Jump to content

A-7E Corsair II - Hasegawa 1/48 (Twin build - Completed)


Recommended Posts

Hey Steve, Hewy, John, glad to see you guys following along : )

 

I was going to leave the Revell Intruder MERs alone and use them as is, but couldn't help scratching an itch.  I felt I should dremel the top of the fairing as I once saw Red Dog do on his 1/32 build so I did the same.

 

31568132917_81348c5b93_b.jpg

 

32635218238_4e38d7279e_b.jpg

 

 

They say scratching makes itching worse.  True enough, I felt I had to work on those sink marks.

 

32635218118_98fc7563cc_b.jpg

 

 

Whittled away some material to make room for some styrene strips:

 

32635218008_a5e0410892_b.jpg

 

31568132857_277984529d_b.jpg

 

46456421862_ae70ee3d16_b.jpg

 

32635449068_3d58afd5d3_b.jpg

 

45594992395_21f3a26008_b.jpg

 

 

Before I was able to break out the tube of putty I felt another itch.   So i cut off a portion of the rear and prepared some rings for gluing onto them.

 

32635448968_98ee1031b5_b.jpg

 

45594992275_ae70ee3d16_b.jpg

 

32635448908_64214b653b_b.jpg

 

 

And the rest of the time was spent on puttying...

 

46456212892_bf42830c67_b.jpg

 

 

...and sanding the repaired sink marks and rear ends.

 

32635217838_100763f933_b.jpg

 

32635217938_9faceebb22_b.jpg

 

31568132787_fefaee3d34_b.jpg

 

 

The pull is now strong for replacing the cables  : (   Maybe just the bottom ones.   

 

Incidentally, I was comparing the swaybraces on this set of Intruder MERs to the Hasegawa's.  These Revell ones are a bit oversized and can probably fit really large-diameter bombs : )

The nuts and bolts are well represented, though, so the swaybraces do look really cool when viewed from a distance.

Edited by crackerjazz
Link to post
Share on other sites

 Very Much better than the eduard offerings I've just put together, great job on the dremel .i like the control panel on the backs too, I'm pondering on using 4 hobbyboss ones now its apparent that my eduard snakeyes don't fit  the eduard mers

Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, Hewy said:

 Very Much better than the eduard offerings I've just put together, great job on the dremel .i like the control panel on the backs too, I'm pondering on using 4 hobbyboss ones now its apparent that my eduard snakeyes don't fit  the eduard mers

I've run into the same issue on my A-6E build Hewy. I purchased the Eduard Rockeyes and MER's but, their bombs don't fit their racks and, I don't have the fuse covers even on yet. EPIC FAIL Eduard.

 

IMG_6269_zpsfxthoskc.jpg

 

Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks, Hewy!  Hi Steve, good thing you asked me to test.  Those Aerobonus Snakeyes I picked up are way too big:

 

45715389455_d5859fd349_b.jpg

 

They sit way too close for comfort.  Not much space for the fuze.

 

46629829351_4a7cd7a4cc_b.jpg

 

I don't think they'll even fit onto their own (smaller) MERs at all with Snakeyes that big.

 

45715390065_8947264695_b.jpg

 

The Eduard ones are better:

 

45715389045_73aca0512c_b.jpg

 

Something else I realized, too, is that Revell Intruder MERs won't mate to the Corsair pylon swaybraces (below).

 

46629996251_54bfc18252_b.jpg

 

I think I'll have to go back to the Hasegawa MERs instead : (  Prepared the pylons..

 

45715389795_b95053e1ca_b.jpg

 

46629829551_ee0783545c_b.jpg

 

Something I noticed is that no matter how nicely I broke up the white color with staining and weathering they don't show well in the photos.   Probably because the phone camera doesn't have enough dynamic range or the white just tends to wash out and appear brighter than the other colors.  These pylons are actually badly stained and weathered right now but they still look too clean in these shots.

 

45715389695_db1d629f26_b.jpg

 

46629829441_3872a252f1_b.jpg

 

45715389535_f6a748aa70_b.jpg

 

31688638587_446efc02c8_b.jpg

 

31688638427_e92cf12db0_b.jpg


46629829151_8352a2c937_b.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks, Janne, Steve!  

 

I thought maybe I should still use the Intruder MERs.   Removed the firing cables and swaybrace lugs.  Will modify them for the Corsair pylons.

 

39754481323_1ccaa0238b_b.jpg

 

39754480713_0fc7dd75f1_b.jpg

 

I was thinking about the work that lay ahead of gluing on all that ordnance again for the other A-7.

