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Pappy121

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Posts posted by Pappy121

  1. G'day people,

     

    I want to build a Cougar/Super Puma  and want to open the two hatches in the cabin floor. I have found some pics of the under fuselage lower door open/missing but the cabin doors installed/closed.

    Whilst I am sure the loadmaster could just lean out the window to get a better I think it would also be common (and easier) for the cabin floor doors to be opened.

     

    What I need to know is do these cabin floor doors open downwards, upwards or would they be removed altogether when the when the under fuselage winch is used?

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

     

  2.  

    Did the AUP cockpit add the pave tack display to the co pilots seat?

     

    The Has kit is the most accurate but thats not to say its totally accurate either.

    The shape is wrong from the nose back to the fuselage sides 

     

    The PT imagery was displayed on the Radar Indicator Display (RID) and was present before the F-111Cs underwent the AUP mods. The FOV was diivded into an upper and lower display depending on which sensor (Radar or PT) was the sensor of interest.  The RID was located on the right side of the cockpit, so yeah the PT display was on the rights side (the navigator's side) although a small flap on the left could be raised to allow the pilot to view the display as well.

     

    The Has kit is not perfect but the difference in nose profile is not that noticeable in 1/72, I could certainly live with it even in 1/48 but if you are going to tool up a new mold, and given the advances in laser scanning techniques, there is no reason why it could not be captured accurately. The new Airfix kits are certainly proof that laser scanning techniques can be used to produce accurate models,

     

    Pappy

  3.  

    Getting ready to start a 1/48 Kinetic F/A-18 as the RAAF Worimi Hornet and was wondering if anyone knew what color blue they used on the spine and tails of it. My instructions don't have paint callouts for it but it seems to be a normal RAAF paint aside from the blue so any help would be greatly appreciated.

     

    It is a dark blue similar to the blue of the (full colour) RAAF roundels, insignia blue would be about right. It should be a semi-gloss finish, not full gloss,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  4.  

     

    Canopy shape wrong, cockpit generic, pave tack wrong, weapons bay wrong, engine intakes wrong, wing flaps wrong exhausts wrong...

    The decals are ok though...

     

    Monogram kit is sh*** too!

     

    There is not a single good model of any of the F-111 models from A to G, and that includes the much loved 1/72nd Hasegawa kit (general nose shape problems)

     

    Its not a case of getting an accurate kit but what problems you can live with in the kits out there.
    The Hobbyboss kit builds nice and if you dont really know the plane it looks great and is most convincing, but then so is the Academy kit with a hell of a lot of work.

     

    As to the A-10
    Im wanting a nice A-10A, the A-10C can be done from upgrades, first you need to start with the basics

     

     Depending on the version, you also have wrong pylon and dump mast shapes (for the FB -111A/G) , for the F-111C AUP, the cockpit details that are not correct (the Eduard PE sets do not offer AUP details), and the PT pod is also not accurate. The RAAF decals are also pretty bad (colours wrong, roo shapes awful), incorrect bomb racks, the list goes on....

     

    The re-tooled Academy kit did update the cockpit side consoles and instrument panel to represent the AUP cockpit, and also corrected the nose gear bay which is now very accurate, however the main gear bay was not updated and is very wrong,.

     

    The HB kit was definitely a missed opportunity which may have scared off other manufacturers. I agree, it is a shame Has never upscaled their 1/72 F-111 kits, still the most accurate

     

    Pappy

  5. On 9/18/2018 at 11:15 AM, DIO said:

    Great work done.

    Just a question: How did you do the wash over the white landing gear compartments?

    It looks very "clean" and realistic (i.e. the opposite of what I have achieved so far!)

     

    G'day Dio,

     

    I just pin-washed the u/c  bays with thinned oils. My reasoning is that the more you put on, the more you have to remove, so less really is more in this case,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  6. On 9/7/2018 at 7:57 AM, scotthldr said:

    How's this one coming along?

     

    G'day Scott,

     

    Funny you should bring this up as I was doing some work on this one today.

