doctorpepper Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 actually i would think that most, if not all, the USAF fleet are on orange maintenance free batteries by now.. i have a feeling most of the FMS countries have already gone that route too. So no reason to see blue battery boxes in the wheel wells, for current jets... in my book, it's as important as the lawnmower plates drPepper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 actually i would think that most, if not all, the USAF fleet are on orange maintenance free batteries by now.. i have a feeling most of the FMS countries have already gone that route too. So no reason to see blue battery boxes in the wheel wells, for current jets... in my book, it's as important as the lawnmower platesdrPepper Agreed on you comments, we use the same book of reasoning I was worried you were going to say something about tinted canopies & radome colors, doh, better be careful there.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmel Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 actually i would think that most, if not all, the USAF fleet are on orange maintenance free batteries by now. They are. Have been for years. Any progress to share, David? Jake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 They are. Have been for years.Any progress to share, David? Jake About done with the canopy, had to scratch build all the framing. Primed it last night and the flaws really stick out now. May post a progress shot later at the stage it is now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 (edited) Ok, as promised, here is the canopy as it stands now, a little crude but a work in progress. Still need to figure out how to do the canopy hooks.... Edited January 8, 2008 by drhornii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 (edited) These are the steps I used: Glued .080 square styrene with chamfer cut on one side and glued into inner canopy frame Seams & contoured areas filled with Tamiya epoxy putty Plastic strips added to center post frame & aft frame. Holes drilled through canopy & frame. (drilled before I looked at Jake's book & found out center frame is double row of fasteners, oh well. Plastic rod added for fasteners (trimmed but did not fill to reveal fastener heads, may fill later, not 100% convinced I like that look, reveals crooked fastener rows) Copper wire used for grab handles Edited January 8, 2008 by drhornii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gary F Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Nice work, David. Similar point of work is coming up on my B and D and always nice to see others work to get ideas. I didn't think about drilling thru the canopy ... was going to try making dimples in strip and just gluing that piece on the inside frame areas. But, we'll see. again, nice work. Gary F Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doctorpepper Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 i wouldn't recommend allowing the fastener heads to be too obvious - they're usually flush with the transparency, if freshly changed, then would be a copper colour, but if was in the paint barn last, it would most probably be black. hardly noticeable in my opinion drPepper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zach Falzon Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 2 words...."I QUIT". That is one awesome looking model. Great attention to all the details and your work on the pit, wheel well, and canopy, they are flawless. It is by far the best Viper i have seen so far and i will definitely be following this til the end. Great Job :D Zach Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 That's really a remarkable job on the canopy. I've never seen anything quite like that done before. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 4, 2007 Author Share Posted December 4, 2007 i wouldn't recommend allowing the fastener heads to be too obvious - they're usually flush with the transparency, if freshly changed, then would be a copper colour, but if was in the paint barn last, it would most probably be black. hardly noticeable in my opiniondrPepper Thats what I figured about the fasteners. I just need to mask the canopy to prevent scratches & fill rivets. I also need to sand down the raised line marking the center post frame since I painted that section a little wider than the kit. The kit frame was a little thin compared to reference pictures in The (ultimate) Modern Viper Guide book. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PavelS Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 (edited) I´ve read the discussion about the batery and I think I´ll have to change it on my already built kit :wacko: I did batery in blue - I assume my practice to make some details on kit according to photos rather than instruction sheet not works without faults :blink: It´s good to have Viper specialist here!Thanks Edited December 5, 2007 by PavelS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Amazing level of details being built into this model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 Amazing level of details being built into this model. Honestly, it could not be done with the Modern Viper Guide (shameless plug) and the way Jake describes what you are looking with a little history other than just "its a battery" is amazing. Some books fill pages with paragraphs of stories, specs...but this book uses the space mostly for ref photos and the text is spot on without too much fluff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 :unsure: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmel Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Honestly, it could not be done with the Modern Viper Guide (shameless plug) and the way Jake describes what you are looking Well, cool. Thanks! Jake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PavelS Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Well, cool. Thanks!Jake Absolutely agree, I am waiting for your book right now (it is ordered from afterburnerdecals about a week) and looking forward for it!I must say "thank you" too, because I saw it some time ago and in the same time it comes as "necessary to have one". Pavel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 (edited) More progress this week. I used December to build my F-117A for silly week. A welcome break in building the Viper. Just applies dull coat. Still need to do weathering etc....The decals (other than the tail & unit specific markings) are dry transfers from Hobby Decal. The Unit specific markings are a mix of Experts choice, low vis tail flash & canopy names from the artist that did the Experts Choice markings. Thanks to Jakes book, I was able to add extra details such as the gun gas vent door & other useful items. Edited January 5, 2008 by drhornii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 (edited) Closer shots of the dry transfer markings on fwd fuselage & canopy names. Had to take liberties and put my name on the fwd canopy rail......artistic license? A few pictures of the cockpit using my new camera allowing me to manual focus. Litening holes cut out in rudder pedals. Edited January 5, 2008 by drhornii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmel Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Excellent work, David! That looks really good. Jake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodney Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Great work! I like the extra detail that you've put into it. Rodney Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-1 Nut Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Whoa.... Where did all of this progress come from? Looks awesome! Can't wait to see here finished in person. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Whoa....Where did all of this progress come from? Looks awesome! Can't wait to see here finished in person. Welcome back from Alabama, will show you soon. Not sure if I want to bring it to the meeting Monday night. All the greasy fingers from eating pizza do wonders to ruin a paint job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Najk Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Agree with others, looking gooooood..!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 here is what I did to the aft lights on top of the fuselage. I painted the deep holes white then poured Alumilite "water clear" over the holes. Sanded them flush to the fuselage & masked the small section of aft side & painted model. Not the latest version of what the lights look like (NVG compatible) but not the awful Has version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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