Blackcollar Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 (edited) Hi Folks; Sorry it's taken so long for another post. This one has been fighting me all along... After falling down the stairs at work (I'm much better btw), I tried to get some work on this beast. I tried Radu's Rivet-R tool. Very nice tool, but I require more practice. Anyway, I secured the wings to the fuselage, and tried to put the guns back on, but was not please at all on how they looked underneath, haivng tried to drill the convex form of the wing's leading edge. The drill bit went everywhere. So I had to remove them. I was then told of the middle gun being higher then the outter guns. So I made some new insert blocks which I drilled while they were still in rectangula form. I then shaped the wing's outter shape, and dry fitted the new guns. -Al Edited October 25, 2008 by Blackcollar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 (edited) Continued... I gave up on the rivetting, and glazed the wing to get rid of the rivets. Of course, by then I realized the fuselage also had rivets. Sigh, back to Surfacer 500... Once all the sanding was done, and for the 7th time, re-scribed the panels , I darkened all the panel lines in black, then started filling in the olive drab. I blended the overall colour. Added some white, and highlighted the overall panels and fuselage. Added more white, and finished the highlighting. Notice the control surfaces, the raised ridges are lighter than the lower parts of the fabrics. After looking at the overall effect, I thought where's the canopy... Sigh..... More tomorrow... -Al Edited October 25, 2008 by Blackcollar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 DISASTER STRIKES I was doing so well... I had the fwd canopy attached to a stick with blue tack, and it fell off. I rolled over it with my chair. I had painted the underside colour this morning, along with the black. I am so discouraged... -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brady Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I am so discouraged...-Al Good lord man! Don't be. Look at what you've done. From where I sit, you've done one hell of a number on a simple, and pretty cheap little kit, and it's looking bang-up great. Snoop around here on ARC and see if someone can't spare a P-40 canopy. If not, check this out: http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=SQ9537 Hope this helps. Keep up the great work. -Brady Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Griffin Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Brady is right, what you did so fare is wonderfull job on this outdated model! If you want mine, or better, the Squadron vac set designed just for it, send me a PM, as they will never find good use anyway..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Wow, what a great effort. Genius. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share Posted October 26, 2008 Thank You ALL; Brady, you're the man! I just put in the order to squadron. Looks like I'm back in the game!! :huh: Cheers and thank for the encouragement. I really was in the dumps and feeling low. -Al B) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boscosticks Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 i hope that your leg comes together as beautifully as your p-40 !!! brilliant work :huh: it's looking fantastic!! B) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brady Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Thank You ALL;Brady, you're the man! I just put in the order to squadron. Looks like I'm back in the game!! Cheers and thank for the encouragement. I really was in the dumps and feeling low. -Al Hey no problem Al! You've really got a great model there... now bring it home mister! I'm anxious to see this one when it's complete. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Nice progress there despite the accident you had. Hope you can keep up the good work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 (edited) Continuing on... I worked on the drop tank this weekend. At first, I dry fitted the tank with the supplied brackets, but it looked so awful, and very low. So I chased down some technical drawings of the P-40 drop tank and noticed there is a bomb release type bracket between the tank and the fuselage. The drawing I found also had a vent tube going from the top of the tank to the bottom, going along the centre line of the tank through to the back and back again. I also noticed the securing arms had articulated pads to go to the tank. The arms are more flat than round, and have wires to re-inforce the whole arrangement. So I got started with the tank. I fabricated the bomb release, the filling tube, the securing brackets from the tank straps to the bomb release, the straps of course, the suction tube, and other bits. After pre-shading, I applied the grey paint to the fuselage and tank. You can clearly see the articulation hinges on the fuselage and tank. The arms will come next, once the glue has had a chance to set. All for now, still, that took a few hours to complete. Thanks for looking. -Al Edited November 2, 2008 by Blackcollar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Cheslo Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Love the super-detailing on your drop tank, Al. Fabulous job! :) Have you received your replacement windscreen from Squadron yet? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Love the super-detailing on your drop tank, Al. Fabulous job! Have you received your replacement windscreen from Squadron yet? Thanks Jamie; No, I have not received the replacements yet, but it should arrive any day now... I'm really looking forward to completing this model. Got three in my stash, and wondering which way to go next. -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Joyce Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Your work continues to amaze me, Al! I look forward to seeing this build completed. It's obviously been a labor of love. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Hi Folks; Well, things had a chance to dry properly, so I spent an hour tonight finalizing the drop tank. First I added the rear swing arms, then the bracing wires, then the same was done to the forward end. I still have not received the windscreen replacement parts. That will be my next part. Thanks for looking! -Al Edited November 5, 2008 by Blackcollar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cemical Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 You are like a surgeon. Great job nice work Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 You are like a surgeon. Great job nice work Thank you Sir; I have to admit, I now have to use magnifying type glasses, and tweezers as my eyesight is wearing away... At 47, now I can't see far, but can't see too close either. I wonder if that laser pointer would do the trick... -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brewer Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Wow, excellent work! Paint looks great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chukw Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Use the Force, Al! This is looking great- I can't believe how you're lifting this old kit up to standard. That drop tank is fantastic- cheers! chuk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
upupandaway Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) You´ve done some interesting work on this kit. The cockpit and bays already looks very nice and I guess with the rest it won´t be any different. Edited November 7, 2008 by upupandaway Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 10, 2008 Author Share Posted November 10, 2008 HI! I just received the squadron vac canopy a few minutes ago. It's a bit late in the day, but I'll be working on that this coming Tuesday. Good thing I did not get rid of all my pieces in the mean time, I got the fwd, and sliding pieces, not the rear/side windows. Word to the wise. I've never worked with a vac canopy before. Any tips before I cut in would be welcomed at this point. Cheers; -AL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Cheslo Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Hi Al; Loving the progress on your landing gear and drop tank. That extra detailing will go a long way in the realism department! As far as the vac form windscreen goes, I can tell you what I do. First, I take some plasticine or blu-tak and make a ball of it, and place it on the inside of the canopy, so that while you are cutting, the canopy will not lose its shape or "squish" out on you and make your job a lot more difficult! <_< Choose a substance that is malleable but hard enough to give the canopy support. Also make sure your substance does not leave behind a residue that will mar the clarity of the canopy. Next, I take a FRESH #11 blade, the sharper the better, and I begin to LIGHTLY score along the the lines where you cut out your canopy. I just keep on making several light passes until the blade cuts through the plastic. It will not take very long, as the vac form plastic is very thin to begin with. The light passes will better enable you to make your cut neat and clean. After the canopy has been cut out, take a sanding stick and lightly sand the edges smooth. It is a process that does take some practice and some patience. Hope this helps you out, good luck! Looking forward to seeing more progress on this fabulous build of yours! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 18, 2008 Author Share Posted November 18, 2008 Been a while, but this thing is still going on! I cut the newly arrived canopy. I was debating wether to have it open or closed, but thought it would look better open after all. I applied white glue to set the fwd canopy, but had to use tape to hold it in place. I added the rear wheel doors, which I changed to thin brass sheeting for scale. I then applied a overall coat of future. Here is a close up of the external tank with the bomb release installed. Cheers for now, and thanks for looking. -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Cheslo Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Looking fabulous, Al! Well done on the vacform canopy! Still loving that incredibly detailed drop tank. :P Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Turning out very well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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