Timmy!

How's about an update?! Here is the progress after a few uninterrupted days in the shop. Several more foam parts have been cut and have done a few more in acrylic. Also the 3d printer has pumped out few parts while I was at it. Here are the representative parts hastily placed together to give the idea of the construction. The acrylic bulkhead that incorporates some detail for the nose gear well. The acrylic is hard and stable but quite brittle. Sometimes a miss calculation of the feed of the bit and I get a little bit of chipping of the detail. Although I will be able to repair this

Thanks to you and everyone else for the encouragement. The stuff I'm currently milling is a closed cell urethane foam, 48 lbs. Precision Board Plus is the brand name. Timmy!

It lives...though just barely. This project has been very experimental to say the least. Let me recap the project...no there is too much...let me sum up. So far the I have gone from a hand built master with cast parts so I could make multiple models. I wasn't happy with the accuracy so I scrapped it. Thinking CNC one off models was the way to go I tried cutting solid hunks of aluminum. Successful, accurate, looks dynamite but the process is way too slow and very hard on my machine. So guess what I have done? Yep scrapped it. So now I am on the third if not fourth iteration of this j

100% are airframe color. There are no doors on the main gear and the nose doors only cover 1/2 the well. White wells would stand out. Also there is very little plumbing so glossy white wells are of limited value anyway. Timmy!

Here's some detail painting. I'm wasn't super fastidious about the paint work. I picked out a few of the buttons in gray, and used a white color pencil to simulate dial faces and data in the console components. I made up some decals for the seats, HUD/Comm control panel and MFD displays. At this point I'll turn to the pilots followed by another layer of detail work. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Timmy!

Been a while since I've had this toy out! I've had to change paints since the demise of Floquil (GRUMBLE GRUMBLE). So with a batch of primary colors by Tamiya, I starting the process of mixing colors. Luckily this jet doesn't have too many to deal with. First color needed is Dark Gull Gray FS36231. Turns out XF-54 Dark Sea Gray is pretty close so a little bit of white and its off to the races. Here's the first layer of paint. Certainly makes for more satisfying photos if you ask me. Thanks for viewing, Timmy!

Anyone still watching?? So here's the update after a long absence away from home. Cockpit is just about ready for paint. Just a few more items...HUD frame, AOA indexer, and a few rivets on the forward instrument coaming and switch panel and instrument flood lights remain. Hour or two of work. Paint should tie everything nicely together and make for better photography. So here are the photos. First, the forward instrument coaming that has several screened area for instrument and CRT/MFD cooling. The first step was to add some plastic filler pieces and PE brass mesh over the top. Open

Thanks for the encouragement fellas!! Work continues. Forward cockpit right side console is complete. Work on the instrument panel has begun. The gray bit is a 3d printed HUD unit. I intended the part to have its reflector glass frame printed integral to the part you see. However, the parts were to fine for a good printed result, the frames will be built in plastic instead. There was also to be a printed "Oh Sheet" handle the sits atop the aft instrument panel, again not a good print so it will be plastic as well. Now here is a good part - the tail hook. I'm sorry about the ph

To the OP's question it's Miramar! Part of me wants to ask how old are you? I can say with 100% clarity you are looking at the tower at base ops NAS Miramar. I was at the airshow the summer of the movie release, partying with a few Marine helo pilots and an RAF flight lieutenant, I was 17 and that was in the center of TOP GUN holy ground. There were many non aviation places that ended up in the movie, NTC, Laurel St (Charlie's Porsche chase) and other location "anomalies". These are the least of the "problems" of the movie. Chief among these problems is wether or not TOP GUN was comin

They are black. They can look gray from photographic lighting, fading, dust etc. I not exactly sure of the reason but since helicopters have lots of glass, eyebrow windows, chin bubbles and huge windscreens, pilots benefit from black non-refelcetive surfaces. This also has a benefit for the use of NVGs - though internal lightings has more an effect on their performance. During my Marine Corps career every V-22, CH-53, H-1, AH-1 and CH-46 I've been in have black cockpits, even the S-92s I fly today have black cockpits. With all that said, add some white to you black paint and vary the shad

Progress continues. Not shown left fuse half detail complete - almost a mirror image of the right half. Only differs in that there is no map bag, instead a smaller solo safety pin bag and different location of the console lighting. Instrument panel coaming next and just a handful of minor details to go, then I'll turn to the front hole. Timmy!

