1/72 Lockheed C-140 Jetstar

[tnuag]

I would like to add a comment on cost....

Yes it is expensive, and the price of our kits continually worries me, but there is nothing you can do. It is not just the cost of producing the masters, the silicone to make the moulds is expensive, and only lasts between 20 and 50 shots (generally in the 20s). I estimate the cost of the actual parts is probably 40 to 50% of the real cost because of these high overheads. The reason for the short life is that every cast sees a littly styrene absorbed into the rubber, which becomes progressively harder/less flexible until the mould is unusable. In the worst case the resin part can become welded to the rubber. Release agents help to extend the life, but that is all you can do.

Equally, we cast everything in a vacuum chamber which drastically reduces the failure rate of castings from bubbles, so you have capital equipment to add into the equation. But even with vacuum, you still get air bubbles at times.

I hope this explanation helps a little.

Neil Gaunt

Aircraft In Miniature Limited

[swallows]

I would like to add a comment on cost....

Yes it is expensive, and the price of our kits continually worries me, but there is nothing you can do. It is not just the cost of producing the masters...

Yes Neil,

you are perfectly right about the costs of producing resin kits.

What *probably* Fang meant saying that this kit it's not worth $76 is that we shouldn't have already filled one forum page with mistakes and inaccuracies of the mentioned kit just after opening the box. This is a recurring story with Anigrand kits: casting quality can vary and we are more or less prepared to repair defects, but what is really annoying is they keep doing inaccurate masters. The lack of flat panels in the windscreen is a typical example: they did it before and is a time cutting measure on the part of who did the master. I can't believe it's poor research because you only have to look at ONE image to note this feature, it's only that they invest very little in the master creation.

If you add the fact that this kits come from China were labour costs are very low (and resin casting IS very labour intensive as you know) there is very little to justify this price apart from its uniqueness.

I actually have a few Anigrand kits, at least a dozen, but I quit buying them a few years ago because everytime I opened a new box I felt being cheated.

Fabio

[VADM Fangschleister]

Fabio,

You said it perfectly. Thanks.

Perhaps the only thing that would make me not buy this kit is if it was just as bad as the AirModel kit. Though I applaud the effort of some kitmakers, it is frustrating to find them lacking in certain areas, and consistently and repeatedly at that.

I doubt that the average teenager who's into modelbuilding will float the money to purchase something like this. But there are no absolutes and even I, with my narrow abilities, will fix those things that bother me the most.

I should've mentioned that the cost of the kit is not out of alignment with the cost of production and uniqueness of the subject and...that I am eternally grateful for the kit. It's been a long wait and any/all errors are fixable. At least, I can do that but for the people who are looking for 100% accuracy OOB, it's hard to find, even with new injection-molded kits.

As for pointing out errors, I'm simply doing to to alert other ARC'ers on what to expect and sure, nit-pick a little. It's a very important subject for me, this particular plane and as I move along with it, I will just post what I find.

However, I have already purchased and received a second kit from Anigrand. I like it, overall and will simply just tweak it to my satisfaction. The tailcone is not that glaring, but the windshield glass kind of is. Regardless, it's a great place to start and the dimensions match up overall and in the end, it will be a nice little jewel to have in my display case.

At this point, it's a labor of love and I'm having a hoot of a time with it. I didn't realize it but I actually started working on it without even thinking about it. Wing tanks are on, and I've done some "adjustments on the wing-to-tank inboard fillets.

My next question was if the pax windows are located correctly. I fear they are not. That means....decals.

More later....

Fang

[dhtrident2e]

In the 007 movie, ***** Galore welcomes Bond into: "Mr. Goldfinger's Lockheed Jetstar"......

I wonder how much Lockheed paid for that.

Movie apart, beautiful airplane, great looking model, pity that's not 1/144.

They were a common sight in SJO in the 80s and early 90's mostly with Mexican registrations.

[EDWMatt]

In the 007 movie, ***** Galore welcomes Bond into: "Mr. Goldfinger's Lockheed Jetstar"......

I wonder how much Lockheed paid for that.

Movie apart, beautiful airplane, great looking model, pity that's not 1/144.

