Jump to content

1/48 Super Etendard Modernise - Done!


Recommended Posts

Welcome to another meeting of modelers' anonymous. We've all got like ten started kits on the bench, and a general malaise tends to set in after step three of the instructions. Well I am here to say that I am with you all - I am looking at a half-completed 1/32 F-14D that I just know I will finish soon. Right after I get that 1/72 Su-24 done - all that needs is a lick of paint and some decals. After that I can finish the 1/35 Mi-17 on the shelf in the closet. But I digress - today is a new day - the bench is cleaned, organized, and cleared. I need a solid build that doesn't have tons of PE and resin to get the mojo going - something new and exciting... Maybe...

12d0c9498d064f232e73a4a97850b2a1.jpg

Yeah! Cool plane! I have to admit that this kind of pushed it to the front of the pile:

Neat, huh? Well that is the decider for this build. Next time I check in there will be plastic and paint on display. And hopefully nothing but nice things to say about Kinetic and this kit. Hope you'll all tag along for the adventure!

John

Edited by jgrease
Link to post
Share on other sites

Funny start. I look forward to the build since I am thinking about getting one myself. I too have the pile of incomplete builds (Guppy, Akula, Victor, Trafalgar, Seahawk, 24 pound naval cannon, Corsair, Dalek) and I am sitting here thinking about starting another Revell Foxbat. Best of luck pushing to the end, I'll be watching.

Cheers,

Dave

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow - skip a day and you fall off the first page. The last day and a half were taken up with the beginning assemblies. Step one has you building the bang seat, cockpit and wheel bays. Let's start with the nose gear and bay:

be42926f01fc43dc84f1d16e08ed123e.jpg

The fit of the parts was great in this area. Unfortunately you have to install the nose gear into the bay to complete everything for assembly. I went old school and used Testors silver from the small square bottles. Unfortunately the silver was more chrome than plain silver. However I'm not going to strip everything down and repaint - I'm trying to boost my modeling mojo not kill it entirely. I think you can see there is some nice detail inside the bay - I used some Vallejo black wash to bring out some of the details. One thing I did not like was the piece that holds the wheel onto the gear leg was separate - that thing just needs one good slam and the wheel will go popping off to destinations unknown. Still, it looks good and I learned not to use that bottle of Testors silver again on this build. On the subject of gear bays, here's the main gear well:

c4d93daca3b23e8307d6376dbe932c6c.jpg

No - not my best work for sure, and the silver again did not help things. But this was easy to build and like the nose gear bay the parts fit was great. While we're here let me rant about something that a lot of people have discussed on other threads - the instructions. Kinetic really needs to step up their assembly instructions. The diagrams are just awful, and my copy has a couple of the painting and decaling pages only printed on half the page. These are more a book of suggestions than instructions. Otherwise a great kit so far. Onto the Cockpit:

a782f6e38c17dd9d430e730338740d4c.jpg

Now bearing in mind that the cockpit is black, I've given it a coat of Model Master Aircraft Interior Black (kind of appropriate for once). I then drybrushed the raised details with some Engine Gray and picked out one or two details in red or yellow. The fit of the rear cockpit bulkhead to the tub was a little troublesome but nothing hard to fix. What I do find inexcusable is the lack of any kind of seatbelt detail, be it photetch, decals, or even molded in belts. There is just no reason for that kind of detail to be overlooked in a modern kit. The seat itself is quite nice so the lack of belts is a let down. Again, in the interest of moving the project along there are no belts to be added. And yes, I'm just awful at getting those black and yellow stripes on the handles to look even. I've also finished the instrument panel:

2897e3ae98044ade2aa30a2e32476bf8.jpg

The kit gives you two panels depending on whether you're building a SuE or SeM. Again, no decals or anything else for the panels. The decal sheet is big and I don't think it would have cut into the cost of the kit to include IP decals. Inexcusable. I've added some Airscale decals just to give the panel some contrast. I'll continue this in the next post.

John

Edited by jgrease
Link to post
Share on other sites

So let's keep going. Step two has the intakes and the exhaust being readied for installation into the fuselage as well as the other components built in step one. Here's the intake parts:

e8bdc7b30180ef114840db1ef1dc172c.jpg

I painted the intakes with Metalizer Steel (not falling for the Testors silver again). There were a couple of ejector pin marks in the curved walls of the intakes which I puttied. I doubt if much will be visible after assembly, but you never know... The two intakes meet up in the back with a turbine face. Again, I painted it steel and gave it a black wash with the Valejo stuff. The intakes went together well once I figured out how the flat pieces fit onto the curved ones. You put the left and right halves together and add the turbine face. Before adding the intakes to one half of the fuselage I installed the wheel bays and then the intakes. After those were in then I installed the cockpit. I think each builder will find a different way that works best to get all of these things into the fuselage. Here's what it looks like:

c78e598f9d7e2f14c567b090874573e2.jpg

The fit of everything is great - the intakes took just a little nudge to fit into place above the main gear bay and the nose gear bay. The exhaust is just a one-piece tube with some minor detail at the closed end - I'm torn as to whether I prefer this simple piece or if a two-halved tube with a separate end would have made more sense but the exhaust is so small I think this was the way to go. I've since closed the fuselage halves and I will catch up on photos tomorrow. So again in summary - the fit of the kit to this point is great. The planning for the intakes was well-executed and there are large pins on the fuselage halves for a very positive fit.

