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1/18 P51C Mustang "Lopes Hope the 3rd"


airscale

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Pete,

 

I'm just going to say, well I don't know what to say that would adequately describe how I think a lot of us feel about your skills and what you can and have accomplished. :bow:

Perhaps one day others of us will reach your level of expertise and I do not often use that word. :coolio:

 

Barry

Edited by Barry
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Hi folks :)

 

On 8/29/2019 at 4:05 PM, clarkis said:

Peter - 

geez....

 

you said earlier: "..started by making a mould profile to make up the PETG in boiling water, pressing it down on foam to adopt the shape.."

Can you talk about what kind of foam and the process?

thanks for the inspiration,

Clark

 

 

Hi Clark,

 

this is what I do...

 

the PETG is about 1mm thick and has protective covering on both sides - I put boiling water in a pyrex tray..

 

WIP935_zpsuxogdu7u.jpg

 

..then once it has had 10 secs to fully warm up it is lifted out onto a block of foam about 1.5 inches thick and the mould / plug pressed hard into the sheet..

 

..for the windshiel panels I also scored a line along a straight edge of the mould so I can tell exactly where the sheet fits back on the mould..

 

WIP936_zpsd58kdobp.jpg

 

WIP937_zpsedzxv8md.jpg

 

...you then end up with the form you want as part of the deformed sheet - if it didn't work juts reboil the kettle and put it back in & repeat... if fine tuning is needed, like I had one panel that hadn't quite wrapped around where I wanted to, you can just use gloves to hold the sheet over the steaming head of the kettle while it is boiling and then reshape once it softens..

 

hope that helps - it would equally apply for plastic card and for plunge moulding, may mean you don't need the female part of the mould to get the shape..

 

 

On 9/1/2019 at 6:44 PM, cmayer said:

Anyone know why the current owners (Texas Flying Legends?) removed the vertical fin fillet?

 

i would also like to know :) mine has a dorsal fin and it doesn't come off ..

 

back soon

Peter

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..back again with a bit more done...

 

first the top canopy section was made as a plug and the boiling water process used to form PETG around it - here it is pretty much fully wrapping the mould..

 

WIP939_zpsnphvb6co.jpg

 

..and with framing added inside & out..

 

WIP940_zpsosjfluaa.jpg

 

..Steve at Model Monkey 3D printed the correct gunsight for me from the Don Lopez cockpit photo and it turned out brilliantly - added a few details and good to go..

 

WIP941_zpspfepgizg.jpg

 

..after painting, detailing & making the mount..

 

WIP942_zpsbuhzetiy.jpg

 

..mounted in position on the coaming..

 

WIP943_zps1dicp6e8.jpg

 

..as this was now ready, I stopped working on the canopy and got on with fixing the coaming & windshield so I could start fairing in the sections & skin the fuselage - here the process has started at the front, and now P38 filler added at the back..

 

WIP944_zpsbnrze6mf.jpg

 

..I forgot to take pics of the shaping work, so next up is one of the fuselage skins at the rear.. I made up a template sheet as it has to fit on three edges, and once I had that I could translate the drawing rivet & hatch positions to the sheet..

 

WIP945_zps9dkropmb.jpg

 

..the finished sheet, with a bit of tube fitted at the rear for the mounting where I think a jig fits the fuselage for balancing & gun alignment etc..

 

WIP946_zpsgmfjl6j1.jpg

 

..and the sheet fitted with the hatches & upper skin..

 

WIP947_zpstxxjz0pb.jpg

 

WIP948_zps3mh2e6dv.jpg

 

..as the airframe is now virtually complete in shape terms after 18 months, I couldn't resist an assembly shot to see how things were shaping up..

 

WIP949_zps0jvtbcpe.jpg

 

WIP950_zps1q3ebndk.jpg

 

WIP951_zpsfc2lnigm.jpg

 

WIP952_zpsobtsyp6b.jpg

 

..thats it for now :)

TTFN
Peter

 

 

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