Guest Peterpools Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Eric Aces on both fixes ... surely the hands of a surgeon. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 Thanks a lot for the nice comments guys. I do hope that you all see how easy some of this stuff is to do and elect to perform these changes yourself rather than stash the kit in the too hard basket. Hopefully my pics and explanations make sense. Hi Eric, A great fix. The intakes look so much better. Since you have fixed it I might as well point out the other two errors at the risk of being accused of over criticizing the kit. Please feel free to criticise to your hearts content mate. I am actually looking for more stuff to do on the kit. Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 "Fortune favours the bold!" Is this an applicable comment in TTail's 1970's cutting edge technology fighter pilot adventures? All very awesome and makes me feel somewhat inadequate...aviation & modelling wise. Mate I am quite certain that you would have some equally hair raising and interesting anecdotes to retell on your non-military career before also commanding the worlds largest passenger airliner. The fact that I have two A380 captains commenting on my humble modelling thread leaves me feeling very inadequate aviation wise! Eric Nillus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTail Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Awesome bit of surgery Eric ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 It was time to get a bit more serious about the stuff that is going to hang off the wings of this model, lest I finish the air frame it and then lose interest when it comes to completing the rest of it. Of course Sean had to choose the weaponry that isn't available in 1/32, rather presenting me with a hell of a challenge to scratch build the RPK-10's. I had made up the basic body of the tank previously and now needed to get it into resin, not just due to the fact that I needed 2 as they are `handed' making them slightly different each side, but the time has now come to start getting the bomb bracket sorted, which will be easier if I have something that I can easily get another of if I mess it up! I haven't had much experience with 2 part moulds before and was keen to get some practice in before I start on a much bigger and more complex project in the very near future that will require will require a 2 part, very expensive mould. Boxed up and one half of the mould ready to pour. I am using Vario 15, a Barnes RTV Silicone. This stuff is great if you are not in a rush as it takes 6 or so hours to be able to de-mould the part but the best bit is that you have 10 or so minutes to pour it. Halfway through the mould, so far so good. Nice and clear and free of bubbles. Will let this cure overnight. Onto the Parachute brake housing/fairing. Cheetah alerted me to the fact that this was also wrong on the kit and I decided to improve it. Notice how the fairing forward of the brake chute housing is quite long. Italeri have this part quite short. I wanted to capture this very subtle curve of the French lady. A suitable diameter rod made of ABS I turned it to a suitably tapered shape in my lathe Cut it in half And then sanded and shaped the part to fit over the existing fairing. The part in place. I will be fabricating a slightly larger diameter brake chute housing to fit over the existing one to correct it, and once that part is in place the whole area will be blended, so some more more work required here but you get the idea. tucohoward, Victor K2, Starfighter and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Wow Eric, more gutsy work on the Lara take housing. Since Cheetah is pointing out some correction opportunities on the kit and also talking about the inner wing pylons, are the ones supplied by the kit not too shallow (the Revell ones look right). Not relevant for this build since you are doing the cool tank/bomb rack combo. Cheers, Marcel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 Super nice. Your fairing looks quite the business. I wouldn't have though it was that straight forward to get it that even and symmetrical. You certainly go the extra mile on your builds and it shows up in the finished model. On the topic of your moulds, do you degas your silicone or does the extra working time of the Vario 15 allow for such a bubble free pour? That Vario 15 looks wicked compared to the lurid Pinkysil I'm used to seeing. Additionally what do you do to stop a bubble forming in the very tip of that tank? I can never seem to get a good casting of anything that has that kind of bubble trap, i.e. any pointy or sticky outy bits. Excellent progress and I'm intrigued to see how the moulding comes out. Dan Thanks Dan. I do degas my silicone before pouring it as it does help quite a bit to reduce bubbles in and around the part. The vario is good for its working time and I would recommend it over Pinkysil if you don't need to make quick impressions. Pinkysil is still my go-to for small parts when I have a small mould to make but you need to be very quick which does not allow much time to get bubbles out. Vario on the other hand gives far more working time, more suitable for those that don't have a vac chamber. As I pressurise my resin as it cures, air bubbles are kept to a minimum but there will be occasions where squeezing the mould will also get rid of bubbles. Shaka HI and Whitey 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 I wanted to modify the brake chute housing to make it a bit bigger and also to align it with the longitudnal axis of the aircraft. As can be seen in the pic below, it looks a little thin and is at a slightly odd angle as supplied in the kit. Out came the razor saw again and I hacked it off. Notice that the modification to the fairing forward of the housing is quite visible where the new part will butt against it. Old vs new. I chose a brass tube that is slightly larger to suit. This was in line with me increasing the overall diameter of that area as well as lengthening it. New part mounted. The daring plan is starting to come together. I filled around the brass part and then sanded and filed the fairing to suit the diameter of the new housing. The extra meat that I left in the ABS fairing meant that I was able to profile it to the exact size of the brass part. I then primed to give me an idea what it will look like when it is finished. Not bad. Still a little bit of blending work to go. Another small area that Italeri missed is the concave blending of the tip of the tail into the fuselage. A small but important mod was made. Plastic card was glued to the are in question Before being sanded to shape. Much better. Whitey, Marcel111, Hubert Boillot and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Incredible work and skills Eric!! Amazing!! Cheers Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Incredible fixes. Annoying that the work has to be done, but we definitely know that you've got the skills to make the fixes. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Eric should be a consultant for model manufacturers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Eric Brilliant work and your attention to the details is simply amazing. I'm still floored by your casting work, yet alone how you discover and correct all the 'small' errors in the kit. Keep 'em comiong Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Eric, you are so going the extra mile on this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Meticulous work, Eric. This is the sort of stuff that most modellers (including myself) miss or ignore. But not you. Kev scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 Awww thanks guys! I guess it is my own tribute to the guys who showed up to work all those years ago and sat at a desk and designed the Mirage on a piece of paper. The extra curves that I am imparting to the build just have to be done for their sake! Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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