John

Edited by jgrease
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for posts John. Looks like you are off to a great start. I have wanted to build this plane for a long time, but am waiting to see the reviews between Kinetic and Kitty Hawk (if I'm real patient I'll wait for AMK!). Your build will definitely help with the decision.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for posts John. Looks like you are off to a great start. I have wanted to build this plane for a long time, but am waiting to see the reviews between Kinetic and Kitty Hawk (if I'm real patient I'll wait for AMK!). Your build will definitely help with the decision.

So far the kit is not bad at all. Parts fit is good - I've got the fuselage halves together and the worst seam is on the bottom of the fuselage so there is some work to be done - I believe it's called "modeling". Once I get the seam cleaned up I will post more. The instructions are awful and the lack of seat belts and IP decals have really let me down.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

G'day John,

You have made a great start and for all of us who have the kit(or want one) this should prove a valuable reference build. One question, is it possible to leave off the nose landing gear and add it at a later stage of the build? I know you stated that you had to but what is preventing the builder adding it later?

I am really clumsy and just know I will end up breaking it if I add it at such an early stage,

cheers,

Pappy

Link to post
Share on other sites

John,

Just found your WIP. Great to finally see you at the bench once again, and to hear that your modeling Mojo is flowing once again.

Just an excellent start to the Super Etendard Modernise kit. While the Testors silver is bright to say the least, the black washes really made a huge difference. As for those bang seat pull rings, I've struggled with them as well. I've stopped even trying to use the finest brush I can buy since I found at Michaels super fine felt tip pens that do the trick. The fine line it draws is so consistent and easy to maintain around those grab rings.Even stopping and repositioning the pen doesn't cause any problems.

Looking forward to your next update.

Joel

Link to post
Share on other sites

You have made a great start and for all of us who have the kit(or want one) this should prove a valuable reference build. One question, is it possible to leave off the nose landing gear and add it at a later stage of the build? I know you stated that you had to but what is preventing the builder adding it later?

I am really clumsy and just know I will end up breaking it if I add it at such an early stage,

Pappy - thanks for the kind words! The nose landing gear strut is held in the bay by two pegs sticking out of the sides of the strut. If I were to do it again I would probably find a way to sand down those two pegs a little and maybe twist it into place afterwards until it snaps in. I've also had a problem with the alignment of the strut which I will detail in my next post along with some form of solution.

Joel - thanks for the words of encouragement! I will be pressing on tomorrow. I've got the wings partially assembled and I have some rescribing to do on the lower fuselage as well.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow this topic is just a non-starter for most. Well, the two or three of you still keeping tabs will be happy to hear that I have had some additional progress since the weekend. I previously mentioned an issue with the nose landing gear - first of all the fact that one is required to add it right at the beginning is annoying enough. Here is the second issue with it:

434956446245f6d21cf5aaa8dd85fc24.jpg

It actually looks more crooked in person than in this photo. I've done my best to show the centerline in relation to a known straight line going across the intakes. The gear itself looks cocked to the right in the photo, and I think that I must have attached that stupid wheel/axle assembly slightly crooked which exaggerates the slant of the gear leg. Does that all make sense? I'm beginning to confuse myself a bit. I was considering a rather radical solution for the moment consisting of sawing off the gear leg near the top, but I think that will open more issues down the line. I think the best option is to leave well enough alone and try not to break the leg off. It does seem rather sturdy so fingers crossed...

And another note - before attaching the wings, make sure you sand down the areas in the box (both sides):

9f181a0d35eff237a89b2a042fe60cff.jpg

The fit of the wing to fuselage is pretty good with the right amount of sanding and test-fitting. I think I may have wasted my time painting the main gear wells before the wings went on as half of the bay still needs paint. My next post will show the wings affixed to the fuselage and some additional progress. Thanks as always for looking in!

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

John,

I certainly concur about not cutting off the front strut. You would still need to figure out a way to straighten it, and since the base is still glued into the fuselage, that won't be an easy fix. Have you considered just soaking the glue joint with Extra Thin, till it loosens up, then level it the best you can?

