coneheadff Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hi Wardog I might have an idea for the switches...I saw a brave guy on another build somewhere (can't remember where ) He used a punch&die set and punched out all those little knobs. For the switches he used something else...boy, I just can't remember what he did Maybe drill through the PE part, glue some stretched sprue and than trim them with a sanding stick. Well that is what I'm planing for one build...somewhere in the next ten years when I have more time :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dsahling Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 What kind of paint job/camouflage is this one gonna have? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hi Wardog I might have an idea for the switches...I saw a brave guy on another build somewhere (can't remember where ) He used a punch&die set and punched out all those little knobs. For the switches he used something else...boy, I just can't remember what he did Maybe drill through the PE part, glue some stretched sprue and than trim them with a sanding stick. Well that is what I'm planing for one build...somewhere in the next ten years when I have more time :lol: Coneheadff, thanks for your input. I see that we both think alike. Not trying to steal your thunder or anything but your ideas are also something I had thought about. I have the micro-punch set but I think even the smallest diameter punch might be a little too big. I planned on stacking two different diameter pieces together to try and replicate the knobs on the lower right side of the bombardier panel but like I said I think my punches are too big to pull this off. I also thought about drilling holes in the photo-etched panel to glue in styrene rod but previous experiences trying to drill through the metal has been more trouble than its worth. The drills typically want to "run" on you and deburring is also a pain. It would be nice if these painted photo-etched instrument panels could also be made of plastic so drilling wouldn't be a pain. I wouldn't mind simply using styrene rod for the knobs but for some reason I can never cut the rod straight.......I think the 'V' cutting angle of the blade causes this. An idea I have to fix this issue is to drill a bunch of holes that are 1-2 thou. bigger than the diameter rod I want to use for my buttons/switches into a thick piece of plastic. I'll then insert the rod into these holes and simply sand the rods flush with the plastic and then remove the rods from the holes. Once again, thanks for your input. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 What kind of paint job/camouflage is this one gonna have? dsahling, Not sure yet on the paint. Since I'm using the composite wing my choices are somewhat limited. For now the choice has been the black tailed scheme worn by VA-196 and although I like that scheme in pictures of the real thing, I'm not sure I'm crazy about it when I've seen it on models. The unfortunate thing is that most composite winged Intruders wore the boring TPS scheme and most were void of color except for a few. So unless I change my mind I'll probably go with my original choice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dsahling Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 The TPS actually lends itself to a lot of weathering techniques, check out salt weathering in the tips section if you're not already familiar. Dan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 The TPS actually lends itself to a lot of weathering techniques, check out salt weathering in the tips section if you're not already familiar. Dan dsahling You're absolutely right. Regardless of the somewhat bland nature of the TPS scheme, a great weathering job will certainly make it stand out. I am very familiar with the salt weathering technique although I must admit I've never actually tried it on a model. I plan on using this technique when It's time to paint but not without first practicing a bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VA-115EFR Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I like the VA-75 retro paint scheme they did on 514 as it looked on their initial 1964 deployment on the Indy. Also VA-165 Boomers 501 "Puff the Magic Dragon" was very cool! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dsahling Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 dsahling You're absolutely right. Regardless of the somewhat bland nature of the TPS scheme, a great weathering job will certainly make it stand out. I am very familiar with the salt weathering technique although I must admit I've never actually tried it on a model. I plan on using this technique when It's time to paint but not without first practicing a bit. In the tips section there's an article about it by Chuck Sawyer, I just tried the technique for the first time on my Flanker I'm almost done with, really works great. I used Mr. Color lacquer paint since its so tough, and I didn't have to use future before applying the salt since the lacquer is waterproof. Anyways, keep up the good work, can't wait to see it!!! Dan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 In the tips section there's an article about it by Chuck Sawyer, I just tried the technique for the first time on my Flanker I'm almost done with, really works great. I used Mr. Color lacquer paint since its so tough, and I didn't have to use future before applying the salt since the lacquer is waterproof. Anyways, keep up the good work, can't wait to see it!!! Dan dsahling, I have seen that article along with a few others. He did a great job on his F-4. Since I normally use enamels I'm sure I'll encounter my own set of issues. Actually I need to correct myself. I have tried using this technique but only on small parts. I'm sure it's totally different on an entire model. I'm just hoping I don't screw things up because if there is one thing I'm really good at It's that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 I like the VA-75 retro paint scheme they did on 514 as it looked on their initial 1964 deployment on the Indy. Also VA-165 Boomers 501 "Puff the Magic Dragon" was very cool! I've seen Puff the Magic Dragon but I'm not sure if I've seen the other.....Got a pic? