ALF18 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Danke schoen, Sgt Schultz! I see nussing at all either... And here is a question for anyone who has built this kit (Phantom?!) How the heck is the nose wheel strut supposed to be glued in? The instructions are totally unhelpful... Look carefully at where the little dowels are supposed to sit in the front of the wheel well. I have tried gently twisting it to get them in, but they won't locate in place. I am afraid to force any harder, for fear of breaking off the little things. Anyone know? I'm thinking of using a knife to pry one of these covers away a bit, to make room for the little rod to twist into place. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thats what I did. But before I did I cut a couple mm off each post so I would not have to pry the well apart too far. THAT area of the kit was not well thought out. Don't cut off too much as the gear is not all that strong. Also be careful how you set it. Mine is pointed a little too far forward. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thats what I did. But before I did I cut a couple mm off each post so I would not have to pry the well apart too far. THAT area of the kit was not well thought out.Don't cut off too much as the gear is not all that strong. Also be careful how you set it. Mine is pointed a little too far forward. Thanks for answering so quickly, Phantom! I ended up chopping most of the lower part of one side off (lower part when model sitting upright, that is). I had tried some prying and twisting, but the little posts started to bend alarmingly... Very weak landing gear. End result is it's glued in firmly, but the whole nose leg is squirrelly. Not to mention the main gear, where I had to chop some of the wing underside away at the back of the well to force it in place, and also had to trim the hole to make it bigger. Of course, after I got the nose wheel in place, with the rear brace, I decided to look at it from the side. I had done the opposite of what the Phantom did - mine was angled backward. Luckily it hadn't dried too much, so I put it at an angle that looked OK to me, and glued it again. This kit is very poorly engineered when it comes to locating pieces - you really have to experiment and rely on experience and common sense. More pics soon when I have more progress to show. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Prop Duster Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I too, thank you for your "how to" It looks like a simple, effective system, after the requisite learning curve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 She looks good ALF. Great effort. I like your remedy for the small touch ups. Work smarter, not harder. That nose gear issue looks like a real pain in the rectum. From the looks of it, perhaps the gear strut could have been glued in place prior to the bat being installed in the fuselage? I know there's a possibility that the strut could accidentally get snapped off while manipulating the model but would it have made more sense to do it that way instead of following the instructions? I don't have the kit so I'm just spitballin' here and throwing out a suggestion. In any event, I'm sure you've made many mental notes on what and what not to do during the next one you build. I can hardly wait to see her with the decals in place. As always, I look forward to more of your progress and personal anecdotes. Keep plugging, mon chum. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 She looks good ALF. Great effort. I like your remedy for the small touch ups. Work smarter, not harder.That nose gear issue looks like a real pain in the rectum. From the looks of it, perhaps the gear strut could have been glued in place prior to the bat being installed in the fuselage? I know there's a possibility that the strut could accidentally get snapped off while manipulating the model but would it have made more sense to do it that way instead of following the instructions? I don't have the kit so I'm just spitballin' here and throwing out a suggestion. In any event, I'm sure you've made many mental notes on what and what not to do during the next one you build. I can hardly wait to see her with the decals in place. As always, I look forward to more of your progress and personal anecdotes. Keep plugging, mon chum. Mike Thanks again for the encouragement, Mike. The nosewheel attachment point comes moulded closed already. I guess it would have been possible to insert the strut before glueing these wheel well part together: But then it would have been almost certainly broken as I manipulated the model for the rest of the build. This kit is especially demanding of chopping, filling, and sanding, so having a nose gear strut sticking out throughout is a non-starter, I'm afraid. Here's what I ended up doing - if you look carefully, you can see the part sheared away at the right of the photo. When the model sits on its gear, the weight bearing happens on the part that isn't cut, so the effect on nose wheel strut solidity is negligible. Fuzzy version, but closer Here are the main gear struts in place. What a hassle they were to get in! I'm amazed at how poorly these parts are fitting. Of course, the camera sure shows off the warts on the skin covering. I will hunt down some wet sandpaper or steel wool at a hardware store, and attempt to buff it into something more reminiscent of smooth aircraft skin. I am making slow progress this week. Real life is intruding on the modeling... Grr! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nerd Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hard to focus on 1:72, 48, 32, etc when 1:1 gets busy! Amazed at your patience on this one. I would have definately been duct taping the bottlerockets and running fuse line to some cherry bombs stuffed inside this one if I were in your shoes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Finally, an update. Real Life has intruded on my modelling, and some of the progress on this kit has been slow. I painted the tip tanks. I used Tamiya tape to mask for the black, over top of the red. I was worried that the red would peel off, and that the black would bleed under the tape. Neither of those things happened! I love Tamiya tape!!! Note that I have received a love note from Big Brother... I used a silver pen to colour in the fuel cap here. Love the way the tape made a clean line - did I mention that already? Another reason to hate this kit. The wheels, cast in resin, need to be drilled out. I used the Dremel, but my drill bits were a bit big... We'll see how it turns out. Wheels painted black, silver brushed on top for the spokes to leave a dirty look to the insides - ruined by the drill. Pretty much ready for decals. Tip tanks dry fit in place. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Preparation for decalling. CanMilAir's decals come printed on one continuous sheet of clear film, so I first scored that film around each of the decals. They come with all the stencils - very complete! Coming along nicely For the canopy, I am going to attempt to scratch-build the blind flying hood. I chopped some wire, and coloured it silver with a pen. Hopefully I can bend it into shapes that look OK. I plan to use Kleenex for the blind flying hood, stowed in place on the left side of the canopy. I've applied foil to the canopy edges. Now the hard part is going to be glueing the metal hoops in place without dirtying up the clear part, and getting the hood to sit in place. Maybe I'm just causing myself unnecessary trouble... ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Looks Great Alf this is going to be another master piece Cheers Neo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Looks Great Alf this is going to be another master piece Cheers Neo Thanks Neo! The magic of selective photography... properly photographed, anything can be made to look its best! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 You're on the home stretch now Buddy! Lookin' Good! How do you adhere the foil to the plastic? Some kind of glue? I read your application instructions above, but I missed the adhesion part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 You're on the home stretch now Buddy! Lookin' Good!How do you adhere the foil to the plastic? Some kind of glue? I read your application instructions above, but I missed the adhesion part. Chuck I paint on some glue from an art supply store. Ask for 'gold foil' adhesive. Here is a pic I posted in my CF-104 NMF from the Missile With a Man In It GB: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm175/danmcw/P1080600.jpg On the left is the first kind of glue I used, and on the right is the second kind after they told me the first kind was toxic and never should have been sold in Canada! Two tips about spreading the glue: 1. Brush it on evenly, with a supple brush, so you can get it as flat as possible (no wavy lines). Any tiny uneven glue lines will show on the model. 2. Allow the glue to dry for at least 15 minutes before cutting pieces and sticking on the model. This ensures it adheres to the foil well so it doesn't slip and slide on the model. I have left pieces of foil with adhesive spread on them for almost 3 weeks and found them to be still useable - it takes forever to dry and be useless. Thanks for the encouragement. It seems strange for me to be giving you tips on technique :-) But then again I'm not surprised - you're someone who is not afraid to admit you don't know everything - a good quality! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the encouragement. It seems strange for me to be giving you tips on technique :-)But then again I'm not surprised - you're someone who is not afraid to admit you don't know everything - a good quality! ALF Thanks- I've always wanted to try that technique but never knew how, much like almost everything I learned in modeling along the way. I'd love to try that on a P-51 Mustang one day. I learn a new technique or "what not to do" on every build, which keeps our hobby interesting! Edited January 18, 2011 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Prop Duster Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 :) IMPRESSIVE! Alf. Are you planning to keep it "showroom new" or add just a touch of weather ? Also thanks for the lesson foiling ( OOPS I'll stop now). Regardless it gives me the knowledge to give it a try Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 IMPRESSIVE! Alf. Are you planning to keep it "showroom new" or add just a touch of weather ? Also thanks for the lesson foiling ( OOPS I'll stop now). Regardless it gives me the knowledge to give it a try Thanks for the comments! The metal finish on these jets was quite pristine in normal service. If you look carefully at the tip tanks, you'll see that I did some light dry brushing of silver on the black portion. They sometimes would get chipped paint there. I'm glad you were the first one to use the 'foils' emoticon - Touché! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Middleton Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 that's really great and ambitious work ALF. I am studying your work to someday try foil myself, probably on the unpainted back end of an F-15. But probbaly should try a much smaller project and area first LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 that's really great and ambitious work ALF. I am studying your work to someday try foil myself, probably on the unpainted back end of an F-15. But probbaly should try a much smaller project and area first LOL Smart idea, Ken. You could experiment not only with the glueing and burnishing, but also could try staining the foil with the egg-boiling technique to give it some colour where the heat of the engines discolours the metal. I've used foil on the back of an F-4 in 1/48 - it worked out pretty well. I used pristine silver colours, and added some burnt exhaust colours with a brush on top of the foil. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Excellent progress, my friend. Very realistic looking. Are there any issues with the CanMilAir decals adhering to the tin foil or do the slide into place and stay in place? Do they have a greater tendency to lift off and stick to your fingers if you grab hold of a decal by mistake? I've never had that problem applying Bill's decals over Gloss Coat or Alclad. I'm just curious. Keep it up buddy. I really look for ward to the end product. She's gonna look sharp. Noooooooooooo doubt about it. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Excellent progress, my friend. Very realistic looking. Are there any issues with the CanMilAir decals adhering to the tin foil or do the slide into place and stay in place? Do they have a greater tendency to lift off and stick to your fingers if you grab hold of a decal by mistake? I've never had that problem applying Bill's decals over Gloss Coat or Alclad. I'm just curious.Keep it up buddy. I really look for ward to the end product. She's gonna look sharp. Noooooooooooo doubt about it. Mike Mike I don't know if it's specific to CanMilAir, or if all decals are similar on foil - I suspect they're all about the same. They go on nicely, and are quite thin, so they mould into the skin nicely. The problem I did have was about 24 to 48 hrs after application of decals, some lifted off on my fingers. I had not yet covered them with Future, and I was picking up the model to work on the landing gear doors. Silly me - I didn't pay attention to where I grabbed it, and I ended up with the canopy opening stencil plastered to a finger, and I found another stencil on my cutting mat. I have since applied Future, and they are nicely sealed in place. Part of the problem might be my poor technique. I didn't apply an overall coat of Future on the foil - only on the painted portions. I figured the foil was glossy enough (and was getting anxious to apply the decals and see how it looked, of course!). The carrier film showed a bit after application, but with the use of Future afterward, it's mainly invisible. I also got lazy and didn't use MicroSet or Sol much - that might have contributed to their poor adhesion. So let's just say that I did some 'edge of the envelope' testing of CanMilAir's decals - defying Bill's recommendations, and found out they worked pretty well anyway! Thanks for your comments, Mike. I can always count on you to keep me motivated! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 For foil you really need to protect it well my 1/32 p-51 started to weather itself before i applied clear coat onto it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 For foil you really need to protect it well my 1/32 p-51 started to weather itself before i applied clear coat onto it Neo Dude! You're totally awesome... You have discovered an 'auto-weathering' process! Foil is a medium that I still need much experimentation with to get right. Merci de tes commentaires!! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kopfjaeger Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 wow! I have seen that kit here in my local hobby shop... bit pricey but after looking at your troubles and fiddling .... im no where near ready for such a patience testing task!!!!... but alll that aside.... very nice!!! they are a nice looking aircraft... and to say im jealous you have been in one is an understatement!!!!to date ive only been in a Beaver and a coupla blanaks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 wow! I have seen that kit here in my local hobby shop... bit pricey but after looking at your troubles and fiddling .... im no where near ready for such a patience testing task!!!!... but alll that aside.... very nice!!! they are a nice looking aircraft... and to say im jealous you have been in one is an understatement!!!!to date ive only been in a Beaver and a coupla blanaks Thanks for the comments. You're one up on me with the Beaver - I've been in the Twin Otter, Single Otter, and a couple other DeHavilland floatplanes, but never that Canadian classic the Beaver. When I was a teenager I flew a Blanik a few times at a British gliding club in Lasham (near Farnborough). It was a beautiful glider, smooth and responsive to fly. Don't be too afraid of this kit - with the help of my problems and errors, maybe you can avoid them? I picked the kit up at Squadron on-line. They often have it on sale for about $50 USD (list price is over $70). In fact, I have a second one that I bought when it went back on sale, and will eventually do a better job on it! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Prop Duster Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Don't be too afraid of this kit - with the help of my problems and errors, maybe you can avoid them? I picked the kit up at Squadron on-line. They often have it on sale for about $50 USD (list price is over $70). In fact, I have a second one that I bought when it went back on sale, and will eventually do a better job on it! ALF oh sure, now your teaseing us. By better you mean your goina' put J fuel in the tanks and hydraulic fluid in the lines? Great Job on this one, almost sorry to see it finished Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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