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
Link to post
Share on other sites

John,

I certainly concur about not cutting off the front strut. You would still need to figure out a way to straighten it, and since the base is still glued into the fuselage, that won't be an easy fix. Have you considered just soaking the glue joint with Extra Thin, till it loosens up, then level it the best you can?

Joel

Joel - I was thinking about that, and I'll probably try it a little later on. Thanks for the advice. As I mentioned, I can't stand these multi-piece landing gear - no guarantee that it will support the weight of the plane.

So I'm reaching that point where a sort of malaise sets in - I'm looking at the seam under the fuselage that still needs work and the panel lines that need rescribing and it's starting to get ponderous - you know that point where it's losing the fun aspect? Well I am doing my best not to fall into that trap - after all wasn't that the point to this build in the first place? I've got a couple of sub assemblies going on - since I'm doing the wing tips folded, I have those being built up, and the slats need to be added to the wings. Nice feature offered by Kinetic is the parts for the wings - if you build them extended for flight, there are a continuous set of slats. If you're folding the ends of the wings then they offer you the slats for each wing in two sections. I've also built the wings and attached them to the fuselage - I will show that in my next post. Today I had a bit going on so I went back to a simpler part of the build - I added the instrument panel to the cockpit:

1886ba3564c883f1db9cbafd55ebe783.jpg

For whatever reason the IP did not want to stand up so I inserted the panel and added glue, and I then used a section of q-tip to prop the panel up while the glue dried. Once the panel was secure, I added the top of the panel in:

dfd6a2b8774187af216a7cd4a82e7f96.jpg

I was pleasantly surprised at the good fit between the panel and the top of the console. Kinetic have designed it so that the HUD element is part of the top of the panel that fits into a slot on the top of the IP, if that makes any sense. In any event the fit was great, and I have to fold and paint the PE HUD frame and add the lens and glass to it. I am guessing that the HUD element is green, so that is what I am painting the lens. By the way - my advice is to install the IP before joining the fuselage halves together - it took a bit of twisting and turning to get it in, and I could have easily broken it. More to come soon. I think once I get the canopy and windscreen installed I will be inspired to keep going. Let's see what happens. Thanks for looking in.

John

Edited by jgrease
Link to post
Share on other sites

John,

You're doing just fine. Most Kinetic kits need a ton of work, but the end result is usually well worth it. I've got a Grumman's 1/48 scale S-2A Tracker seating on my stash shelf for a couple of years, as I never seem to have enough fortitude to tackle it.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
Link to post
Share on other sites

You know, I really want to like this kit - it's got all the hallmarks of a potentially great kit. It's got full-length intakes, nicely detailed gear bays, all the markings to build basically any SuE or SeM ever flown by anyone, and then it has this:

b5faefb54f128fca2a58dac210eb2533.jpg

Unfortunately I believe this has been an issue for Kinetic in the past if I'm not mistaken. Both the canopy and windscreen are warped inwards. I tried running the windscreen under really hot water and got no results. I will try boiling water this afternoon and see if I can at least get it a little closer - it's like only a couple of millimeters but seriously, it looks awful. Here's another pic:

26c17ffc3a66421bec916a91fa80953e.jpg

So this all came about because I'm getting to the point that I can get a coat of primer on this thing and start rescribing the fuselage. After putting the transparencies aside, I went to install the intake mouths and I found this:

d9048fd92b673b17b30b8ae4d56c8898.jpg

I've marked the area involved to make it a little clearer. There is a step that forms around the curve of the fuselage near the intake. This results in a serious step. Now I understand that this is modeling and you have to do some work, but seriously, what are the odds that I can fill that with putty and get the curve to look right. Here's a shot with the other piece installed:

01c897a7adcd5d955cd1841e95db99a1.jpg

This isn't going to be my mojo build for sure at this point. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, but if we are getting new-tool kits with lots of nice features then I think you need to get the basics covered first. In all fairness, I have not contacted Raymond from Kinetic yet so I am not going to pan the entire company for this one kit on my desk. I will do my best to get the windscreen and canopy widened and try installing the intakes. Thanks for looking in and for following my rant. Ugh, I really hate being "that guy"...

John

Update - the attempt to correct the canopy/windscreen issue with boiling water was an overwhelming failure. I have emailed Kinetic for a replacement set of clear parts and will keep you all updated. In the interim the plane is on the shelf in the closet.

Edited by jgrease
Link to post
Share on other sites

News update - After emailing Raymond Chung at Kinetic, he responded to me at what must have been breakfast time in Hong Kong. After an exchange of information, I was notified that Kinetic is sending me a replacement set of clear parts. That is great customer service - less than eight hours after notifying them of the problem I was taken care of! Kinetic will most certainly get more of my business in the future. Once I receive the parts I will press on with the Modernise. Thanks for looking in!