     

    016_zpsetnw8dwt.jpg

     

    The eagle eyed may notice that there is a small bit missing from the lower right corner of the outer left wing's flap.  Unfortunately I a managed to drop the outer left wing panel (the breeze lifted  it off whilst the paint was drying) and now I have a little repair job on my hands😠

     

    On 9/8/2018 at 3:47 AM, crackerjazz said:

    I'm looking at your overhead IP and I'm amazed at the detailing.   How did you do the white labels/markings?  Incredible work.

     

    G'day,

     

    Weeeellll, truth is I didn't do it, it is pre-painted photo-etch, all I did was stuck it onto the kit part which is bereft of any detail,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  7. G'day people,

     

    I am chasing some pictures of the aft cabin bulkhead and engine well housing (sorry I don't know the actual name of this bit but it is the U shaped bit that extends forward of the aft cabin wall) without the sound proofing installed,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  8. Why don't you guys try searching for images of RAAF F-111G's instead?

     

    The astro compass was removed but the fairing it sat within remained. It was a raised rectangular section in plan view which blended into the curved upper fuselage section forward of the windscreen.

     

    There were ex USAF FB-111A/F-111Gs that served with the RAAF before their eventual scrapping, although at least two airframes survived disposal

  9. Just now, Vidar_710 said:

    ECAPAC seats have a stabilizing gyro only... meaning they go where they are aimed. Low and rolling upside down is not a good thing in that seat. Ejection seats in Tomcats, Hornets, and A-6’s and late A-7’s redirect upwards during an inverted ejections.

     

    As far as S-3 accidents, we had our fair share. 

     

     G'day Vidar,

     

    That was a lucky escape, even in consideration of the severity of your injuries and given the alternative.

    I know that people who have used a Martin Baker seat are given a certificate and a special tie, is there any equivalent for using the ESCAPAC seat?

    In any case you are a member of a very exclusive club,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  10. 15 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

    The forward section of the rudder was actually the trimmer panel. The aft section was the rudder itself. A big enough rudder for single engine operation at take off and landing speeds was far too big at cruise speeds.as North American was to discover with the AJ Savage.  During single-engine operation, the trimmer panel responded to rudder-pedal movement like the rudder itself.

     

    Awesome reply, thanks Thommy!

     

    7 hours ago, scotthldr said:

    Looking good Pappy, the cockpit glazing/etch looks impressive.  How did you get on with your SH-2 Seasprite?

     

    G'day Scott,

     

    Thanks very much. The SH-2G really just needs painting , I should get back to it,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  11. On 7/4/2018 at 12:17 AM, dekon70 said:

    Outstanding!

     

    On 7/4/2018 at 6:08 PM, SERNAK said:

    One of the best builds I have ever seen!!!

     

    Wish Kinetic had done a better job with this kit. It's a shame to have to add so many details afterwards. They could have at least offered a better cockpit and wheel wells.

     

    Keep up the good work!!!👍

     

    Thanks very much for your comments.

     

    SERNAK, I agree that Kinetic could have done more. The canopy affords a good view into the cockpit and the supplied level of detail is lacking. Wheel bay detail would have been nice but unless you pick the kit up, you cannot really see much. I don't regret adding the additional details but I suspect most people will be happy with what is provided. I think the bigger disappointment is that absolutely nothing is provided aft of the cockpit. I would have happy with just a floor and rear bulkhead but as this kit is a notorious tail sitter, this space is an excellent place to add ballast. The kit instructions suggest 50g, but I would recommend at least 75g.

     

    G'day people, work continues.

     

    I have managed to get a base white down over the main components

     

    2176491e-f268-4191-8bc9-ca3b5c0b95a0_zps

     

    The engine nacelles were first up and the paint went on smoothly. I used a flat white acrylic followed by buffing with sanding pads to bring up the sheen

     

    004_zpsljguafgv.jpg

     

    Likewise the outer wing sections

     

    005_zpsxnsqy0ab.jpg

     

    I also replaced what I think are the secondary rudder hinges? The S-2 is unusual in that it has a double hinged rudder (as well as a rudder trim tab). There is a large actuator om the left side of the rudder. I suspect that this moves the whole rudder and the two smaller sections are hinges for the aft section? In any case they are evident in my reference pics so I added them.

