dmthamade Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Been a while between updates, but i have been working away. I finished fitting the fairings and i have to say, they didn`t require a lot of putty. Most of the work was grinding/scraping/sanding the fairings to size. The putty was used on very small areas. Pics below show results. The seam to join the intakes to the fuselage bottom is not as good, requiring much fill and work to fit. I lost some detail here, have to think how to restore it. I also fitted the fuselage/wing assembly to the lower part. I like the way Tamiya uses screws to hold parts together, also with the addition of the resin parts, this is a heavy build. Made this seam with the step, since the build will be stored with the wings swept it will be accurate. Next part will be the tail stiffener plates from Steel Beach, then paint cockpit, front fuselage assembly... Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HS-4Grandson Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Don, I had some issues with my Wolfpack Designs Conversion on my build of VF-103, I had a gap issues with my due too it being over sized for my Tamiya Tomcat. I had to use alot of putty for both of the sides of the GE conversion. I was thinking the same thing about the Revell and Wolfpack for their sizing of the conversion. So they do match up very well, then I will have to find me a Revell Tomcat for my next Big Tomcat Build. Stanton Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Looking real good Don. Nice work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 I was thinking the same thing about the Revell and Wolfpack for their sizing of the conversion. So they do match up very well, then I will have to find me a Revell Tomcat for my next Big Tomcat Build.Stanton Hello Stanton, the fit is really good except for one part on the upper fuselage. I`ll get pics up to post. Would take a bit of work to correct, but not too bad. Starting on the forward fuselage now, and all the builds i`ve seen of the Big Cat show a considerable gap between the forward and main fuselage. Most fixes involve sheet stock and putty. I`m not crazy about using large amounts of putty, and with careful trimming and cutting i got the gaps closed up. This pic shows the gaps before any work is done This shows where careful scraping and sanding got rid of the gap behind the canopy There is also a sizable gap between the forward fuselage side and intakes. This i closed up with a careful cut to the fuselage sides. I used a Olfa styrene cutter and cut through right above the triangular part. The pics below show where the cut is made and the flexibility the sides gain. Dryfitting the parts back, i used a spreader bar made of scrap sprue to push out the sides and closing the gap. Even with a aftermarket cockpit installed the bar will not interfere with the pit. End result shows the gap is closed up behind the canopy and the fuselage sides. Will still need some fill on the side seams less than it would have been without the mods. The bottom plate with the Sparrow recesses will need shortening as well, no pics of it. When i do install the forward fuselage assembly i will leave the lower part off. This will allow me to glue in reinforcements along the seams. After that is done i will glue in the bottom. Well, tomorrow i`ll start painting the cockpit. That will take a lot of time as i`m not that great at cockpit work. Thanks for the encouragement jimz66, helps to keep the build going. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 good fitting work!! bye!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 good fitting work!! Aint that the truth. Nice work man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
geedubelyer Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Very inventive Don. Thanks for sharing your technique for getting a good fit here. Erick Swanberg has an alternative which does involve a shim of plastic card. Now I can have a close look at both options when I eventually get to that stage. I'm eagerly awaiting some progress on your pit. :) :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
r0t0rdr1ver Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hey Don! Looking really good so far. I really like your technique for lining up the fuselage parts, might have to try that one also! Look forward to seeing more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anders_Isaksson Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thanks Don for the clear description on getting the forward and main fuselage together, this will be very useful for my build. Great work on your Tomcat so far, keep it up! Cheers, Anders Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thanks for the feedback, guys!! Hope it will help with anybodys future build. One word of warning, the canopy may not fit properly if you do a canopy closed build. Pushing the sides of the fuselage out may make the canopy narrower than the fuselage. Other issue will be the part behind the RIO `pit may also be narrower than the opening. This should be easy to fix with either fill or shim stock. This build will be canopy open so i`m not too worried. Starting the final cockpit work today, have the pits and coamings painted an even shade of grey. The amount of detail that shows after a single coat of paint is amazing, just hope i can do it justice with paint. Something that has annoyed me on previous builds has popped up again. The Teknics seats have no molded in belt detail which means i have i add belts and buckles, something i`m not that great with. I ordered some Legend Productions seats as they have molded in belts, Great!! Comparing the two, i find a big difference in size . The pics below show the Teknics seat in grey is much smaller than the Legends seat. :) The Legends seat is much nicer with more and sharper detail and the size looks right when fitted to the pits. Problem is i have the pits fitted with shims on the floor to fit the Teknics seats. Darn. Two steps forward, one step back. I`ve been finding this a lot with aftermarket seats, and all manufacturers are guilty of it. Anyway, pics below. