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


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Some progress with the doors on SLUF 1.

 

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Now to the bottom doors..

 

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Everything was going good until I got to the airbrake which has some fit issues.  I'm gluing this on first and will try to sand it down and see if the airbrake will fit better.

 

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There are these two panels that protrude --  I'm thinking about sanding them down but it can be a bit tricky because of the intake hump.

 

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Will see what I can do about those later.   They're not really noticeable --- on second thought I guess they are if I'll be ogling the refuelling probe.

 

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Started fitting doors on SLUF 2 as well.

 

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For the upper main gear doors on SLUF 2 i was trying a different route by bending it to shape and the corner snapped. 

 

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I glued the corner back on.   Gluing the edges of the doors together.  Deja vu.

 

 

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Edited by crackerjazz
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Thanks, Aigore!

 

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For the rear support rod where one of the wires would go into I found I could just install a half moon holder for it to slide into and I wouldn't even have to glue the rod on; it can just be sandwiched in-between the holders.   I think this is better than just gluing the rod itself onto the wall  (the joint is more liable to break).  The rod fits in snugly and isn't loose or anything.

 

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For the front rod I couldn't install it until I've closed up the fuselage then I can use a drill press to make sure the rod goes in straight.   I kind of just eyeballed it for SLUF 1, but I want it to be exact this time.  

 

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Hole diameter is just right for the wires -- less than 2mm.   

 

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Testing SLUF 1 on the Tomcat base.    I chose to have the wires go in from the side as I initially wanted to build an A-7 in landing configuration with the tailhook down -- and a belly-mounted support will get in the way. 

 

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Wires are longish as they're really meant for the Tomcat.  I'll construct a similar setup for the A-7s with the correct lengths.

Edited by crackerjazz
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OK, I just discovered something that made me break out in a cold sweat.  There was an error in the instruction manual.  No wonder I was having trouble with the doors.   

 

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I'm normally a visual person and would look at pictures more than the written word  :)  It's dangerous sometimes but it would have saved me.   I vaguely remember noticing it before I started gluing the doors on, but I believe my reaction at that time was that they got the drawing wrong -- but got too lazy to confirm from reference photos.   Or maybe I did sift through some reference shots but didn't find much that showed the area.   Hmmmm... no, yeah,  I think I just got lazy and now I'm paying for it.  Anyway..... using A36 would bring that little access door correctly pointing aft.

 

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Whereas using A35, if you followed the label like I did, would bring the access door like so... for a funky SLUF,  and send you off towards putty wonderland if you're after an in-flight bird  :)   :

 

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I can either hack the doors off again (not fun), or just shape them right and rescribe.    I really can't believe what happened there.  The moment the doors didn't meet should have made me realize right away that something was wrong somewhere.    But then I had to keep charging ahead with the tenacity of a bull.   Oh well....

Edited by crackerjazz
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Yeah I learned my lesson there, Aigore.  

 

I've fixed the doors and did some putty work on the speed brake seams:

 

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The Apoxie Sculpt feathers really nicely.

 

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Trying to bring SLUF 2 up to speed so that any work I do I can do on both SLUFs at the same time.   Next up -- speed brake of SLUF 2.  That seems to be the hardest area to work on I find.   Then on to some re-scribing.

 

I was saying that the last Corsair I built was ages ago until I remembered this and pulled her out of storage --- an abandoned build from just a couple years back.    Maybe I ought to revisit it and build the three together.   :rolleyes:

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Edited by crackerjazz
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Crackerjazz,

   I just started to catch up on the builds in progress, and saw your double A-7E.  I'm really impressed with the amount of progress that you've made on both kits especially since they'll be displayed in a flying position. I've always run into fit issues when ever I close up panels and doors that were meant to be left open. So far you've won the battle with each one as both fuselages have the proper contours. Some re-scribing and a good primer coat, and no one will be the wiser.  

 

 And now you're contemplating also building the Trumpeter 1/32 A-7E. Talk about a real challenge like you didn't have enough added work to your double build. 

 

Joel

 

 

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On 9/9/2017 at 11:49 PM, crackerjazz said:

Got a good batch of figures that I could use, c/o Darren - thanks!  This one's a Tamiya-Hasegawa combo.  Have to check if I need to modify the helmet.
 

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May I know where the pilot figure is from? Especially the helmet & head?  Thanks in advance.

