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

[JayW]

1 hour ago, Out2gtcha said:

I did find that hole in the resin lower nose gear section was much more sloppy than I wasted. The hole was not perfect sized to hold the nose gear wire, but more pass through it.

 

My hat is off to people who do high detail modelling at small scale - small scale being less than the 1/18 I have been doing for years now.  1/18 is nearly twice as large as 1/32, and that allows easier scratch-build detailing of course.  For instance, the shimmy damper I made for the P-38 nose gear - there is NO WAY I could have done that in 1/32.  So I applaud what you are doing on the Tigercat LG with all their gadgetry.  Requires a steady hand, patience, willingness to throw something away if it isn't right, good magnification, and most of all talent.  You have all of the above, apparently.  

[Anthony in NZ]

I can only echo everyone elses comments, she looks amazing!

 

What a masterpiece she will be when complete...a real show stopper for sure.  Keep up the great work

 

Cheers Anthony...in awe

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks guys! Comments like these really do help a lot, especially coming from the caliber of modelers making them. We have some profoundly good scratch and overall builders here, and a lot of my ideas and hints have come from you guys. 

 

The JB Weld has now cured on the nose gear, so I'm hoping to shape that up tonight and do some final fitting of the nose gear + cut some of the 1/8" 3.175mm polished hypo tubing for the MLG oleos. 

Next on the docket after that will be to possibly make, or re-make/modify existing ancillary parts of the MLG since I have lengthened them ever so slightly. That will likely be the major task after fitting some of the parts for the gear. The nose gear is pretty well figured out and just needs a final fitting and the nose wheel steering motor and drive arms added.

I still need to figure out what position the nose wheel/rudder will be in at the end, so will have to wait to add the previous two items to the nose gear, as I will likely have to cut off the molded on resin stearing arm and reposition, since I'm posing it and the rudder turned. 

[Out2gtcha]

Well, I've come to the conclusion that I do not have a few needed things for this build. I need some different wire for the exhausts, I need some additional tubing, and I need some brass and nickel plated nuts for detailing the landing gear.

Unfortunately, i have none of the above on hand, and my bench is nearing total chaos mode. I need to do a bench clean in the worst way. I've already ordered the exhaust wiring, and tubing, I just need to find an put in an order for the set of brass and nickel nuts I need. 

 

I've been plotting along quite steadily with this one for a while now, and I've made some significant progress since putting it down a few years ago. I feel as though I don't want to rush though things "just to finish it up" or get the build over with. Therefor, I think Ill use the slight break of waiting until the wire, tubing and nuts show up, to start on and work through a super simple generally OOB build, In my case the new Meng DR.1.  I've used this technique before with success to build more MoJo for tough builds like this one. I just don't want to get burnt out again, which atm I'm not. 

 

Im not putting the T-Cat down again, far from it. Im just cleaning the main bench of for the F7F, and utilizing the lower, smaller part for the DR.1 build. I plan on working on the F7F while/parallel to the DR.1 build. 

Ill be ordering the tubing and nuts in the next few days, as the bench really needs a cleansing first. 

[monthebiff]

Like your thinking Brian sometimes your DR.1 on the bench and enjoy?

 

Regards. Andy 

[Out2gtcha]

 

5 hours ago, monthebiff said:

Like your thinking Brian sometimes your DR.1 on the bench and enjoy?

 

Yep, just had to take care of that pesky wing warp issue, was racking my OCD.  

 

I will start a WIP soon.

 

[MikeMaben]

15 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

             I feel as though I don't want to rush though things "just to finish it up" or get the build over with.

 

           Don't we all know 'that' feeling ?

 

 

[Phartycr0c]

well done Brian, your certainly beating this wee beastie into shape. It will be a show stopper when she's complete that's for sure! 

[Dan B.]

Hello again Brian,  How's the Big Cat doing?  I haven't heard from you in a while.  Is it still 'on track' for completion?

 

Cheers,

Dan

[Dan B.]

