Another Hasegawa T bolt Bubbletop, my first LSP. November 12, 2022, It is DONE at last!!!!!!!!

[Citadelgrad]

23 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Yeah don't worry Bill, you could smack those with a ball peen and not hurt them. 

No worries, Mike.  I am making the most low tech use of these possible, but it was notable that they arrived as they did.  
 

ive been wrestling with routing the brake lines.  Almost every photo seems to show a slightly different configuration.  There is a 90 fitting right by the tow lug, just above the oleo scissors, where the line transitions from metal to rubber so that it can flex when the oleo moves.   Right above this, there is a standoff hinge for the bottom of the upper hear door, allowing it to remain clear of the larger, lower gear door, which appears fixed to the lower part of the main gear legs.  This stand off hinge needs to be free to swing as the gear retract and lower, so the metal brake line has a pronounced U section that is meant to clear the swing hinge by routing over it, clear of the hinge at any position.  

 

on this photo, to me, it looks like the U loop runs up the front (closest to the front of the plane)of the gear leg to “jump” that arm of the hinge as it moves up and down. 
 

BUT, and there is always a but, some other photos, and this shop photo, seem to show the line jumping over the part of the hinge on the part of the gear that is closest to the centerline of the plane

 

this flummoxed me, as there is nothing quite as unsatisfying as creating a detail only to learn later you got it wrong, like my corrugated floor in the cockpit.   The technical drawings show the U but omit the standoff hinge entirely.  
 

in the end, real estate concerns in the limited space helped me decide, it will clear the swing arm, despite the fact that these gear will never retract.

 

heres what my take is, i used aluminum duct tape for the clamps, and a suitable wire for the line.  This turned out to be the third configuration i tried, and this will be the final version of the metal part of the lines.
 

i still need to add the 90 fitting, and the “rubber” part that will tuck between the gear door and the big wheels.  
 

this was maybe 90 minutes of steady work, although about 75 of that was to get the first one, the second was easy once i had one under my belt. 

 

 

i also played with my low tech use of the setup blocks.  Due to limited space, i need to use the 3” side to hold the wheel, this method seems to let me clear the bottom of the plane, the other gear setup block, and ensure that the wheels are both perfectly perpendicular to the ground and the bottoms are touching the ground while the 5 minute epoxy sets up. 

The horizontal band is an attempt to control the depth of the seating on the axles, i drilled the holes too deep and dont wan them all the way against the gear leg. 
 

i also repainted the interior of the tail wheel assembly, and touched up the main tires.  Need to weather those before setting them on the gear legs.  
 

anyway, thats what i did tonight.  

Edited October 10, 2021 by Citadelgrad

[JayW]

9 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

This stand off hinge needs to be free to swing as the gear retract and lower, so the metal brake line has a pronounced U section that is meant to clear the swing hinge by routing over it, clear of the hinge at any position.  

 

on this photo, to me, it looks like the U loop runs up the front (closest to the front of the plane)of the gear leg to “jump” that arm of the hinge as it moves up and down. 
 

BUT, and there is always a but, some other photos, and this shop photo, seem to show the line jumping over the part of the hinge on the part of the gear that is closest to the centerline of the plane

 

this flummoxed me

 

Well Bill - I have no idea where that first config came from (the one where the tube is u-shaped to allow swinging of the gear door link).  But there it is, on a modern day resto.  I wonder if N-models had this, however searching through the drawing tree it appears to me the N-models had the same part number brake line installation as the D-models. 

 

Clearly, if you look at the drawings (which I provided pictures of in previous posts), that was NOT the intention of the designers back in the '40's for D-models.  I say this acknowledging that we do not have any information as to the bend data for the tube in question.  The tube detail drawings just reference template data that is not available, at least not in Aircorps Library.  Still - why would one go through the trouble of designing a tube to provide clearance to a widely swinging door link, when it could just be routed to avoid the link altogether?  The second picture (taken from the erection & maintenance manual BTW), shows just that, and I am convinced that represents what was truly in the field.  

 

But that's OK.  What you've done here looks pretty darned good.  I'd say leave as you have done it.

[Citadelgrad]

10 hours ago, JayW said:

 

Well Bill - I have no idea where that first config came from (the one where the tube is u-shaped to allow swinging of the gear door link).  But there it is, on a modern day resto.  I wonder if N-models had this, however searching through the drawing tree it appears to me the N-models had the same part number brake line installation as the D-models. 

 

Clearly, if you look at the drawings (which I provided pictures of in previous posts), that was NOT the intention of the designers back in the '40's for D-models.  I say this acknowledging that we do not have any information as to the bend data for the tube in question.  The tube detail drawings just reference template data that is not available, at least not in Aircorps Library.  Still - why would one go through the trouble of designing a tube to provide clearance to a widely swinging door link, when it could just be routed to avoid the link altogether?  The second picture (taken from the erection & maintenance manual BTW), shows just that, and I am convinced that represents what was truly in the field.  

 

But that's OK.  What you've done here looks pretty darned good.  I'd say leave as you have done it.

Thats what I thought, Jay.  That crazy routing with the stand offs and wrap around the gear leg seemed so over the top, i opted to just jump the hinged portion of the arms and go more or less directly up the leg.   
 

i think with the “rubber” bottom tucked behind the wheel this will be a decent addition that doesnt defy logic. 
 

thanks for your thoughts, and the drawings.  

