1/32 Academy F-18D to CF-18B kicked up a notch.

[chuck540z3]

The Eduard mesh set I used on the intakes also has mesh for other places, like the forward lower panel that I put a reinforcement strip around above. Fortunately, since this stuff is really hard to install cleanly, I won't be needing it here because the photoetch brass is made for a "C/D" model and not an "A/B". I can, however, install the mesh at the back, just forward of the exhaust nozzles on the top and the bottom. the Eduard set gives you 2 options: One set is just inserted into the existing kit mesh or you can cut out the kit mesh and place the Eduard mesh from behind. Since the first option is not much of an improvement, I chose the second option like this.

First, I used a scribing tool to score the kit mesh deeply.....

.... then I used a Dremel tool to grind off plastic from behind, otherwise the depth of the mesh will be too deep. This step is tricky because the Dremel tool will grind all the way through the plastic if you're not careful. I chose a depth that was much thinner than the the kit plastic, but still thick enough that I had some strength to the plastic and a small margin of grinding error. When the plastic is thinned, you can see where the scribing tool has made its marks when held up to a light, helping you direct where the grinding should occur. When sufficiently thinned, you can use a modeling knife to cut out the kit mesh....

.......and now the final result of all this cutting and grinding. The mesh is held from behind using CA glue along the grill edges, being careful to avoid getting any glue on the mesh itself. Remember, you have 4 of these mesh grills on the top and the bottom.....

On to the intakes and engines! Thanks for your interest.

[dpwatson]

Now they look soo much better than the original parts. Nice job man.

David

[chuck540z3]

Now they look soo much better than the original parts. Nice job man.

David

Thank you David! I appreciate the encouragement. Now for those intakes and burner cans.

I've always had a real tough time painting the interior of the intakes, especially on this bug with such long and narrow ones. Even with the wider DMold intakes, painting the white inside without getting spray dust and a sharp clean demarcation line is almost impossible. Well, almost.

In the Tools and Tips Forum, I discovered the latex paint dip method, but it was really demonstrated best by Pete "Pig" Fleischmann in his F-16 Block 60 build here:

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....howtopic=195268

Since I need at least 18-24" (at 1/1 scale) of light ghost grey paint before the white in the intake, my method of dipping the intakes is a little different than Pig's. I first attached the front intake piece to the seamless pipe, carefully sanding the join to make it as seamless as possible. I then used eggshell white latex rather than something glossy, because all the pics I've seen show the intake white to be rather dull, probably due to dirt and weathering. I then dipped the entire intake from the bottom and pushed it down into the paint can until the paint just about hit the bottom of the outside intake lip. Since the paint is very viscous, I had to push the intake further into the paint on the outside so that the inside was up to a level I felt looked about right- the inside of the intake paint level was about 3/8" lower than the outside due to surface tension of the paint. The thickness of the paint made me a little nervous, because I had visions of a thick mess drying inside my pretty new DMold intakes. I then raised the intake out of the paint and let the paint run off for about 2 minutes, then set it aside vertically in a margarine container. Overnight, the paint dried into a very smooth and thin surface, so much so as a matter of fact, that my seam was still visible. Being braver now, I re-dipped the intakes again for a second coat, then let them dry at about a 45 degree angle so that the paint would pool easier in the seam depression, but still allow the paint to drain out the bottom. This turned out to be a total success after drying a second time. Now some pics.

Here the intakes are drying after the second dip. Don't worry about blemishes on the outside, because you'll never see them after they are installed....

Note the nice clean demarcation line and smooth interior surface. Also note the interior paint level is lower than the outside paint level. Make sure you keep the intake very level when pushing it into the paint and work slowly....

As discussed earlier, I apparently have burner can GOLD by acquiring the MK1 resin exhaust nozzles some months ago. It turns out they are no longer made, so if you find some, grab them! They blow away both the kit and Black Box nozzles by a mile. They come in 2 pieces with an interior piece that's separate, which will make painting it a lot easier with no masking of the outside can. Here's a pic of a dry fit after cutting both pieces off the resin blocks. Note the position of the interior piece vs. the petals of the outside. There is a slight stagger, so make sure you glue the interior part of the kit piece accordingly if that's what you're using (pic is still off a few degrees, so check your reference pics)....

