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JeskiM

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Posts posted by JeskiM

  1. Builder or Collector ?

     

    I am both. 

     

    I simply collect them at a faster rate than I can build them !

     

    I've got 300+ in the stash. I know that I will never build them all....but I've got time to figure out which will get built and which will not. So I can slowly sell, trade, dispose of them as I see fit. Luckily I have a very good hobby store in town with a large section of old kits that can be bought/sold/traded for. So I am not reliant on Ebay, etc to sell.

     

    However I think that I will start culling out old stuff in favor of some of the new tools coming out.

     

    One can be a "collector" and only have one of something. Lets say that I had $300K to spend on a autombile collection:  I could buy a few Corvettes or maybe a single Lamborghini.....it's not the quantity that draws the line....merely the interpretation IMO.

     

    - Matt

     

  2. I have read numerous publications; such as Yefim Gordon's book, and have seen numerous articles online that mention that the Mig-31 (E, F, BM) can carry bombs. The text specifically mentions it could carry up to six KAB-1500 or up to eight KAB-500 that can TV or Laser guided. The same sources mention that it could carry some Anti-Shipping weapons.

     

    I cannot seem to locate any definitive proof of this such as pictures, etc.

     

    Is this true ?

    If so, then on which stations and with which launchers ?

     

    - Matt

  3. Yea, I've come to the realization that there is no single FS color that can match it.

    After some digging I found that American Airlines refers to the paint color as Silver Mica.

    I suspect that I will have to experiment using a few different things:

    1: Using a silver base color (like Tamiya TS-76) and a Pearl White overcoat (Tamiya TS-45).

    2: Use paints that can be found at auto body repair shops that have similar types of effects.

    3: Other ideas !?!

    Anyways, not to hijack this thread. I ordered from Nazca before. It took about 4 weeks for the order to get to me (Texas) from Germany. I also had to contact Gaston to change my address as I didn't notice at first that my address attached to my old paypal acct was for my previous address. I did not pay extra on the postage etc.

    - Matt

  4. Below are some pics of a 1/144th C-141B next to an in-progress 1/144th C-5. Gives you some idea of the size comparison.

    The C-141B kit was resin. It was created by Scott Doepker. I would highly recommend it; that is if he is still making it. When I got it, he was only making them by request.

    I'll probably buy the Roden one anyways. Would love to have another C-141.

    - Matt

    Izzy%20187.jpg

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    Izzy%20184.jpg

  5. I've completed the inlet section of one of the engine nacelles. Got a tiny bit of sanding to complete (now that I look at the pictures). I scratched the pitot tubes, vents on the bottom, and made the squared-off inlet cross section. I am pretty happy with the results. The pictures don't do it justice as I couldn't get very good lighting when I took the pics.

    Here's the results:

    DSC05036.jpg

    DSC05038.jpg

    One trick I did is that after I put the first big glob of putty on and sanded it it was not smooth at all as there were little chunks missing, etc that needed to be filled. Instead of putting more putty down I put a layer of Loctite Super Glue (ultra liquid control). Once it drys it sands down real nice and makes a coating over the putty and truly binds it down to the plastic below.

    I have quite a bit of work to do on the top rear half of the inlet now. Here's the Real thing:

    Capture_17.jpg

    Capture_18.jpg

    Here's the kit assembly:

    DSC05035.jpg

    That round section between the engine feathers is the bleed air system's air-to-air cooler exhaust. I need to create that and fill in the valley on top of the nacelles between the two engines. It needs to be built up over it to meet up to where the wings sweep back over the nacelles....lots of work coming up there.

    However, I am really enjoying this build, but I am taking my time, etc so that I can keep it that way. If I push too fast it's not so much fun. So for now I will work on that exhaust.

    I will also start assembling the tail section of the plane. It needs mods in that the upper "tail cone" on -1A #4 is rounded and pointy as seen here:

    Capture_19.jpg

    More pictures coming soon.

    - Matt

  6. Here's an update on the Engine nacelles:

    I've been working on shaping the proper squared-off look of the -1A's inlet. The fit of the inlet lips to the main body of the nacelle had a huge step that needed to be sanded down first. Also, I am still sanding the laege step that mostly runs the entire length of the whole nacelle on the side.I've got the basic squared-off shape roughed out. Next I need to fillit up, sand it down to the proper profile etc. So my goal will be to get the first nacelle's shape finished this coming weekend. After that will be the finer details like the pitot tubes, vents louvers on the bottom, etc.

    Here's the real thing:

    Capture_16.jpg

    Here's my in-progress pics:

    DSC05032.jpg

    DSC05031.jpg

    DSC05030.jpg

    DSC05028.jpg

    - Matt

  7. Currently I am working on the Engine nacelles. The fit has been horrible.....huge steps. Got one nacelle almost to an acceptable point. I've also started roughing out the squared -off configuration of the leading edge of the intakes. Once I get the first nacelle to the point I feel the steps have been acceptably dealt with I will post up pics of the two nacelles for comparison.

    After that it's mostly a matter of making the -1A specific mods. Shouldn't be too bad.

    - Matt

  8. Thanks ! I am more happy with my life than I have been in 10 years. My health is pretty good considering what happened: I had 4 surgeries, lost a body part, had a port installed and had a bunch of poison fed from an IV through my port into my heart. 90 some doctors visits in 18 months. 4 CT/PET scans and I have lost count of all the various other tests and more damage to my body than one can imagine .... I actually look and feel pretty damn good ! I've changed employers twice. Moved to a new house and all sorts of crazy stuff in between....I ought to write a book....oh wait, I forgot, I have a life to live and between my hobbies, etc I am too lazy to write a book ;)/> Just another crazy experience in this life ! Gotta love it.

