crackerjazz

Brimming with beautiful details! Those hinges are amazing! : )

I've been examining these photos of the LLRV on the tarmac. I wanted to see what other rods I needed to add and noticed that except for those rods towards the middle connecting to the central ring, it seems like the electronics tray is carried just by these rods. I think if you break them the whole rear end will collapse? On the scavenged LLRV I see this additional rod, which I don't see on the LLRV above, so I'm not sure if it's just an add-on or if it was there initially but deemed unnecessary and removed to save weight.

CaptKirk, thanks! : ) Hopefully it prints out all right. It's been more than a year, though. I remember zilch about the slicer and printer so I'm really anxious about getting back to it. I'd probably be making the same mistakes as when I first started. Worked on the thrusters (aka rocket clusters). Some photos from Tony: I'm using the thruster assembly from my old (non-printable) file but with a lot of modifications. Those thin-walled (actual-thickness) folded sheet metal cages on the original file won't prin

Added the supports behind the headrest and some other stuff I see in the pics. Just the back cushion to add : ) Also made sure that all thicknesses are good for printing.

Thanks, Manfred! : ) Doing the Weber ejection seat. Had to work on this because I wanted to finalize the attachments to the frame. I had to practically redo my already-completed seat as the original one wasn't fit for printing. Tony's LLRV-1 photos were useful in eyeballing the bracket angles. Hope I got them right or I'll have trouble connecting them to the frame later on. Sometimes the software will allow you to make corrections to the sheet metal bend angles but oftentimes I get all sorts of errors so it's better to get them right the first time.

CaptKirk, SpacecraftGuy, thanks for the kind words, guys! Oh, I don't know about becoming an expert on the LLRV but I'm sure learning a lot about 3D modeling : ) I've modelled the gimbal: My only problem is that it's quite thin at 3+ mm. I was thinking about hollowing it out and filling it with 2-part putty for rigidity but I'll probably do a test print first -- I'll print it as a solid and see if it will bend under strain. It doesn't really need to be super strong as the printed engine is quite light but we'll see. It's just about 65mm across s

Thanks, Manfred! Hope to get some consistent traction going on this thing as my health comes back to normal. Hey, mhvink, will try my best not to get hung up on details : ) It's just that the pull is so strong : ) But yeah, it slows things down immensely. For now I've been giving more time to making sure the parts fit together. The parts look nice and huge on the screen but they're really small. The compressor face, for example, is just 16mm across. What I'm really amazed about, though, is t

Thanks so much guys. I've been healing up slower than I anticipated but I've been feeling better the past week so I worked on some 3D stuff -- just the 3D modelling -- no actual printing. I spent some time working on the engine tube and related parts and get some stuff coming along before I head back to work in a couple weeks. I've forgotten how to work the software : ) It's coming back to me in snippets : ) Did those airbleed valve actuators on either side of the tube. Where I know the pipes might fail to print such as these little P-trap-looki

Hi Manfred, Mike, sorry for the lack of updates. Was planning to get some traction on this the past year but other non-modeling-related stuff took my time. And then for a long time I was sick. I'm still in recovery but it might take a couple more months before I could get back to anything. And I may have to re-learn how to 3D-model again.

Thanks, phamtom. No worries, Steve, you should do the same. The 1/32 is unwieldy enough for me I can only imagine what the 1/18 is like. Thanks, Youngtiger, I'll need all the luck I can get : ) I did work on some 1/32 models but I'm notorious for abandoning builds when I'm overwhelmed. If I manage to pull off the rescribing work it will be a good sign that I'll pull through : )

Thanks Steve and Mr. Happy! : ) Glad to document my adventures and misadventures, Mr Happy : ) I wanted to modify the wings to make them detachable like those on the 1/48. It will aid a lot in painting and transportation. I stared at the wing mechanism for the longest time trying to figure out how to go about it. I figured the arc-shaped gear and the pivot have to be a single part. So I covered the back and filled the gap with layers of CA+baking soda which cures instantly and is super strong. I then opened this up

Worked on removing those thicker panels on the sides of the fuse. I'd been wondering about how to go about it. I started with a file then I remembered I had a sanding tool.. What it looked like before: Also did the other side: Will just scratchbuild those pitot tube base plates (?) that got sanded off in the process. And here's what it looked like before:

Hi Bastian, thanks! Steve, thanks, I haven't decided on the squadron yet. I was kind of thinking scruffy grey... again : ) JackMan, yeah, not sure what Tamiya had in mind doing a mix of raised and recessed panel lines. It's hard to believe that somebody presented the plan in a boardroom before production and everyone agreed : ) I was worried about the piano hinges on the engine bay doors, some forward fuselage doors and wing undersides as they're the hardest to rescribe but thankfully they're well represented.

I've been away from modeling for a good year I think. I feel quite out of touch and wanted to work on stuff again. I found a good deal on the local ads for a Tamiya 1/32 F-14 that's been started which I thought I might breathe some life into. I remember staring longingly at one of these kits at the hobby shop as a kid. The only 1/32 Tomcat I could save up enough money for was the Revell one. The guy I bought it from said he started this back in the 80s so that's 40-year-old paint and tamiya tape : ) He already did the co

Was trying to resolve the bobbing issue. I think I've found a way. Some flat bars are harder to bend and cut than others. This would have made a great single-piece stand but bending it made my tennis elbow flare up. And somehow I couldn't drill into it. Tried different types of bits, even cobalt ones and nothing. It must have been manufactured using with some alien technology : ) I had to go back to my original one and just added a support bar in front.