tobiK Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Nice detailing! To bad...most of the work disappears in the fuselage. I still wonder about the brown color of the seat bucket. Is it a special material or coating? Once I tried to make such clamps out of masking tape, too. But I was not happy about the thickness and the part where it is double laid. Also the adhesive on the back is to weak and so I needed some drops of CA. But that CA easily disturbed the details just near. So maybe I can share my idea with you (even a bit late here, but after the model is before the model, hehe) - I usually take household aluminium foil (or the aluminium covers of joghurt, creamy cheese boxes, fresh cheese...these are thicker than household foil) and cut it into small stripes (steal ruler and fresh scalpel), result is more exact and can be smaller than possible with masking tape (which is to "elastic"). Next step is adding Micro metal foil adhesive on one side, wait a minute, cut the lenght you need (or a bit more) and apply it! When you need another look than NMF, just paint it with a fine brush. And hey presto - you have a clamp that easily snuggels on the surface and easily follows the structure of the wires, oleos, frames, etc. OK, don't want to be a wise guy and your modelling skills may be better than mine in general. But the alu foil stripe trick could improve your pit (or the landing gear when you decide to add electric and/or brake lines). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 The cockpit looks great Joel. I'm sure the rest of the plane will look just as good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Nice detailing! To bad...most of the work disappears in the fuselage. I still wonder about the brown color of the seat bucket. Is it a special material or coating? Once I tried to make such clamps out of masking tape, too. But I was not happy about the thickness and the part where it is double laid. Also the adhesive on the back is to weak and so I needed some drops of CA. But that CA easily disturbed the details just near. So maybe I can share my idea with you (even a bit late here, but after the model is before the model, hehe) - I usually take household aluminium foil (or the aluminium covers of joghurt, creamy cheese boxes, fresh cheese...these are thicker than household foil) and cut it into small stripes (steal ruler and fresh scalpel), result is more exact and can be smaller than possible with masking tape (which is to "elastic"). Next step is adding Micro metal foil adhesive on one side, wait a minute, cut the lenght you need (or a bit more) and apply it! When you need another look than NMF, just paint it with a fine brush. And hey presto - you have a clamp that easily snuggels on the surface and easily follows the structure of the wires, oleos, frames, etc. OK, don't want to be a wise guy and your modelling skills may be better than mine in general. But the alu foil stripe trick could improve your pit (or the landing gear when you decide to add electric and/or brake lines). TobiK, Thanks. And thanks for sharing that technique. I'll have to get some Micro Metal foil adhesive, as I really like your method better then mine. The Yoke masking tape clamps look ok, and yes they're on the thick side, I'm willing to bet that your method will look 10 times better including being thinner, which is the other half of the issue. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kahunaminor Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Joel, Nice work on the cockpit area. It is a shame to lose it all in closing the fuselage. @tobiK....the seat was a composite plastic material (I forget the exact name right now). I second your use of foil, it requires practice but I like the result better too. Regards, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure that the seat was made out of Bakelite, which is a plastic material. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 The cockpit looks great Joel. I'm sure the rest of the plane will look just as good. Falcon20driver, Thanks for stopping by, and liking the Pit so far. It's been all fun and no stress so far. Lets hope it stays that way. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coneheadff Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 (edited) Alex, Thanks for coming along for the ride. Have you posted a build blog on your Mk. VIII. The kits are close enough to compare notes. Joel Hi Joel, Unfortunately no blog. As you can see it took me two days to answer...don't ask how long it will take to finish one model. Job and family are keeping me busy. Good job on the cockpit!!! The wiring brings some live into it. Alex Edited March 24, 2015 by coneheadff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Hi Joel, Unfortunately no blog. As you can see it took me two days to answer...don't ask how long it will take to finish one model. Job and family are keeping me busy. Good job on the cockpit!!! The wiring brings some live into it. Alex Alex, Been there, done that. Semi retired from work. Full retirement in 18 months. Wife who lets me do what I want these days. Of course I can't do what I once did. One grown son (28) who still lives at home. One home that is other hobby. And last but certainly not least, my Hyundai limited edition Sports Coupe that my wife says I love way too much. And she just may be right. Model when you can. That's the good thing about this hobby, no time restraints. The model just seats there till you find the time to get back to it. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taggor Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Hey Joel! The cockpit looks beautiful! I can appreciate that most of it will be concealed within the fuselage but, for my part I wouldn't have done anything different. I would always know that the detail is there to be found even if just for myself. Amazing work. This may be what you had meant about "diminishing returns" when you had commented on my work previous but, I can't help but be inspired with your attention to the detail about the cockpit. I am so happy for you that you are really "kicking this up" after the P-47. You really have "come out swinging" with this build. Awesome! -Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Hey Joel! The cockpit looks beautiful! I can appreciate that most of it will be concealed within the fuselage but, for my part I wouldn't have done anything different. I would always know that the detail is there to be found even if just for myself. Amazing work. This may be what you had meant about "diminishing returns" when you had commented on my work previous but, I can't help but be inspired with your attention to the detail about the cockpit. I am so happy for you that you are really "kicking this up" after the P-47. You really have "come out swinging" with this build. Awesome! -Mark Mark, Thanks. Agreed about the diminishing returns theory of mine. But it's just what I like to do. I rather add bits and pieces creating a unique cockpit within my limited abilities, as that's just more satisfying then substituting a commercial resin one. Of course I'm the 1st one to swap jet ejection seats depending on the kit at hand. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taggor Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Mark, Thanks. Agreed about the diminishing returns theory of mine. But it's just what I like to do. I rather add bits and pieces creating a unique cockpit within my limited abilities, as that's just more satisfying then substituting a commercial resin one. Of course I'm the 1st one to swap jet ejection seats depending on the kit at hand. Joel You are certainly humble Joel....."limited abilities?" Really!? I can't imagine what you must consider "Master" abilities! Haha. I'm with you on the ejection seat. I bought a replacement for that F-18 I keep hinting at and I have found my own "diminishing returns" with my project based on the dialog that "we all" had. It was very thought provoking and I was glad we had it! Looking forward to more progress with your build here, even with those "limited abilities" of yours! :P Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Der Grüne Punkt Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Nice work there on that pit mate, I built only two Eduard kits (a 109 and a Mirage IIIC) and both are a pleasure to build, no surprise you're enjoying this one. I look forward to see more progress. BTW, seems that we all have a carpet monster at home, mine specially enjoys PE. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chukw Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Very nice, Joel! Diminishing returns? Details are their own reward. ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 Very nice, Joel! Diminishing returns? Details are their own reward. ;)/> Chuck, Thanks for stopping by and liking my pit progress to date. So when are you going to start your next build, and have you made a decision on what it will be? Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Well, it's time for another small update. I finally finished the cockpit with the addition of the other cockpit tub wall. Test fitting showed that the IP needed to be sanded to allow the fuselage halves to mate perfectly. Depending on which particular aircraft one is modeling, the front of the Fuselage wing faring is different. So Eduard has produced both versions. the seam is right along actual seams, so care must be taken when gluing them in place. I opted to glue them in from the rear with a very small amount of Tamiya Extra thin. This preserved the panel lines so no re-scribing nor sanding would be required. Up next is the start of the lower wing assembly. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taggor Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Hey Joel! It must feel good to have it start looking like a plane with the fuselage halves together now. I wanted to ask if you are going to use Life Color Acrylics on this one. I am sorry if I missed it if you said already. From your F-15 build I decided to try some and was impressed at its opacity and coverage even over dark base colors. I had also wanted to ask if you are using any reference books on this project? Looking forward to more! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 [ Hey Joel! It must feel good to have it start looking like a plane with the fuselage halves together now. I wanted to ask if you are going to use Life Color Acrylics on this one. I am sorry if I missed it if you said already. From your F-15 build I decided to try some and was impressed at its opacity and coverage even over dark base colors. I had also wanted to ask if you are using any reference books on this project? Looking forward to more! Taggor, It sure does feel good knowing that I've now finished the cockpit stage, and the basic fuselage is now glued up. For the F-15C build I used Model Master enamel paints. For this build I'm going with Tamiya Acrylics. And yes, I did use MM RAF Interior Green for the "Pit" as I already had a bottle of it. As for reference material, to be completely honest, I spend days doing Google searches and redefining those WW11 USA aircraft. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 AH so it was the plastic not the PE that was a little wide, huh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 AH so it was the plastic not the PE that was a little wide, huh? Nicholas, Actually the full IP and bulkhead assembly was a little to large. The PE parts PE1 & PE2 fit F66, the plastic back plate perfectly. And that assembly fit the bulkhead like a glove. The whole sub assembly was just a little to big. Just some moderate sanding took care of the shape issue. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Just caught up..sorry to hear about the Thunderbolt, but this build's going very well. I actually ordered a Eduard Spitfire because of your build (like I needed another Spitfire in my EVER growing stash)! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hornet14 Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Looks really good Joel, makes me want a Spit now! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Just caught up..sorry to hear about the Thunderbolt, but this build's going very well. I actually ordered a Eduard Spitfire because of your build (like I needed another Spitfire in my EVER growing stash)! Shaka HI The Spitfire is a joy to build. As for needing another Spit in your stash, I've heard that you can never have enough Spits in your stash, more then a few times. :woot.gif:/> Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Looks really good Joel, makes me want a Spit now! :woot.gif:/> :cheers:/> Hornet14, Thanks for those kind words. As for wanting a Spit now, go for it, you won't be sorry. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Well, with all the snow that just continues to cover Long Island even though it's spring, and being semi retired at work, I've been spending more time at the bench then normally. So I've made enough progress on the Spit. Mk.IXc for another update. With the basic fuselage finished, I've sanded the main seams then coated them with Zap-A-Gap thin CA glue. Even though the fit was just about perfect, Extra Thin not only melts the plastic for a strong bond, but as it oozes out of the seam often I get bubbles that need filling. The thin CA glue does the trick and seals any seams I missed. Next up is the wing assemblies. The lower wing section is a one piece unit that is extremely well detailed. Eduard designed the wheel wells with one common large wing spar and 7 smaller pieces that comprised each well. Critical alignment of each piece is necessary or the well just won't fit together properly. While the finished wheel wells have the correct oblong shape rather then the more traditional vertical walls, it's just over engineered, and very fiddly in construction. Half the amount of parts is all that would be needed to produce each well. Next in the construction of the wings is the two cooling system radiators. And once again Eduard decided to see how many parts they can create to make each one. Assembling them required test fitting into the wing before the glue had really set to tweak the alignment. One nice touch is the rear radiator door can be displayed open or closed, and there are two different hinges for those options. I chose to have them open, but left them off till just before painting. You can also see how nicely detailed the wheels wells look when viewed from the bottom. I also decided it was a good time to build the rear horizontal stabilizers. Eduard really did an excellent job with the engineering of these parts. Rather then the almost universal top and bottom halves that are sliced right through the stabilizers, the molded the bottom with the front lip, and created the joining seam where the actual seam is. The effect is absolutely perfect both visually and construction wise. It's so good, try and see if you can tell the top from the bottom. The answer is at the end of the update. Before I could install the engine cowling, I had to build the two exhaust header manifolds. Once again Eduard decided to see how many pieces they could create for each sub assembly. Each one is comprised of 4 pcs. The instructions were extremely hard for me to visual the proper orientation of the parts, coupled with another fiddly sub-assembly, gets my vote for the worst part of the build. But with due diligence I got them done. Once both are installed, only the header is visible, so a simpler assembly would have been greatly appreciated. I had previously glued and test fitted the engine cowling to make sure that I wouldn't have any surprises. I've also read and followed enough Eduard Spit builds to know that the cowling is a real problem with the center joint line. It seams for some reason that no matter how many times it was gone over with model putty, the seam just reappeared after priming or painting. So I did the CA glue routine again. And will prime and let it seat for a day just to be sure. The Answer to the stabilizer question is the one on the left has the joint seam facing up. Looks pretty good if you ask me. I was going to add a pin wash to the other stabilizer, but figured that was pushing it a bit. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Damn nice so far! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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