mattlow Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Hi Anyone building this kit should have a look at this site. It documents the painstaking restoration of a He 162A-2 by the French Memorial Flight. Includes a fascinating video of the undercarriage working as it should... Also note that the engine was bolted to the wing, which was itself a single unit - plainly visible in the section on the wing resto. Also interesting to see the wing taken back to bare wood. http://memorial.flight.free.fr/He162uk.html Good work so far! Matt Rocat and Kahunaminor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Matt, many thanks for the link to that awesome website! It will help tremendously with the rest of the build, especially color selection. I see a few more wires and gizmos I may try to scratch build also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattlow Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Glad you like it Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 (edited) Did some work on the cockpit rear bulkhead made from the Eduard parts. Some of those pieces were not fun to glue down. Tiny! Of course it was after a few hours of frustration and several disassembles with acetone and de-bonder that I went to the internet for new ideas for applying CA. I was trying to use a sewing needle with half if the eye snapped off to whisk CA against the parts. However this only worked some of the time. The thickness of the needle head, even after grinding to about half it's original width, was less than ideal. The CA would flow into the needle head and form a concave "bubble" away from the open end, making it difficult to make contact with the parts I was trying to bond. The best solution is always the simplest. I cannot remember where I found this idea to give proper credit, but I think it was on Brittmodeller. I stripped down an electrical wire and took one strand of the fine steel wire from within. I wrapped this wire into a loop around the end of a tooth pick(cocktail stick for those across the pond) to make a loop about 3/32" in diameter. Then wound the remaining wire to form a spiral shaft about 1/1/2" long, which was locked into a spare knife handle. I just dipped the wire into the super thin CA and then quickly touched it to the parts. Capillary action does the rest. Of course, after a minute or two, you have to start with a fresh drop of CA because it starts to cure and thicken up, making capillary action more difficult. A little clean up here and there with de-bonder and easy peezy lemon squeezy. Oh... You also need a big F#$$%^g magnifying lens! I also found out it is best to "clean" dried up CA off of the loop by either burning it off or dipping in acetone. I just left a burning tea candle on the desk while I was working and zapped the loop between applications. Makes a nice crackling sound and I am sure puts horrible carcinogenic fumes in the air. I put a thick piece of Evergreen sheet plastic on the back side to help keep it from bending during the assembly process. Later, I realized this will partially interfere with the front of the gun compartment, and will have to be fixed. To attach the plastic to the metal, I roughed up both the brass and plastic surfaces with 320 grit sandpaper, and epoxied them together. If you didn't know, epoxy can be thinned with alcohol and bushed on in thin layers. Excess epoxy can easily be cleaned and flushed away with alcohol before it cures. Another tip... Before bonding with either CA or epoxy, I found it was prudent to dip the parts in a quick 91% isopropol alcohol bath to clean off finger oils left from the folding and handling process. There were a couple of parts that just didn't want to bond, and after a quick dip and dry, bonded easily. Here are a couple of picks of the bulkhead. One of my old hobbies when I was a younger, a million years ago, was drawing. I had a love for the old Jim Stovall drawings and wanted mimic his work. Below is a drawing I did of the He 162 using regular pencils. I didn't use the right kind of paper and I and several other things were done wrong, as I found out later. But oh well! I like it. I did cheat though I copied a cut away image out of one of the Airpower Luftwaffe books and scaled it up. Looking at it now, a few things are wrong, most obviously the engine pod is huge, and the engine "bullet" should not be visible. If I would have just used a few photos as reference, I could have corrected a few things. Price for lazines. Here is a pic of what I started with and what I ended up with. Edited May 28, 2015 by Mustang JBB clarkis, Whitey, sandokan and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Excellent work on both drawing and model! And thanks for all those useful tips, too. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) Played with the gun bay parts last night. I have never used this much PE before. I have used bits and pieces like levers and seat belts, but never fully used a full PE set to build something from the ground up like this gun bay. Learning a lot as I go, mainly PATIENCE! I had forgotten how soft this stuff is and how easily it can be distorted and ruined. Thinking ahead and taking your time is imperative. I do have to say a big word of thanks to my fellow Czech mates at Eduard. I have been pleasantly surprised at how well everything fits to the model and the overall quality of the parts and detail. They have come a long way since the first sets I used 20 years ago. The gun bay is literally a drop in part. Fits perfectly without having to rework the kit opening in the slightest. I also would like to give a nod to the Small Shop for their quality PE folding device. I have had this for years, but only used it occasionally. It is getting a workout now! I love that it can be unscrewed and turned around to present a long continuous edge