Steve F.'s Revell F-14B

[Steve Filak]

Thanks, Jamie! Actually, all I do is heat the sprue over a candle, and when it starts to sag, I stretch it out to arms length for really thin sprue. There's no real rhyme or reason to it, the only thing that I do is to continually spin the sprue over the candle flame so that it heats up evenly. Also, before I stretch it, I wait for just one second before stretching it, and then I'll hold it taut for about ten seconds while it cools. With just a little bit of practice, you can actually stretch sprue to the width of human hair.

Thanks once again for the kind words - they're very much appreciated. ;)

[Ken Middleton]

wow Steve....the fellow oppressor does build!!!

Those nozzles and gear look great!

Glad to see you back in action!

[Steve Filak]

Thanks, Ken! I forgot to take photographs of it, but I also scratchbuilt a LANTIRN pylon using the kit's Sparrow pylon, and I'm working on the 'T' adapter for the pod itself. That shouldn't take too long, but I do have to go back and make some corrections to the pilot's IP coaming, and add the HUD. Again, not too big of a deal, but it would have been easier to get it right the first time.

As far as weapons, I'll probably use the Sidewinders from the kit (although the noses need a bit of re-shaping), the LANTIRN pod, a GBU-31 JDAM, and a GBU-16. More pics to follow later this week.

[skuki]

Very nice, this is some serious scratchbuilding, I especially like the seats.

;)

[Steve Filak]

Thanks, Marko. Actually, this is a serious case of AMS....I could have had three Hasegawa Tomcats done in the time that I've spent on this one, but I just had an urge to try the R/M kit one time. You can bet that from now on, it'll either be the Hasegawa or Academy kit from now on.

[doctorpepper]

hey steve - about those exhausts, if you haven't put them in yet, you might wanna use a scribing tool and just scribe lines perpendicular to the exhaust flow.. or put little bits of sheet styrene to represent those lines. I did that on my last build (a blk 50 viper) - heavily AMS afflicted too, and I'd never think of doing the exhaust petals in HALVES... good call on that one ;) Here's what i mean:

when you apply a wash on that, or drybrush, the lines will kinda stand out.. I was ATTEMPTING to replicate shawn hull's nozzles - i don't think i did too well there!

You seriously have to teach us how to use milliput to make the coamings and those seats! and perhaps the dimensions of the LANTIRN pod adapter and the bomb racks would be nice, so we can do our own! (not me though, I built 4 tomcats for the GB this year, and my display case needs some variety - i can imagine how Andy Mullen's display case looks like)

are you gonna put FOD covers on this bird? or handle the intakes - filling and all?

Edited October 24, 2005 by doctorpepper

[smithery]

Way to go Steve! Good to see you back at the hobby bench after all this time. You have some pretty impressive detailing going on in this build.

O/T: I also saw in another post that you have given up the cancer sticks. Good luck with that as well. I feel your pain. 4 months, 3 days since my last cigarette.

[Steve Filak]

hey steve - about those exhausts, if you haven't put them in yet, you might wanna use a scribing tool and just scribe lines perpendicular to the exhaust flow.. or put little bits of sheet styrene to represent those lines.

David,

To be honest, I thought about doing that, but after wrestling with these things for some time, I'm going to leave them as-is this time. However, I'll probably do that with future builds. Problem is, I need to start prioritizing so that I can actually get this thing done. :)

Intakes will be open, and unfortunately, they're not perfect. I may still have another go at eliminating any seams in there, but I might just as easily just paint it and forget it. We'll have to see how that goes as things progress. FWIW, I really wish that Seamless Suckers would make intakes for these kits - that would take 90% of the headache out of the build.

You seriously have to teach us how to use milliput to make the coamings and those seats!

I'll definitely do that at some point. As far as dimensions go, I pretty much just eyeballed the bomb racks and LANTIRN pylon. I'll see if I can't measure them up and get some dimensions for you.

Nice job on that Viper, BTW! ;)

[Steve Filak]

Way to go Steve!  Good to see you back at the hobby bench after all this time.  You have some pretty impressive detailing going on in this build.

O/T:  I also saw in another post that you have given up the cancer sticks.  Good luck with that as well.  I feel your pain.  4 months, 3 days since my last cigarette.

It sure does feel good to be actively working on a project again - thanks for the kind words! As far as the cigarettes, I'm coming up on seven months now, and I think that I might actually have it licked this time. I'm finally getting to the point where I'm not having daily cravings anymore. It would still be easy enough to go right back to them, but I'm determined not to do it this time.

[Steve Filak]

You seriously have to teach us how to use milliput to make the coamings and those seats!

