tomprobert Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 It's been a while since I've done any work on the big BUFF but thought it deserved a stint back on the bench... Since the last update and completion of the internal bulkheads, the next logical step has been to have a play with the landing gear bays. It took a lot of head-scratching to get the legs themselves correctly positioned and therefore the internal bay roof structure, and as is often the case with these types of builds, you sometimes have to sacrifice accuracy for structural integrity. Therefore the bays I've made are an approximation of the real thing but close enough for a cursory glance when it's placed on the model show table - especially when the big doors and legs are in place to hide the majority of my work! I had a good delve into the bays of the B-52 at Duxford for some much-needed reference as well as a few books, and armed with plenty of plastic card and Evergreen strip, I set about building up the basic interior structure. The front bay: IMG_0865 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0862 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0855 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And the rear bay: IMG_0863 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0859 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0856 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And both bays together: IMG_0861 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Still lots of further detailing to be done, but the basic structure is now there... Until next time, Tom D.B. Andrus, Out2gtcha, JesniF-16 and 13 others 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrish Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandiego Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Wow and a half. Dan tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Yikes is that neat! Really looking forward to this one coming together tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etendard Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 SUPER !!!!!!!!!!!!! tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael931080 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 That looks incredible - and pretty much spot on! tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 That is amazing! tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 Afternoon all, I've given the wheel bays a squirt of grey this afternoon: IMG_0869 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ...and I've also made a start on the numerous vents and grills found dotted all over the fuselage: IMG_0868 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Lots more vents. etc to drill out and make, but it's the fine details like this that bring an otherwise blank vacform to life. Tom Pfuf, D.B. Andrus, Out2gtcha and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Fantastic work as always, Tom! Kev tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkis Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) Nice clean work! Did you make these vents? Please describe the process you used for that NACA port.... Clark Cone Edited March 23, 2019 by clarkis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael931080 Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 It’s really starting to take on its own life now Tom. Pretty soon you’re going to be posting pictures of it sitting on the gear, and saying it really wasn’t all that bad after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 On 3/23/2019 at 10:54 PM, clarkis said: Nice clean work! Did you make these vents? Please describe the process you used for that NACA port.... Clark Cone Thank you, Clark. The port is made quite simply - it’s just a case of cutting the basic shape and then lining it with plastic card. I’ve got more to make so will endeavour to take some pictures of the process and post for my next update. On 3/24/2019 at 2:36 AM, Michael931080 said: It’s really starting to take on its own life now Tom. Pretty soon you’re going to be posting pictures of it sitting on the gear, and saying it really wasn’t all that bad after all! Ha! If only! The next job is to get the bays finished off and the gear installed - not really looking forward to that to be honest but fortune favours the brave! D.B. Andrus, clarkis and Out2gtcha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 This week I've been having a play with the main landing gear and working out how to get it installed correctly. Sanger provide some fairly decent white metal as a starting point, and the bays I'd built earlier have been constructed to accommodate the legs and provide a mix of both reasonable accuracy and structural strength. The legs and their supporting struts are just taped together at this point for test fitting purposes, but as you can see they should look ok when fitted to the forward bays: IMG_0879 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0880 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The rear bays: IMG_0882 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Here you can see why it was so important to move the port side bays back so that the main undercarriage legs were directly opposite one another - the way Sanger has molded the bays would mean the left side legs were approx 15mm too far forward: IMG_0883 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The sit looks about right - with the main wheels added the model will of course sit higher: IMG_0877 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The camera angle in this picture distorts the shape of the fuselage, but this gives a good overall impression of the fit of the landing gear: IMG_0878 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The main legs and struts are going to need some detail adding to them, but at least I know the Sanger parts are perfectly usable. And the bonus is they can be fitted once the fuselage is together so there's no risk in damaging them whilst filling/sanding. Phew! Until next time, Tom daveculp, Michael931080, LSP_Kevin and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 Great work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Very! I am learning about vacs, one of these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now