chuck540z3 Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Thank you everyone. It's great to be posting here again and although I haven't posting anything here since the summer, I've been lurking now and then to keep up. Although I have found many of the trouble spots of this kit already, please feel free to point them out to me anyway, just in case I missed a couple. After this build is done we should have a good "Tweak List" for future builds. I'm going to have the gun doors closed to keep the smooth lines of this fighter in tact, which means lots of tweaks up front already and I'm debating whether or not to leave the gun vent doors open as they are molded already, or replace them with a flat and closed part. Also, the big engine louvers can be open or closed and I have the Eduard PE kit which has nicely detailed louvers, so I may go with "detail over accuracy", just to make this jet look more interesting. We'll see. On 1/9/2019 at 6:49 AM, Out2gtcha said: I have to say, I'm quite impressed at how well the BB cockpit fits in the KHM offering. Im shocked actually! It looks excellent and is indeed good news for the possibility of maybe someone making a new tool set at some point (hopefully!) Me too. After checking out the KH kit cockpit, I decided that there was no way I was going to complete this model with that pit, so I either got the BB resin pit to fit, or I was going to put the entire kit back on the shelf and wait for an aftermarket one, if ever. The back shelf to instrument panel distance was about the same as the kit parts, the width was about the same and there was lots of room underneath the kit floor, so I knew I had a good chance, but there was no way of knowing unless I just cut everything and gave it a try. Obviously it worked and to tell you the truth, it was easier to fit than the Black Box F-4E cockpit I used before, which was actually made for the Tamiya kit! The only bad news is that this BB kit is very rare and hard to find. I'm sure there are lots of them in model stashes all over the world and with the new popularity of the KH F-5E kit and the fact that it fits, I bet the ebay prices just went up! Cheers, Chuck Edited January 24, 2019 by chuck540z3 Harold, A-10LOADER and Out2gtcha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 1 minute ago, chuck540z3 said: The only bad news is that this BB kit is very rare and hard to find. Indeed. Ive seen Jennings and a host of others searching for it to no avail. Im just hoping one of the AM guys can deliver a full BB style pit, as Im holding off on the kit too until some intakes and a pit set arrive. chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 2 minutes ago, Out2gtcha said: Indeed. Ive seen Jennings and a host of others searching for it to no avail. Im just hoping one of the AM guys can deliver a full BB style pit, as Im holding off on the kit too until some intakes and a pit set arrive. For the seamless intakes, I've been in contact with Mike at Phase Hanger Resin and he thinks they will be available soon. If not, I have some ideas on how to build my own, so we'll see what transpires in the months ahead. Cheers, Chuck scvrobeson and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 I had a nice long conversion with Gary from GT resin on the bus in Phoenix this past summer in August on the way to the PIMA museum, and he was unaware that the KHM kit didnt have any. He seemed quite excepted about the possibility of doing intakes for the KHM kit. From what I gather he was anxious to start on them, but I have not heard much from him since. I may see if I can send him a note, or drop a note in his forums here to see if there has been any progress. chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikka Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 for the intakes and exhausts i am doing covers . i am hesitating between soft fabric or hard plastic . hopefully some brand releases them ? it will be a nice touch of red with some markings for this bird . chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Wonderful pics Chuck, the hallmark of a good SBS build. Ryan chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 5 hours ago, Out2gtcha said: I have to say, I'm quite impressed at how well the BB cockpit fits in the KHM offering. Im shocked actually! It looks excellent and is indeed good news for the possibility of maybe someone making a new tool set at some point (hopefully!) You know the BB cockpit fit wasn't a surprise to me and after seeing a couple comments on it found my experience may be helpful to share here. Since I'm creating a T-38A out of these I happen to have 3 different versions of the old Hasegawa kit and both of the KH kits. You know ALL the parts I've tried so far fit into each other no matter who boxed the kit! That may bode well for any other aftermarket already out there like the BB kit. Maybe that will help someone out in the future. Kagemusha, Harold, Out2gtcha and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Good news for sure. I'm really hoping someone offers a full pit set specifically for it. It seems finding the BB cockpit set has become like trying to find jellyfish molars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 10 minutes ago, Out2gtcha said: Good news for sure. I'm really hoping someone offers a full pit set specifically for it. It seems finding the BB cockpit set has become like trying to find jellyfish molars. They are right next to the hen's teeth on aisle 6. Ryan Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Glad to see you starting a new build thread. I have enjoyed all the previous builds and learned many new things. Thank you for taking the time to post your work! Out2gtcha and chuck540z3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Chuck, welcome back! Great start to the F-5, that pit really makes a huge differnce! Any chance I can convince you to switch to a camo aggressor? Cheers, Marcel A-10LOADER and chuck540z3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Marcel111 said: Chuck, welcome back! Great start to the F-5, that pit really makes a huge difference! Any chance I can convince you to switch to a camo aggressor? Cheers, Marcel Thanks Marcel! As for the camo-scheme, I don't think so, but never say never. Camo paint jobs look really cool, but I've done two of them in a row already (F-15C Aggressor, Spitfire) and I'd like to try something a bit different. 