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Monogram A-6E TRAM 1/48


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Hello Rich,

I'll either be using MRP (Mr. Paint) which is lacquer based or acrylic Aqueous Hobby Color by Mr Hobby. They both spray nicely and have a slight sheen when dry which kind of throws me off a bit considering both are supposed to yield a flat finish. The decision may have actually already been made as I used MRP for the gear doors. However, I think the shades are so close that I can still go with the Mr Hobby line for the rest of the model if I so choose.

 

Thanks,

Elmo

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Hi Elmo

 

Not enough words in all the world's languages can adequately describe your level of detail, accurate workmanship and altruism in sharing your skills with all of us here.

 

What strikes me most is how you manage to cut those differently shaped members of each detail part that you build so cleanly and accurately.

 

God Bless you for that and Thanks. 

 

Regards

Alex

 

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Hello ascomt,

 

Thanks for the extremely kind words; I'm glad that you enjoy my work! And thanks of course to all the others that continue to stay interested in this build. As important as I feel it is to acknowledge folks for their comments, I typically wait until my next update to say thanks as I'm not a fan of having my thread make It back to the top without having new pics to share. However, I really appreciated your feedback and that of others so just wanted to say thanks!

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Hello Larry,

 

Thanks for checking in and Happy new Year to you and yours.

 

You're not far off regarding an update; the build continues at a very slow rate as I've been splitting my free time between the A-6 and an old z-car I purchased last year.

 

The past few months I've been focusing on the landing gear. I decided to re-do what I initially completed over 10 years ago as I was no longer satisfied with it. As expected, It's coming about slow due to all the tiny bits and pieces that I'm scratch building......not to mention all the work is really excercising my patience and of course prolonging the kit's completion.

 

Below are a few pics of what I've done so far. The mains are mostly done minus paint and the addition of hoses. The NLG is currently in-work. I'm also including a pic of the resin wheels I'll be using made by ResKit. These were gifted to me by RichB63 and are by far the most dimensionally accurate set I've come across....Thanks Rich!

 

If the pics do not load I'll retry again soon. I'm using Imgur now and for some reason the links are not converting to pics after I paste them herein. Tech issues are a part of my life....LOL.

 

Thanks again,

Cheers

 

https://i.imgur.com/CRO5w8J.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/x8GDHuh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Z80JbHd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qjWyXTR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/SFpB9qo.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/tEFqtWp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MFQLB9Q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KT5zHYZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NlJ4GFp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BEPGdGv.jpg

 

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Thanks for the comments!

 

Steve, no tricks or wizardry here......basic tools are used to hold parts such as tweezers. One thing I typically do to make it easier when making the tiny parts is start with a larger piece of styrene, shape it and finally cut it to the correct size.

 

-Elmo

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

 Acuity, Mr.Happy and the rest who've left messages, thank you....always appreciated.

 

My plan was to upload some pics today of the finished gear but once again, experiencing issues with pic links converting to an image. The fun never ends.......I'll try and figure out the issue and post once able to.

 

Thanks,

Elmo

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Well, it looks like the issue has been resolved, however, I did nothing to fix it other that wait a while so who know what the issue was. Anyway, here we go.

 

Acuity, before I forget, as far as i can tell all the pictures I've uploaded recently are viewable. If there is anything specific you'd like to see please let me know and I'll do my best to share. 

 

 

Besides installation, all gear related components are pretty much done other than a few minor tweaks here and there. For those of you that have stayed in touch with this build you know that the gear is the first part of the build I shared long ago. Over the years my skills have improved a bit and now not really satisfied with the detail work I had done to the gear. That said, I decided to redo all the gear and although the work involved this time around was mind-bending, I'm happy with the results.

What you see in the pics is months and months of studying reference material and scratch building all the tiny little parts. The main gear was tough enough to complete but relative to the nose gear, a walk in the park. If I had to guess, the nose gear probably has over 50 parts that make up the whole assembly. The pics I'm including mainly show the completed gear; if I took pics of all the detail there would simply be too many to share.

