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1/24 F6F-5 Hellcat--In Flight


easixpedro

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On 10/15/2020 at 3:02 AM, JerseyChris said:

It’s bizarre that airfix opted not to include a pilot figure with this kit. Every single other of their 1/24 range came with crew as standard!

And don't incluide a stand for the in flight option.

 

The kit has two type of drop tanks.But only one is shown in the instructions.

Edited by Erwin
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Well, whilst my wife watches election results,  I stole a couple of minutes at the workbench. Managed to make an O2 mask out of Apoxie Sculpt. Used lead solder wrapped in wire for the hose. You can see the wire I used to make the attached points on the harness.

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Here he is in situ. Obviously not attached yet, but gives me a good idea of how he'll look once everything is buttoned up. 

 

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Of everything,  I'm digging the sheen on his leather jacket. After I gave him a dusting of Tamiya dullcote,  I used a small layer of future on it. Looks perfect. 

 

Next up, finishing off the cockpit so we can get on with the build!

Peter 

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Ok, managed to get the cockpit stickers on yesterday. Its a beautiful cockpit with lots of details.  Pitty none of it will be seen as my pilot will cover almost all of it.

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Here's some shots before its all buttoned up. Just need to paint a few more knobs and do some touch up. Also you can see where I started to to some chipping on the floor boards...till I realized that it wouldn't be visible. 

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Here's a shot showing the wonderful details. It's all OOB and quite adequate. It you look at the IP, you'll note a missing dial. Not sure what happened as I put it on and when I was gluing it together I really that it was missing.  Of course its the highest and most visible,  so I'll have to figure something out...

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Before I glue the fuselage together,  I'll have to work on the harness and get the pilot situated, and then we're off to races.

Thanks for following along

-Peter

Edited by easixpedro
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9 hours ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

Dude.

I love everything about this! Great job on the Hellcat driver!

 

cheers

Pigfighter

Thanks Pig! Means a lot coming from you.
However, my figure painting skills are nowhere near yours. I just started using Vallejo paints and I’m struggling a bit with them (totally me, not them, it’s a wonderful product). 
 

Did you ever finish that B-17? Didn’t you motorize it? Wondering where to source a motor when that time comes.

-Peter 

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Your cockpit looks much better than mine.Good work.

 

Does your canopy fit nicely onto the fuselage ?

Mine's molded to wide with a 3 mm gab on each side.

I fear it will crack if I force it when glueing to the fuselage.

Edited by Erwin
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10 hours ago, Erwin said:

Your cockpit looks much better than mine.Good work.

 

Does your canopy fit nicely onto the fuselage ?

Mine's molded to wide with a 3 mm gab on each side.

I fear it will crack if I force it when glueing to the fuselage.

Hmmm, haven't gotten that far yet. Will have to keep an eye out for it!

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So. Today was one of those days. Had the day off for Veteran's Day, and proceeded to do some work in the kitchen. Drywall work, which I detest. Halfway through sanding,  I realized the bag in the Shop Vac had broken and it was spewing drywall dust all over the house. After cleaning up the mess, I figured that was enough of that project for the day...

 

Watched Chicago 7 on Netflix with my better half and then managed some time with the Hellcat. Got the straps done using lead foil, and some of the details from the kit straps.  I had some PE parts laying around,  but not 1/24, so too small. Actually turned out ok.

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The fuselage is now glued together.  Tolerances on this kit are the finest I've ever dealt with. So fine, in fact that the paint on the fuselage was enough to keep me from getting the halves together. Should have read some more on that as I know that others have had similar issues. Solved it by cutting apart the framework under the cockpit as it won't be seen.

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Also ended up with a large gap on the top side...no matter what I did, this is the closest I could get them. Did a quick check of the windscreen and canopy and they'll fit with no issues, which is strangeconsideringthe size of thatgap... So aside from sanding in my future, its onward and upward! 

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Next steps in the instructions are for the wings. Probably do those and then we'll start figuring out the base and where the support rod will go. Dont want to go much further without that sorted.

 

Thanks for following along

Peter

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6 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Lookin' cool Pete  :thumbsup:   Luv pilot figures  :speak_cool:

Thanks...pretty pleased with how he turned out. Have been visiting www.history.navy.mil and reading their history blog (H Grams). Lots of fascinating stories about the end of war efforts against the Kamikaze and the strikes on mainland Japan. Giving me some oomph to work on it!

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OK Lads,

 

Construction continues. Currently building the wings. Each section is like a mini kit itself. Everything fits incredibly well and care has to be taken lest something go wonky. I'm not an expert on molding things, let alone designing kits, but there's a ton of the little sprue nubs on the interior parts. I'm guessing they're designed to allow the liquid plastic to flow and not have short-shots. Here's how many I cut off the parts for one outer wing section...each has to be cut and carefully sanded for the best fit. Not complaining mind you, just an observation for others. Also if you look at the top of the instructions,  you can see the call outs for for which version you're building.  Very easy to follow along and explains things very clearly,  which makes it a joy to build.

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Before I buttoned up the center wing section, I went ahead and painted the wheel wells and gear/tires. The kit makes it easy here as there are gear doors designed to be closed and nubs for the main mounts, so you're not trying to cram everything in there.

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As I work on finishing the wings, its time I start thinking about the display and how it will mount (plus power etc.). As with the first post, I have an idea of how it'll look, but need to start visualizing it. Here's a shot with the Tamiya 1/72 Zero I'll be using to do a little forced perspective. 

 

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I haven't built an airplane sitting gear down and parked in I dont know how long. Airplanes belong in the air and I like displaying them in a dynamic scene. I use all sorts of display stands ranging from ones you can buy at a craft store to making my own. During the initial Covid lockdowns I started making a square block with 2 2x4s and cut to shape. Works quite well and is hefty enough to provide a stable base (which will be important with the size of this project!)

Here's some recent examples:

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I actually started cutting wood this afternoon, but wasn't happy with how it was turning out, so stopped. Need to rethink how I want it to look--ths Hellcat is so big and heavy that the base can't be too big, without making the overall height too high. It also needs to be wide enough to be stable and not top heavy. Rest assured though,  I'll take plenty of photos to share how I build it.

Thanks for following along.

-Peter 

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