9 hours ago, BlackCanopy said: Sharp little bird. Finally you can keep one of your perfect gloss black undercoats! It was always such a waste to bury them under natural metal finishes or even dirtier camouflage schemes... ;-) Can't wait to see it unfold... Cheers Joerg You've read my mind Joerg! It always killed me to cover up these recent examples of a nice gloss black finish. This time, I don't have to! Cheers, Chuck Edited January 9, 2019 by chuck540z3 Shawn M, Seversky and Harold 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikka Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 chuck , if you want the aux intakes to be opened you will need to have the engine details and some detail inserted in the fuselage . they are also (I I R C )only opened when the engines are on . so if you want to display them opened you need a pilot in. you could go and do it anyway just for the looks wich is a great things model let you do but it also breaks the lines and curves of the plane . leaving you 3 choices : either close them, open them or open everything . chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Welcome back! And can't wait to see how the gloss black F-5E goes. Definitely always a good look for those planes. Can't wait to follow along. Matt chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) Thanks again guys! Time for a timely tutorial. How to Install a Resin Cockpit Looking at my finished models, it appears that I have installed about 8 full resin cockpits, excluding added resin detail walls, etc. like Barracuda for my Mustang and Spitfire. Like most modeling skills, the first few cockpits almost killed me to install, while this F-5E one was a relative breeze in comparison. While they have all been a bit different, they all shared the following: - Excellent fine detail, but also fragile detail - Some detail that initially looks like flash, but isn’t - Lots of tiny parts, some of which never show up in the instructions - A big mother casting block on the bottom that you need to cut off and - Terrible instructions, which are sometimes illegible Tools Required: - A razor saw, with a variety of blade widths - A Dremel or similar tool with a sanding wheel - Facemask - A #11 knife The first order of business is to remove the casting block from the bottom of the main pit. Using the fuselage sides as a guide, cut off the bottom block with a razor saw so that you have at least 3/8” of clearance on the bottom. Be careful as you hold the resin to not knock off any fine detail with your hands. I usually cut down half way, then flip the pit over and cut from the other side to meet the cut half way. This clearance allows you to adjust the height of the pit within the fuselage, but also to tilt it front to back, as later required. If you’ve got lots of clearance to begin with, skip this messy and dust filled step. Tuck the pit up high on one fuselage side to see how it meshes with the kit plastic. Trim it with the #11 knife accordingly to get a snug fit. When you’re happy, attach the pit to the other fuselage side and do the same thing. Next try to put the fuselage halves together with the pit inside, with obstructions removed from the sidewalls, like anchor points for the kit cockpit. Nine times out of 10 the width of the pit will be too wide, so you need to shave off some resin from the sides with the Dremel tool. Do this where you can make a dusty mess and always wear a face mask, because that crap in your lungs may never come out again. Here’s the main strategies: 1. Take off as little as possible, which means that you should sand off the resin in thin layers, dry fit, then shave off some more. This might take 20 or more iterations, so take your time! 2. Shave off both sides equally, so that the pit isn’t off-center 3. ALWAYS get the parts to fit snugly without squeezing the fuselage together too hard. If you do, the fuselage can become swelled and other subsequent parts, like canopies and windscreens, may not fit later. While you’re doing this, shim the bottom of the pit with bits of styrene to get the pit to fit tight to the top of the fuselage halves at the same time, including the front to back tilt. You are trying to deal with 4 different things at the same time: 1. Width 2. Height 3. Forward/ Backward position, and 4 Tilt The Forward and Tilt positions may involve dry fitting the Instrument Panel (IP) at the same time, to get it in the correct position. After a lot of dry fitting, trimming and a bit of cussing, you should be ready to deal with the cockpit walls. With the pit dry-fit installed the way you want it with shims and tape, try to fit a sidewall to one side. If you’re lucky, it’s a bit too tall and if you’re super lucky, it fits right away. Using the #11 knife, carefully shave off bits of resin here and there on the sidewall to get the wall to fit snugly against the pit on the inside, rather than the outside, which causes gaps. When you’re happy, mark the exact position of the sidewall and the pit with a pencil, then move to the other side of the cockpit and do the same thing with the other wall. Next, try to dry fit almost everything at the same time, including the IP and maybe other bits that might get in the way. You will likely have to do other adjustments to get all the parts to be happy with each other. When they are, glue the sidewalls to the fuselage halves according to your pencil marks. Next, paint the sidewalls and cockpit separately, including many of the tiny parts that may be easier to paint off the cockpit assembly than on it. After you have decaled, assembled, detailed and maybe weathered your little work of art, it’s time to glue the cockpit in. This is when you need to focus on the pit to fuselage attachment more than the fuselage to fuselage join, because you can’t do both at the same time. With the cockpit dry fit in place with the fuselage halves held together with tape, using shims and tape again to get it fitting just right, ooze thick CA glue down the sides of the pit where it will bond with the fuselage plastic, using gravity to guide the flow, but not run down into any exposed areas. In most cases, the styrene shims can be glued with the rest of the plastic, assuming they won’t get in the way of other kit parts later. Hit the glue with CA accelerator, then glue another area, until you have filled much of the voids around the cockpit. Be very careful obviously, because there is no turning back. Now you can glue the fuselage halves together. Using a used #11 knife blade, spread the plastic fuselage halves apart and ooze Tamiya Extra Thin cement in the gap, then let the mating surfaces fuse together as you move the blade along the seam, repeating this process in a zipper-like fashion until all seams have been glued together. After that, you guys know all the rest! Here's my last Black Box pit, fit and glued into my F-15C Eagle Good luck and if you have any questions, fire away. Cheers, Chuck Edited January 10, 2019 by chuck540z3 Fanes, Smokey, Trak-Tor and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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