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Monogram A-6E TRAM 1/48


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I apologize for the issues being experienced; not sure why that is. In the past, I've forgotten to transfer pics to my shared Google folder prior to posting, I didn't forget this time. I just reloaded the pics so hopefully they're visible this time. If not, I'll have to go back and re-read the posting instructions provided earlier by A-10 Loader's wife.

 

 

-E

Edited by wardog
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  • 1 month later...

Good Lord, this is incredible work. Unfortunately, my ipad is getting old and I cannot see all of the photographs, but nonetheless, the little I do see is amazing. I hope to follow along and see it to the end as there is wealth of information to gain. So, thank you so much for sharing your inside secrets :

Keep up the good work. 

 

Mike

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Youngtiger1,

 

Thanks to you and those who continue to follow this WIP and provide feedback; always appreciated.  Also, hats off to you for even finding my WIP as the last time it was updated was way back in December. I'm still actively working on this model on those rare moments I can find some free time. I've been concentrating on the windscreen and the framing and gadgets that are on the inside of it. Below are a few pics of my first attempt. Adding the framing was a pain as I'm using super strong white glue to attach to not leave permanent marks but the glue in itself softens up every time I clean excess residue. Unfortunately, leaving too much residue would be almost impossible to dissolve once dry so u have to clean the excess carefully as It's drying. However, the cleaning process always softens the glue just enough to cause the parts to shift a bit.....patience is key here.

 

I also tried Future for the first time on the windscreen....the effect is nice but like everything else in modeling, you have to learn to work with it. The one thing I've learned from dealing with polishing canopies is that unless you have significant scratches or defects, the micro polishing cloths are not required. I have found that using them will soften the edges of any frames that are molded onto the clear parts. On a spare canopy that just had light imperfections, I used headlight lens restorer for automobiles, which is pretty rough followed by polishing with Tamiya polishing compounds. This process yielded a very nice result without degrading any of the frames that may be present. I then followed by dipping in future and the end result was as good as I need.

 

Here is a pic of the frames on the backside of the windscreen and the part I hand made which has the slot on top. Many more parts to make for this area including some instruments and other elements.

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Kind of unrelated but I had to rework the throttle assembly as one of the throttle handles broke off and vanished. I Also broke off the sight glass and couldn't find it so I had to make a new one as well. Basic clear plastic here with the green edges represented by using a classic wide tip green Sharpie.

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I have many more pics but I'm out of time at the moment. Thanks for looking

 

-Elmo

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Thanks for checking in coneheadff and kike. Here are a few extra pics I wanted to upload earlier but ran out of time. I finally finished the tail lights and after many failed attempts, finally made a set that I was satisfied with. The lights start off as a chunk of Tamiya light curing putty and then sanded by hand. As is always the case, making the first of two is easy; however, making the second is where it gets tricky as it needs to be symmetrical to the first. I'm also including a pic of the reworked throttle......not much different than when I first finished it but a bit different nonetheless.

 

In the coming weeks I'll be finishing up the windscreen detail and hopefully gluing and blending it to the fuselage. I believe this will be the hardest part to get right as the fit is poor at best. I also had to expand it in width to make it fit. Hopefully I can claim success in the coming weeks.

 

The tail lights......

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And a pic of the throttle..

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Till next time.......

 

-Elmo

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  • 2 months later...

Time for a quick update. I have been focusing on detailing the outboard wing panels; specifically with scribing and adding all the small doublers along the panel lines. The Paragon wingfold resin set I grafted on represents a composite wing which is considerably different than the metal wing. One of the major differences is the panel line configuration. I've taken many reference shots of the composite wings sitting around on pallets at the Yanks Air Museum to try and get them right on my build....why, I have no idea! All the measuring and cutting of Dymo Tape to get the panels close to how they should be was mentally excruciating.....not to mention laying out all the rivets by hand. Laying out all the detail is also extremely time consuming. If I wasn't so far along on this kit I would have thrown in the towel at this point. Although I'm only showing one OB wing panel in the pics, they're both almost done. The major work left is scratch building the speed brake hinges as the kit ones are pretty bad. Luckily, they shouldn't be too hard to make as they are pretty simple.

 

Again, thanks to all those that have looked, left comments and maintained interest in this build.