 

32844542288_0db53eec5c_b.jpg

 

Just last week I managed to drop a pair of pliers onto one set and the MER ejected all its payload and I had to go through the painful process of aligning and gluing, dismantling and re-gluing.  So an idea hit me, why not do as warcraft enthusiasts do.  They often use magnets to attach weapons to the arms of the figures.   So I ordered enough 1mm x 1mm for the 2 A-7s.   They're really tiny.  This is what they look like:

 

39754480163_41078f463b_b.jpg

 

Drilled out holes on the swaybraces and ordnance and glued in the magnets.   Had to be very careful about polarity.    It was a nightmare to fish out the magnets from the holes when making mistakes.

 

39754481013_f6c644f0b9_b.jpg

 

39754480933_7e62a9088e_b.jpg

 

39754481123_1aba6effc1_b.jpg

 

One thing I observed is that because the swaybraces on the Intruder are a bit too big, the side Snakeyes don't sit quite at the correct angle.  The angle of the fins look wrong when viewed from the rear:

 

39754876403_35665c968f_b.jpg

 

I could probably rotate the fins but actually found it easier to install the magnets off center for the side Snakeyes and remove the suspension lugs.  

 

39754481203_7707945bc6_b.jpg

 

Ah...better:

 

39754480673_5085634988_b.jpg

 

39754480393_c7ca57868c_b.jpg

 

The magnets are great.  I could go from an empty MER to a fully loaded one in less than a minute.   And I could maybe even swap loadouts as desired.   

 

39754480313_3b60244c94_b.jpg

 

39754480443_e9de838788_b.jpg

 

39754480413_915076a2d2_b.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey, Steve, John, thanks, guys!   Yeah, MFAF, this will be an indispensable modeling tool.   Froggy, thanks, I got the magnets from below.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Rare-Earth-Magnets-1mm-x-1mm-1-25-x1-25-Strong-Neodymium-N50-Warhammer-40k/302633724503?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

I also saw some 1mm x 0.5mm    (1mm wide, 0.5mm thick) -- so you wouldn't have to drill a hole so deep -- but I'm not sure if you lose some strength using those.  Even the magnets that I got are not super-strong but they'll do for light stuff.  Per bomb you'll need 4 magnets --- 2 on the bomb + 2 swaybars.   I'd say they're good for stationary displays but they won't stand up to shaking -- your MK-82s will shed like autumn leaves.  'So I'm still thinking about going back to wires -- if I could devise something that can really stand rough handling.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I found out the next level in the attachment thing: just press fitting where the friction does the thing. :) for example a longer rod with a notch (from the bomb side) that enters snugly in a hole on the pilon side, and the notch makes a "click" that makes it impossible for free falling... Yeah... It works. I made the attachment of the giant bunker busters and fuel tanks of my 1/32 F-15 that way. A combo of magnets and press fitting is good too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi MFAF, I'm really interested in how you build that notched rod you mention that can click into place.  What is there on the pylon-side hole that the notch would mate to and how do you build it?

 

Some more progress on the ordnance...

 

46738653031_f4a4e231dd_b.jpg

 

31859511677_a9b08da027_b.jpg

 

Glossed for decals:

 

31859511287_36a54ca1d4_b.jpg

 

31859511577_eb1ef71f14_b.jpg

 

31859511447_8167237262_b.jpg

 

46748684452_0f18bc4d81_b.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 1/15/2019 at 5:40 AM, crackerjazz said:

Hey, Steve, John, thanks, guys!   Yeah, MFAF, this will be an indispensable modeling tool.   Froggy, thanks, I got the magnets from below.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Rare-Earth-Magnets-1mm-x-1mm-1-25-x1-25-Strong-Neodymium-N50-Warhammer-40k/302633724503?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

I also saw some 1mm x 0.5mm    (1mm wide, 0.5mm thick) -- so you wouldn't have to drill a hole so deep -- but I'm not sure if you lose some strength using those.  Even the magnets that I got are not super-strong but they'll do for light stuff.  Per bomb you'll need 4 magnets --- 2 on the bomb + 2 swaybars.   I'd say they're good for stationary displays but they won't stand up to shaking -- your MK-82s will shed like autumn leaves.  'So I'm still thinking about going back to wires -- if I could devise something that can really stand rough handling.

 

Hello

 

Thanks for the repky 👍

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi CJ 🙂, here is it. This is with the GBU just laying parallel on the wing and showing the connecting grit. 

 

(1) is the magnet, it's slightly bigger - 2 or 3 x7mm if recall justly. Note that actually in this case there is just one magnet - on the pilon side. I embedded a small piece of metal on the bomb side, which is more than enough to keep it attached cause the magnet is quite strong. 

(2) are the original pins from the kit that enter in the original holes. They can be completely removed but i kept them whatsoever... they ain't doing anything.

(3) are the added pins/holes. These are the real deal. 

