LSP_Kevin Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 A shame about the mounting frame, Brian - but in all other respects this is looking fabulous! Great work (and problem-solving) so far. Kev Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.B. Andrus Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Brian How much did this kit cost you? Money wise, that is. Damian Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 (edited) The nacelles look awesome! Nice work to overcome the HpH's faulty execution. Can't believe the engine mount issue... are we sure that the actual engine mounts are in fact mirrored? Maybe left and right are identical? Edited November 30, 2020 by Thunnus Per Kevin's correction Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, Thunnus said: Nice work to overcome the KH's faulty execution. Don't forget that this is in fact a HpH resin kit, and not a Kitty Hawk one. It's doubtful we'll ever see a mainstream injection-moulded kit of the Tigercat, but I guess you never know these days! Special Hobby is our best hope, I reckon. Kev MikeMaben and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 Thanks boys! 2 hours ago, D.B. Andrus said: Brian How much did this kit cost you? Money wise, that is. Damian Funny enough DB, 0 actually. It was an LSP (pre-build) review sample generously given to me to review because of my known love for the F7F. Thankfully, as the R&D for a kit that lists for upwards of $300 is a bit crap. 41 minutes ago, Thunnus said: The nacelles look awesome! Nice work to overcome the HpH's faulty execution. Can't believe the engine mount issue... are we sure that the actual engine mounts are in fact mirrored? Maybe left and right are identical? Thanks John. I thought the same at first, but HpH has a little square of resin for each nacelles bulkhead parts, labeled with a giant "L" and "R" with all parts sided for each. This and the fact that really only 1 out of the 4 main engine bearer parts were that short, makes me think this was another in along line of flubs from the HpH factory without much regard for how it effects the builder. Anthony in NZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.B. Andrus Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Thankful it didn't cost $. Your blood pressure is worth a bit more, though. If I had spent that kind of money on a kit and it fought me all the way, well, the wall might end up with a big dent. I'll certainly be reluctant to purchase a kit from that manufacturer, unless it gets tons of positive reviews first. I admire your forbearance, Brian. Anthony in NZ, Out2gtcha and Brett M 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 From the frying pan into the fire. What an exercise in alignment. Good show, Brian. Way to persevere. Sincerely, Mark Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Nice work Brian Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Excellent work Brian, some serious progress going on with the big Cat now! Regards. Andy Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaffyMan Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Good luck Brian I know how much the airframe means to you but wow you have far more patience than me mate all this would have blown my brain’s fuze by now! Looks like it's going to be a bun fighter all the way but keep it going mate looking good so far. All the best Taff Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadBaron Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Wow mate!! She's looking stunning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 happy to see you back at this beast, I have complete faith that this will turn out great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 Thanks all! Yes, this one by far and away has been blowing my mind with regard to how its supposed to go together. Its really tough on my OCD, as NOTHING "pops" or "snaps" into place, and everything is just a bit off here or there, requiring guestimations, scratch building and loads of cursing. Combine that with flubs in manufacturing from the factory, and instructions that really are images only, and even then don't always show how or where exactly things are supposed to go. Its maddening at times honestly, and if the F7F was not my all time favorite aircraft, Im not sure Id persevere on this one. I'll NOT be giving up on this one however..........as at some point next year, I WILL have a finished 1/32nd scale F7F Tigercat!! On a good note however, the latest factory flub in the kit (engine bearer brace being WAY too short) I think has been fixed, and that has lead to (hopefully) one of the last major "how-the-hell-am-I-going-to-do-this" moments of the kit: I managed to cut open the port side engine bearer brace that was too short and add some styrene tubing to that, sanding it down to fit over the internal wire. From there, I used some larger aluminum tube for the bearer bases. Its not perfect by ANY means, but after about two hours of drilling holes in the wrong spot, cutting the new brace open a couple times, because the angles didnt match up to the starboard side, I had a pair of somewhat matching engine bearers: You can see the styrene tubing extensions on the back and front of the outer port brace. In retrospect, it wasn't off by a mm or two but more like 5 or 6mm. Enough to where it should have been VERY noticeable it was not the same as the other 3: This then will lead me to building the rest of the engine mounts which consist of two V shaped upper side parts, two V shaped lower side parts and a front hoop that the engine will rest on. Getting these last engine bearer parts assembled will be one of the last really tough parts to do. You can see what the finished bearer is supposed to look like once all parts are glued on in the lower left side of the instruction book: There was a very nice build of an HpH Tigercat by a Czech gentleman that has helped me considerably. I have used his build pics quite a bit to help me understand where things actually are supposed to go. Here you can see how the front engine bearer "hoop" must align just forward of the firewall itself, in order to have the engine where it needs to be inside the cowl: Forward engine mount and firewall: As you can see here, the engine mound hoop is JUST barely smaller than the opening in the firewall: With this being said, theoretically when all 4 of the outer engine bearer parts are put together correctly, they come together at a single point at the top and sides (the bottom has a space in-between the braces unlike the top and sides). That seems WAY easier said than done with the inconsistencies of the resin parts in the kit. You can see here in the Czech gents build, how the firewall must be blended with the nacelle exhaust cutouts. The firewall then protrudes off of the nacelle by 4 or 5mm; This leads to the main issue with the engine hoop. The nacelles themselves need to remain separate until all the internal wheel well detail is added, BUT the engine bearers need to be build before the nacelles can be installed..........yet you NEED the nacelle installed with the firewall installed on it, to make sure the engine bearer hoop will like up correctly with the hole in the firewall. You can see here how the engine bearer hoop must align exactly with the hole in the firewall, and also must protrude ever so slightly (about the thickness of the hoop itself) in order to get the engine seated where it needs to be in the cowl: Im really looking forward to figuring out this issue, as once I DO do that, The rest of the difficult parts will be things like the landing gear, and clear parts, but those I dont think will take NEARLY the mental fortitude that all of the rest has taken to this point. Man, this kit really makes you want it bad if you are going to see it all the way to completion!! Ive got the fire in me for this one boys, so Im going to utilize that feeling to press on through the crappy parts of the build, then onto the good stuff, like detailing and painting. Cheers until you older! Troy Molitor, Anthony in NZ, LSP_Kevin and 22 others 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Out2gtcha, Rockie Yarwood and Uncarina 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Looking fantastic Brian. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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