bdthoresen Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Good morning All. After tooling through the forums yesterday, and reading that it was Larry Hawkins' birthday, I decided to get this kit out and get cracking as a tribute to him. His vac-building skills were second to none. After finishing the PCM Macchi 202, I managed to take a break for a couple of weeks, using the time to clean up my workbench and decide on my next build. I had been hunting a Boomerang for some time, but in reality could never afford the cash to buy the recent Montex kit. I had heard that there was a vac kit of the Boomey out there, and I learned that it came from FM Models out of Australia. Judging by the reviews and information online, they are now as rare as hen's teeth! But after some time I managed to find one through a friend of mine I have traded with on and off for years.....He had the Montex kit, and had no intention of building the FM kit. So a big thanks to Ray- Appreciate it!!!! Anyway, upon opening the non-descript box, I was greeted with some of the finest vac parts I have ever seen. The panel lines were very subtle, and the "pulls" were really crisp. The instructions are decent, and the kit also included a bag of white metal, resin, and rubber parts. The casting of these parts is very clean and crisp, looking like a whole lot of love went into this production. I could not wait to get started. The idea of this posting is to, of course, document the build, but I also figure I could stumble along and share some of the things I am learning about vaccuform models with the masses. I know a lot of you have them in the stash and might be a bit reluctant to give them a try. I plan on building this model as A46-193, coded QE*H, a CA-13 that was assigned to No.4 Squadron in late 1944. Her name was "Struth!".....My wife being English, had to try and explain to me what the expression meant!!!! She then told me to ask by Aussie friends......I will be using the beautiful Red Roo models decal sheet....Overall foliage green finish...... More to follow shortly.....Thanks for looking in..... THOR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Vac parts removal part 1- Rather than start with the obligatory in progress shots of the cockpit, I have decided to approach this build a bit differently than a normal injected kit. I have decided to remove all of the main airframe components from the carrier sheets, and adjusting their fit before I start any detailing of the interior or engine. This will allow me to get as precise a fit of the parts as possible according to the plans, so I do not have to worry about damaging, ar altering the fine work during the build. I would rather know about all of the pitfalls of the main fit before I commit to detailing, glue and paint! I thought I would post the techniques I use for removing vac parts, as I tend to do it a bit differently than some. If you have seen these techniques before, my apologies. If you have not, they might help in getting over the dreaded "Vac intimidation"..... The first thing I do is remove the component I want from the carrier sheet by using a pair of shears. This will make removing the part from the carrier more managable, and prevent any slip-ups that could damage the surrounding parts...I then get my trusted Sharpie markers, one medium tip, one fine tip. I use the medium tip to trace around the part. I hold the marker at about a 45 degree angle, and mark it out. I then use the fine tip to go back and mark any areas that are too deep for the medium tip to reach. What I want is for the entire perimeter of the part to be blacked out completely.... Here is what I am left with...... I then draw some lines radiating out from where the parts meet the carrier sheet. I use these lines as a guide to cut into the backing sheet with a pair of shears to aid in removing the excess plastic. Be careful here, as you do not want to get to close to the part with the shears, as you might end up tearing the edge of the part from the strain. I usually leave about a sixteenth of an inch , which I will trim out by hand later....... More in a moment...... Edited July 31, 2011 by bdthoresen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 I then begin lightly scoring around the part with a brand new No.11 X-acto blade. I use the weight of the tool only on the first couple of passes, scoring a little harder with each pass. The pressure needed is not much, if your blade is sharp, it should be fairly easy. After I have scored around the part, about 15 times in this case, I begin snapping off the excess plastic from the part. This is where those cut lines come in from earlier. I can snap the excess off in smaller pieces, making it much more managable..... Once the excess is removed, I am left with a nice border of white plastic that is equal to the thickness of the carrier sheet. This is the excess that must be removed...... I use a Mill file for the initial removal. I find this to be faster, and a bit more accurate than just using the traditional sanding board. I draw file the excess plastic away, filing only until I reach the Sharpie lines....At that point I stop. For fine tuning, the last step involves taking your marker and coloring in the mating surface of the part.... I then use a sanding board (that was made from a plank with 320 grit paper glued to it) with light but EVEN pressure, and start sanding my part in a figure-eight motion......You will notice the high spots get knocked off first..... I continue to sand evenly, and lightly till the entire marker line dissappears. This is the time to stop and check the fit, and check it against plans....... Once I am satisfied, I use 0000 steel wool to polish away the marker lines on the sides of the part, and take away any left-over sanding fuzz. I am then left with a part that is ready to use.... In this case, I will chain-drill the cowling opening, and file it out later. I do not need the opening at this time. You might have to fine-tune the fit of your parts a bit further, but for that, it should be just a case of light sanding on the board...Always check your part against your plans, and test-fit, test-fit, test-fit........ More in a bit...... Kahunaminor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Great choice for your next build and the mini tutorial was excellent and greatly appreciated. I hope there will be a lot more as you proceed though the build. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 And here I am so far with my build. I have removed the fuselage halves, and sanded them down to their proper dimension. I have also removed the canopy parts, to test fit them before I go any further. I do this to make sure that the fuselage halves are the right width for the canopy, and to check to see if I will have any problems with their fit and shape. The cockpit opeings have been cleaned up, but the canopy parts have only been scored off their sheet. They have had no sanding to fine-tune the fit. Here is where I am so far...... The final shot is of the canopy fit. It is really a nice fit, considering I have not even sanded the canopy parts to fit yet! That is all for this update. I am currently working on removing the wing parts from the carrier sheet, so I can start tweaking the fit to the fuselage. The fuselage halves fit together beautifully, with very minimal gaps. I will post an update when there is something more substantial to show. I hope some of you find this stuff helpful. Thanks for stopping by- THOR, back to the old sanding board....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 COOOOOL!!!!! I love the Boomerang, it's one of my favorite planes. Can't wait to see how this one goes, probably be another masterpiece from you Thor. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Bravo Thor! I will be following this build avidly, as I have this kit in the stash too, and am really looking forward to building it some day. I got a sheet of 1/32 stencils for it from Red Roo, as the stickers provided in the kit are minimal. It'll be nice to be able to follow your lead! Oh, by the way, in case you weren't able to get a sensible answer, "struth" (normally spelled strewth) means crikey, or holy cow, or other exclamations along those lines. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Thor Nice progress on the fuselage. Fit sure looks very good. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Great choice for your next build and the mini tutorial was excellent and greatly appreciated. I hope there will be a lot more as you proceed though the build. Peter Thanks Peter. I am no expert, but I figured I would share what works for me in the hopes somebody can use the information. That is why I love LSP- NOBODY is greedy with their information!!!!!! COOOOOL!!!!! I love the Boomerang, it's one of my favorite planes. Can't wait to see how this one goes, probably be another masterpiece from you Thor. Matt Thanks Matt- I love the Boomerang as well, especially considering what the Aussie pilots did with it. They were some crack pilot's to be sure!!! Bravo Thor! I will be following this build avidly, as I have this kit in the stash too, and am really looking forward to building it some day. I got a sheet of 1/32 stencils for it from Red Roo, as the stickers provided in the kit are minimal. It'll be nice to be able to follow your lead! Oh, by the way, in case you weren't able to get a sensible answer, "struth" (normally spelled strewth) means crikey, or holy cow, or other exclamations along those lines. Kev Thanks Kev! Bust that sucker out mano! We could be one step closer to a squadron of Boomeys!!!! Thanks for the explanation on Struth... Makes perfect sense to me....I am gonna weather the daylights out of this one! Thor Nice progress on the fuselage. Fit sure looks very good. Peter Once again, thanks Peter. Funnily enough, this thing has better fit than most of the Special Hobby/Azur kits I have built. Plus, I am enjoying this one so much more!!!! Thanks for checking in fellas. More to follow! Thor, also eyeballing a Wirraway...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Nice start Brian, looks like a very nice vac. Does/did someone do a Wirraway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Does/did someone do a Wirraway? Not that I know of, but a little birdie tells me there could be one coming... Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Scratchbuilt!!!!! THOR, still hacking..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Cool, Nice start and nice tribute Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Cool, Nice start and nice tribute Ron Thanks Ron- didn't you build one of these once upon a time? Well, I have the wings removed from the sheet and the initial sanding completed. I am in the process of "tweaking" the fit to the fuselage, as well as thinning down the trailing edges. I used the same techniques as before, but also am using a small pine sanding block to dress the edges of the wings. I will post pics once I get the wings fitted to my liking. Then it will be onto the horizontal stabilizers... More to follow soon- THOR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big matt Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thanks for the pics Thor. Hopefully your build will demystify the vac process for me! Hopefully... Fit looks very promising and almost looks a bit like a resin kit in the pics. Cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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