     

    003_zpst1m71gjx.jpg

     

    Finally, the upper fuselage aerials have been added and the canopy has been sprayed black (interior colour) before the grey is applied,

     

    001_zpsorydpotj.jpg

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  12.  

    Thanks Dio, but there are far deserving people on this and other forums that deserve that monniker.

     

    G'day people,

     

    A little more progress today.

     

    The wing mounted searchlight has finally been closed up

     

    003_zpsldsezlz4.jpg

     

    The reflector dish had some PE elements added. These parts were small, it was like trying to assemble a small PE spider, but I got there eventually

     

    002_zpsdd29jsgh.jpg

     

    001_zpsscynwul5.jpg

     

    Next up, I replaced the kit supplied dump masts with some bent pieces of brass tubing. The kit parts are supposed to be butt glued, which means that they would sit at the wrong angle and be at risk of breaking off. I drilled a hole and used some CA to attach the tubes

     

    007_zpsgidrnrui.jpg

     

    005_zpscb0lampq.jpg

     

    006_zpstdcuvjpa.jpg

     

    Turning my attention back to the fuselage, I hollowed out the rudder actuator and added a small PE part

     

    010_zpsp9hqw39c.jpg

     

    Still on the fuselage, more lumps and bumps have been added. Some of these are not mentioned in the instructions but my references show they are present

     

    008_zpsw0sm6y4o.jpg

     

    009_zpsvzgyrmaz.jpg

     

    Final dry fit before masking

     

    011_zpsq9oumf8f.jpg

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

     

  13. G'day people,

     

    Well, after wrestling the canopy seam into submission, I am ready to move on. This aircraft is a natural tail sitter (in real life too in the engines were removed!) so I have I have added about 15g of lead sinkers to the engine nacelles in area behind each engine

     

    001_zpstultpfg3.jpg

     

    I have also added about 45g of lead sinkers to the area immediately behind the cockpit. Of course I should have done this before I joined the fuselage together but I am actually an idiot. It was a tricky affair and I had to remove one of the seats to get sufficient access but I managed in the end. There is also the problem that there is no detail whatsoever aft of the cockpit bulkhead and you can see straight back to the tail if you shine a light into the cockpit. I decided to cut a small piece of black foam into the shape of the doorway but slightly oversized and then pushed this into the opening. It won't stand close scrutiny but will fool the casual observer. Finally, I had a quick rummage through the spares box to find something suitable to add as the joystick controller for the wing mounted searchlight. I found something, I dunno what it is from but it will do!

     

    005_zps5x8dyahh.jpg

     

    The overhead panel was attached to the cockpit and the PE parts for the escape hatches were added using small drops of CA. One of the great things about dipping canopies in Future is that it resists CA fogging.

     

    002_zpsclkumwhb.jpg

     

    003_zpsxpijoycg.jpg

     

    A final dry fit to make sure all the bits will play nice together

     

    006_zpszqo2ozsu.jpg

     

    winning

     

    🙂

  14. On 6/17/2018 at 9:11 AM, Pappy121 said:

     

    Scott that is a great idea! My only reservation is that I want to dip the canopy in Fiture before attaching and that the canopy needs to have an overhead panel and some PE attached internally. Attaching the canopy then sanding it may result in some of these delicate bits falling off? I will have a think about it but it sounds promising,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

    On 6/29/2018 at 9:52 AM, Youngtiger1 said:

    Nice work Pappy, I would say what scotthldr said works. A friend at local club had similar problem with canopy but after it was glued things went on much easier. Looking forward to you next update.

     

    G'day fellas,

     

    I just used some thin cement but made sure the two halves were clamped better this time instead of relying on capillary action alone. It seems to have done the trick because the canopy seam has now been treated and the assembly has dipped in Future to restore clarity and shine.

     

    010_zps3nvqbhsy.jpg

     

    009_zpshglnadgu.jpg

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  15. 14 hours ago, scotthldr said:

    Looking good Pappy, just a thought but would it be easier to clean the canopy seam after it has been attached to the fuselage it would have far greater rigidity?