Piece of cake! First of all, I should mention that I take no credit for developing this technique. I learned this technique from Gordon Stronach over at PlanetFigure. If you want to see some truly amazing figure scratchbuildi8ng/sculpting, take a look over at

http://planetfigure.com

Anyway, back to the coamings. I discovered after looking over some references and reading Blair Hall's article here at ARC (you can see it here), I came to realize that the pilot's IP coaming was all wrong for a B Tomcat. I cut it apart, boxed it in with sheet styrene, and added some basic shapes from various pieces of styrene stock. It isn't perfect, but you won't be able to see most of it once the windscreen is installed, anyway:

To make thin, flexible 'canvas-like' material in scale, you'll need a small ball of Miliput, a flat surface, some talc, and something to roll out the Miliput with. The talc is applied to the putty, the flat surface, and the roller to prevent the putty from sticking:

For this exercise, I used a piece of PVC pipe to roll out the putty. Basically, you want to keep rolling the putty until it's literally paper thin. Keep the putty powdered, and check you roller to make sure that no pieces of putty get stuck to it:

Occasionally, you'll want to carefully peel the putty off of the backer to flip it over and roll it evenly. This is why I roll my putty on sheet styrene, so that I can bend the styrene to help get the putty off. When you're done rolling, you should have a paper-thin pancake that looks something like this:

Now, set your little egg timer for 40 minutes or so, and work on something else while the Miliput begins to set up. You have to be careful in timing this: while you don't want to use the putty too early while it's mushy, you also don't want to wait too long when the putty starts to get brittle. You can also textre your putty with an old T-shirt at this point, so long as you do it carefully. I chose not to do it this time around for the simple fact that you won't be able to see much of the coaming anyway.

When 35-40 minutes have elapsed, go back and cut yourself a clean piece of putty. Cut off all of the ragged edges of the putty pancake, and then cut a piece a bit larger than what you need. Set it on the model where it will be attached, and find a small anchor point where you can superglue the putty down.

If you don't anchor it, you'll wind up pushing all over the place, and you'll have a hard time manipulating it. Now that you've anchored it in place, cut the putty where it's obviously way oversized, and start working in wrinkles, folds, and creases with a toothpick, and by carefully draping the putty into wrinkles and folds:

In this particular case, I wasn't terribly concerned about getting it perfect. I knew that the windscreen was going to hide most of it anyway, but I wanted to at least get the basics correct on this. The end result should look something like this:

I also scratchbuilt a Sparrowhawk HUD for the model. This was bult from . 020 rod, and two small pieces of Squadron .010 clear styrene. I didn't get a chance to photograph this in-progress, as it was really tedious, but I'm satisfied with the end result. Best part is that it all fits under the windscreen without any modifications necessary. This is just an initial laying in of color....it'll look a lot better once I can paint the canvas covers, do a little drybrushing, and hit it all with a shot of Dullcote:

[Andy Mullen]

Great tip Steve and great to see you getting some time at the bench again

[FrankC]

Steve

WOW - I learned something from that! I am going to have to try that one.

What kind of milliput are you using?? Mine is white - will that work? Also - is this special talc or will any talc (like the stuff from the grocery store) work?

Regards,

--Frank

[David Walker]

Great tip on improving the F-14B coaming and the photos really make it clear.

[Steve Filak]

Steve

WOW - I learned something from that! I am going to have to try that one.

What kind of milliput are you using?? Mine is white - will that work? Also - is this special talc or will any talc (like the stuff from the grocery store) work?

Regards,

--Frank

Frank,

I use the standard grain Miliput (yellow-gray), but I think that the white would probably work just as well. It's a finer grain, but in actuality, you might even be able to roll it thinner because of that.

As far as talc, good old fashioned Johnson's Baby Powder, or any household powder works just fine. Actually, if you were in a pinch, you could probably just as easily use flour. In a sense, you're rolling a miniature pie crust here, so it probably would work.

[Steve Filak]

Great tip on improving the F-14B coaming and the photos really make it clear.

David-

Unfortunately, the photos sometimes make it too clear. While I can assure you that it looks better than the pictures show, a macro lens will pick up every single detail, including those that you'd rather not see. Again, once all is painted and hidden under the windscreen, I think that the overall effect will be really good, but to see the whole thing magnified like this is sometimes unnerving. Again, it really looks a lot better than you'd think when you see it with the Mk. 1 eyeball.....

[volzj]

Neat work with the Milliput Steve. I like what you've done.

[Steve Filak]

Thanks, Joe. I'm still learning as I go, but it sure does come in handy for replicating things like coaming covers, seat cushions, and even belts. It really is versatile stuff once you get used to the working/curing times. I actually thought about using it to make FOD covers, but I'd rather leave the exhausts open....for some reason, covered intakes and exhausts just don't sit right with me.

[Jamie Cheslo]

Hey Steve,

congratulations on going weedless. It's the best gift you can give to yourself and your family! Just passed the ten year mark myself, and I only miss smoking once a day now! :blink: Seriously, within a year, you will find you have so much more energy than when you smoked.

Can't wait to see what the milliput coaming looks like after it is painted. You bake much?

:P

J.C.

[doctorpepper]

!! that's a great tip - baking a tomcat cake! i gotta try that sometime.. probably would be able to use that better in 1/32 i'd say?

thanks steve for the pictures and the write-up...

[Steve Filak]

Hey Steve,

congratulations on going weedless. It's the best gift you can give to yourself and your family! Just passed the ten year mark myself, and I only miss smoking once a day now! :blink: Seriously, within a year, you will find you have so much more energy than when you smoked.