Happy 4th of July Brian,  what's next on your Big Cat?

 

Dan

[Nighthawk Calling 1]

What an amazing build and attention to detail she looks beautifull.

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks gents! I've been out of town into the wilds of Wyoming here in the states, celebrating my wife and my 2nd year wedding anniversary. Its summer, and with the pandemic sort of receding a bit, and life returning to (semi) normal a tiny bit, I've been concentrating on out door stuff, and vehicles/trailer and such. Its left little bench time for me, but I definitely plan on getting back to the big cat.

This is and always will be my all time favorite air-frame, but the kit itself really does tend to sap my modeling will so-to-speak. Although I feel like Im heading into some of the last really difficult sections of the kit, which is the landing gear. This does need to have a lot of attention paid to it, and I just havnt had the time or the Mojo..............yet.

Usually the Mojo returns when the weather gets a bit chillier, and that will likely be the case here too. I plan on giving my model room and bench a thorough clearing before getting back on the big Grumman twin.

 

Thanks! 

[Out2gtcha]

Shes BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

I've missed you my sweet.

I have put this off too long, and the first two go rounds with my favorite all time airframe (NOT kit) in 1/32nd were hard, but I think I ran out of steam right at the end of the last 2nd round right as most of the hardest parts had been done. My aim with this 3rd and (hopefully final) round of the build is to push through to the end and actually get a finished model out of it.

There are still lots and lots of hard things to get done, but I had a list of the killers of the build, including the wheel wells, nacelles, full wing re-scribe, making the nose gear, adding the wings, making the engines and on and on. All but one really hard thing remains on the build, and that is the MLG.

When last we left the build...............

 

I had just started mocking up the MLG

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are today! This is a shot just today, the day after Thanksgiving 2021, some two years and some months after starting this project, and right after I cleaned the bench after my AH-1G.

*SIGH*  LOTS of work yet to do! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On her back once again to start the long climb to RE-figure out where I was and what i was doing when I last left off with the F7F nearly a year ago. I really wanted to get on with the last major hurtle in the build, the MLG, and get the stance of the model set before moving on to more exterior and detail work:

 

 

 

 

 

I started with the MLG by assembling the main parts I had previously cut out and primed.

 

 

 

 

 

I quickly found out in its current configuration and angles, the MLG had a substantial rake backwards, and to put it at the correct angle, meant the rear support arm came up short: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the 1:1 also has a rake backwards, but its very slight, and much less substantial that what was going on with my gear.

 

 

 

 

 

In order to correct this I had to make a new rear support arm, which I was planning on doing anyway, it just had to be slightly longer than OOB. This is made from cutting a channel in the OOB resin part, and making a new extended support arm out of stainless steel. It is only taped in position here, but will be glued together later to make a stout assembly. This new assembly while not 100% accurate depicts the way the actual support arm folds in the center section, unlike HpH had it, as a solid single part with a blade like protrusion:

 

 

 

 

 

The outer support arms that fold on the 1:1 here are short about 1.5 mm as you can see, but that will be taken up by a scratch built mount I will make for them that will take that space up:

 

 

 

 

 

Much better angle with the new support arm:

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for this first installment of the 3rd series in this build. Hopefully the final series, as I intend to get this model finished. I've found some recent enthusiasm for modeling again, and have applied same to my all time favorite airframe and scale. 

Here's to rekindled passions! 

 

Cheers, thanks for staying with me and more progress to come! 

[monthebiff]

Nice to see the big cat back on the bench Brian, third time lucky!

 

Regards. Andy 

[frank83]

I just happened to see this one. Absolutely tremendous work here!! 

I have the same kit still sitting in the box, I stretch my hand over to it from time to time with all the very best intentions of a good start but always stepped back for some reason. Now I would expect that your build would inspire me in the positive direction but as I know I will never come close as half good as to what you have done, I think it will continue to sit in its box for some time more 

Your work is fully admirable!!