Out2gtcha Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 When you look at the Tigercat nose gear, this is the main area that we are worried about, that OOB is resin in the HpH kit, and is why the part above it is supposed to have a hole drilled completely through it, and then proceed to insert a brass rod all the way though the main nose gear through the part above this part and into the tire, to provide strength to offset the weak nature of this part. On the 1:1 Tigercat this part is a very thick tube/rod welded to with a circular plate on top of it, with an obvious rod that goes up into the turn mechanism that is used to stear the aircraft: Again, as this part is resin OOB, I didnt think there was any way, this part would hold up if you cut that pin, or just didnt put it in. So when I laid this resin part out I started thinking about all the solid brass rod I had laying around and before you know it I had a prototype that while not nearly done, is on its way to not only being strong enough to support the nose, but will also allow me to turn the nose wheel for a cooler (IMHO anyway) pose when parked. The OOB brass rod that previously would have ran through the tire, will now be cut off at the bottom of the resin stearing box, to give added strength to that part, as it now has the job of supporting the cantilever resin part that the new brass tire axle assembly will fit into. I laid out the OOB resin parts, some solid brass rod of equal thickness to the resin part and got to work. Here you can see OOB resin parts, including the resin axle assembly with small disk on top at 75deg to give the axle assembly the correct rake back: The OOB part and its brass counterpart starting to take shape with the main support already bent here, and the axle brazed on: Next I calculated the angle that the new brass part had to be brazed on (about 75deg) , and got it tacked on as well. Just some old school tape and clear plastic angle arc taped to part of a 2x4 and a hemostat to act as a heat-sink: Now here is where my copy differs a bit. I made sure my axle assembly is just very very tiny bit shorter than the OOB unit, and that my main tires are also a bit taller, to help counter act the dreaded "California lift" look that the F7F gets sometimes, and that I hate immensely. This is made shorter in part of a future plan to help even the look out. I have both Harold's tire, and the OOB tire, and they are roughly about the same height, with the OOB overall height being a very tiny bit taller. So after I brazed on the main support rod that would go up into the stearing box, I checked to make sure things will still clear the taller of the tires no matter which I end up using. Cool, good to go! I then cut off the main upper support rod, and took a flat needle file to cut it down to size. I then took my punch set out and punched a disk out of some sheet plastic about the size of the rod, then punched out around that, to get a washer that would emulate the OOB resin part. This is where I am at this point. Im not done with it yet by a long shot, as I still have to file down the lower part, put some holes in the ends and smooth things out a lot more but you can see here we are WELL on our way to a suitably strong nose gear: Once the upper washer was punched out, I took a twist drill, and drilled a just big enough hole all the way up into but not through the stearing box. I think were getting somewhere now!! WhooooooWeeee! Im a happy boy! Not to put anything past any other solutions that come out, but I feel like this one is not past any average modeler with some soldering skills. One could even use JB Weld for a substitute for brazing, and I think since the model will eventually weigh out nearly neutral, with next to no actual weight pushing down on the nose gear (even with nearly 10oz of lead up front) this solution will be completely viable. I hope Im as right as I feel like I am, but we shall see in the end. More work to commence on this again tomorrow abound work. Next up, I will shave off the bottom of the new brass parts, carve some holes in the upper horizontal end like the 1:1, and continue to smooth things out, but I feel really good about this so far. I tested it after making it, and although I didnt put a ton of weight on it I definitely pushed it, and Its super DUPER stout. Im excited now!!! Greg W, MikeMaben, Youngtiger1 and 20 others 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Great work, Brian! Martinnfb and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smitty44 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Jonesin'! Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 That's some fantastic work there Brian! Can't wait to see more. Carl Out2gtcha and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel460 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Excellent work on the nose gear Brian! Dan Out2gtcha and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Brian Awesome fix and it is exactly what I have been talking about. Surely all this worry and engineering could have been avoided with a cast nose gear. Just feel the builder shouldn't have to go through this. Aces on the work Keep ‘em comin Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Great solution to the problem Brian, i think i may copy that but then indeed with JB-weld. thanks for showing us, regards, Jack. Out2gtcha and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 So here we go...................As K1 and others suspected, and as myself hoped would NOT be the case, I have heard from Jiri @ HpH models on the Tigercat lower starboard wing error I found, and it is definitely NOT what I wanted to hear: "Hi Brian, I am aware of this error, but unfortunately it is already on the master model - original. The replacement does not solve the problem. The original mastrer model has been completely hand-made and certainly there are other inaccuracies on the model. I apologize for the error, but the model in its complexity was so complicated that it was not the power to make a new wing. Unfortunately this error must be tolerated. Thanks Best Regards JiÅ™Ã" This is commercial suicide. Did they offer you a refund on the kit? Richard Martinnfb and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KUROK Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 This is commercial suicide. Did they offer you a refund on the kit? Richard Does Tamiya, Hasegawa, Revell offer full refunds if u find an error in the kit? Out2gtcha and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Does Tamiya, Hasegawa, Revell offer full refunds if u find an error in the kit? No idea - and they are not short run manufacturers of expensive kits to a small group of internet connected purchasers Richard Out2gtcha and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artful69 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) Does Tamiya, Hasegawa, Revell offer full refunds if u find an error in the kit? Tamiya have no need ... any errors are so infinitesimal they're not worth noting. Hasegawa ... most of what does need correction is minor and has widespread AM suppliers to fix the issues ... ... the kits are cheap enough to afford the extras required if you do wish to utilise them ... Although Revell has made some howlers in some of the more recent releases ... the options are numerous: 1 - Don't buy the kit ... the errors are usually very apparent on test builds seen ... Shape wise or Over-detail wise ... and it's easy to make the decision to live with them or not before spending the money. 2 - Buy the kit and live with the errors ... they're cheap as chips anyway - and offer a decent bang-for-buck build. 3 - Buy the cheap kit ... and also some of the numerous AM available to utilise (available because the base kit is so cheap to begin with and therefore a high volume seller) as: * Corrections to the shape or detail errors (Spitfire, Bf.109G-6 or G-10 Erla) * Engineering solutions (Bf.109's, Fw.190F.8 landing gear) ... Or * Extra detail (Cockpits, seatbelts, metal barrels etc) It'll still work out to be half the price of the HpH kits or less! As a more appropriate answer though ... obviously the buyer of such an expensive all in one kit should be able to expect: * A relatively high degree of accuracy ... certainly not amateur mistakes such as non-matching panel lines. * A high level of supplied detail ... not requiring the use of AM * The manufacturer to replace faulty parts with good ones - and yes ... all of those companies you've listed above do that. Kind regards Rog Edited December 10, 2017 by Artful69 Out2gtcha, Harold and Martinnfb 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Not a good comparison. A few examples of kits that do come with excellent cast gear that I own: ZM He219 Uhu Trumpeter A6A Intruder Tamiya F-16 There are also kits from Tamiya and Trumpeter that I have bought and built, that have steel pins inside the gear, which fit well and are well engineered. I have never purchased a kit except HpH (Helldiver) where the metal pin extends visibly from the gear into the tire for strength. I've built a number of Fisher kits with none of these issues. Like Brian I waited what seems like a millennium for a large scale Tigercat and I'm still waiting. and hopefully HpH will correct the issues and then I will have no issues about buying the kit. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 very nice work on the nose gear Mark Martinnfb and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Well done Brian. This is sure tenacity in modeling and taking the initiative head on. I really, really admire your approach here.. It's rather despairing to read about condemning a kit manufacturer when they try to put something to market. I would also boldly not compare this issue to a full blown injected kit manufacturers either. We all have our reasons to purchase or not to purchase any particular kit. Pushing a cottage manufacturer to not release any other kits because of negative comments, to me would be rather tragic. No one kit is perfect that I've ever come across. Imho. Just my own personal perspective here. The nose gear is the main focus here and this is modeling in its finest form. Thanks for sharing your passion in getting a couple things right! Well done Brian. Troy Martinnfb, Leaning_Dog, Harold and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenshb Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Nice soldering work there. For the price HpH are charging for the kit, a cast bronze nose gear wouldn't be too much to ask for in my opinion. Jen s Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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