 

A pic of the wing bottom showing the panel and rivet detail added. The large antenna towards the wing tip also got reworked as well as a few other items.

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Another angle showing the leading edge detail, including the addition of the two pointy probes. I still do not know their purpose. They were made out of cut sewing needles....one a bit larger in diameter than the other just like on the real wing.

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The spoiler temporary attached to see if it still fits okay. You can also see how thin the flap trailing edge is. I thought I had thinned it too much but after scale converting 1/8 & 1/4 in., which is what I believe the dimensions on the real thing fall within, i got what translates to a measurement of between 2 & 5 thousands in 48th scale. That said, the trailing edge is within the ballpark.  

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A better view of the top of the wing which shows the panel detail, riveting and doublers.

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One last pic showing the wing tip light and antenna, both of which got re-worked.

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That's it for now. My next update will show both wings panels complete with speed brake hinges attached.

 

 

Cheers

Elmo

Edited by wardog
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Hello conehead, thanks for letting me know. I'm not sure why they're not visible if they are coming from a shared folder. I'm trying to figure it out now.....Thanks again.

 

-Elmo

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It looks like I was able to get one pic to load........I'm trying the same process with the other pics but they just don't seem to want to load. It's late now and I don't really have the patience to deal with this at the moment. I'll give it another shot tomorrow......sorry about the inconvenience.

 

 

-Elmo

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Fantastic stuff Elmo!

 

Your patience, execution and attention to detail are second to none - really inspiring work.

 

Rich

 

btw: I think that the purpose of those wing leading edge spikes was to grab the barrier net during an emergency landing aboard the ship. Others might know for sure.

 

 

 

Edited by RichB63
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Thanks to all for the comments; they're very much appreciated. I'm not sure why I was having issues with the pics loading as they are part of a shared album which I've used before with success. I created an entirely new "shared" album for the pics and that seemed to resolve the issue.

 

A-10 Loader, I've been meaning to send you a PM to inquire about your A-6 build as I haven't seen any updates recently. I hope you haven't abandoned the project as you seem to be pretty far along with it.

 

RichB63, I kind of figured if anyone here would know what those spikes are for it would be you, the resident A-6 expert. Thanks for clarifying and you're probably right as it makes perfect sense.

 

ViperZero, Maniacal???  I agree with you 100%. Only someone with a few screws loose would devote this much time to try and get the details correct on the wings. A normal person would have simply sanded away the raised panel lines and scribed new ones in place of the old ones and call it good. On the bright side, I'm glad my obsession is used for something I enjoy.

 

Thanks again to all for looking.

 

Cheers

-Elmo

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  • 2 weeks later...

" A-10 Loader, I've been meaning to send you a PM to inquire about your A-6 build as I haven't seen any updates recently. I hope you haven't abandoned the project as you seem to be pretty far along with it. "

 

No sir, I haven't abandoned it but, I haven't worked on it either. I see it everyday sitting on my other desk in the model room and a couple of my friends say "your soooo close to being finished." I've just been busy doing yard work and taking care of our property now that it's the season and, watching the NHL playoffs. I've also been doing research for my next project after the A-6, which will be another 1/18th scale Tomcat. This one will be a D model conversion.

 

Steve

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19 hours ago, A-10 LOADER said:

 

 

No sir, I haven't abandoned it but, I haven't worked on it either. I see it everyday sitting on my other desk in the model room and a couple of my friends say "your soooo close to being finished."

 

 

Steve, glad to hear you haven't abandoned the project. Can't wait to see your next Tomcat done; the "D" variant is my personal favorite. Good luck with both builds. And as a side note, as soon as I'm done with the OB wing panels I'll be starting on the windscreen you gave me.....thanks again!

 

 

-Elmo

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19 hours ago, A-10 LOADER said:

... been doing research for my next project after the A-6, which will be another 1/18th scale Tomcat. This one will be a D model conversion. ...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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4 hours ago, wardog said:

Steve, glad to hear you haven't abandoned the project. Can't wait to see your next Tomcat done; the "D" variant is my personal favorite. Good luck with both builds. And as a side note, as soon as I'm done with the OB wing panels I'll be starting on the windscreen you gave me.....thanks again!

 

 

-Elmo

Your very welcome, I'm always looking forward to seeing your updates.

 

Steve

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