They were a common sight in SJO in the 80s and early 90's mostly with Mexican registrations.

Anigrand has a 1/144 Jetstar in their C-141 kit. Sometimes they group some of these small kits as a separate release, so here's hoping!

[VADM Fangschleister]

Anigrand has a 1/144 Jetstar in their C-141 kit. Sometimes they group some of these small kits as a separate release, so here's hoping!

Yes, here are the parts as they show on their website:

If someone has the C-141A kit and can part with the 1/144 C-140, maybe you can get some satisfaction.

[Ben Brown]

Don Schmenk sells a 1/144 Jetstar. He says he's recently updated it, too. His models require more cleanup, but can be built into neat little models. I just need to scrounge up some decals for mine, and I also have to go back and remove a scoop on the leading edge of the fin. Apparently, he used a drawing from somewhere that shows this! Don hangs out on the smallscalemodels Yahoo group.

Ben

[VADM Fangschleister]

OK, so being as it was a nice day out, but I'm sick as a dog, I took advantage of the time to rest by prototyping a new tailcone. I borrowed heavily from Pig's mastery of forms and shapes and made a cross-sectional form of the new tailcone to eventually mold a replacement.

Here's how:

First, you print the drawings that you need to the right scale, in this case 1/72.

Then, cut them out and use them as templates to cut the Evergreen plastic forms.

It's important to keep them at 90 degrees but need not be perfect. It's just a little easier. The small filler blocks of balsa help. They also allow you to use less body putty.

Then, a quick trip to the local car parts shop and I picked up some of this:

Follow the directions, work quickly (it needn't be pretty) and put on a few layers of this glop. Its curing time depends on how much hardener you use. Too much and you'll only have a minute or two to get it on there. Too little and it takes a lot longer to cure.

I used enough and it cured quickly so that in 15 minutes I was after it with my Dremel, doing the initial shaping with a sanding drum.

The initial results. More putty was needed and then more shaping.

I will get the basic shape, then I will add a small bit of evergreen strip where the vertical stab meets the fuselage and do some blending. The neat thing is that if I do it wrong, I can grind it away and try again. This is admittedly a first effort but I have done similar things on a larger scale.

Once the tailcone is the way I want it, I will cast one half, then the other out of resin, with a hollow interior to prevent tail-sitting and hopefully it will look better. I doubt it will be perfect but I hope it will appear more accurate than the way Anigrand molded it.

I'll post more later.

Thanks for looking.

Fang

[VADM Fangschleister]

Got the new tailcone basically shaped out. According to the micrometer, it is the correct diameter.

Here's a good look at the final shape, but not the final product. Much to do yet.

And how it compares to the kit. As was mentioned the tailcone seems to have a straight taper while the new tailcone has the more bulbous appearance, as given by the drawings and comparing more favorably with photos of the real jet.

The kit's fuselage will get cut just ahead of the forward engine locating hole and the new tailcone that I just made will be cut to allow a "step" joint to assemble right into the back of the existing fuselage. That is, once I cast it in resin. However, there is another task to complete on it and that's the area where it fairs into the bottom of the vertical stab. So I will cut a piece of Evergreen strip and glue it to the top of the new tailcone, then blend it in with putty. I will repeatedly compare it to the width of the kit's vertical stab so that when I assemble it, it will look au natural.

Hope all this stuff is interesting. :)

I'm having fun anyway and AIM-9, if you're watching, let me know how I'm doing, OK?

Cheers

Fang

[VADM Fangschleister]

The tail fillet and the blending of vertical stab housing to fuselage.

First, I cut some Evergreen sheet to be the foundation.

Then glued it in place.

Then, a quick mix of Bondo and smear it on there, making sure I have enough so that when I blend the two parts there's no weird gap.

Then, after it cures, I work slowly, one side at a time and carve it to shape. I used some heavy grit sandpaper for rough shaping, a Dremel with a sanding drum on VERY low speed, the battery-powered one, and also some round grinding bits to get the shape close to final and some needle files and finally a finer grade of sandpaper to finish it up.