Unlike the Aires gear bays, these nozzles are a perfect fit. They are just slightly smaller than the surrounding mounting ring, which is what you want. The kit burner cans are a bit too big. I also sanded one of the intake compressor fans at the hub to remove the point of the kit part, because the real deal is domed and blunt. The unaltered kit part is on the top.....

Unfortunately, the rear of the MK1 exhaust has a slight angle to where it would attach to the flame tunnel. I also had alignment issues with the kit parts the last time I built this model, so I figured out a solution that should work really well.

If you follow the kit instructions, you'll find that you need to glue bits to the engine you'll never see, like six G-30 "spacers" (or whatever they are). It's clear by the detail of the engine and these spacers that Academy had plans to have a removable engine, just like the 1/32 Tamiya F-16CJ Block 50 kit. By gluing the kit intakes to the kit engines, the rear of the engines may be out of alignment, making a smooth installation of the exhausts very tricky. Why not just cut the engines in half? All you need at the rear of the intakes is the compressor fan and all you need behind the exhausts is the flame tunnel and rear plate. In order to get rid of weight, I cut the engine into thirds like so. The small part at the right is for the intakes, the part on the left is the flame tunnel and the part in the middle goes in the garbage. No turning back now!

Here's a pic of how I plan to put things together. Once I paint and detail the flame tunnel and exhaust, I'll glue them together and just slide them in at the end of the build. I won't need to mask these parts because they won't be there and there will be no alignment issues. The flame tunnel is very light now, so with some CA glue reinforcement from behind, it can be free floating in front of the nozzles.....

Thanks for checking in.

[chuck540z3]

One more thing. The MK1 exhausts have rivets on the inside of the petals to hold ceramic plates. When cooked up real warm doing air show stuff, they can look pretty light/tan, like this pic of an F-18C I took a few years ago. Note the "rivets"....

The bird I'm building, however, is "old school" and it doesn't have the ceramic plates. Here's a pic of the exhausts on it, again a few years ago. Kind of boring....

In checking other CF-18 pics, it turns out that some have the ceramic plates and some don't. 188719 that is currently doing air shows has them, so maybe it's an upgrade? Although I'm trying to replicate the bird I photographed in 2007 in every detail, I really like the interior detail of the MK1 exhausts, which have the rivets for the plates, and I'd like to add a bit of white/tan for color contrast. Do I stick to the old engine and keep it accurate or "upgrade" it to the new? What would you do?

[Medevac71]

Nice work !!!

[Rraab]

Wow...I've been trying to come up with some feasible way of getting that F-18 intake 'demarcation line' far enough back (Tamiya tape?- kinda' works, but difficult...liquid mask?...risky - might take several tries to get it right...).

Your solution to this was so brilliant in it's simplicity!! Genius! Problem solved! You are now my hero :D .

About the exhaust "issue": Considering how difficult it would be to create the inner fastener detail (other than 'one dimensionally' painting 'em on), I think it would be a real shame to just fill that stuff in...opinions may vary, but I say leave 'em - the tan/ orange ceramic panel color would also add more visual interest...(or, alternatively, I bet I know someone who'd take 'em off your hands... :D )!

Thank you, Chuck, for sharing such a great idea! (not to mention awesome reference photos & aftermarket parts comparisons)!

Edited January 13, 2010 by Rraab

[Pete "Pig" Fleischmann]

Chuck-

Outstanding job on the intakes! Brilliantly simple-gotta love that!

Love watching this project move along..You are doing an awesome job (as usual) and I appreciate seeing the updates! Always good for a blast of inspiration-

Regards..

Pig

[ALF18]

One more thing. The MK1 exhausts have rivets on the inside of the petals to hold ceramic plates. When cooked up real warm doing air show stuff, they can look pretty light/tan, like this pic of an F-18C I took a few years ago. Note the "rivets"....

The bird I'm building, however, is "old school" and it doesn't have the ceramic plates. Here's a pic of the exhausts on it, again a few years ago. Kind of boring....