Mini update, Rear instrument panel 95% complete.

Well an afternoon of work and I have the rear cockpit 2/3 roughed out. Basically a lot of scabbing of plastic onto the kit parts to match the T-45 cockpit. For the most part this is the first layer of detail. At least one or two more layers of smaller details will be added. I'm still fighting with myself to set limits on this detail as the cockpit will be closed and many details will be hidden. No I did not build the seats, I'm using Aries NACES seats, I'll have to do some slight mods to them but they will do. I gotta say it's good to be doing some good ol' fashioned plastic m

Good catch right there, I agree. Less is more at least non-repetetive.

Last "make believe modeling" update...next one plastic I promise! (fingers crossed, just in case) The base polished and painted aluminum. Timmy!

Mini update. Little bit of computer work for mod parts - more to be done but these will be fodder for the printer or CNC. More in the next week or so. Timmy!

Having a need to get something built, as my Jag project is in more of an experimental phase, I'm using a little spare time to work on a T-45C. I have a 1/48 scale conversion already a 75% complete, but was shelved in favor of a Jag. You can see glimpses of that project in this thread. http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=11728 In the meantime the Kinetic kit came out and it all seemed just a little pointless. A little over a year ago Pig put an Revell kit in my hands and the kit was thrown on the stash with a promise of someday it would grow into a T-45. Having already completed a c

Progress to share at last. First few parts are done and I'm stoked that I have a solid proof of concept represented in these parts. I was somewhat reluctant to share at this stage as the parts are still a little rough and photos don't really do the parts any favors. But here they are none the less. This is a reject part that I have partially finished. A little work with a file and buffing wheel and these parts are really good. I'm was always intending to to some hand work to these parts anyway. Some behind the scenes work are things like this custom clamp. It's shaped t

Anthony, Here's the workflow Design in Rhino (CAD) models exported as STL files to Mesh CAM From Mesh CAM I get the tool paths. Mesh CAM has the post processor for LinuxCNC g-code which drives my Sherline 5400 Mill. Cutters are End and Ball mills ranging from 3/8" to 0.005". Small ones are standard and long reach end and ball, 0.040", 0.020", 0.010" and one 0.005" (for fun) all carbide 2 flute. The bigger standard sizes are 3/8 to 1/16 end mill are HSS 4 flute (not great for aluminum I gather but I bought them before I knew anything) ball mills are two flute carbide. Finally, I'm using

Last cuts for this trip home. Completed some fine pocketing - the triangle shape hole that will fit a separate NACA duct. Also a finer finishing test - this time with a 0.040" Ball mill. The fidelity is better. Also I did a test filing of the machine marks and they were easily removed with just a few strokes of the file. I'm looking of a better finish, close spacing of the passes of the cutter and more tuning of the backlash. I'm done with this test part. I'll be making a low profile vice and adding some upgrades to the mill. The next parts should be finished ones - with at little luck

So this is turning out to be 3d printing just a subtractive process. Another analogy is this is the Windows method of 3d printing vice the Mac way. In other words, it hard to get it right with all the variables that have to be manually set. I'm not saying is not a lot of fun, just the learning curve is steep. I have learned so much from one part, it's really amazing! Highlights of the lowlights: -Broke only one tool -Milled two clamps -Only "ruined" the part once. (Vice was loose) -Incorrectly input an important number in the CAM setup program 0.04" too short. (my inside cavity is too

First cut! Guess which face this cut is.

Ok so as promised aluminum has been cut. Baby steps though. Actually much work has been done getting the mill properly aligned and set up. So with out further audieu: I MADE A RECK TANGLE! (In mind of 3 year old talk) Way harder than you might think - lots of machine adjustments and a day and half of work. But at least I can now make the stock needed to cut parts from. More soon, playing with CAM software, getting G-code done and more fiddling with the mill. Hope to be starting first CNC cuts in anger tomorrow. Timmy!

Yikes has it really been since April that I posted last? Well all I can say is I've had a lot to do over the last months. A list serving as a shameless excuse for my lack of model progress follows: Care and feeding of GF. Trained for and ran a 1/2 marathon (under 2 hours). Partied with Pig. Begged for forgiveness from GF. Trained for and rode a Century (5 and a half hours - 18mph average) Took GF to Palm Springs (that's where the Century was - two birds and what not) Evacuated a portion of the Gulf of Mexico to escape a tropical storm. Recurrent training in S-92. Took GF to Stillwat