     

    Scott that is a great idea! My only reservation is that I want to dip the canopy in Fiture before attaching and that the canopy needs to have an overhead panel and some PE attached internally. Attaching the canopy then sanding it may result in some of these delicate bits falling off? I will have a think about it but it sounds promising,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  16. On 6/13/2018 at 6:09 PM, Hooker169 said:

    That’s precisely what I was asking, thanks. I just thought it was a more involved process. I’ve always “lightened” up my tire black a bit but this shows me I need to go all the way to gray. Very effective look!

    Thanks

     

    No probs Hooker, glad that was helpful

     

    G'day people,

     

    I have been working on the inner wing sections today. The underside nacelle to wing joins are not too bad

     

    004_zpswqgzxziw.jpg

     

    007_zps4wqjfmgb.jpg

     

    The upper wing join will need a second application of putty to eliminate 'ghost' seams due to putty shrinkage

     

    005_zpsazxczymp.jpg

     

    I also noticed that the upper surface of the inner left flap has a weird 'step' moulded into it.

     

    006_zpsij38bg3j.jpg

     

    I hadn't noticed it earlier and I would have preferred to deal with it before attaching the engine nacelle, but I will just need to get on with it now. Meanwhile the canopy is being difficult as every time I start to get the centre seam close to smooth, the canopy splits 😞

     

    008_zpsdntgbkur.jpg

     

    Oh well, hopefully the fifth time is the charm!

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  17. On 6/11/2018 at 11:27 PM, CaptainObvious said:

    Fantastic progress!
    I really like the look of the landing gears and the weapons.

     

    20 hours ago, Hooker169 said:

    http://s37.photobucket.com/user/Opsiras/media/Grumman S-2E/002_zpshx20rtgl.jpg.html

    Pappy, how did you achieve that look for your tires?

    BTW, this build looks great, you definitely have skills!

     

    Thanks very much fellas, I really appreciate your encouragement.

     

    Hooker, I am not sure what effect you mean? The wheels are replacement resin items as I am not a fan of the way Kinetic has you trap a single piece hub between two tyre halves as invariably this means eliminating a seam that also means losing the tread details.  All I have done to the tyres is to paint them in a very dark grey (not black ) and then pick out the wheel hubs in semi-gloss white followed by the application of a pin wash using oil paints thinned with some white spirits,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

  18. On 6/5/2018 at 4:27 PM, a4s4eva said:

    great work so far Pappy

     

    Cheers Calum,

     

    I am not shooting for 100% accuracy on this one, just trying to pop some details out. The kit has a number of inaccuracies, some of which are easier to correct than others. The fuselage has accuracy issues as the section aft of the wing is too long and it appears the rear observation windows may be in the wrong spot, more info here:

     

    http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/07/s2f-one-more-time.html

     

    G'day people,

     

    The fuselage is nearly done. The seams have behaved and I only need to re-scribe a few lines before the canopy can be added and I can call the fuselage done

     

    005_zpsh2clkune.jpg

     

    006_zps5pbphsqw.jpg

     

    In the meanwhile, I drilled out the exhaust stubs and attached the engine nacelles to the inner wing sections. It looks like the openings will need some cleaning up!

     

    010_zpsi9ca3g7r.jpg

     

    007_zps5rviarji.jpg

     

    The fit of the nacelles is generally good, however the sections near the wing leading edges have some decent gaps

     

    008_zpsabxnk5rg.jpg

     

    009_zpsmspwcqtd.jpg

     

    I also managed to get some fun stuff done, tin fish anyone?

     

    001_zps6oebavyg.jpg

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

     

     

     

  19. On 6/2/2018 at 4:44 AM, CaptainObvious said:

    Hi Pappy,

    Seriously nice work.

    The cockpit is fantastic and the extra effort you put into the tailhook really made a difference. 

     

    Thanks very much. The hook just did not look right OOB.

     

    G'day people,

     

    Well, I have managed to get the fuselage nearly together, I still need to clean up the seam on the canopy.

     

    006_zpsepuqrd5u.jpg

     

    Kinetic provide the canopy very unhelpfully in two parts, no doubt to capture the bulged windows. The seam between the two front windows will proved very tricky as there is not much frame material separating the clear sections.