In checking other CF-18 pics, it turns out that some have the ceramic plates and some don't. 188719 that is currently doing air shows has them, so maybe it's an upgrade? Although I'm trying to replicate the bird I photographed in 2007 in every detail, I really like the interior detail of the MK1 exhausts, which have the rivets for the plates, and I'd like to add a bit of white/tan for color contrast. Do I stick to the old engine and keep it accurate or "upgrade" it to the new? What would you do?

Chuck

CF-18s tend to have engines swapped around somewhat regularly as they break or come up for inspection. It would not be at all surprising to see 910 sporting a different engine for a few weeks, then having another one installed the next month; there is no attempt made to match left to right engines or to have any exact replacement when needed. My suggestion is to go with the ones that look best to you - just claim they were recently refurbished.

I can't say I've noticed those ceramic plates on CF-18s, but it is possible that they are relatively recent additions. Our simulators don't have those modelled...

If you'd like, I can wander through the hangar at 425 across the street from my office and let you know what I see for engine exhaust interiors in that sampling.

ALF

[ALF18]

Thanks for mentioning the idea about how to fix up the exhaust pipe to nozzle alignment on this kit. I have found myself having to add in some spacers to hold them in about the right place, but they always stressed the nozzle attachment point a bit, and made it necessary to keep checking they hadn't become misaligned as the glue dries.

I'm very much a proponent of modifying things that can't be seen; your chopping of the engine into sections is exactly what I'll do with my next big Academy Hornet!

Those mesh screens just forward of the nozzles look very realistic they way you've done them up. Lots of work, but worth it.

ALF

[chuck540z3]

Chuck

CF-18s tend to have engines swapped around somewhat regularly as they break or come up for inspection. It would not be at all surprising to see 910 sporting a different engine for a few weeks, then having another one installed the next month; there is no attempt made to match left to right engines or to have any exact replacement when needed. My suggestion is to go with the ones that look best to you - just claim they were recently refurbished.

I can't say I've noticed those ceramic plates on CF-18s, but it is possible that they are relatively recent additions. Our simulators don't have those modelled... :P

If you'd like, I can wander through the hangar at 425 across the street from my office and let you know what I see for engine exhaust interiors in that sampling.

ALF

Thanks Dan. I'd like to know how frequently they may be used and whether or not it's an upgrade or just different. Airliners.net a really good pic of our air show bird, 188719, from the rear at the link below. Not only does this prove that CF-18's have them, but its a great pic for painting inspiration. I need to replicate that cool light/dark contrast in my build! This pic also proves that the engines are not always totally closed at rest, which should help those using the Aires exhaust cans that look about the same.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-phot...7/9/1613978.jpg

Edited January 13, 2010 by chuck540z3

[Scooby]

In checking other CF-18 pics, it turns out that some have the ceramic plates and some don't. 188719 that is currently doing air shows has them, so maybe it's an upgrade?

I worked CF-18s from 1999 to 2007. It is an upgrade, CF-18s did not have the ceramic in the time frame that I worked on them. And from what I understand there are not many with them on now.

And I hate to say this, but I think 910 is chopped up now and never had the white ceramic exhausts. The nose section is used by recruiters. I am fairly sure it is 910 but I could be wrong.

[Marcel111]

Chuck, very courageous and successful work on the intake.

Yes, you sure did score with your exhausts. My take on the light colored ceramic lining of the nozzle is that all F404's of a certain period had the light lining--all F/A-18D models have engines with the lighter lining so I am assuming they are fairly late builds. That said, very late Hornets (e.g. Finnish Hornets) have F404's with what appears to be a darker ceramic (but still with the "rivets").

I would guess that Canadian Hornets sometimes receive new or refurbished engines or just new or refurbished nozzles. The nozzle lining would seem to be something that needs to be periodically replaced due to heat exposure.

Marcel

[Ken Middleton]

Chuck, you are doing an amazing job, with such attention to detail.

I also want to thank all those contributing info on the specifics of Canadian Hornets

It's a great thread

[chuck540z3]

And I hate to say this, but I think 910 is chopped up now and never had the white ceramic exhausts. The nose section is used by recruiters. I am fairly sure it is 910 but I could be wrong.

