Everything looks awesome Chuck, but then again we would expect nothing less from you. Keep up the great job.

 

Steve

[Radders]

Superb cockpit....

[Guest Peterpools]

Chuck

Amazing work on the front office and all the hard work over the past two months have paid off! Nice work on the gear as well and I'm picking up a boat load of tips and ideas.

Keep 'em coming

Peter

[Skyhawk174]

Hi Chuck

 

Great start on this beauty of a kit. As per norm, your photography and explanations are a real help in your builds. Looks like it trouble free so far or at least nothing that you cannot handle.

 

Glad I found this in progress build. I was expecting to see it on ARC but I read what you said in one of the posts here and I agree. Although I think the guys over there will miss you and your talents for this build . That is why I register in many places to see great modelling.

 

Although I don't build this scale for my jets I normally get a lot of tips and ideas from reading yours. It almost tempts me to change scale but I am already struggling for space. I do have my Hasegawa 1/32nd Skyhawks to do one of these days but they are small even in 1/32nd.

 

Now I will get the notifications when you add to the thread.

 

Cheers

Chris

[chuck540z3]

How did you secure the chisel and the "lathe" against each other? or just free hand??

 

I don't want to sound like an echoe here but I can't go trhough without mentioning how awesome your cockpit is!

The answer is "Freehand". It wasn't easy, however, so you need to apply the chisel very slowly as the wheel turns.

 

 

Hi Chuck

 

Great start on this beauty of a kit. As per norm, your photography and explanations are a real help in your builds. Looks like it trouble free so far or at least nothing that you cannot handle.

 

Glad I found this in progress build. I was expecting to see it on ARC but I read what you said in one of the posts here and I agree. Although I think the guys over there will miss you and your talents for this build . That is why I register in many places to see great modelling.

 

Although I don't build this scale for my jets I normally get a lot of tips and ideas from reading yours. It almost tempts me to change scale but I am already struggling for space. I do have my Hasegawa 1/32nd Skyhawks to do one of these days but they are small even in 1/32nd.

 

Now I will get the notifications when you add to the thread.

 

Cheers

Chris

 

Hi Chris!

 

I'm glad you understand why I'm not posting this build on ARC at the same time. I did that with my last P-38L build and it was a lot of extra work, so I decided to post this project in just one forum instead. What better forum for a large scale jet than Large Scale Planes!?

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[chuck540z3]

May 3/16

 

 

It's one thing to paint up and assemble resin cockpit parts, but it's quite another thing to actually park them into the front fuselage and hope that everything fits OK.  This is where dry fitting and trimming the parts at least a hundred times before painting is critical.  If you have to force things and use clamps to glue everything together, you are asking for trouble.  The cockpit will be too wide in the fuselage and canopy parts won't fit- and that's if the glue holds, which it sometimes doesn't.  I say all this because I've learned these lessons the hard way, so I try to go the extra mile dry fitting early on to avoid any heartache later.

 

Here's some pics of the cockpit with everything put together and I used hardly any glue on the resin.  When trimmed properly, the plastic kit parts hold most of it together with just friction.  The fit of all the components isn't perfect, since I'm using the kit parts and two different resin cockpit sets, but it turned out pretty good I think.  Some parts like the emergency canopy jettison handle, control stick and seat have been left out to avoid breakage.  The plate behind the seat is just taped on for the same reason, but I have installed the canopy jettison "spear" and associated hardware, which is a combination of the Avionix and Aires parts.

 

 

 

 

A better pic of the spear mechanism.

 

 

 

 

A bit of a walkaround.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

That "dust" on the top of the glareshield is not really that obvious to the naked eye.  I dusted it up a bit with Tamiya pastels, which I have since toned down.

 

 

I'm using the kit inner wheels to protect the AOA probes, which I've broken once already.  Really Stupid Design!  I also painted the cockpit sill black, because it's easier to do it now rather than at the end of the build, but I also like black to be beneath the windscreen to avoid any fiber optic transfer through the clear plastic of imperfections at the windscreen fuselage join.  I am leaving that lip at the front of the windscreen, which will join up with a scratch-build part for the windshield blower vent system that I will make later.

 

 

 

The nose cone will not be movable, since they never fit properly if assembled that way.  The nose cone fit isn't too bad, but there is still a lot of sanding to get it to look this way.

 

 

 

 

Nor the avionics door on the port side of the fuselage.  I like the clean look of the F-15 and open doors and nose cones destroy much of that, although I am considering leaving the gun door open to expose a nice brass gun set I have in the stash.  Note the tight fit of the nose cone, which is common on the real deal.

 

 

 

That's it for now boys.  I have a lot of work to do on the windscreen before I cement it in, then I'll seal off the entire cockpit.

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited May 3, 2016 by chuck540z3

[Marcel111]

Nice fit, all the prep work has apid off!

 

I am glad you'll be toning the dust on top of the IP down a little, those Aggressor aircraft usually seem very well taken care of.

 

Cheers,

Marcel

[scvrobeson]

The fit and finish is fantastic. All of that prep work has definitely paid off, especially getting the resin bits in.

 

 

 

 

 

Matt 

[Chek]

Great work Chuck, as we've come to expect from you over the years.

But your thoughts please, if you will.......

 

I'm currently pondering the framework under the rear canopy blanking plate which must also be close to the top of your agenda by now.

 

I think Gary on his superb 2013 build ground out the Tamiya detail attempt then introduced his own handmade drilled cross members from there, building up the depth with capping strips and adding some excellent looking raised rivet and perforated rail detail . It can be seem in its full glory at: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=46150&page=5

However without wishing to be overly picky I don't think the ground out Tamiya base provided the best ... er... 'base' for Gary's undoubted skills.

