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F-5C Skoshi Tiger- Hasegawa F-5E w/Belcher Bits conversion set


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So, here it is; my first entry into this GB. I didn't realize I had so many choices in my stash. It figures that I choose the hardest one there.

 

The base kit:

 

007-8.jpg

 

Contents:

 

008-5.jpg

 

The replacement fuselage:

 

009-5.jpg

 

Man, has resin come a long way since this came out.

 

The rest of the conversion bits:

 

011-5.jpg

 

Carl

 

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I don't think I have ever seen a thicker resin casting that wasn't completely solid. 

 

012-2.jpg

 

I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a tail sitter no matter what I do. The two fuselage halves weigh more than the rest of the entire kit, sprues and all.

 

Following the instructions/recommendations from Belcher Bits, I glued the two halves together with Gorilla Glue epoxy and leave it until it sets:

 

013-4.jpg

 

This is going to be interesting...

 

Carl

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I don't think I have ever seen a thicker resin casting that wasn't completely solid. 

 

012-2.jpg

 

I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a tail sitter no matter what I do. The two fuselage halves weigh more than the rest of the entire kit, sprues and all.

 

Following the instructions/recommendations from Belcher Bits, I glued the two halves together with Gorilla Glue epoxy and leave it until it sets:

 

013-4.jpg

 

This is going to be interesting...

 

Carl

Carl, When I looked at my set I thought to myself.. :hmmm:  this is going to be more like Carpentry!  :frantic:  What I started doing to mine is, wit ha dust mask, the vaccume running and my dremmel tool with a big and small sized sanding drum, start thinning out as much as the insides as you can get way with. It's the ONLY way to get  the plane onto its nose gear, and you'l still have to add a TON of weight up front.

 YOU can do this!  Just go slow!

Looking forward to your most excellent choice of subjects starting to look like a plane!

 Paul

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Carl, When I looked at my set I thought to myself.. :hmmm:  this is going to be more like Carpentry!  :frantic:  What I started doing to mine is, wit ha dust mask, the vaccume running and my dremmel tool with a big and small sized sanding drum, start thinning out as much as the insides as you can get way with. It's the ONLY way to get  the plane onto its nose gear, and you'l still have to add a TON of weight up front.

 YOU can do this!  Just go slow!

Looking forward to your most excellent choice of subjects starting to look like a plane!

 Paul

 

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence Paul. I was thinking along the same lines but the only problem with that is my Dremel is banned in our house  :shrug: My wife says it causes too much noise in the house. Thankfully my compressor is virtually silent or I wouldn't even be allowed to airbrush. Either way, it's a big improvement over my previous building sessions.

 

 I might just mount it on a small base. 

 

Carl

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Carl,

 

Great (and unusual) subject - you do pick some great aircraft. I have always liked the F-5A and want to make one one day. I have always liked the idea of making a conversion for the Hasegawa F-5E kit, but you have the Belcher set, which I hope will not give you too much grief as it looks a bit like a lot of work!

 

Good luck

 

Derek

Edited by Derek B
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Carl,

 

Great (and unusual) subject - tou do pick some great aircraft. I have always liked the F-5A and want to make one one day. I have always liked the idea of making a conversion for the Hasegawa F-5E kit, but you have the Belcher set, which I hope will not give you too much grief as it looks a bit like a lot of work!

 

Good luck

 

Derek

 

Thanks Derek! I find it interesting that even though this is going to be a lot more work than the PR XI I just finished, I don't feel as frustrated. At least, not yet. The instructions even say it's rough and like Paul mentioned, carpentry skills will be needed. Now if that isn't a warning that this won't be a shake and bake kit, than I don't know what is.

 

Carl

 I have your tail-sitter solution,......... build it FLYING,  couple of acrylic rods..... put the gear up..... or flaps down for landing.

 

watch'in you :wicked:

 

jack

 

Thanks Jack, that might be an idea. But I'd have to find a suitable pilot figure to do so.

 

Interesting choice. I discovered last night that my Huey is going to need some counterbalancing too; it's way tail heavy.

 

Yeah, I just had to pick the unusual one.I hope the gear is up to if I do try to counterbalance it.

 

Carl

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A small update. 

 

The Gorilla Glue is set and after removing the tape and elastics, I have a very solid rear fuselage:

 

003-8.jpg

 

002-7.jpg

 

The glue foams a bit as it cures which has the benefit of filling in any small gaps.

 

009-6.jpg

 

 The excess cleans up easily too. The instructions tell you to expect a mismatch at the rear of the fuselage and to just even it out afterwards.

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Here's a comparison to the F-5E fuselage. You can see that it's not just a matter of a shorter fuselage.

 

012-3.jpg

 

The instructions tell you to hollow out the rear end for the burner cans. They suggest using a 1/2" drill bit. I was lucky to have one as that is a sizable hole to drill.

 

016-6.jpg

 

This GB got me to dust off another build and try to get it finished. Since it is well beyond the 25% started rule, I can't do a build thread for it but I thought I'd throw in a pic here:

 

022-1.jpg

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Excellent Progress Carl! The F-5C is going to look really really cool!  Nice to see you get the Crusader back out too!  :) 

Even though your F-8E cant be considered in the GB, please do continue posting pics and anything you find worthy of mentioning as far as construction with your build here.

 All the best,

 Paul 

Edited by av8shunmodels
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Great work Carl - I think that I am going to have a look at my F-5 again as it one aircraft that I am always opening the box and putting away again, because I like looking at it, not because I don't want to build it.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

Edited by Derek B
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  • 2 weeks later...

Excellent Progress Carl! The F-5C is going to look really really cool!  Nice to see you get the Crusader back out too!  :) 

Even though your F-8E cant be considered in the GB, please do continue posting pics and anything you find worthy of mentioning as far as construction with your build here.

 All the best,

 Paul 

 

Thanks Paul!

 

The Crusader is an F-8C using the Fisher conversion set. I found the reason I stopped working on it. I thinned the front fuselage down to make the Aires cockpit fit and overdid a bit. The cockpit tub literally slid back and forth inside the fuselage. I've shimmed it with some card stock and that means I should be able to continue on with it.

 

 

Great work Carl - I think that I am going to have a look at my F-5 again as it one aircracft that I am always opening the box and putting away again, because I like looking at it, not because I don't want to build it.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

 

Thanks Derek, I actually thought about getting another F-5 kit to do as an E since my LHS has one in stock. But with my stash getting a bit big, I thought I should focus on what I have at hand.

Carl

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A small update for tonight. The instructions include a template on where to trim the wings so that they'll fit the new fuselage:

 

007-9.jpg

 

It even shows the lower wing piece as well so you can trim both separately. 

 

Here's the port wing done compared to the stock starboard one:

 

008-6.jpg

 

The curves at the wing tip are to accommodate the wingtip tanks. I've also started re-scribing the panel lines on the wings. I figure now is easier than when they're mounted to the fuselage.

 

Carl

Carl 

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