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

News update - After emailing Raymond Chung at Kinetic, he responded to me at what must have been breakfast time in Hong Kong. After an exchange of information, I was notified that Kinetic is sending me a replacement set of clear parts. That is great customer service - less than eight hours after notifying them of the problem I was taken care of! Kinetic will most certainly get more of my business in the future. Once I receive the parts I will press on with the Modernise. Thanks for looking in!

John

Sorry to hear about your troubles John, but keep at it.

You are doing a good job of picking up all the 'gotcha's' and I am filing all these away for later use. Raymond and Kinetic seem to be pretty good where customer service and feedback is concerned, something other manufacturers could learn from,

cheers,

Pappy

Link to post
Share on other sites

Agreed Pappy - i appreciate the work that Kinetic is putting out these days. Compare this kit to their F-16s and they've made a world of changes. And their customer service and desire for feedback is paying off. I will more than likely pick up the F-18C when it comes out.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

Agreed Pappy - i appreciate the work that Kinetic is putting out these days. Compare this kit to their F-16s and they've made a world of changes. And their customer service and desire for feedback is paying off. I will more than likely pick up the F-18C when it comes out.

John

No worries John. I was thinking that with the front windscreen part, could you have glued the front section and let it cure, that temp fitted a dowel, toothpick or even scrap sprue to widen the rear part of the windscreen part to the correct width while it dried?

Apart from the width issue, how is the canopy length? If you wanted to have the canopy shut, would the two frames meet and would there be a step?

cheers,

Pappy

Link to post
Share on other sites

Pappy- I tried and failed to coax the canopy into the correct width. It was tight and the piece itself was not very flexible for me. The length is good - I will verify when I receive the replacement from Kinetic.

MartinBK - thanks for the heads up but I did glue the seat in place. Still happy with the look of the cockpit except for the lack of decals.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

John,

The windscreen needs to fit as perfectly as possible. You could always leave the canopy in the open position to cover the flaw. I was going to suggest seeing if there is a vac replacement till I saw that Raymond was sending you a new set ASAP. I'm assuming that it was just a molding error and the new set will have a much better fit.

The step looks doable. Just take your time with it.

Joel

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Joel - I'm thinking the clear sprue was packed while it was still warm, hence the warping inward. Fingers crossed for the replacements. I'll be on vacation for a week so I hope to have the new parts upon return. In other events my compressor has crapped out. It's a Paasche and I just got it in October. I emailed them and all I have to do is send back the one I have for a replacement. It was running more and more even when I wasn't spraying, and it was losing pressure if I held the trigger down for more than a couple of seconds. Ugh.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Joel - I'm thinking the clear sprue was packed while it was still warm, hence the warping inward. Fingers crossed for the replacements. I'll be on vacation for a week so I hope to have the new parts upon return. In other events my compressor has crapped out. It's a Paasche and I just got it in October. I emailed them and all I have to do is send back the one I have for a replacement. It was running more and more even when I wasn't spraying, and it was losing pressure if I held the trigger down for more than a couple of seconds. Ugh.

John

tough luck with your compressor. The shipping back is going to be a killer. But at least they're going to replace it with a new one. Have a great vacation.

Joel

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...

News update - I have received a replacement clear sprue from Kinetic. Their response was first-rate and I appreciate it. Kinetic has certainly won me over compared to the shoddy customer service I've received from Italeri and the non-response from Airfix. As soon as I finish my current build I'll be back to work on this one.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Well, I'm sorry to say this but I am truly turned off by this kit. Since my last post, I have gone back to work on small items like the leading edge slats, horizontal stabiliers, ducts, etc. and none of them have fit well at all. This build has been a continuing tale of "one step forward and two steps back". There have been no less than five or six mislabelled parts, there are places where things obviously are meant to go but I can't find them, such as the two slots on the lower wings near the roots - even the instructions show something there, and I cannot figure out what they might be. There are two mounting points inside the windscreen which look like places to mount gauges I've seen in videos and photos, but damned if I can locate them, or if they exist. I've also mounted the airbrakes closed, and there are gaping holes for the actuators, but no direction on what to place there. The diagrams that showed the lower rear fuselage had incorrect locations for parts, including mislabelled parts again. I really, REALLY wanted to like this kit, but even this close to paint I had to put it back in the closet before I throw it at the wall. The last straw was the two huge sprues that were connected to the canopy - even with care I was left with pieces cracked off of the lower canopy - I've filled them with putty and left it to dry in the box, and working with the nose landing gear in place has been just flat out annoying. Thanks for looking in, but I'm really rethinking this kit - I might come back to it in a couple of months after I forget about it.

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...