Can't wait to see what the milliput coaming looks like after it is painted. You bake much?

:P

J.C.

Jamie-

If I were to tell you that I don't miss smoking, I'd be a liar. I still get a craving or two every day, although it's a lot easier to fight off than it used to be. Physically, I do feel better, and have been getting some semi-regular exercise, but I could go back to smoking in a moment of weakness.....it requires a good deal of willpower.

I actually quit for 19 months one time....the year before my son was born. However, on the day that I closed on my house, I asked my wife for a drag of her cigarette. The next day, I was out buying a pack. Hopefully, I'll be able to stay off of them for good this time.

!! that's a great tip - baking a tomcat cake! i gotta try that sometime.. probably would be able to use that better in 1/32 i'd say?

thanks steve for the pictures and the write-up...

Thanks, David. Actually, my wife is the baker in my family.....she is a killer cook, which would account for why I'm 20 pounds overweight. To answer your question, yes, I think that it would be a better technique for 1/32, but again - it all depends on what degree of AMS you have. Truth be told, I could have just as easily left that coaming the way it was, and left the HUD off as well, and most people wouldn't spot it. However, I figured that if I was going to have a case of AMS on this one, I figured, "in for a penny, in for a pound". :lol:

I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this. I have to say that it's really nice to be back at the workbench, and I'll continue to provide updates on my progress (or lack thereof).

[Steve Filak]

OK, picking up where we left off.....

As luck would have it, my Sharpie dried up, and the other felt tip pen that I had in the shop was nowhere near the right color to edge the gear doors. With this in mind, I decided to paint the door edges by hand. I figured that I already coated the doors with Future, so if I didn't like it, I'd just wipe it off with some thinner. Using my #0 script liner, I got to work. As much as the felt tip is a quick fix, I was very pleased with the results. A tip: don't use Insignia Red for door edges. Italian Red has more of a scarlett color to it, and 'pops' quite nicely:

And here's all the small parts, painted up, and ready to go. The main gear wheels were re-masked for a second coat of Europe I Gray, as I found a few blurbs in the first coat. The strut clamps and oleos on the landing gear were done with Bare Metal Foil. I like how the metal strut clamps came out much cleaner looking than they do when I paint them, and the oleos have a much nicer metallic sheen than they do when I paint them with Chrome Silver. It gives the landing gear a bit more visual interest, and draws the eye to them.

While the paint was drying, I scratchbuilt the BOL Sidewinder rails. Many of you can do much better scratchbuilding work than I can, but I figured that since these rails were both going to have Sidewinders off of them, I'd just concentrate on basic shapes. The photo is actually a composite, and is two photos of the same rail from different angles. As of this post, the second rail is also completed:

And finally, roughing in the LANTIRN pylon and 'T' adapter. This is an old Verlinden targeting pod, and I need to extend the scoop with some sheet styrene.

Next up: complete the weapons, re-shape the noses of the kit's Sidewinders, and add some canopy rail detail. Then, it's off to the paint booth.

Thanks for looking!

[Raptor16]

Looks nice sofar!

[Steve Filak]

OK, some more progress tonight. Not a lot, but it was a pretty time consuming task today.

First off, the canopy. The kit's canopy has no internal framing or hooks, and I couldn't very well leave it like that if I was going to have the canopy open. With this in mind, I decided to frame out the canopy using some .010 strip and .020 rod. Once it was all framed out, I marked where the canopy hooks would go:

Once this was done, it was time to make some canopy hooks. I tried a number of things, but what seemed to work the best was .005 sheet. I'd drill holes with a #73 bit into the sheet, cut into the drill holes with scissors to make the 'hooks', and then cut them out and superglued them to the frame. This took quite a while, and was a royal pain, but the results were worth it. Once the superglue dries, I'll clean up the oddball hooks with a file, to get the all the same shape. It looks a lot better now with at least some framing and hooks, and I won't have to feel self-conscious about leaving the canopy open:

Finally, I added ECM blisters to the fuselage with Miliput. Personally, I don't like the long ones - they're not quite the right shape - but I'm going to leave them as-is. Next thing is to install a pair of tanks, install the windscreen, add a pitot/alpha probe, and then it's time for paint. It's so close now that I can smell the lacquer thinner!

That's it for tonight - stay tuned. :D

[Steve Filak]

Oh...almost forgot to mention:

The Sidewinders are prepped and ready for paint, the scoop on the LANTIRN pod has been extended with .010 sheet (for some reason, I forgot to take a picture of it), and my only dilemma now is the weapons load. I'm thinking of going with a GBU-16 and a GBU-31 JDAM in the tunnel, but I might just go with a pair of GBU-16s instead. However, I like the idea of the assymetrical load, as it gives it a bit of visual interest. Or, I could just go with a pair of Mk.83s from the Black Box Bombcat set. Think I'll sleep on it tonight, and make my mind up in the morning.....decisions, decisions.

[Ken Middleton]

Steve, that's some serious work on those hooks! Nice job on the latest update!