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Hi JackMan, thanks for stopping by.  The head/helmet is from the Hasegawa F-14 kit, and the body from the Tamiya F-14.   Hi Joel, thanks -- Yeah, I was so embarrased about my goof-up - all broadcast for everyone to see.  I'm just glad it's over for the most part.  Got the dymo tape and tested rescribing a couple of panel lines and realize I've a lot to learn  -- dealing with curves and preventing slip-ups, refilling chips, etc.  I'm still trying to convince myself that this is a relaxing hobby  : )   The 1/32 Trumpy -- I was wondering what it was that made me shelve the project and just remembered I was looking for a solution to the canopy issue -- so it actually might have to wait : (

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Hi crackerjazz,

 

Awesome project you got going on here! As far as scribing goes, keep at it; you don't get really good at something without first putting the time in, especially with this hobby. However, it sounds like you're on the right track. There are many tool options to scribe with; my personal favorite is a needle in a pin vise. I picked up a Singer Needle kit from Walmart for a few bucks and it has more needles than I'll ever need. Also, experiment with different size needles to see what works best for you. I learned to scribe on my current A-6 project and now looking back, I can see a huge difference in the quality from then till now. I've had to re-do a lot of the lines because I used too big a needle at first. At this stage, I have three different size needles chucked in their own pin vise. Dymo Tape, a few "shape" templates and some sanding cloths is all you need and then....practice, practice, practice!

 

Good luck

E.

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Hi Janissary, thanks!  The Tomcats are still waiting for some TLC in a corner but I'll try to get back to them soon.    Wardog, thanks for the tips!  I'll try my best : )   I notice the kit is mostly hand-scribed, I guess a characteristic of older kits?   We're so used to CAD-generated parts nowadays.   It's only noticeable in close-up pics, though, but look really good at normal viewing distance.

 

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I'm not sure if everything is hand-scribed as there are some rip-tooth hinges that seem impossible to execute by hand due to their small size.   Anyway, I'm mustering up enough courage to start -- it's just the doors and airbrake that I need to rescribe.  By the way, I've been re-reading your Intruder write-up and you mentioned doing 3-5 passes per line.    So I guess too-deep panel lines are a no-no.

 

Hi Tracy, I thought the worst was over.  When I read your post I thought to myself -- no, not the canopy.   I know forcing canopies into shape causes stress marks on the clear plastic so trying to re-shape them isn't exactly an attractive proposition.    I'm wondering why this flaw hasn't been mentioned in any review.   So I testfitted the canopy parts from both kits on SLUF 1 and discovered one that's good and the other just like you described.

 

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The sprues look the same....

 

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But I tried checking the windscreen widths.  Was surprised to see a difference.

 

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And on the canopies as well.

 

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The windscreen from the newer kit had issues

 

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But the older kit windscreen was good.

 

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Newer kit canopy.

 

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But the older kit's canopy fit was beautiful.

 

If this came from a whole production run,  just how many kits were packed with the wide canopies?   And I'm wondering why there would even be different canopies if they all came from the same mould.   And I guess I shouldn't say "new" kit because they're both from the 80's.   I have no idea how the canopy parts in the new 2000's  re-issues are but for those who have any of these kits, whether old or new, it might be a good idea to do a test fit to prevent any surprises later on in the build.  Too bad I'm doing an in-flight display but thankfully only one SLUF is in trouble.  For "parked" builds all you really need to worry about is the windscreen. 

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Yeah, hopefully I could bend those canopy parts into shape.  

 

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Worked on the gear doors some more.  Glued on some strips for the nose gear doors to rest on. 

 

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There's that slight curvature of the front edge of the nose gear doors that the Hasegawa captures nicely but is absent on the Trumpeter.  Incidentally, I was looking for some parts and found the long-lost IP of the Trumpy :)    I thought I might as well work on it.

 

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Punched out the 8-ball.

 

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Just coming on board and catching up on your duel build ... amazing work for sure and one good looking set of front offices.

I'm forever stripping and repainting and I've found the best paint remover among it's other qualities is Mr Color Self Leveling thinner. While it's a lacquer, applied with a Q-tip, it removes the paint in a second or two and then a wash with either alcohol or water. Regular lacquer thinner or even tamiya lacquer and Air brush cleaner, will absolutely ruin the plastic. Nice recovery as the panels look brilliant.

Keep 'em coming :thumbsup:

Peter

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  • crackerjazz changed the title to A-7E Corsair II - Hasegawa 1/48 (Twin build - Completed)

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