kellyF15 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Your attention to detail blows my mind! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) Hi Elmo, Very nice models you've got in your collection! (the F-4 pilots' flight-gear.!.. you MUST do a tutorial on how we can build them!!!!) Any plans for a TA-4J in 1/48??? (after the A-6 of course) Edited December 2, 2015 by SERNAK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 First off I want to sat thanks to everyone for their previous comments, they're much appreciated. SERNAK, the flight gear was rather simple to make...as with everything else in this hobby, it just takes a bit of research and time to figure out how you're gonna execute the make process. Once I had enough pics of the flight gear and a good idea in my head of what I was gonna make it was time to get busy. I used Tamiya tape to make the basic shape(vest shape)of the gear as well as any straps you see. The majority of the tape was folded in half so it sticks to itself and then the shapes were cut out. This gives the pieces some thickness and you get rid of the sticky side as well. You also have to bend and shape the pieces so they look realistic. The pouches on the gear were made from styrene strip of whatever thickness/length looks right for a pouch in the proper scale to the flight gear vest and then they were covered with that sticky aluminum foil modelers use. The foil was also cut in a way in which after I wrapped it around the styrene strip I could still make a flap that I could fold over. The nice thing about the aluminum foil is that when you wrap it around the styrene you get some wrinkles in it that resemble folds/creases in the real thing. Lastly, I used photo etch buckles on the straps for more realism. I forgot to mention there are some straps where I didn't fold the tape in half as I felt it would be too thick. Depending on how you want to display the gear, you have to take gravity into consideration so it looks natural in whatever state It's in. After you paint them, follow up with a wash and some dry brushing and you're done. I didn't do a wash/dry brush because I didn't think of it at the time so looking at the following pics you can see some contrast is definitely needed. Whatever other gear you see attached like the oxygen mask is part of the original kit or hand made......like the red lens flashlight with the little red "oops" on the side that I had never noticed until now. What I described are the basics as there are some steps along the way that you'll figure out on your own.....nothing hard though. Hope this helps a bit but feel free to ask if you have any other questions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Hi Elmo, Thank you for the very helpful narrative. You're mentioning that you've used some photo etch buckles. Do you remember the company that produces them? I hope your next project - after the A-6 - to be a TA-4J !!!! Thanks again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 Hi Elmo, Thank you for the very helpful narrative. You're mentioning that you've used some photo etch buckles. Do you remember the company that produces them? I hope your next project - after the A-6 - to be a TA-4J !!!! Thanks again. Hello SERNAK, Over the years I have accumulated many photo etch buckle frets so it would be impossible for me to remember all the different manufacturers. However, the majority of the buckles that I have used on my builds have come from either Reheat Models or Waldron sets. Both of these companies may be out of business now so acquiring their sets may pose a challenge. As I stated earlier, I have many sets as I would sometimes buy a specific set just because the buckles matched the style I was looking for for a specific build, this includes buying sets for prop planes too. Also, many cockpit photo etch sets sold by Eduard come with seat belts/buckle as one and many times I've simply cut the buckle from the belt with a razor blade. One thing to be cognizant of......many sets are sometimes too large for the scale they are meant for so I have used 72nd scale sets as they are more in scale for 48th. A prime example of over sized items for their scale are "remove before flight" tags......a 48th scale set I purchased long ago was large enough for 32nd scale; needless to say, I didn't use them. The pic below shows two Reheat examples, the top being RH02, 72nd scale jet buckles, middle set is RH03, 48th scale jet buckles and the two sets at the bottom of the pic are made by Waldron if I'm not mistaken. I have many more sets but these are the primary ones I use. And BTW, I apologize for not answering your question about the TA-4J......yes, It's on the list.....but as slow as I build It's gonna be a while before I get to it. Thanks for looking.....Elmo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Things that are simple to you us mere mortals couldn't pull off. OUTSTANDING skills you have there wardog. I really enjoy your talent and updates. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Hello SERNAK, Over the years I have accumulated many photo etch buckle frets so it would be impossible for me to remember all the different manufacturers. However, the majority of the buckles that I have used on my builds have come from either Reheat Models or Waldron sets. Both of these companies may be out of business now so acquiring their sets may pose a challenge. As I stated earlier, I have many sets as I would sometimes buy a specific set just because the buckles matched the style I was looking for for a specific build, this includes buying sets for prop planes too. Also, many cockpit photo etch sets sold by Eduard come with seat belts/buckle as one and many times I've simply cut the buckle from the belt with a razor blade. One thing to be cognizant of......many sets are sometimes too large for the scale they are meant for so I have used 72nd scale sets as they are more in scale for 48th. A prime example of over sized items for their scale are "remove before flight" tags......a 48th scale set I purchased long ago was large enough for 32nd scale; needless to say, I didn't use them. The pic below shows two Reheat examples, the top being RH02, 72nd scale jet buckles, middle set is RH03, 48th scale jet buckles and the two sets at the bottom of the pic are made by Waldron if I'm not mistaken. I have many more sets but these are the primary ones I use. And BTW, I apologize for not answering your question about the TA-4J......yes, It's on the list.....but as slow as I build It's gonna be a while before I get to it. Thanks for looking.....Elmo Many thanks Elmo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Time for another small update. Now that the IP shroud is complete I have been dedicating what little free time I have to the IP. I decided to start with the two items that I figured would take me the longest to scratch build, the bomb sight unit and the CRT screen, both located on the pilot side of the cockpit. First off is the bomb sight unit. After many hours of research and scratch building, here is the result. It's all made of plastic except for a small aluminum piece I installed in the hole on top to support the colored lens. Here is the glass for the unit. It's made of polished .005 clear styrene and after cutting to size, gave the edges the green marker treatment. I also painted a few strips of black paint that are the same size as the contact points on the bomb unit itself.....these strips of paint are on the side of the glass where it will get glued to the contact points and thus hide any glue marks that would normally be visible through the clear glass. The completed unit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Next is the CRT screen. This another scratch built item that took a lot of time and even more patience. Here is the basic shape of the screen with most of the items that will make it up. The piece on the right is the frame that will eventually hold a clear piece. This frame took the longest to make of all the parts but in the end the results are worth it. Also visible is one of 2 rods that spans the width of the screen and sits on the upper side....not really sure what It's used for. Painted and finished.....well except for a few touch-ups on those little bars. That's it for now. Thanks for looking. E. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 THIS ....IS ....SIMPLY ....AMAZING !! Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Adam1818 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Can't believe those are scratch built! Wow!! Amazing work..not even sure how u did it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Aw come on Wardog! I was feeling all proud about my Electric Intruder and sudenly BLAM! here comes your update! and now I have to go back to my lego like build! Great scratch building skills! for the N´th time! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Uncool Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 The completed unit. :blink: Good Gawd... Teach me! Real impressive work, dog. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 What do you use to cut those plastic parts so clean and so perfectly? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Incredible!!! Your patience astounds me! Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Incredible!!! Your patience astounds me! Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Incredible!!! Your patience astounds me! Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Incredible!!! Your patience astounds me! Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Many thanks for all the comments. kike...........the two main things I use for cutting are single edge razor blades like the kind you find at home depot or any hardware store and #11 X-Acto blades. Depending on what I'm gonna cut, I may also use the edge of a 6" scale to help guide the razor blade. Single edge razor blades work really well for me but I will admit I use a lot of them as I mainly use the ends and the sharp edges wear out quick. Other than that I can't think of anything else to mention. If there is something specific you're wondering about let me know. Thanks Elmo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Elmo, What a treat it is to view the pictures and read up on your latest updates...lots of patience and precision at work here! All of that detail, including the layers of relief, makes for a super authentic "3D" depiction of the instrument panel - some of the best work I've ever laid eyes on! Can't wait for the next installment, Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) So after saying this for what seems like years, I finally did actually start work on the actual IP. Up to this point I had spent a lot of time making the items that are part of the panel as I figured making them beforehand would be easier than later. The panel is nowhere close to being done and is located to the shroud temporarily for the pics. I wasn't gonna post pictures until the IP was completely done but I need advice on printing onto decal paper so I figured today was a good time for a small update. Here is the Kinetic IP showing some slight modifications prior to paint. The rest are in-progress pics. All the instruments are installed and I'm getting ready to start work on the bombardier panel and whatever other items are left. The next two pics show the Eduard colored bombardier photo etch panel that I was considering using at one time. Two main reasons I decided not to use it is because It's two-dimensional and the shade of black on it is off a bit. However, in this case, I do like all the printed detail on the panel so I was considering copying it onto decal paper and applying it to the IP. I can then drill holes where the buttons/switches are located and install styrene rod to represent them. This way I get the nice print detail from the Eduard panel and buttons/switches for the third dimension. So here's my question.....I don't have printers at home but I'm wondering what type of printers can be used to print on decal paper and also capture the small detail on the Eduard panel? I once tried printing on decal paper at Kinko's and the decal paper jammed the machine.....I figure some of you guys print all the time on decal paper so maybe you can share some of your knowledge. Thanks for looking. E. Edited April 17, 2016 by wardog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 I'm not worth!! <walking away shaking head :unsure: > Great IP Elmo absolutely stunning! thnx fpr posting your work I for one can tell you it's a huge motivation and a huge wake up call too! in case I start feeling like a modelling star lol!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fulcrum1 Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 Mother of pearl, this is one of the finest WIP I have ever seen. My hats off to you sir! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 (edited) Outstanding work Elmo. You've captured the busy, 3-dimensional look of the real thing, right down to the BuNo placard above the altimeter...amazing! I love the green fringed VDI screen. And the conventional instruments look great too. Are those bezels photo etch...AirScale or Reheat, perhaps? Regards, Rich Edited April 17, 2016 by RichB63 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted April 17, 2016 Author Share Posted April 17, 2016 Thanks to all for looking and the great feedback. RichB63, you got a good eye! I'm trying to capture as much of the details as I can but the scale makes things difficult at times. Yes, the BuNo placard is there, however, the decal is not legible so no numbers to see...not sure if they make decals with that small a print. The bezels are mostly Reheat with a few others mixed in. Aires makes a nice photo etch set for the Prowler cockpit which I have so I used the PE IP as a donor for some of the bezels. A few also came from PE IP's from other aircraft types. The IP has a ways to go but It's getting there. Unfortunately, due to size limitations, I won't be able to add the Emergency Brake Handle as there is no room for it, unless I get real creative. I was also gonna add small clear disks to each instrument to represent the glass but the surface of the printed instrument acetate you get in the Aires kit is so shiny it looks like there's glass there already. However, I did punch out a few clear disks just to see how they looked installed and they actually made the instrument look duller. Although the clear disk I used was very clear, I would need something extremely clear to actually enhance the look. Thanks again for looking. E. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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