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VA-115EFR Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 The only pic I could find is in my Intruder book, but Fightertown Decals makes the VA-75 Sunday Punchers decals with the Retro scheme on the bottom. Modex 514 BuNo 157027. You should be able to google it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pminer Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Well here's something that never happens. Apparently the model gods must be happy with me because dipping the windscreen in boiling water actually worked. I first cut a piece of styrene that was just a little wider than the width of the windscreen as the windscreen was too narrow to fit properly. I then wedged it at the point where the windscreen needed to be wider and dipped it in water that i boiled. I let it sit in the pot for about a minute and removed it.......problem solved. Details...what was the water temp when you immersed the canopy? It couldn't have been boiling hot because that would have destroyed the canopy. How long did you let the boiled water sit (cool down) before you immersed the canopy? Great tip! Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Details...what was the water temp when you immersed the canopy? It couldn't have been boiling hot because that would have destroyed the canopy. How long did you let the boiled water sit (cool down) before you immersed the canopy? Great tip! Paul Paul....After re-reading my post I can see that I described the technique somewhat incorrectly. After the windscreen was ready, I boiled water in a small pot but unfortunately I didn't take the temp. I turned off the fire once the water had boiled for about 30 seconds. Since this was my first time attempting this I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume the water doesn't necessarily have to be at boiling temp but hot enough to soften plastic....what that exact temp is I don't know. After boiling I let the water sit for about a minute and then I dipped the canopy which was held with tweezers at the spreader bar. I immersed the canopy just enough to be under the surface but without letting it touch the bottom of the pot (for fear of the hot metal damaging the canopy). I probably held it under water for no longer than 30 seconds. A word of caution. Since I did this when time was short, the spreader bar I used did not fit great and it actually fell off when under water and the canopy came to rest on the pot bottom. When I removed the canopy from the water it had taken the width of the bar without it returning to it's original width. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nimrod77 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Amazing! Truly amazing detail! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cabo91 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 UUHHHGGG!! E!! My hands are cramping watching this thing come together. Seriously, there is some detail here I would never have thought of... Some very creative ideas thought and I'll tell you, that goes a long way cause I'll see something in here and go "ooh! What I great Idea for..." something like that so, keep at it, I'll deal with the mental carpal tunnel and enjoy the ride dude! Steven Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 nimrod77 & cabo91, thanks for the compliments. As far as the detail is concerned, I try to come up with as many unique or creative ideas for the model I'm working on as I typically only like to build one example of that aircraft type and when It's finally done I know I've done as much as I can to it. Since I got back into this hobby I've only built 2 a/c (F-4S & F-8J) and I don't plan on ever building either one again. I have many more unique ideas I haven't shared yet on this A-6 and I will post them in due time but for now I'm concentrating on fixing the crooked bulkhead on the Blackbox cockpit tub which is giving me headaches. Thanks again Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 For those that have any interest in the Monogram A-6E/BlackBox cockpit combination, the following pic shows the crooked bulkhead when viewed from above. Although it's not much, you can see how the taper increases from left to right which is causing alignment problems. If I align the bulkhead correctly, perpendicular to the length of the fuselage, the consoles start skewing to the right when viewed from above. If I locate the cockpit tub to where the consoles are straight, the bulkhead sits crooked. At this point I'm still trying to determine if the taper is enough to be visible once the entire model is finished. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 While trying to figure out the cockpit bulkhead situation I decided to dry fit the various aftermarket ejection seats I've collected over the years to see which ones I like and fit better. In all, I have five different types and when viewing the pictures It's readily apparent how different they all are. One of the reasons I wanted to share this information is because of the five seats, only two actually fit the BlackBox cockpit tub (Verlinden & BlackBox). The other three are too wide to fit as a drop-in seat but could possibly be made to fit by either sanding the seat sides or the sides of the consoles or possibly a combination of both. Of all the seats, my favorite set was from Aires but unfortunately they're too wide to fit. Although for some reason I thought they would fit the BlackBox cockpit tub, nowhere on the packaging does it state they do. They do seem to fit in the Monogram tub without a problem though. The seats in the pictures below are in the following order from left to right: Aires, Verlinden, BlackBox, (Mystery Seat), Wolfpack. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
