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1/32 Italian Tornado - big red devil


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For reasons I won't elaborate here, I am putting the angry chicken Phantom (1/32 F-4EJ Kai conversion) on hold. Sorry, Shawn and Scott. I'm starting a new build, this time the Revell 1/32 Tornado in Italian special markings with the big red devil tail art. Here's a pic of the real thing on airliners:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Italy---Air/Panavia-Tornado-IDS/1374767/&sid=4e76040383dc356b7d796d9b8d5806ac

And here are the main ingredients.

stormo_1.jpg

Don't ask me what the cat's doing there, he refused to leave when I took the pic.

I actually have started contruction, mainly of dry fitting the Aires pit, the fuselage, nose gear bay and the CAM Avionics (thank you Roy for hooking me up with these). I would show you a pic, but it's all resin dust and it may be toxic even if it's just the digital version of it. hehe.

More updates to show you when construction progresses.

Cheers,

Terry

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Looks like a great start with the AM stuff.......I'll be watching this one with peaked interest, as I've got one of the first run kits in this scale from Revell. The Aires 'pit looks very sweet, fit maybe be a different twist.

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Nice :banana:

I'm doing that one too, just using the Bb cockpit set and fod covering it all up. I had my decals drawn for me by a buddy of mine combining them with Tauro stencils what decals are these then, I had no idea these existed :tumble:

Cheers

Greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

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Nice :banana:

I'm doing that one too, just using the Bb cockpit set and fod covering it all up. I had my decals drawn for me by a buddy of mine combining them with Tauro stencils what decals are these then, I had no idea these existed :tumble:

Cheers

Greetz STB

Frederick Jacobs

Frederick,

Those decals are made by a Taiwanese company named Phoenix. You can find them on ebay, just search for "phoenix 1/32".

Terry

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The bad news: all that resin dust from the Dremeling probably shaved 15 seconds off my life-expectancy.

The good news: lots of progress and lots of pics to show you.

I spent the last bit of time test fitting the Aires cockpit and the CAM avionics set. Just by itself, the Aires pit actually fit quite well to the kit, although sawing off its massive casting block was a pain. However, when it needs to go with the CAM avionics set, some careful dry fitting was needed.

First I drilled a bunch of holes on the access panel that is to be cut out (this is the starboard side):

stormo_2.jpg

Then I used a hobby saw (made by Hasegawa, bought from LuckyModel.com) to cut out the plasic:

stormo_3.jpg

The plastic piece snaps off, and the edges are left jagged:

stormo_4.jpg

With a sharp #11 blade and needle files, I worked the edges. Here's the resulting rectangular hole with nice straight edges:

stormo_5.jpg

With the resin avionics bay glued:

stormo_6.jpg

Here's a pic that shows how the kit parts and resin parts fit. As you can tell, it's a snug fit, but fit they do.

stormo_7.jpg

Here's another angle that shows both avionics bays sandwiching the nose gear bay. Note that at this point I have already removed the kit's molded-on front IP coaming in order to fit the Aires coaming (not shown here).

stormo_8.jpg

This is the nose with the CAM bays, Aires cockpit tub and IP coaming dry fitted. Note that the fit is so precise I don't even need tape to hold them in place.

stormo_9.jpg

The CAM set actually cames with a third bay as well - the smaller oxygen tank bay just behind the port side avionics bay. However, at this point I feel that I have pushed my luck far enough without damaging any of the kit or resin parts, so I think I will simply forego the oxygen bay. I'd like to enter this thing in a contest, and can use the extra details without taking on too much liability and get dinged. So may call it chickening out, I call it "quit while I'm ahead".

Next thing is I will dry fit the cockpit side walls. Aires actually cast in a lot of space to install those, so I don't foresee them to throw the delicate fit out of whack. *fingers crossed*

Terry

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I've got these resin goodies for mine too, good to know they fit well! Hopefully the exhausts will be the same.

Are you going to do anything about the lack of intake trunking, or just add a cover?

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arresting hook is very difficoult to be seen but still there

2vbpoxv.jpg

hope my photo of the open avionic bay could be more usefull

Paolo,

If the arresting hook is supposed to be at the same location where you would find hooks at Tomcats and Hornets, then all I can see from the pic is the anchoring hinge. It looks like the actual hook was removed.

The avionics bay pic is very helpful. Thank you.

Terry

Edited by loftycomfort
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Added a bit of extra plastic and wires to fix some resin chips as well as to jazz up the CAM avionics bays a bit:

stormo_10.jpg

Now they're painted and done. They may not be superb, but I think they're passable.

stormo_11.jpg

stormo_12.jpg

Now on to painting the awesome Aires cockpit...

Terry

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This is my first time painting a Euro jet's cockpit, so I'm not used to the whole cockpit being light grey. I actually find it easier to paint than US and Russian cockpits because I don't have to pick out each individual panel.

The details on the Aires resin cockpit are superb. And since it's a large cockpit set, they shipped it in a sturdy corrugated cardboard box, which means the damage to the fiddly bits are down to a minimum. The set is also relatively easy to install, considering it must fit with the opened avionics bay. This has got to be one of my best Aires experiences - ranking right up there with their 1/32 Harrier cockpit and wheel bays.

The light grey is a custom mix of light ghost grey and white. It's actually left over paint from the Sundowners F-5 that I just finished. I used Mike Grant bezel decals instead of the bezel film provided by Aires.

stormo_13.jpg

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Since the pics were taken, the cockpit has been installed in the nose halves. I will build the seats at the later part of the build (need a break from resin). I am now working on the canopy and the radome. The fit of the radome to the nose is pretty bad, it looks like I'll need lots of putty to tackle this. More pics to show you in the next update.

Cheers,

Terry

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I typed up a huge detailed update. Then the stupid browser went backward, and all the text I typed was lost. I'm very annoyed right now, so I'm just gonna post the pics instead.

stormo_19.jpg

stormo_20.jpg

stormo_21.jpg

stormo_22.jpg

stormo_23.jpg

stormo_24.jpg

stormo_25.jpg

stormo_26.jpg

Terry

Edited by loftycomfort
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I typed up a huge detailed update. Then the stupid browser went backward, and all the text I typed was lost. I'm very annoyed right now, so I'm just gonna post the pics instead.

Terry

LOL. Same thing has happened to me a few times buddy. Your canopy looks Guy (geedubelyer)-like, which is saying a LOT!

Excellent work Terry!

Edited by chuck540z3
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