Thanks for the info Scooby. The aircraft that are cut up now are 909 and 914, but I'm not aware of 910 suffering the same demise. I have pics of 909 at last year's Stampede. Kind of interesting and sad at the same time.

[Scooby]

I would guess that Canadian Hornets sometimes receive new or refurbished engines or just new or refurbished nozzles. The nozzle lining would seem to be something that needs to be periodically replaced due to heat exposure.

Marcel

The entire time I worked on them we had the same stock of engines which went to engine bay. We had spares in storage. The white ceramic is only a recent addition and is on only a few aircraft.

[chuck540z3]

I would guess that Canadian Hornets sometimes receive new or refurbished engines or just new or refurbished nozzles. The nozzle lining would seem to be something that needs to be periodically replaced due to heat exposure.

Marcel

Since I can prove that some CF-18's have them (like 919 above) and the engines are often swapped out and replaced, I'm going with the ceramic look. The "regular" cans just look too boring.

[MaxPower]

Since I can prove that some CF-18's have them (like 919 above) and the engines are often swapped out and replaced, I'm going with the ceramic look. The "regular" cans just look too boring.

Sometimes you need that artistic license. I've been known to sacrifice a detail or two for something that looks cool!

[chuck540z3]

Sometimes you need that artistic license. I've been known to sacrifice a detail or two for something that looks cool!

What I wound up doing is a bit of both. First some pics of the real deal:

An F-18C i took a pic of in Vegas. Note the off-white ceramic petals inside and the rough, multi-shaded and complex petals of the outside....

... and the interior of 188910....

With these pics for inspiration, I set out to work. First, I gave the exhaust nozzles a coat of flat black paint inside and out. This is to create both a darker under surface and it helps the Alcad I'll use later stick to the plastic. The interior of the flame tunnel appears to be a dark brownish color and it has a mesh-like surface to it, so, with nothing else to use, I cut a bit of bug screen up and painted it and the tunnel a light chocolate brown. Those compressor plates at the back were painted a sort of light blue using MM # 2074, followed by a thin coat of Alclad steel....

After painting, I created some tubes of the bug screen, overlapping 2 layers so that there was a tighter mesh. The exhaust nozzles were lightly sanded to create a streaky look, then I masked off areas that I wanted to remain dark with thin masking tape. For the outside of the nozzles, I then used Alclad chrome in small blotchy patches, followed by Alclad steel. For the insides, I used a slightly yellowed batch of flat enamel white....

Now some results after painting, assembly and dry brushing some soot on the insides. Taking pics of these cans was very tough, because the streaky look to the outside of the nozzles appears to be rough, but it's really very smooth. I didn't get the color balance just right either, because the insides are slightly yellowed. These engines are now "plug and play" so that I can insert them at the very end of the build. No alignment issues to deal with now that the tunnels and the cans are glued together first....

Getting pics of the inside proved to be harder still. How do you shine a light down a tiny tunnel and still get a pic without the light source in the way? Anyway, I think you can see what's inside with these pics. There are no interior seams any more, thanks to the bug screen. Make sure you position that light colored ceramic dial at the back at about "7:30" when you finally glue them in. For reference, check the 2nd pic from the top....

Thanks for checking in.

[chuck540z3]

Every model has a "I hate this" part. For the Tamiya F-14A, it's all the rescribing of all the panel lines that are raised. For the Academy F-18 kit, it's the intake assembly. No matter how you assemble the kit intake parts, there's going to be some gaps and alignment issues.

If you are using the kit intakes, I highly recommend that you attach the front part of the the intakes on to the lower fuselage first, then attach the intake tubes later, which is the opposite of the kit instructions. If you attach them last, like the instructions call for, you will have gaps and the intake fronts won't fit flush with the fuselage. Putty helps, but it's usually still a mess. My last build is all of the above.

The DMold intakes, however, are very close to what is needed for a clean tight fit to the fuselage. After the latex intake paint has dried, here's a pic of the intake fit on the bottom. It looks a little messy with CA glue and a few gaps, but it's a lot better than the kit parts...

