Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Looking great-Very cool Idea! I might have missed it, but what kit are you using? Looks nice!

Regards..

Pig

Pig,

Thanks for the nice comments. The kit is the ESCI 1/48 scale #4061 Jetranger from many years ago.

Well, while on a training mission, the aircraft experienced a "HARD LANDING"! Upon inspection, the front windscreen, chin bubble, and tail were detached from the aircraft.

CGJR20.jpg

Upon closer inspection, I noted that the windscreen was poorly fit to the fuselage. As this is my first aircraft build, I had assembled the fuselage, dipped the windscreen in Future, then applied the masking tape. The windscreen was glued in place without ever being dry fitted to check and adjust the fit... LESSON LEARNED!

CGJR21.jpg

Now, the question is how do I fix it? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I obviously also have to re-attach the tail, which will probably be drilled, pinned , and glued to provide some additional strength. The anti-glare panel will be masked and painted. The chin bubble will be cleaned up, and reattached as well. Originally, I had used Testor's clear cement. Any other ideas regarding the clear parts? Do you place a bead of glue all the way around the window opening, or just in certain spots?Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Finally, you will notice that the skids have been painted a dark gray. The floats have also been painted this color. They will be attached towards final assembly. Thanks for following along.

Sincerely,

David

Link to post
Share on other sites

What are you using to attach the clear parts. If you use the "clear parts" testors cement, you shouldn't have a problem putting a bead all the way around. Looks like you may need to trim a bit to get it to sit properly, or it should have been mounted up before painting. Main reason I say that is because if you have to trim bits now, you may have to repaint. It seems easier to secure the clear parts, mask them, then paint.

Wait a sec....after looking at the pics above, did you have the clear parts on while painting? Looks like a little white on the windscreen. Hmm.... Someone else may better answer this one.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I concur on putting a bead of the Testors Clear Parts glue, or any PVA-type glues (Elamers School Glue or the like) all the way around the windscreen to fill any gaps as needed. I do the same. Then you can paint over it to hide andy uneven areas.

And watch out on those landings in the future. :)

Edited by HeavyArty
Link to post
Share on other sites

Okay Guys,

I have made some progress. The floats have been repainted and glued to skids. The windscreen has been glued back in place using Microscale Kristal Klear, and is awaiting remasking and final gap filling:

CGJR23.jpg

CGJR22.jpg

I finally decided on a "high visibility" scheme for the rotor system. Couldn't decide which way to go, paint or decal stripes? So, I figured that decal stripes would be a little more foregiving.

CGJR24.jpg

The only challenge was that with such small decal strips, they kept wanting to rotate and follow the length of the blade. A combination of Micro sol, and Solvaset, along with a diligent nudge from my brush got them in the right direction.

CGJR25.jpg

Here is the project where it stands now.

CGJR26.jpg

I have to assemble the main rotor system, re-attach the tail, touch up the paint, remove the window masking, resand, redip(Future) the chin bubble and re-attach and tackle many other details. As always, any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Sincerely,

David

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

Well,

After several weeks on the "back burner", the Jetranger is back on the bench. I felt that the kit supplied main rotor mast was just too weak and spindly(is that a word)?

MainRotorSupport01.jpg

I thought I would try my hand at making one out of brass and plastic.

MainRotorSupport02.jpg

Although it lacks some of the detail of the original, it definitely is stronger, and fits into the hole in the top of the fuselage(since I glued it together prior to placing this piece - OOPS!). I painted it up, and attached it to the rotorhead. Glued the whole thing together - I was pretty excited to see my first helicopter model coming together!

USCGJR029.jpg

I also placed the regular skids underneath, just to see the difference from the floats. I may paint these up, and not glue either pair in. This would allow me to change the look as I wish. Still lots to do - touch up paint, re-glue tail to tailboom, etc. The Stars and Bars decals became worn from handling, despite Future(must have been too thin over that spot), so I will be replacing them. Hope to have this one wrapped up soon.

David

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

Happy New Year Gents!

Well, I have been able to squeeze in a little modeling time between family, work, and the holidays. This project is nearing completion. While it is not perfect, it is my first helicopter - hopefully one of many more to come. I did learn many things from this project, and that is what it is all about(as well as having fun). I still have to add the pitot tube, antennae, paint the anti-collision lights, etc. I think that I will go with the floats instead of the skids, as they are just different- you don't see many aircraft models with them. I am working on a wooden display base - also another first for me... I will post completed pics once everything is finished... Thanks for looking as well as your helpful comments and constructive critiscism. ARC is a great forum!

CGJR28.jpg

CGJR29.jpg

David

Link to post
Share on other sites

HI

I agree with you the floats are different. I like it.

Your helo turned out really nice. Its great to see bright colored helos on this site.

I know Coast Guards helos are always spotless.

If you were to do the same helo tomorrow what would you do different? Spend more time on paint, more time on building, more details? This is a question I always ask myself.

If it was my build I would have painted the whole helo in a darker color first as an undercoat. I would have built up the white color using various nuances of shading with the darker color underneath. This is only it was my build.

I really enjoyed reading the various steps of your Ranger build.

Oliver

Link to post
Share on other sites
HI

I agree with you the floats are different. I like it.

Your helo turned out really nice. Its great to see bright colored helos on this site.

I know Coast Guards helos are always spotless.

If you were to do the same helo tomorrow what would you do different? Spend more time on paint, more time on building, more details? This is a question I always ask myself.

If it was my build I would have painted the whole helo in a darker color first as an undercoat. I would have built up the white color using various nuances of shading with the darker color underneath. This is only it was my build.

I really enjoyed reading the various steps of your Ranger build.

Oliver

Oliver,

I have never done any "preshading(is that the correct term?) or washes before. I would probably try them on my next build. I had thought about applying a wash to the vents on the engine cowling, but the detail of this particular kit as well as my thick paint/Future coats led me away from trying this step. Although I did a lot of reading/research on appying Future/masking the "glass", I need to work on developing this skill. Dropping the model and breaking loose the windscreen and chin bubble didn't help either... Thanks to everyone for their encouragement, constructive critiscism, tutorials, comments.

David

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

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...