for large straight folds. It also has many angle and handle molds cut into the tool. The set I bought also came with a "rolling" mold, which is a metal block with half round depressions in graduated sizes along with corresponding dowels and rods to make uniform curves and tubes. Handy gadget. Here ares some pics of the PE work done last night and the folding tool. I also included a pic of my homemade CA applicator tools. Thanks to whomever came up with this brilliant and simple idea. Works like a champ! Edited May 29, 2015 by Mustang JBB JefH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Nice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) Assembled the gun bay parts. All glued together very carefully with CA using my homemade tools pictured above. At this point, I need to paint the parts before fixing them permanently to the fuselage. There are some nooks and crannies that can only be sprayed while the bay is off the model and able to be bent open a little. After the primer and base coat of RLM 02, I can add the cannon and a few wires and boxes. I will also add a few wires and pipes that are visible through the holes at the back of the gun bay. These pics just show the parts as they sit in the fuselage. Edited June 1, 2015 by Mustang JBB Whitey and sandokan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Great work on the PE! I too have a Small Shop bender..............the 4"x 4" hold n fold. It does work well, especially for larger bends. Speaking of airbrushes.....................Not sure if you have worked out all your issues yet, but I just recently picked up the newest Iwata trigger grip AB; The Iwata TRN1 I have not used it yet, but from all of what I have been reading its really a straight forward useful AB with a comfy grip, NOT a huge price at all ($113 USD w/free shipping on Amazon), two paint cups and the ability to not only shoot the smaller detail stuff, but the ability to cover medium to larger areas (this is what I purchased it for as I already have an HP-CS) comfortably, it should be a treat to use........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Forgot about the exhaust cone! I added the PE fins. There is a perforated cap that I mounted over the black hole in the center after the picture was taken. I also wanted to share a new tool I discovered by accident. The picture below shows a set of dotting tools that are meant for finger nail painting. Each end has a metal ball, each a slightly different size than the other. Five tools for a total of 10 ball sizes. I figured this may be useful for dotting those pesky knobs and switches in cockpits. I did a quick test on the unused kit cockpit parts and it worked rather well. Just dip the end of the tool in the paint that is still on the inside of the paint cap, touch it once to scrap paper to remove the excess, and touch it to the knob. What I did in the pic was with non-thinned paint, so a little more experimenting may get even better results. This was also done with the smallest tool size. As you can see it tried a quick multiple dab on one of the twist switches, but the results were not as good. However, this was done in haste, as said, experimenting may lead to better results. I may order another set and file them to squares or narrow shapes. I got these off of Amazon for just a couple of bucks, but I am sure you can find these were nail and beauty supplies can be found. They also make great burnishing tools. I used these to make the concave area in the main gear well by gently rubbing the PE parts in a circular motion until I got the desired results. Hope you can use the tip! TimHepplestone, Rocat, sandokan and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) My airbrush issues are not terrible, just a little spitting to clean up. Polishing my needles and giving all the parts a good cleaning. Thanks for the heads up though. I have been looking at the Iwata and the Grex. Just begging for and excuse... Edited June 1, 2015 by Mustang JBB Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 My airbrush issues are not terrible, just a little spitting to clean up. Polishing my needles and giving all the parts a good cleaning. Thanks for the heads up though. I have been looking at the Iwata and the Grex. Just begging for and excuse... haha, me too. I really wanted something with a more comfy grip for larger areas......................I may have to invest in the .5 tip though for larger coverages. Ive tried the action on the TRN1, and it feels lighter and more precise to me than the Grex trigger gun I tried a few years ago. I think each to his own on that account, so what ever works for the individual is what should be used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattlow Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I have a few of those dotting tools - though I didn't know that they were usable for that (I bought them as burnishing tools ). Anyway, something else they are good for is creating domes or dishes in aluminium or lead foil. Things like light reflectors. Like the PE work.. coming along nicely. Matt Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I have a few of those dotting tools - though I didn't know that they were usable for that (I bought them as burnishing tools ). Anyway, something else they are good for is creating domes or dishes in aluminium or lead foil. Things like light reflectors. Like the PE work.. coming along nicely. Matt Indeed, seems they would be excellent burnishing tools for foiling..................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 I have some of those wax pencils for picking up PE, and these dotting tools work for that also. Just run them on some tape or even your tongue. I like the idea for using them to make shapes like lenses. mattlow 1 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