F7F-3 Tigercat - BuNo 80405 - VMF 312 MCAS - El Toro, CA 1946

[Rick K]

You’re crushing this and owning every sliver of angst this build gives you. 
 

this is one of my fave Grunman a/c. 
 

I have the 1:48 scale F7 with a box of am stuff. engines, prop, wheels, pe, 

 

Inspiration  is real. 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Rick K

[frank83]

So much work and effort seems to be going into this one. Having to deal with extra work on such kits is sometimes annoying and frustrating but all of it will be forgotten when you finish it and have a unique model to be proud of everytime you look! Not to mention the envy of others because they do not have it.

 

Your work is truly inspiring.

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks all. 

Forcing myself to move forward. I have a tough time describing what a kit like this does to me, but I almost feel like there is so much I can be doing........so much that needs to be done, or that may need fitting that it seems sometimes nothing gets done. 

 

So, with that in mind, I've just started forcing myself to move forward with things, even if that means jumping around to all the various things that need to be done. 

Back to the gear!

Figuring I need to sort this out now so I can detail them out, and set them aside so I can finalize the exterior in preparation for a final layer of primer before paint. I had initially found some "Turkey injectors" (a US thing of injecting flavor into the meat) that had a near perfect size for the oleo, however I found some SS tubing that fit perfectly, and took up that last micron or two of space needed.

I glued the base of the MLG to the oleo with the wire embedded in them sticking up through the SS oleo section so as to maintain strength. Later this will all be filled with JB Weld once completed for ultimate strength. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the gear components, with the exception of the exterior side braces that I have yet to fully cut out of their bases.

 

 

 

 

 

Ive also started the airframe PE as well, all the way back to the spine/upper fuselage sides. I still have the tail feather PE to apply yet however:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the bench tonight! I've got the next 9 days off including tonight, so I'm going to try to get some actual progress done. I really need to feel a sense of accomplishment with this build, as she is still charging me at every turn and the constant battling wears on me. BUT, im at the stage now, where Ive stopped 2 prior times, so this 3rd build session is a charm, and I plan to hopefully get the gear done and hopefully move onto the final primer stage, as I RE-RE-dipped the windscreen last night. Not got to be as perfect as I wanted it but Im hoping this latest dip is the one. 

 

Cheers! 

[JayW]

Brian - you sound as if you are overwhelmed at times.  Brother - it is good to know I am not the only one.  My current build (the 1/18 Corsair) is 2 and a half years old, and the list of tasks and sub-projects remaining are literally endless.  I get overwhelmed so much I lose sleep over it sometimes.  I have to remind myself that it is a hobby that doesn't have a deadline.  It isn't going to rot away - it just waits for us.  Carry on!  At your own pace.

[Out2gtcha]

18 minutes ago, JayW said:

Brian - you sound as if you are overwhelmed at times.  Brother - it is good to know I am not the only one.  My current build (the 1/18 Corsair) is 2 and a half years old, and the list of tasks and sub-projects remaining are literally endless.  I get overwhelmed so much I lose sleep over it sometimes.  I have to remind myself that it is a hobby that doesn't have a deadline.  It isn't going to rot away - it just waits for us.  Carry on!  At your own pace.

 

Amen brother!

 

I just love the airframe and I know, it's likely going to be my only shot at one in 32nd.

 

This build is no where NEAR as detailed or precise as your Corsair, but with the nature of resin kits, I guess I've got to expect things to not necessarily click into place......but does EVERYTHING have to be that way??

 

The PE is actually going fairly well, so I'll likely press on with that, then jump back to the gear.I just now got the formation lights set and their PE surrounds done, so it's fill steam ahead.

I think if I can just get to a "fun" place like paint and details, I think the passion will really return and I'm steadily advancing there.

 

Like you said, I keep reminding myself it's a hobby and to enjoy it!

[Out2gtcha]

Tonight's progress........

[Out2gtcha]

I concentrated on the belly PE, as I knew this would take some work too, since it not only has larger PE plates to add for various access doors and what-not, it also has the 3 fuselage formation lights.

 

The first stage for these was to take down the primer back to resin (honestly I should have added all the PE prior to the primer, but hey-ho here we are) and get the formation light holes counter-sunk. I debated back and forth about adding a fuel tank here but decided  against it in the end. So, in that case I added the large forward bolts that normally hold the fuel tank stabilizers on. In the case of 80405, it had no fuel tank on any of the pics I can find, and did not even have any stabilizers, so this told me for training purposes it likely never carried nor needed a belly tank.