In the end, I'll have a more accurate looking part and I've already modified the kit vertical stab to glue right on top of this part. I had to grind away the lower portion of it but it will look perfect once mounted to this. I have to use some spot putty to finish up the surface detail and smooth it all out, then a coat of primer and a gloss paint to keep it from sticking to the mold.

More later, Thanks for looking.

Fang

[aim9xray]

You betcha I'm watching! Great work! My only thought to add would be to perhaps sharpen up the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer fairing. Although you may have already done so. it's a little hard to tell in the photo.

Another thought, I'd bet that this will be a tailsitter - better plan ahead...

(But not as bad as the old 1/72nd MicroWest Sabreliner - it had white metal cast engine nacelles! And no landing gear, but that's another story...)

[VADM Fangschleister]

Hey AIM9,

The new part will be cast hollow and looking at the L/G, the mains sit wayyyy back but I'll see how it works out using a ruler and the parts laid out on it. With this much resin in a tiny space...anything can happen.

The fairing for the vert-stab is a funny animal. It's a hollow thing in reality, as you know and I've carved it to mainly match the kit part where it will join up. And, the photos kind of don't do my work justice. It looks better in person, actually. And it is sharp on the LE and seems to compare well to my photos of the jet. I do need to re-work the very bottom/aft section though because there is a position light back there and the fairing goes all the way back to the tip of the tail. It's possible that not all Jetstars were thus equipped, however. So...I'm mulling it over.

But thanks for taking a look. Also, the L/G is only resin. Scary. Not sure what to do....though I may consider wire replacements with the resin glued to that. Not sure about that, either.

I do know the cabin door will be slid open and the ladder out. Next will be the cockpit windscreen fix....have no idea how to tackle that yet. Just an idea. Not much else.

More later

Fang

[Jennings]

So... what would it take to get a resin copy of that bad boy from ya??

J

[72linerlover]

Great job, VADM

Reddy to produce aftermarkets for that kit!

Euge

[VADM Fangschleister]

So... what would it take to get a resin copy of that bad boy from ya??

J

A bazillion jillion zillion dollars.

Just kidding.

The thought had occurred to me to supply those in need of "tail", so to speak, but I'm not at the casting stage yet and this whole thing could become a modeling disaster. So don't jump the gun yet, folks, though I appreciate that you think it's going to be good enough for general consumption.

So far so good but I'll leave it up to the participants to decide what's a fair price. I don't have any means to secure payment, though I do have a paypal account...but I generally haven't done anything like this except for me, myself and I.

I would hate for to make an enemy should things go askew. In the world of business, I always seem to "buy high, sell low" and other business leaders seem to think I'm up to something. ha ha.

If this thing turns out ok..then I'll see. But I also need to make the replacement cockpit transparency. That should be relatively simple. But then, I haven't planned for things I don't know about yet.

So hang tight gang. Thanks though for the confidence boost. Certainly it looks better than the kit tailcone.

I'll do some more on it later today.

Fang

[VADM Fangschleister]

I used the spot filler putty to fill in some blivets on the surface left by air holes in the original Bondo. I just basically covered the whole thing and then sanded it back down. It helped to put it in the oven at 170 degrees to get it to harden. Otherwise, I'd wait until tomorrow.

After sanding:

Then a coat of automotive primer and I STILL didn't get all the holes filled. So...will do another spot-fill later tonight.

[VADM Fangschleister]

As many here know, you have to check and re-check over and over to make sure things are going ok.

I wetsanded the part after two coats of automotive primer and have most of the bumps, dips, etc worked out. But putting the new part next to the old for comparison and to make sure it's what I want.

The red line represents the new join line. The kit part will be cut right at the red line, the new part will have a step joint to it where the red line will meet the cut in the kit part.

So far, everything looks A-OK.

[VADM Fangschleister]

Test fitting the tailcone.

I don't have the tools to make perfect 90 deg cuts on compound curves, so I had to use the Mk 1 eyeball and though I did a fair job, I'll have to add putty and sand and adjust.

However, the first effort is looking good and All I have to do is get it to fit better and that will take some hours of adding putty here/there and I also need to adjust the shape of the vert stab fillet. It's canted to one side and looks wrong. That's easy enough to fix, however. I just didn't notice it until it was lined up with the rest of the fuselage.

