b757captain Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 (edited) Hiya fellas, I managed to finally finish the HPH Tigercat! I gotta say it looks pretty impressive sitting next to its WWII cousins. Photos and even being next to one in person doesn't do the Tigercat justice as to its size - it's a big airplane, especially siting next to a Spitfire or -109! Thoughts on the kit: There's lots in the box, tons of detail and multiple subassemblies. Not as intricate as the Helldiver I did last year but still plenty to do. Most of the cockpit detail can be seen, not as much in the main wheel wells, very little in the nose wheel well (more on that later), and most of the engine detail cannot be seen if cowled up. Parts fit is mostly good - for a resin kit - and surface detail is good throughout. Having read and followed Brian's build thread on this kit I was aware of some of the shortcomings in the main wheel wells and outer wing panel misalignment but that really didn't bother me so I pressed on . After looking at period photos of parked F7Fs I noticed that the nose gear doors are almost fully closed on the ground so most of the detail in the nose wheel well can't be seen, so I didn't spend too much time there. Just built up the subassembly as per the instructions. Main wheel wells are pretty complicated with lots of bulkheads to be added. These areas really beg for superdetailing but again I just stuck with the kit parts. Engines are gems and would look really good sitting on a stand, or with the cowls removed. The cockpit really shines, with lots of room to see all the goodies. General construction is pretty straightforward and with not too much cursing the fuselage and wings/nacelles will come together. I had read from the other build that the nose weights didn't fit well, but on mine they fit just fine. Some filler on the seams and rescribing of the lost panel lines (didn't go overboard on redoing the rivets). Note of caution here: It is a tail-sitter even with all the weight provided in the kit! I even drilled the trailing edge of the stab at the elevator joint to remove some material from the horizontal stab and it still plopped on the tail. Phooey! No need for the brass nose gear! Paint is MM Dark Sea Blue. I decided to forego any weathering aside from light exhaust staining though I did go with a semi-gloss clear coat to knock the shine down a little. Overall, I put the kit in the win column. There's a 1/32 Tigercat on the shelf, which was the goal! On to the pics: More pics to follow, Cheers, Mark Edited July 14, 2019 by b757captain thierry laurent, LSP_Kevin, D.B. Andrus and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b757captain Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 More pics: Thanks for looking! Mark Kagemusha, D.B. Andrus, red baron and 21 others 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Wow Mark, first one I've ever seen completed!! Great work! I think part of the reason its a tail sitter is the attitude of the 3 gear......its so close on the verge of being a tail sitter out of the box, that in its OOB config the way HpH have their gear set up nose high mine tail sat too. However, once I (temporarily) lengthened the MLG a bit and shortened the nose gear along with a new corrected angle it sat on its nose gear finally, even with the solid rudder and elevators. Excellent work here and it really turned out a gem, well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 That is most impressive, nice work. Cheers Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Beautiful work, Mark! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Very impressive, and great to see one finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 wowowowoooooh, hold your horses...err cats, THAT is a very fine looking specimen, great build. Btw, it justifies a tail support, because in reality an oildrum was sometimes used to put beneath the tail part while refueling the aircraft, in order to avoid the "tailsitting", and after refueling a normal ballance was apparently established and the drum was taken away (that's the story anyhow) Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b757captain Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 On 7/13/2019 at 11:41 AM, Out2gtcha said: Wow Mark, first one I've ever seen completed!! Great work! I think part of the reason its a tail sitter is the attitude of the 3 gear......its so close on the verge of being a tail sitter out of the box, that in its OOB config the way HpH have their gear set up nose high mine tail sat too. However, once I (temporarily) lengthened the MLG a bit and shortened the nose gear along with a new corrected angle it sat on its nose gear finally, even with the solid rudder and elevators. Excellent work here and it really turned out a gem, well done! Thanks Brian! From what I've seen in photos and up close, the airplane sitting at rest sits tail low due to aft cg issues, empty fuel tanks, etc. The only time it sits level is with the engines running. I'll test the balance on mine with it level but I think the best solution is what the guys in real life did - set an oil drum under the tail! I bet I can fab one up pretty easily. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Looks nice Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b757captain Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 On 7/13/2019 at 11:55 AM, dennismcc said: That is most impressive, nice work. Cheers Dennis Thanks Dennis! On 7/13/2019 at 5:15 PM, LSP_Kevin said: Beautiful work, Mark! Kev Thanks Kev! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZPetrP Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Nice, congratulation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Nice to see one completed Mark. Well done. Certainly looks the part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b757captain Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 On 7/13/2019 at 10:41 PM, Gazzas said: Very nice! On 7/14/2019 at 10:55 AM, Kagemusha said: Very impressive, and great to see one finished. On 7/15/2019 at 2:09 AM, MikeMaben said: Looks nice Mark Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b757captain Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 On 7/14/2019 at 3:44 PM, Jack said: wowowowoooooh, hold your horses...err cats, THAT is a very fine looking specimen, great build. Btw, it justifies a tail support, because in reality an oildrum was sometimes used to put beneath the tail part while refueling the aircraft, in order to avoid the "tailsitting", and after refueling a normal ballance was apparently established and the drum was taken away (that's the story anyhow) Thanks Jack! That's what I read also. Now to find a 1/32 oil drum. Out2gtcha and Jack 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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