     

    009_zpsk4a8ljov.jpg

     

    The upper fuselage has several sink marks corresponding to the location of the alignment pins which will require some putty to remedy, otherwise the fit is not too bad. The fuselage underside went together without any hassles other than having to take care around the large dome

     

    005_zps2zw71f55.jpg

     

    The only niggles I had were with the nosecone which needed a small smear of putty to fair in the lower left side

     

    007_zpszmvbrins.jpg

     

    And the tail. Kinetic have molded the fin trailing edge integral to the right fuselage half, which means that they can achieve a commendably thin training edge, however, the seam on the left side of the fin is pretty deep. The seam also passes through the rudder trim tab but also extends vertically above and below it which will require additional filling to eliminate  and some re-scribing to restore lost panel lines

     

    Right side

     

    010_zps0ethayym.jpg

     

    Left side

     

    012_zpsszzoihby.jpg

     

    The putty is there because I slipped with I slipped with the scriber and now need to re-scribe this line.

     

    Shown dry fitted below, the fit of the wings is also very good, I think you could almost paint these separately and add them at the end of the build - almost that is except that the underside is a wee bit gappy for my liking.

     

    008_zpsdo2zozmx.jpg

     

    Meanwhile I have been busy working on the undercarriage. I swapped out the kit wheels with resin items as I really hate the Kinetic  'wheel sandwich' method of construction. The wheels are only dry fitted in these pics, I will need to find where the flat spot goeas when the jet has her stance set up.

     

    002_zpshx20rtgl.jpg

     

    001_zpshpj0dk7g.jpg

     

    Main gear bays received some light weathering after some small details were picked out.

     

    004_zpshaizsvpn.jpg

     

    The U/C doors have also been painted up

     

    003_zpsqfev6vi3.jpg

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

     

     

     

     

     

  20. 4 hours ago, a4s4eva said:

    I have a walk around here Pappy that may be useful

     

     

     

     

    G'day Calum,

     

    Many thanks for the link, I have already found a bunch of stuff I got wrong!

     

    Seriously, I want to build a RAN Tracker at some point so the walk around will prove very useful when the time comes,

     

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

     

  21. 16 hours ago, Brad-M said:

    Superb work!

     

    Brad

     

    cheers Brad

     

    7 hours ago, DIO said:

    Great work done.

    Will be around, watching!

    Thanks for sharing,

     

    Cheers,

    DIO

     

    Yia sou megale!  (nice Prowler work BTW)

     

    G'day people,

     

     I managed to get a little painting done today.  First up, the arrestor hook has received a base white coat in preparation for (yet more) masking and the application of black stripes

     

    001_zpsgm7rnayf.jpg

     

    002_zps8restndj.jpg

     

    Next up the rocket launchers

     

    004_zpshzfo1cfg.jpg

     

    003_zpsxtmucepq.jpg

     

    The main gear bays where also given a coat of white followed by the application of a subtle wash. From my pictures, it seems that these bays did not get overly dirty so I will keep the weathering effects light.

     

    005_zpsitfvye5j.jpg

     

    006_zpszujrvszx.jpg

     

    Finally, the weapons bay was given several light coats of white to build up the colour density .

     

    007_zpstf2qa9yw.jpg

     

    The details re very subtle and it is very easy to obscure them with a heavy application of colour. I also glued in the sensor dome so that I wouldn't forget when it was time to close up the fuselage. My problem during test fitting is that I am not an octopus and did not have enough hands to hold the various sub-assemblies in place whilst closing the fuselage, which mean things can slip out of their correct spot. I have already fixed the cockpit bulkhead and arrestor hook bays in place by attaching these to one side only and holding the two fuselage halves together with laccy bands until the glue had set. I was going to do something similar with the sensor dome but the attaching point is small and allows some play.  My solution (a sort of Rube Goldberg device) was to attach one end of a strip of plastic stock to the top of the weapons bay  and have the other end resting (i.e. not glued) on top of the sensor dome part

     

    009_zpse2jc1hpv.jpg

     

    This now acts as a sort of spring, preventing the part from falling into the fuselage but with enough downwards pressure to hold the part straight and assist with alignment when the  fuselage halves are being joined. I thought about re-engineering the part to allow me to insert it once the fuselage is together but this is a simpler solution.

    cheers,

     

    Pappy

     

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