Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Pig,

actually it's just the newer Block 52+s that have the different Nose Landing Gear door structure. I suspect the change is coupled with the increased nosewheel size, which allows the max takeoff weight to be 52000lbs. those manufactured in maybe, FY 99?? and before that, have the "old" nose gear door

Sounds good-My references of the Polish jets show this newer nose gear door configuration.

Regards,

Pig

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

great job!!

have you done the canopy yet?

cuz i'm looking at converting for myself a f-16I Sufa, but the only thing holding me back is the canopy. i have no vac form machine which would not have made it easier anyway.. probably using the wood dowel and sand it to shape and then apply layers upon layers of future until i get it thick as plastic.

by the way i noticed the spine itself tapers from midsection onwards towards the cockpit. nicely accuracy there. i just cant figure out the exact angles to scale down from the real plane..

*edit.. oops i just saw the 1st page.. how did you do the mould to put the pexiglass on?

Edited by Tomcat RIO
Link to post
Share on other sites
great job!!

have you done the canopy yet?

Hey Rio-

I'm close to knocking it out-My shop is filled to the brim with furniture from the rest of the house :thumbsup: It's the only place to put it during renovations....I can't even get to my bench right now..

I hope I didn't mislead anyone here. This canopy is a vac-form, but I didn't vac form it. 10+ years ago a hobby shop in Texas sold them...M.A.L. Hobbies. I bought 3 from them. The first I used on my block 42D, and I have 2 left. The canopy is formed out of plexiglass-It's really thick..and really hard, but polishes-out beautifully. I'll probably do a separate thread on the canopy like I did for the block 42D. The last time I did this I vac formed the metal skins over the clear canopy, and embossed the rivet detail. I may use thick foil this time-not sure yet.

Eventually I'd like to master a better canopy for the Tamiya Viper. We'll see!

Regards,

Pig

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...

Hi Gents,

Thanks for asking!

Now that the rest of the basement renovations are done, I finally got everyone else's stuff out of my shop, and then spent the day cleaning it-There was drywall dust everywhere-Soooo, should be back at it any day now. It's nice having the man-cave back!

Regards to all-

Pig

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Gents,

Finally back at it. I've managed to get the gloss coat on in prep for the decals-Here it is all glossed up:

100_7406.jpg

100_7407.jpg

100_7409.jpg

100_7404.jpg

Just before the gloss coat:

000_0003-2.jpg

Since I've taken these photos, I've managed to get all the decals on, and have begun working on the canopy. I'm not entirely happy with the old MAL canopy, so I've also started to master my own. I plan on building both canopies and using whichever one turns out the best-

Thanks for looking-

Pig

Edited by Pete "Pig" Fleischmann
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey Pete,

If you are mastering your own canopy, might that mean you could bless us mere mortals with them so that we can try our hand at a similiar conversion?Its about the only thing that has kept me from tryin' it, and surely once I ruin my kit, Tamiya will immediately release their two holer. So in effect you will be helping us all by encouraging me to chop up my kit. PLEEEAAAAASEEEE :thumbsup:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Looking great as always Pete. I noticed the fall leaves in your last picture. That remodel job took you some time didn't it? Will you be making it up for Buffcon or Noreastcon next month?

I saw a source once for thin plexi, in the range of .020 and .030. If you don;t have a source I'll see if I can dig it up for you. I'm sure your vacform could pull it with ease.

Cheers

Mike

Link to post
Share on other sites

hey pete

it's nice to see you're back on track..i actually use to take a glance evry once in a while at this wonderful converting job of yours.

i'm working right now on a similar conversion for an israeli f-16i 1/32 Sufa and i know what you've been through to get to that fine result.

i'll keep my eye on this topic...so far i enjoyed evry update of yours.

Link to post
Share on other sites

hey pete

it's nice to see you're back on track..i actually use to take a glance evry once in a while at this wonderful converting job of yours.

i'm working right now on a similar conversion for an israeli f-16i 1/32 Sufa and i know what you've been through to get to that fine result.

i'll keep my eye on this topic...so far i enjoyed evry update of yours.

/quote]

Hi Shimon!

I've been watching your too! Your Sufa is outstanding. At 25 years old, you are so far ahead of modelers twice your age! In fact, I think your Sufa is the nicest conversion I've ever seen-I learned a lot from your build. I really enjoyed seeing how you approached the same problems with different techniques.

I know what you went through to paint the Aires wheel well too!

Regards,

Pig

Link to post
Share on other sites
Hey Pete,

If you are mastering your own canopy, might that mean you could bless us mere mortals with them so that we can try our hand at a similiar conversion?Its about the only thing that has kept me from tryin' it, and surely once I ruin my kit, Tamiya will immediately release their two holer. So in effect you will be helping us all by encouraging me to chop up my kit. PLEEEAAAAASEEEE :rolleyes:

hold your horses. we (me and pete) are working something

Link to post
Share on other sites

Frank! Where ya' been? Awesome to hear from you!

Got some more done. Decals, oil wash, flat coat, and fiddly-bits-

100_7432.jpg

100_7433.jpg

Old school stuff on the parabrake. I made it with a blob of Miliput, covered with tissue, white glue, and Tamiya tape strapping:

100_7437.jpg

100_7436.jpg

100_7434.jpg

100_7442.jpg

100_7438.jpg

100_7439.jpg

100_7435.jpg

100_7443.jpg

More weapons coming, and then the canopy-Thanks for looking!

Pig

Link to post
Share on other sites

Pete you just prooved once again why you are one of the best. Set that against an outdoor backdrop and you would fool more than the Iranians. It doesn't matter what kit someone started with or how they get there, all that matters is the finished model. I see many a Best Aircraft in your future.

Cheers

Mike

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ooh,......purty :)

Pig, you astound me (again!)

What a lovely model. All of the little nuances give the machine huge depth. Subtle variances in the colours just like the real deal, restrained use of panel line washes and some beautiful detail painting make this an eye-wateringly attractive build :)

To be honest, I could go on and on but I'd be repeating what everyone else has said. Just a superlative job. I want to thank you for taking the time to post these images here and I'm already eagerly awaiting the batch of finished pics.

Please don't keep us waiting too long buddy!

:D

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...