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hacked away at painting the cockpits the last few days. Never have good luck painting `pits, usually have to paint/strip/paint at least 4 times before i`m happy/can tolerate the results. These pits took 3 tries and i was okay with the results. Still have a bit more to do, some more drybrushing and MiG Pigments weathering to do. One pic until i can finish the rest of the weathering. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack-Swiss Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Very fine paintwork sir...you choose the teknics or the legend seats in the end? Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Very fine paintwork sir...you choose the teknics or the legend seats in the end?Cheers Hello Jack! I chose to use the Legend Production seats. I found the detail and sizing were better than the Teknics seats. Not exactly sure where i left off before the crash, i`ll do the best my memory allows. Gluing the forward fuselage to the main fuselage, i was able to eliminate all but two gaps. Using the spacers of sprue made everything fit tight. There were some low spots that i fixed with superglue, and i will be rescribing this area soon The only gaps were at the side joint near the front of the seam, I should be able to clean these up with Mr. Surfacer. This pic gives an idea of the placement of the sprue expanders. I used three to make sure the complete area is covered . The reason i had to do the horizontal cut on the forward fuselage, is the top of it would have been forced down by the expanders, causing a large step between the front and main fuselage at the very top. Also kept the alignment correct on the bottom panel and forward fuselage. Pic also shows how i used sheet stock to reinforce the seam. Not much else to show, i do have a lot of subassemblies and the landing gear built. Finalized the weapons for this build. I will load it with: 2 X GBU-12 LGBs from the Academy F-16, staggered on Phoenix pallets 2 X GBU-31 JDAMs from the Academy F-16, staggered on Phoenix pallets 2 X AIM-9L Sidewinders from the kit, on shoulder pylons 1 X AIM-54 Phoenix from the kit, on left glove pylon 1 X AN/AAQ-14 Lantirn pod from the kit, on right glove pylon Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Okay, long time between updates. I managed to complete the main part of the build. i finished the scribing on the spine area and applied the Steel Beach stiffener plates. I did manage to mess up the inner plates on the vertical tails, have to think about getting replacements. Just noticed i have to apply the refueling door part. I`ve been working on the canopy detail parts included in the Teknics set that uses brass and resin. Have to tell you, the install of the parts wasn`t too bad, glued myself to the parts only three times!! Fit was OK and they really add detail to the canopy. I don`t know if i will use resin or PE again, stuff can really test my patience. After the canopy is assembled i will start painting this beast. Haven`t done a lot of navy/marine birds so applying and weathering will be a new experience. Anyway, some pics below. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 nice details!! good job! bye Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Nice work Don, keep up the good work. Looking very good so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hey Rom, jimz66, thanks for the encouragement!! Been a while since the last update. Managed to paint the build, now i just have to clear coat it and do the decals. Pics below. Nah!! just the preshading. Haven`t preshaded anything in a while, never turned out for me. The problem i had before is the colorcoat over the preshade always looked too thin, the plastic color would show through. This time i painted the entire build with FS36375, that way grey will show instead of plastic., i hope Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Nice work on the preshade. Interesting use of the red in between. Nicely done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 nicely done! you are right to do the preshading over a grey coat. bye Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Hi guys!! I did the red/brown to give a different color to the preshade effect. Putting a base coat of grey down worked for me this time. There is no evidence of any plastic showing. Managed to do the color coats yesterday and tonight. I lightened the 3 greys with white, how much i used was a complete guess. I find the 3 greys are close in shade when lightened, the pics i see of the real thing look like one color is used. The plane i chose wasn`t too heavily weathered, so a lot of the preshading is covered, i will also be doing a panel wash and post shading with MiG Pigments on this one. Any way, some pics below, then it`s time for bed. I keep thinking the end is near, but then i look over at all the other stuff still to do. Probably another two weeks. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twhite80 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Its looking pretty special! Keep it up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Manuel J. Armas S. Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Nice Paint... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 good job!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack-Swiss Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Nice paintjob Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
geedubelyer Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Oh yes! The paint is looking splendid Don :lol: (You did n't really pre-shade the word "USAF" on the right wing did you?) I like the contrast between the TPS grey and the black fins/skunk stripe. Very eye-catching. I'd planned to do an all grey bird but this has got me thinking now...... Please post more soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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