xavi84 Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 The mystery seat looks like it may be the one from True Details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) Here's a few pics of how the cockpit tub is coming along. I still have a long way to go before the tub is finished and the majority of the time will be spent correcting all the fictitious detail that once existed on the original bulkhead. I want to take a moment to say thanks to "Plastic Weapons" for providing me with some technical data I was missing. Some of the improvements to the original tube include a new bulkhead as the original one looked crooked to me and had a lot of fictitious detail. I removed the raised area that was supposed to represent the pilot's pedals and installed actual pedals. The bombardier's floor has a .005 styrene laminate with rivet detail and (unfinished) foot pedals. This laminate also serves to hide what looks like router tool marks cast onto the floor. The photo etched pieces come from the Eduard set for the Kinetic A-6 as well as the spares box. I added a few details to the bulkhead but ultimately it will have a ton of stuff added to it. Some of the switches that had broken off were also replaced with .010 styrene rod. Lastly, the lines that separate the panels on the consoles were deepened slightly with my micro saw blade by JMM. I was really hoping to have the cockpit done over my 2 weeks off of work during Christmas but packing due to selling my house will probably take precedence :(/>/>/> Edited December 10, 2012 by wardog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
USMC6094 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 good GAWD thats some beautiful work wardog.................................................................... other than that I'm speachless Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cabo91 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Here's a few pics of how the cockpit tub is coming along. I still have a long way to go before the tub is finished and the majority of the time will be spent correcting all the fictitious detail that once existed on the original bulkhead. I want to take a moment to say thanks to "Plastic Weapons" for providing me with some technical data I was missing. Some of the improvements to the original tube include a new bulkhead as the original one looked crooked to me and had a lot of fictitious detail. I removed the raised area that was supposed to represent the pilot's pedals and installed actual pedals. The bombardier's floor has a .005 styrene laminate with rivet detail and (unfinished) foot pedals. This laminate also serves to hide what looks like router tool marks cast onto the floor. The photo etched pieces come from the Eduard set for the Kinetic A-6 as well as the spares box. I added a few details to the bulkhead but ultimately it will have a ton of stuff added to it. Some of the switches that had broken off were also replaced with .010 styrene rod. Lastly, the lines that separate the panels on the consoles were deepened slightly with my micro saw blade by JMM. I was really hoping to have the cockpit done over my 2 weeks off of work during Christmas but packing due to selling my house will probably take precedence :(/>/>/>/> Hey!! I forgot to ask, you had some sort of drill bits that you'd used for the smaller holes. Not like the standard drill bits but some other types. Where would I be able to get my hands on some of those? For doing tedious, rivets, (which you, Cyrus and me seem to be really fond of) those seem like a nice tool to have. Steven Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wardog Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Hey!! I forgot to ask, you had some sort of drill bits that you'd used for the smaller holes. Not like the standard drill bits but some other types. Where would I be able to get my hands on some of those? For doing tedious, rivets, (which you, Cyrus and me seem to be really fond of) those seem like a nice tool to have. Steven Steven, if you wan't to indulge in tedious riveting I'd be happy to help you out. I got them from some guy on EBAY under a search for micro-drills. Don't quote me but the name was something like drillbitguy1 or something close to that. I'll see if i can find the exact name when I get home. They aren't exactly cheap but then again nothing is for this hobby. I've got sizes down to about .004 or .005 which is less than half of a #80 at .013 or so. I'll warn you now, if you think #80's break easy you're in for a big surprize. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cabo91 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Steven, if you wan't to indulge in tedious riveting I'd be happy to help you out. I got them from some guy on EBAY under a search for micro-drills. Don't quote me but the name was something like drillbitguy1 or something close to that. I'll see if i can find the exact name when I get home. They aren't exactly cheap but then again nothing is for this hobby. I've got sizes down to about .004 or .005 which is less than half of a #80 at .013 or so. I'll warn you now, if you think #80's break easy you're in for a big surprize. LOL!!! They're expensive, right? Of course they break easily! (Reminds me of Jurassic Park...Q: Are they heavy? A:Yes Reply: Then they're expensive, put em down!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cyrus Tan Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Nice work bro! Keep it up. Hey Steven - wardog turned me on to these finer drill bits. I have the Academy Mig-29 that I used them on and it looks nice so far. Just check on ebay and do a search for "micro drill bits". And yes... they are very fragile. I went through my first set already. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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