CraigSargent Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 (edited) Hasegawa 1/48 kit with C&H Aero Miniatures TAV-8B conversion (some parts of the conversion anyway - the set is a real stinker with poor or no detail and a large amount of pin holes, especially on the seats and rear instrument panel) and Aires nose wheel bay (already fitted). The C&H nose is a single piece and not a good shape. It was sectioned and joined with the kit nose parts in an effort to get something more useful. Still have to finish detailing cockpit sidewalls, scribing nose and tail resin parts. Going to use tubs, panels and seats from a pair of single seaters to detail the interior as the C&H bits are unusable. Have also filled the underfuselage chaff/flare dispensers and in the process of scratch-building the underwing actuator fairings present when the pylons are removed. The only pylons will be the two already in place, which I plan to load with TERs and 6 x PP Aeroparts BDUs. Have also modified the wings to reduce the angle in the kink. Edited April 27, 2010 by CraigSargent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lock n' Load Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 First TAV-8B i see in this site! I will see this build everday:popcorn: Good luck! :( Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 This will be interesting to watch! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
modelsntoys Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I wish someone would make a NICE 1/48 2-seater conversion set for the Harrier and for the 2-seater A-7. My skills aren't sharp enough to do the C&H conversions any justice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
agelos2005 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 good luck mate with your new quest!!!! Hope everything turn out the way you wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 Some progress. These pics are a little old, back when I was planning on using a couple of spare pits from the Hasegawa kits. Am now shoe-horning a pair of Aires pits into this kit. I have also added the nose from another Harrier as I couldn't be bothered trying to scribe round the C&H nose with all the pin holes in it. Since this pic was taken have fitted the tailplanes and underwing TERs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chappie Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Very cool. I like it so far. I love seeing models of not-so-mainstream aircraft. I did the C&H F-100F conversion a few years ago.....lots of sanding. Chappie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Jeez...this is turning into a conversion of a conversion kit... Jens Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bugfan Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Hey Craig, nice going so far sir. I understand what yu mean by a DAWG of a kit the C & H conversion is. Mine had a really large bubble in the nose and huge steps where it met up with the rear headrest. I got frustrated with it and set it aside for about a year. Just recently I started to work on it again, its at this stage now... Still need alot of little details added, and of course flat coated!! Good work on a dog of a conversion, Jack aka BUGFAN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chappie Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Looking good, Bugfan. Are you going to start it up again? Does anyone make an TAV-8A conversion? I like the look of that jet with the long stinger. Chappie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Neat looking so far. You must like those Harriers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Su-34 Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 Whowwah! This one will look nice when finished! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Intruder_bass Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 Nice looking plane! Where I can get this conversion? Does it include facuform canopy? Decals? Thanks for any hint Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 Actually, I would NOT recommend this conversion. Alitaliane did one which is specifically designed for the Hasegawa kit, but is OOP. They still do a T.10 conversion (the British 2 seater) which would be a better starting point for a TAV-8B. Try www.misterkit.com who are the manufacturers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Bringing one back from the dead. After leaving this one as it was in the images above for over a year, found some fantastic images on the internet, which give perfect side on shots of the nose and tail of the TAV-8B and in high resolution allowing me to be able to discern panel lines. Armed with those, I found that the shape of both the C&H nose and my initial attempt are horribly wrong. I have since ripped off the nose and rebuilt it. I've also closed up the nose halves and added a pair of Aires AV-8B cockpits, the back one with lots of modification to get it to fit and swearing. Starting to look like the aircraft now. The impetus to get this finished is that some of the VMAT-203 aircraft are now wearing the newer two-tone grey scheme (no more gunship grey on the upper surfaces). Will post some images of progress later this week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Awesome!! I´d like very muych to see this convertion Quote Link to post Share on other sites
slick95 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Very nice! Can't wait to see more! SLICK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Overall view of current state of affairs. Compare to the images above. Reworked nose section showing two Aires AV-8B cockpits fitted. Grey/green is the Milliput used to get correct shape after surgery, which involved making the nose shorter again, more angled and slimmer (about 10 saw cuts in various places). The forward instrument panel and windshield are just placed to see how they look/fit. Below the nose is the rear instrument panel which had to be cut down to get the right size and shape for the TAV-8B rear panel. Close up of the cockpits. Sidewalls still have to be fitted (my next step in the build). Underwing shot showing surgery scars to reduce the kink (just beside the outrigger wheel fairing), actuator fairings which are there when no pylons fitted (made from the cut down pylons in the kit), and the TERs from the Hasegawa weapons set, awaiting detailing. Little bit of Mr Surfacer still to tidy up. Note that these are the only pylons that the TAV-8B uses and they don't use the gun pods either. Edited June 18, 2009 by CraigSargent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Ahhh crap!!! After trying to figure out why the canopy didn't fit and the angles looked off, and then studying some more images, I have found that the vac canopy and kit windshield are going to need some serious modification. On the single seater, the windshield rear edge is square to the bottom of the windshield, i.e. the rear corner of the windshield in profile forms a 90 degree angle. On the two seater, the hinged canopy section has the right angle on the front leading edge. This may not sound like a difference but compare the two pics to see what I mean. So basically all TAV-8B kits I have now seen have got it wrong. This is going to take some creativity. The other problem is that the bottom of the two seat canopies have a flat extension on them, whereas the vac canopy parts don't. Looks like I am going to be scratch building the whole of the tranparencies (and I want them open... ) Edit: Found some better images to illustrate the point. Edited June 18, 2009 by CraigSargent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted April 27, 2010 Author Share Posted April 27, 2010 Been a while, but back on this one. Some updates. Cockpit sidewalls finished and cockpit almost ready for paint. Still have to scratchbuild canopy framing and a rear instrument panel. Have also pencilled in details yet to be added aound the hump area. Nose gear, doors and LIDS door installed. Final nose profile and scribing of panels started. Tailfin removed to finish adding panel lines and rivets as per the full size aircraft. All panel lines now added, but they won't show clearly until after I've primed the resin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Craig, what did you use to scribe the rivets & panel lines on the resin? They look good. I'm ok with scribing plastic but I've always been hesitant to scribe rivets/panel lines on resin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted April 30, 2010 Author Share Posted April 30, 2010 I use either a standard needle in a pin vise or the Hasegawa round scribing tool item TT1 Not my pic, but this is the Hasegawa item and it is very good The trick to scribing resin is to use a good edge to run the scriber against and keep an even pressure so as to avoid digging in to air bubbles and defects. Ocassionally I'll still have to repair and rescribe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 I use either a standard needle in a pin vise or the Hasegawa round scribing tool item TT1Not my pic, but this is the Hasegawa item and it is very good The trick to scribing resin is to use a good edge to run the scriber against and keep an even pressure so as to avoid digging in to air bubbles and defects. Ocassionally I'll still have to repair and rescribe. Aha! I have this one. I usually use it to scribe curves, circles, ovals, etc because I like the ease of hand control. You can hold it just like a pen. For the repair & rescribe, what putty do you use? I've tried Tamiya grey putty but it sometimes crumbles upon rescribing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted April 30, 2010 Author Share Posted April 30, 2010 I only ever use CA to repair scribing mistakes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Thanks for the tips, Craig! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.