Ongoing-------

One more for the "fun factor"

Edited April 20, 2010 by VADM Fangschleister

[VADM Fangschleister]

First casting. It is solid resin. Shouldn't be a problem for potential tailsitting, but, I'm postulating a hollow casting or, just routing this one out.

Oddly, it has divots all over it. Small, microscopic. I wetsanded the master ultra smooth so I can only say it got bubbles on it during the molding. It doesn't bother me (much) as I'll just putty them and sand them smooth, but this is turning out to be harder than I thought. Not in a negative way...it's all a great learning experience. I'm having a blast making this part.

Superglue will be the main adhesive to get it affixed to the model. I will post a pic with the part taped to the fuselage some time later.

Thanks for looking.

Fang

[Jennings]

I'm still game for a resin copy!

J

[VADM Fangschleister]

Here it is affixed to the model with tape. My hack job on the back of the fuselage resulted in some error and I will most likely repair any gappage with superglue. In any case, it's better than the original in terms of shape.

Jennings, you flatter me. Thanks.

Not sure what happened but the part seems a bit on the narrow side. Perhaps in my efforts to adjust, it shrunk just a micro-hair too small. I know I can work with it but others may be a bit put off. After seeing your exact drawings I can honestly say that my resin tailcone is nowhere near that level of perfection. I didn't exactly slap this together but it IS a prototype, if you get my meaning. It suits the purpose and that's about it. Model skills will still be necessary and I would be VERY careful where I cut the fuselage. I still believe just ahead of the front engine pylon index hole is best but I think I'm going to have to taper the area where the join begins just a bit. Not much, but enough to make it fare in well with the rest of the job.

I also detected what I think is a possible flat spot near the very tip of the tail. Guess I'm getting old eyes.

But if you want one, I can probably pour one or two. Contact me off-board and we'll set something up.

Still need to figure out how to make a hollow one. May have to make another cone to fit inside during the pour process.

Edit: I ground out the insides of one of the castings, making it a LOT lighter. I have cast four copies and will make a few more.

After realizing the copies were all too small in diameter, I had to reexamine my casting method. Noting the clamp to keep the mold together was too tight, I slackened it way off and got a much larger diameter end product.

I've cut open the passenger door and will scratchbuild a set of stairs. Have lots of photos of the real thing to copy. Will also start working on a mold for the cockpit transparency. Will add some detail to the interior, build a nice cockpit and at the moment, I have to cut the resin down flush with the bottom of the door in order to make it correct.

Lots of work to do on this little 1/72 jobber. The tailcone was just for starters.

Thanks for looking.

Fang

Edited April 26, 2010 by VADM Fangschleister

[Jennings]

Speaking of JetStars, tell me THIS ain't purdy!?!? :lol: Photo from Airliner World, cleaned up and meshed together for reference here...

J

[VADM Fangschleister]

One of the best shots I've ever seen of that bird.

Are you thinking artwork J? This, the blue and silver federal paintjob and perhaps the Canadian red-stripe bird?

The federal one can be cobbled together with the Minicraft DC-6 kit decals, I would guess. The "United States" lettering would probably be just about right.

(correction: The DC-6 kit doesn't have the modern colors for Truman's plane, perhaps the VC-32 decals would be better for the "United States" script over the windows)

But then, you have the ability to do anything you want. You have no idea how envious that makes me.

Then there's Elvis's jet, Goldfinger's jet...a few others.

I suspect the most popular would be the presidential livery.

Nice photo, thanks for posting that.

Fang

Edited April 26, 2010 by VADM Fangschleister

[majortomski]

Here's what N1 was wearing when I first saw it in 1988, just before it went out the door as scrap. Most Jetstars were retired for cracks in the machined aluminum skins, they had integral stringers.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Federal-Avi...72a70e6262189d8

[ArtworksIII]

OK, then...enjoy!

Drawing dated 1 Dec. 1959.

Is this a group build? Could you send me a set of your line drawings? so I could carve up a HoundDog TCB from pine? Thanks ArtworksIII