 

Lastly, a big thanks to RichB63 for gifting me the ResKit wheels and for providing me the much needed reference material needed to complete the gear.

 
 
 
 
 
no_photo.png
The NLG showing some of the details added to the RS.

qxkh3LT.jpg

 

Another view, prior to paint, a wash and some black cables. As you can see, I separated the main strut from the drag brace and connected the two with the yellowish piece made from resin.

JyPqgFg.jpg

Painted up and awaiting some dirt and grime. My "perfectionist" side has real issues with dirtying up model parts when they're nice and clean. I think It's because I lack good weathering skills so I fear that I'm gonna ruin all the hard work.

FsfBUOZ.jpg

One last pic of the nose gear. The bar I temporarily glued on top acts as a brace as the whole assembly became rather delicate when I separated the drag brace from the strut.

8BD5ASG.jpg

One of the mains painted up and a wash.

DMyQDPX.jpg

Last pic. Mains with the tires attached just for the pic.

p5SQk60.jpg

 

I have plenty more pics but these should do I suppose. Thanks for looking.

 

-Elmo

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3 hours ago, BuNo02100 said:

I swear, every update just leaves me stunned.  craftsmanship at a whole other level then what I am capable of.  It is an inspiration and I appreciate you sharing your journey with us.

 

BW

I hear ya. Every time I see his updates I wanna take all my modeling stuff and throw it in the trash. 😲

Extremely well done Elmo, I still say you have a machine that shrinks down the real thing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is eagerly awaiting your next update.

Steve

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More modeling making extravagance! Great work Elmo on the LG rebuild.

 

The Intruder nose strut is one of the most complex assemblies of its kind. And somehow you've managed to replicate it in all its Byzantine glory!

 

Curious about what we have to look forward to next on this build as you edge toward the finish line (?).

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Thanks to all of you loyal followers for your comments and for sticking with this build over the years, your patience is admirable!

 

RichB63, I didn't realize how complex the A-6 nose gear is until I was too far into it to turn back. However, you're absolutely right.....very complex! The end result is not totally accurate but better than what I started with. I honestly felt like I was never going to finish it and it taxed me more than the instrument panel which took longer to build.

 

As far as what's next, most likely the ejection seats or painting the model. To paint it I'll need to tighten up some loose ends but nothing major. Main thing is mustering up the courage to commit to it as my painting/weathering skills are quite pathetic. Or I can focus on the seats; I ultimately would like to use resin seats but there are none that I know of that are accurate, dimensionally correct, look good and fit the Blackbox tub. I really don't want to scratch build them as that will incur a ton of additional research and time....we'll see where this journey takes me.

 

Again, thanks for looking and the awesome feedback!

 

-Elmo

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I can see the results, but trying to piece together how you solved some of these shapes at that scale is a real challenge.  Like, if my tools and hands were also 1:48 scale, I can totally see it, but they're not! Hats off sir.  

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Wow Elmo! you have no idea how  glad I am seeing your post updated and knowing your Tram is still beeing worked on!! no need to say how impressive is your work! it just keeps getting better! way to go!

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Thanks Loki_v2, janman and kike, much appreciated.

 

Loki-v2, you're absolutely right, fabricating the small and complex pieces is very challenging. However, the talent needed most is simply "patience". I don't get all parts right the first time around, some require multiple tries. Thanks again for your feedback.

 

janman, yes, 48th scale so inherently challenging to detail. However, I wouldn't be able to do the work without a magnifying lens and strong reading glasses, both at the same time. My "eagle eyes" I was once so proud of because I used to have 20/12 vision are no longer what they used to be.

 

kike, nice to hear from you, It's been a long time. Hope you are well and, yes, this build will continue even at snail's pace. Thanks for your comments.

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