 

The more I consider the apparent depth to the max available depth however, the more inclined I am to completely remove the Tamiya decking as far back as the oval vent, and replace it with 10 thou sheet that the perforated ribs on the underside can all be squarely mounted on with guaranteed equal depth..

 

I'd be very interested to hear your plan of attack.

And please!

Don't void the whole question by saying you're going the closed canopy route!

Edited May 4, 2016 by Chek

[chuck540z3]

Great work Chuck, as we've come to expect from you over the years.

But your thoughts please, if you will.......

 

I'm currently pondering the framework under the rear canopy blanking plate which must also be close to the top of your agenda by now.

 

I think Gary on his superb 2013 build ground out the Tamiya detail attempt then introduced his own handmade drilled cross members from there, building up the depth with capping strips and adding some excellent looking raised rivet and perforated rail detail . It can be seem in its full glory at: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=46150&page=5

However without wishing to be overly picky I don't think the ground out Tamiya base provided the best ... er... 'base' for Gary's undoubted skills.

 

The more I consider the apparent depth to the max available depth however, the more inclined I am to completely remove the Tamiya decking as far back as the oval vent, and replace it with 10 thou sheet that the perforated ribs on the underside can all be squarely mounted on with guaranteed equal depth..

 

I'd be very interested to hear your plan of attack.

And please!

Don't void the whole question by saying you're going the closed canopy route!

 

Thanks.

 

GOOD question- and no I will never keep this canopy closed.  If I did, I would have wasted about a month of picky work in Bay 5 behind the seat, which I obviously love to show off!

 

I am inclined to drill out the Tamiya canopy cross braces, as a few other builds I've seen recently, and call it a day.  This might be laziness, but as I get more skilled as a modeler in some areas I am starting to let some things slide in others that I normally would have sweated over in the past.  The front landing gear well is a perfect example.   Even before I discovered half of the well would be covered with a door, I decided to not do much in the way of plumbing and electrical detail because you'd likely not see it again due to how narrow it is.  I have a perfectly executed rear landing gear well complete with Eduard PE on my P-51D Mustang build, that I have not seen since I painted it- and it sits on a mirror!  Same goes for the front gear well on my A-10C build.  It was mostly a waste of time.

 

Getting back to the bottom part of the canopy that covers Bay 5, when are you going to look at it?  Maybe once in awhile because it does show if you bend down and peek underneath, but that will likely only be for a minute at most.  With drilled out cross braces, you will get the essence of what the real deal looks like without killing yourself with scratch-built replacements.  Having said that, after looking at how I might drill out the holes and how difficult it might be to do so cleanly, it's quite possible that I make a bit of a mess and start all over with scratch built parts after all.  Time will tell.  For the top of the canopy frame and the rear of the windscreen, I do plan on doing quite of bit of extra work because you can see it all the time, so to me it will be worth it.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[ShotMagnet]

That is probably the sanest bit of advice I've ever read. If you're never going to see it, why bother?

[ghatherly]

Thanks.

 

GOOD question- and no I will never keep this canopy closed. If I did, I would have wasted about a month of picky work in Bay 5 behind the seat, which I obviously love to show off!

 

I am inclined to drill out the Tamiya canopy cross braces, as a few other builds I've seen recently, and call it a day. This might be laziness, but as I get more skilled as a modeler in some areas I am starting to let some things slide in others that I normally would have sweated over in the past. The front landing gear well is a perfect example. Even before I discovered half of the well would be covered with a door, I decided to not do much in the way of plumbing and electrical detail because you'd likely not see it again due to how narrow it is. I have a perfectly executed rear landing gear well complete with Eduard PE on my P-51D Mustang build, that I have not seen since I painted it- and it sits on a mirror! Same goes for the front gear well on my A-10C build. It was mostly a waste of time.

 

Getting back to the bottom part of the canopy that covers Bay 5, when are you going to look at it? Maybe once in awhile because it does show if you bend down and peek underneath, but that will likely only be for a minute at most. With drilled out cross braces, you will get the essence of what the real deal looks like without killing yourself with scratch-built replacements. Having said that, after looking at how I might drill out the holes and how difficult it might be to do so cleanly, it's quite possible that I make a bit of a mess and start all over with scratch built parts after all. Time will tell. For the top of the canopy frame and the rear of the windscreen, I do plan on doing quite of bit of extra work because you can see it all the time, so to me it will be worth it.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Hey Chek, thanks for the very kind words. I learned a lot during that built and some of it will be built differently on the next one, which is IAF F-15D 957. We are looking at a complete resin frame down the road, but unfortunately not in time for Chucks Build. There is lots of detail there to build.

 

Hey Chuck, IF I may make a suggestion, the underside of the canopy frame might be worth you taking another look at. I agree with your take on the wheel wells, and I am doing as you do now and saving myself some work. The situation with that big F-15C canopy frame though is that it is very visible from the front in the raised position when looking at the cockpit becaus it opens so high above the cockpit. Tamiya left out the ejection cup, and all of the linkage and pressurization equipment located in the underside of that canopy Deck not to mention the lightened frame work, pressure seal, and locking hooks. My Eagle is displayed in the display case just under eye level, and if I would have left it plain it would look out of place with all of the other work I did. I have some line drawings of the deck if you change your mind and would like them. Just my 2 cents. Oh, the canopy hoop frame has much room for improvements as well with the compass, Mirrors, and IFF engagement light tree being in need of much help.

 

Looks great as always,

 

Gary

Edited May 4, 2016 by ghatherly