Here I used some brass bolts from Small Parts and just threaded some styrene rod through them and smoothed them off. After the formation lights were drilled, I coated them in some chrome and let that dry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up I cut out the 3 small red/blue/yellow resin formation lights that had to be sunk into the previously drilled holes:

 

 

 

 

 

The colored resin disks were added and then slightly finish sanded to shape them to the fuselage. Then the PE frames were added and finally a drop or two of Future in each to shine them up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like I mentioned above, I've got the next 8 days or so off, so will be jumping back on the big twin tomorrow to hopefully finish off the PE and start the final primer layer in prep for re-scribing and finally an attempt at paint. 

 

Cheers! 

 

 

[LSP_Kevin]

Looks terrific, Brian!

 

Kev

[Anthony in NZ]

 

Lost for anything sensible and appropriate to say to describe the beauty!

[crobinsonh]

Love this thread

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks all!

I'm hoping the windscreen will turn out ok as I really need to get that in place so I can get the next primer round started.

 

More bench time soon

[Out2gtcha]

Uhhhhhgg!

Well I had a spike in the back of my mind that I never mentioned out loud, and really tried to keep to myself but it was the nagging feeling things were going way too swimmingly lately for this particular build. 

Well, the big girl rectified that situation quickly!

 

I kept noticing that the rear tail hook masking was getting pretty bulky under many layers of primer, so I decided to remove the masking and just re-mask it since it has been masked now for a few years...............

What I didn't know was that a few years back when I had to add some resin to that area, as the OOB resin plates around the tail hook had been sanded within a micron of busting through, some of that resin obviously what not fully cured when I masked that area off and it leaked into and on some of paper that I had stuffed in there to mask it off.

 

It basically created a completely rock hard mess that really looks like it. I had a hell of time just scraping around what was the tail hook, which is now coated in a rock hard paper coating that I had to peck at, and will have to be routed out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its a big blow, as its going to take a hell of an effort to Dremel that crap out of there. Likely going to take a rebuild of that entire area unfortunately. *sigh*

 

Then, it was onto the next disaster! 

 

 

[scvrobeson]

No victory without challenge, right Brian? I know you'll get through this one, but this build keeps throwing curveballs at you.

 

 

Matt 

[Out2gtcha]

While I was mulling over how to fix that, I decided to do something constructive that I could actually complete easily, so I moved over back to the MLG. I thought Id be slick and use some thick slow cure CA to put the oleo sections into the MLG parts themselves, but I totally forgot what tight quarters and high pressure does to C/A (both of which were present when putting the SS oleo struts into the brass gear main sections). 

This REALLY backfired on me, for as soon as the pressure of stuffing the oleo section into the main gear took place it froze the SS tubing right where it was, which of course was no where NEAR where it had to be, so the entirety of the supporting hardened steel rod had to be chopped off in order to get the struts where they had to be, and facing the right direction.

 

 

 

 

THAT was one of the biggest blows yet. I can NOT drill out the sections, as they are filled with differently hard substances like hardened steel and epoxy.  I had to take out the hardened steel rod in the lower axl sections and fill those with JB Weld, and then had to use my handi-hands with a rubber band made from the end of a glove to hold it together. 

If this JB Weld near-but joint doesn't hold this project may not survive..........at least I stand no chance of finishing it any time soon, as it would require making all new mains as I made before and Im not up to that at this point.........at least not right now. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last few days have been ultimately frustrating, as I have also now completed my 5th round of dipping the windscreen (canopy was done on the 2nd round). I hope this last one is the one, as I need to install the windscreen to continue the exterior prep for primer and finally paint. 

 

While I contemplated the future of the build being in jeopardy with the gear I decided that if it did work, Id have  go at finishing the PE, as at least it was something I could do that would hopefully be positive. 

 

Lower strake:

 

 

 

 

 

Also finished the major PE work, by adding some braces around the bases of the elevators on the vertical fin, and also finished applying all of the brass PE flap strips that cover the gap between the wings and flaps when in the retracted position. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also managed to smooth out the primer on, and then get a coat of interior green on the interior of the cowls too, so its not all bad. 

 

If the gear doesn't hold though, the future of this one is looking bleak..............so Im hoping my fix holds! Fortunately, the MLG while holding some weight, does not really need to hold the brunt of the weight which is bore by the nose gear. 

 

Get after it then lads! 

[IainM]

You are doing a phenomenal job, hiccups and all. Just a day at the modelling bench See her through to the finish line. Your fixes will hold!!!