 

IMG-20190120-100705.jpg

 

I have no pics from the inside of the pylons but it's something like that:

 

11.jpg

 

The "notch" means just a hair of sanding down the tips of the pins... it's not even visible on the pins, and i postfactum discovered that it's actually absolutely excessive if the pins can enter snugly enough in the holes. The friction from just one pin is more than enough to keep the bomb in place, whilest there are 2 pins per bomb.... This furthermore makes the bomb enter every time effortlessly in a perfect alignment.

 

This is a sidewise view with the bomb not completely in place yet. I later found out that even the magnet is "useless" if the pins provide enough friction. But that way i only put the bomb underneath the pylon and it fits in its place "by itself"🙂 It's quite satisfying.

 

IMG-20190120-100730.jpg

 

This is the same pylon but this time how the fuel tank is mounted. The two original holes/pins are cosmetically there. They ain't doing anything. The front real hole on the pylon side is useless again, cause just one pin makes kind of enough friction to keep the tank up. Well, a metal plate is righteously embedded on the surface to make it stick to the pylon even better, for just in case. That way the tank also fits every time perfctly thanks to the rearmost "spheres" for the jettison, which enter half way in the pylons but two pivot points are enough to keep the tank perfectly aligned.

 

IMG-20190120-100344.jpg

 

Here in the foreground is the bunker buster again - check out how long are pins. All these pins are just tooth picks 🙂 , polished, lacquered and eventually painted. Usually, exactly with the thin coat of paint is how i adjust the control of the friction. Also check out the embedded piece of metal in the surface of the bomb, right between the original holes.

 

The situation with the missiles is quite easier, because they sit sideways on the rails and don't have gravity against them, and are much lighter. Just two shorter pins are absolutely enough to keep it perfectly aligned every time and to keep it in place even if you shake/turn the entire model sideways.

 

IMG-20190120-100922.jpg

 

The mounting holes on the rail:

 

IMG-20190120-100515.jpg

 

and a top view with the missile just barely fitted, while the other is in place.

 

IMG-20190120-100548.jpg

 

That's it 🙂 It's actually very easy to make, although a lot of testfitting is required, but it's quite effective. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

well, that's tricky. i normally don't make it cause the friction is enough. but i used to fill the two halves of the pylon with small pieces of plastic, so that after gluing them - there is a solid part of the plastic inside the pylon. then i drill the hole, and insert a tiny little bit inside, inserting it with a smaller rod for example. it's in the margin of an imperfection. 

or else, the riskier thing is first to make the tiny notch on the tip of the pin and prep the tiny bit fitting perfectly in the notch. then add a hint of glue ONLY on the bit, and insert the pin in the hole. after a few minutes just remove the pin and the bit should stay in the perfect position inside the hole....if all done flawlessly... 

Definitely make a couple of trials to find what works best. In 1/48 all should be smaller so i would rather go with simply a pin in a hole, and "the paint/lacquer friction thing". 👌

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

Some progress on the Intruder MERs.  Scratched the bolts for the pylon swaybraces and made a rear swaybrace lug to adapt it to the Corsair's.  Scratched some parts of the suspension lugs.  They're not really visible : (    but at least the MERs now hang from the pylons with the right spacing/clearance and not just glued flush onto edge of the pylon.   Shaved off the moulded-on firing leads and replaced them with wire.  I should've done all these before the decals --- damaged some of them due to the rework.

 

39980806953_dd044191ee_b.jpg

 

46893159942_edc20846dc_b.jpg

 

39980806913_0bc887ddd4_b.jpg

 

46893159822_74581aaf0f_b.jpg

Edited by crackerjazz
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Steve!  Some hull painting...I tried doing the two-tone scheme freehand but was getting lots of splatter.   Had to cover the white.

 

46950889692_4007d149bb_b.jpg

 

46088978625_9b0641e8c0_b.jpg

 

40038160793_d7af3bc8e7_b.jpg

 

Had to sacrifice one of the canopies -- albeit the wider one (which I had to string a wire though and tighten) because I couldn't find a way to cover the cockpit well.

 

40038160853_a9c831ffee_b.jpg

 

40038160953_0a7c4ccf29_b.jpg

 

46088859235_064f75f12d_b.jpg

 

46950889602_098a9f04fb_b.jpg

 

40038161043_265960a9e2_b.jpg

 

Started panel-lining as well.  Did the lines as fine, light and irregular as I could to prevent toy-ifying the model which I notice with heavy and dark panel lines.

 

46950889412_1c95b070c8_b.jpg

 

46950889442_fd28eb9e12_b.jpg

 

46088858945_720871b63b_b.jpg

 

46950889512_7f66b72ede_b.jpg

 

46088858795_6b9ce2ee37_b.jpg

 

46950889642_19afda7178_b.jpg

Edited by crackerjazz
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • crackerjazz changed the title to A-7E Corsair II - Hasegawa 1/48 (Twin build - Completed)

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...