[Citadelgrad]

So i got some bench time tonight.  I installed the little 90 degree fittings between the metal and rubber lines, and the lines themselves.  
 

not sure how they came out, honestly i can see way more in these photos than i can at the bench.  I hope its worth the effort.  Ive decided brake lines are a high risk move.  Most people would never notice they arent there. And even those people would notice a sloppy attempt.   
 

here are the photos:

 

edit:  the tape on this upper clamp has migrated.  I will fix it.

 

i added the stay on the oleo that golds the soft line clear of the scissors out of foil tape because i was certain i could never paint that clip as well as a real one.  
 

i think these are done other than weathering the tires and legs?

Edited October 11, 2021 by Citadelgrad

[JayW]

Micro-modeling.  There comes a point where parts are so small that they get drowned in the little dabs of glue or epoxy or CA, they become so small that tweezers cannot pick them up, and normal tolerances for cutting or sanding become as large as the parts themselves, or the features on those parts.  It is at that point where most modelers must decide what to do or not do.  And of course - the true superstars of our hobby, many of whom post on LSP, can take that limit further down than some of us others.

 

That's one reason i do not do 1/72!  Or 1/48 for that matter.

Edited October 11, 2021 by JayW

[Citadelgrad]

I fortuitously lost one of the clear gunsight pieces, because Col Gabreskis bird had the square or rectangular reflector plate, while Hasegawa called for the round ones.  There are two rectangular pieces, one shaped like a V, the other just flat, on the clear sprue.   i might be able to use those if i understood the configuration.  
 

anyone have a nice side shot of the sight showing whats up with the reflectors?  The shots i can find are looking through the gunsight and dont show the reflectors.   I am hoping i can get away with a clear lens and not much structure.  Ive had it with micro modeling.

[MikeMaben]

Hey Bill,  the V shaped clear part you have is for a K-14 gunsight. Not many P-47s had those.

The flat piece is for the British MkII gunsight which were more common in P-47s. There were

2 that could've been in Gabreski's a/c. They were the same, one with a square reflector and one

with an oval.

 

It would look like this with a square reflector. I don't think Gabreski had a K-14 in his a/c.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by MikeMaben

[Citadelgrad]

11 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Hey Bill,  the V shaped clear part you have is for a K-14 gunsight. Not many P-47s had those.

The flat piece is for the British MkII gunsight which were more common in P-47s. There were

2 that could've been in Gabreski's a/c. They were the same, one with a square reflector and one

with an oval.

 

It would look like this with a square reflector. I don't think Gabreski had a K-14 in his a/c.

 

 

 

 

Agreed, Mike, that photo I found doesn't look like a K 14, although I am not an expert, and the photo was taken before they were widely available, anyway.  So is the highest from the bottom plate the square one, and is the middle one still round in the version I am thinking about making?  I don't see the lower plate at all?

 

Thanks,

Bill

[MikeMaben]

There's just one reflector plate. Here's a better pic of the same gunsight...

 

 

It looks like a British MkVIII gunsight.

hth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by MikeMaben

[JayW]

4 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

There's just one reflector plate. Here's a better pic of the same gunsight...

 

 

It looks like a British MkVIII gunsight.

hph.

 

What a fabulous picture.  Might this be Robert Johnson?

[Citadelgrad]

10 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

There's just one reflector plate. Here's a better pic of the same gunsight...

 

 

It looks like a British MkVIII gunsight.

hph.

That is a great photo, Mike, but I hate the tiny legs supporting that plate. 

 

Thank you!

[MikeMaben]

16 hours ago, JayW said:

 

What a fabulous picture.  Might this be Robert Johnson?

 

Yessir.

 

 

10 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

That is a great photo, Mike, but I hate the tiny legs supporting that plate. 

 

Thank you!

 

I know, and there's 2 on each side. 

 

Have fun 

[mc65]

Hi, I'm silently following your beautiful work, I like the way you dive in each detail crosses your road!

 

about the gunsight, have you considered the Brengun BRL320033 product? It has resin main device's body and PE arms to hold the "glass".

 

cheers, Paolo

[Citadelgrad]

5 hours ago, mc65 said:

Hi, I'm silently following your beautiful work, I like the way you dive in each detail crosses your road!

 

about the gunsight, have you considered the Brengun BRL320033 product? It has resin main device's body and PE arms to hold the "glass".

 

cheers, Paolo

Hi Paolo.  Thank you for the kind words.  I really appreciate the encouragement. 
 

and thank you for the reference to Brengun’s product.  I was not aware of that option, but have now ordered one to try.   
 

cheers!

[Citadelgrad]

On 10/13/2021 at 11:21 PM, MikeMaben said:

 

Yessir.

 

 

 

I know, and there's 2 on each side. 

 

Have fun 

OK, Mike, I have received some PE and clear that will server nicely to replicate the right example of that sight.  

 

My question now is, given the, uh, tinyness of the PE, what does everyone suggest in terms of adhesive.  As Jay pointed out in relation to the gear legs, we are talking very small, and almost any amount of PE is going to just convert the legs into blobs.

 

I need some reflector in place, it is very obvious at the front and center of the IP, but I don't even know how to begin gluing these "legs" to that piece of acetate.

 

Any and all ideas are welcome.