Another shot of the bottom. After cementing the front intake parts, I laid down a thick layer of ordinary white glue between the intakes and the Aires gear bays that support the intakes to keep things from ever coming loose. Of course this took a lot of trimming and fiddling with the fit, but it turned out pretty good...

Here's a shot of the bottom after a LOT of sanding of CA glue and putty. If I ever check out another Academy F-18 build, this is the area I'd check out first because it's the Achilles heel of the kit. If this area looks OK, there's a really good chance the rest of the build is OK. The area between the intake fronts and the fuselage is especially challenging because it's so tight for room. I didn't get a good pic of this area, but trust me, things are flush and smooth in there.

To check out my work, I applied a thin layer of paint to see where the flaws are, because CA glue is clear and you may not see build gaps until it's too late. Looks OK to me, other than a bit of a gap on the right hand side that's thicker than a normal panel line for this intake. All the rivet holes were re-punched with a needle due to a lot of sanding erosion....

Now a plug for a local distributor of after-market stuff. Leading Edge Model Works makes a "Paint Masking Set" (#32.001) for the Academy kit which I'm now using for the first time. There are foam plugs for the gear bays and all sorts of masking tape and masks for future build items like the canopy and false canopy on the bottom of the front fuselage. There's also masks for the wheels, walkways and many other things- all for $8.00! Are you kidding me! I'd pay that for the wheel well plugs alone! For the record, I've never met or exchanged info with Leading Edge. Good thing I'm also using their decals.....

Those DMold intakes look terrific now. What a huge improvement over the kit parts...

Thanks for looking in.

Edited January 18, 2010 by chuck540z3

[GreyGhost]

Awesome work, Chick ...

Gregg

[rom]

those exhausts are very nice!!

... like your intakes! well done!

bye

[Blackcollar]

That is some awesome work

-Al

[Voltaire]

Chuck obliterating difficulties one after the other, effortlessly... Talented artists make it look so easy...

[chuck540z3]

Chuck obliterating difficulties one after the other, effortlessly... Talented artists make it look so easy...

Thanks, but I have been tempted many times to launch a build straight into a wall. Sometimes things go right and sometimes....

Anyway, this little project tonight went fairly well. The CF-18B remains grounded and unscathed- at least for now.

One of the things I did on my last Tomcat build was to open up the vents at the top of the engines. It didn't seem like such a big deal before I started it, but after I was finished, I was very glad I did it. It really made the model come to life a bit more, so I did the same thing on this build.

First off, let's show a pic of what I'm talking about. Here's the top of 910 looking straight back from the cockpit. Getting a decent pic of this vent is hard, so this will have to do for now.

I count 5 vent blades, but in hindsight, there's at least one more at the front or back I can't see. Oh well, I don't think anybody will notice too much if I only made 5 and there should be 6. Just don't tell geedubelyer or John W!

The first thing to do is to cut out the fake vents of the kit. To do this, I thinned the plastic again with the Dremel tool so that I could get the plastic thin enough to see where to cut from the back by holding the upper fusleage up to a light. I start by using my scriber (on the right), then I use my knife and cut out the vent hole (left)....

Next, I made a couple of vents using some .02" card and some .01 X .06" strips for the vent blades. These blades maybe should have been wider (another 20/20 hindsight observation), but they turned out OK with a coat of Alclad Steel....

I painted the inside of the vent slots on the top so that I didn't have to mask anything off later, then I put a bottom plate on the vents and also painted it Alclad Steel. This is so that you can't see all the junk inside the fuselage once everything is sealed up. I also added a couple of angled vent blades at the second vent hole at the very front, from other pics I've seen of this detail.....

Now some pics from the top.....

.... and if you think the kit vents still look OK, look again. You can also notice that I'm starting to rescribe all the panel lines, which are fairly vague and sometimes crappy.....

Thanks for your continued interest.

Edited January 21, 2010 by chuck540z3

[chuck540z3]

Ken, GreyGhost, rom, Voltaire and Blackcollar. Thanks Guys for the support!