    Anyways, when this project ends this is what this plane will look like:

    Capture_1.jpg

    Capture_2.jpg

    I am toying with the idea of dropping the flaps/slats. I think that would look awesome. Don't know that I have the skills or patience or not....but I plan that when the time comes to at least give it a shot on one of the spare wings.

  9. Everyone,

    I have managed to find my original thread from years ago on this project. From this point on-wards I will be maintaining that thread. I will merge some of the content of this thread over to that one. I have already updated the old thread with the latest pics of the mostly completed front fuselage section.

    Here's the original thread for this project:

    http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=198416

    Sorry for the double thread/confusion....I have been away from the hobby and forum for a long while and I was having memory issues for quite a while from everything that has happened in those years. I think I have finally gotten my life re-assembled....

    - Matt

  10. Here are reference pictures of -1A #4 to represent the mods/configs that I made to my model.

    1: All Wheel Hubs are black on the A models with a white central disk

    Capture_15.jpg

    2: Since my model is gears down that means some vents, etc are open

    Capture_12.jpg

    3: This is the Probe configuration I chose to model

    Capture_11.jpg

    4: This is the vent and SATCOM antenna

    Capture_13.jpg

    5: The -1A #4 had flush louvered vents instead of the-1B which looked like this

    Capture_14.jpg

    - Matt

  11. Here are a few more pics of the nose cone going together.

    DSC02477.jpg

    DSC02478.jpg

    DSC02480.jpg

    Like I said, it’s kinda crude, but ended up turning out quite well once smoothed down.

    - Matt

  12. Wow !!! I finally rediscovered this old link after I had completely forgotten about it for a few years !!!

    This project was put on the back burner for a while (few years) as some large life altering things happened to me. Here's the short story:

    1: On the job front I had to manage multiple back to back SAP implementations (meaning long hours and lots of stress)

    2: We were getting ready to sell our house and move cross country (meaning packing up my huge kit stash and ongoing builds)

    3: I had a health crisis that almost cost me my life.....Cancer is not fun and the treatments can kill you; the chemo almost did !

    4: Moving in the middle of chemo sucks too

    5: Recovering from heavy chemo takes a while (physically and mentally)

    6: I beat Cancer !

    Keep Calm and F*** Cancer !

    7: Changed Employers twice in as many years

    I am just now reviving the project. Yesterday I saw someone mention (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=288272) they had lost a thread that discussed this very topic and all of a sudden I remembered that I had a thread documenting this project. So I spent a lot of time yesterday relocating all of the pictures I had taken of the project. Loading a bunch to photobucket and starting a new thread for the project (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=288555).

    Now I need to merge the new thread back into this thread and catch everyone up.

    At this point I have pretty much completed the forward fuselage. Now I have started working on the engine nacelles.

    Give me a few days to get new pictures taken, uploaded, and merge the new thread into this one.

    - Matt

  13. Here's what I mean by the pitot tube looking like a trident.

    You can see in this head on shot that there are two extensions to side and just below the main "boom" of the long pitot tube. Just like on the SR-71 that has only one of them on the side.

    Capture_9.jpg

    This pic here clearly illustrates the two tips by the RBF tags:

    Capture_10.jpg

    I'd love to find a shot of it from above/below to get an idea of the exact placement for them.

    - Matt

  14. I used to paint the bays first, then mask them, and paint the exteriors. That was back in the days when I built my kits with the gears down.

    Now I build all my kits with the gears up and don't have to worry about it :)/>

    - Matt

  15. Utley,

    I've not given up on cancer. As far as I am concerned it's been beat. It was a tough fight for sure. The chemo damn near killed me at the end. The whole experience made me a better person anyways.....I guess it was a kinda "wake up call" that I needed at that time.

    Here's the new thread to replace my apparently lost thread:

    http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=288555

    BTW, looking at the picture you posted above....you would happen to have a good pic of the Pitot Tube on the -1A? That's one reference point that I have been unable to locate. I know it's has three points to it. Picture the SR-71 pitot tube but with another pointed end on the other side....kinda looking like a trident.

    I spent most of yesterday hunting down all the pics that I have taken from 2 years ago. I have re-posted most of the best pics to the new post.

    I still need to take new pics because I had gotten further on that build then were the pics left off ! I hope to get new pics taken of the build and the reference points updated in the next few days.

    - Matt

  16. As one can see in the previous post; the nose cone on the -1B is ogival and the -1A is a double cone. I spent time trying to figure out how to do the -1A nose cone properly, because without getting that right the end result will never look like a -1A.

    To help with that I got line drawings at the same scale from both the top and sides to compare. I managed to print copies of them to the proper scale so that I could go about building a new cone.

    Here are the drawings I used:

    Capture_5.jpg

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    From there I set out to create the new cone to match the (to scale) printouts. The first thing I did was use two pieces of plastic sheet to rough out the profile form top and sides.

    DSC02456.jpg

    Then came the tough part. How would I build the skin on this thing ? After many ideas that never worked (thanks to the complex (yet simple) cone shape and I was never great at geometry, here is what I did:

    I took some thin styrene strips and feathered it:

    DSC02458.jpg

    DSC02466.jpg

    This allowed me to wrap it around the frame and it would bend to the proper shape. It was not simple…but it worked out really well.

    DSC02468.jpg

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    After I “wrapped” each strip I filled the inside of the hollow cone with putty. Once I was done applying all of the strips I then puttied the entire outside and sanded down smooth. At this point the new cone was fastened to the closed up front fuselage. I know it's crude. The final result I think looks nice

    Stay tuned.......

    I need to take more pics and get them uploaded so that I can provide further updates (these were all the pics I could find from 2 years ago). Stay tuned; in the next day or so I will have plenty more pictures up further detailing all of the little custom mods to the exterior.

    - Matt

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