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Improving Hasegawa 1:48 Tomcat – 21: Wings (VI)


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Improving Hasegawa 1:48 Tomcat – 21: Wings (VI)

 

AMK wing parts fit is average, glueing the assemblies of pic 286 to the lower wing required a small amount of brute force...

 

IMG_20240606_173048.jpg

 

IMG_20240606_173241.jpg

 

Surprisingly, the lower wings have not the same amount of rivets.  Better this way, less work to delete them.

 

IMG_20231101_215746.jpg

 

IMG_20231101_215826.jpg

 

The flaps were too thick and too heavy in surface detail.  I thinned them down a lot, especially in their trailer edge, and eliminated much of their surface detail.

 

IMG_20231101_220011.jpg

 

IMG_20231101_220045.jpg

 

IMG_20240606_173631.jpg

 

IMG_20231101_220123.jpg

 

I replicated the side lights using drops of super glue. Slime ligths will be provided by decals.

 

IMG_20240606_174102.jpg

 

In the following photos the lower wings with the filled up rivets and the reduced panel lines by sanding them down.

 

IMG_20240606_174548.jpg

 

IMG_20240606_174628.jpg

 

Another not particularly pleasant surprise were the extractor holes present on parts A20 and A19, which I filled up using Mister Surface 500. Above all, they fit to the wings in a very flimsy manner. 

 

IMG_20240606_174911.jpg

 

IMG_20240606_174948.jpg

 

 

IMG_20240606_175121.jpg

 

And this is the modified AMK wing ready to go:

 

IMG_20240606_175224.jpg

 

In retrospect, I would simply go with the Hasegawa wings in closed position...

 

Edited by Lucio Martino
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  • Lucio Martino changed the title to Improving Hasegawa 1:48 Tomcat – 21: Wings (VI)

Hi Lucio,

 

On 6/6/2024 at 1:40 PM, Lucio Martino said:

Surprisingly, the lower wings have not the same amount of rivets.  Better this way, less work to delete them.

 

Oh, it's quite funny that you'd mention that. :doh: Last week I hit a Medium Density Fibreboard shelf my husband installed on one of the lair's walls, you know the kind of those fixed to the wall with rails and brackets. In all of my habitual clumsiness, I hit my forehead with the edge of the shelf, the shelf fell down (because my husband hadn't secured it to the brackets), and everything on the shelf fell with it.

Somehow, my AMK wings managed to reach the floor before the shelf did, and the corner of the shelf fell over one of the lower set of wings. The AMK lower wing got awfully marred on the surface; it also opened a gap on it.

 

Will take a picture for you to see and tell me if it can be fixed.

 

On 6/6/2024 at 1:40 PM, Lucio Martino said:

In retrospect, I would simply go with the Hasegawa wings in closed position...

 

No bloody way. The Hasegawa wings in closed position are just not worthy of your build.

Cheers, bambino. Have a nice weekend.

 

Gwen

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Gwen, I am sorry to read that you hit your forehead with the edge of the shelf. I am confident that you didn't get much hurt.

 

About the AMK wings, posting a photo is a good idea, both to check together a possible repair or to get a replacement.  This forums has plenty of very generous modellers.

 

I can't believe that I started this build almost six years ago.  In my partial defense I can only say that in these six years, in addition to some health issues, I have gotten married, changed jobs, and crossed the Atlantic several times.

 

However, when I started this project, the F-14 AMK did not exist, nor did the "late" Tamiya F-14, the one with the open wings. 

 

The Hasegawa F-14 was the only chance to build a Tomcat with open wings and I thougth it was a good idea to take advantage of my kit.

 

However, along the way I discovered that the detail of the Hasegawa open wings is way lower than my expectations, and that I was unable to carry out the related modifications and scratchbuilding work.

 

Meanwhile, the arrival of the AMK, with its two pairs of wings, and the generousity of a great friend and modeller, gave me the chance to leave the Hasegawa wings aside.

 

I certainly didn't expect the AMK wings to require so much work, especially to thin down the too thick trailer edge, and to get the surface detail of the AMK wings compatible with the much finer surface detail of the Hasegawa.

 

Now, to continue improving this kit, I would have to detail the landing gear bays and the landing gear legs, to replace the too flat warning antennas located on the tail planes, to modify the arresting hook, and to detail the inside of the canopy (finally).

 

Honestly, I wouldn't want to waste any more time detailing the little visible landing gear bay, but as they are they seem way too bare to me. I don't know. 

 

In these next days, I would like to fix on the tail planes.  How do you recommend reproducing the warning antennas? Any suggestions?

 

Below are two pics. First the Tamiya tail plane:

 

IMG-20240608-153143.jpg

 

And then the unmodified Hasegawa and the Hasegawa ready for DIY:

 

IMG-20240608-132248.jpg

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On 6/8/2024 at 10:43 AM, Lucio Martino said:

Gwen, I am sorry to read that you hit your forehead with the edge of the shelf. I am confident that you didn't get much hurt.

 

Hi Lucio,

Never mind; having been born in South Africa made me a strong female. That MDF shelf took the worst part😐🤑

Oh, by the way; here's how I goofed my AMK lower right wing: :rolleyes:

 

716ZwoY.jpeg

 

UGjTUNA.jpeg

 

No wonder why my husband affirms that I'm still not ready for the expensive, complex kits.

 

On 6/8/2024 at 10:43 AM, Lucio Martino said:

How do you recommend reproducing the warning antennas? Any suggestions?

 

IMG-20240608-132248.jpg

 
I'm the noob here, but I would make use of the front section of a missile; off the top of my head, the worst ever AIM-9 missile in 1/48 you could find in your spares box.

Perhaps sanding it down or cutting it in half in order to replicate those warning antennas?

 

You've made an awesome job with this build so far, that you ought to focus on what you've already achieved more than anything else.

 

This build serves both as a guide and inspiration to a lot of modellers, I'm sure.

Hope you find the drive to carry on with it.

Cheers,

 

Gwen

Edited by Gwen Phoenix
Added the AMK wings pics that I botched.
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  • 1 month later...

First of all I need to thank Gwen Phoenix for her interest.

___________________________________

 

Improving Hasegawa 1:48 Tomcat - 11

Tails, Stabilizer, and Strakes (VI)

 

I must confess that this new post was something that embarrassed me that much to put it off for a long time. Why? Because in an era of stellar aftermarket items and home 3D printing I keep toying with toothpicks. However, the Hasegawa horizontal tailplanes have too thick trailing edges and inadequate representation of the warning antenna fairings (305).


IMG-20240801-164902.jpg

 

No problem, it's an easy fix. In the next photo, my usual assortment of sanding sticks and pads (306).

 

IMG-20240801-153349.jpg

 

My goal was to make the plastic near the trailing edge very thin, almost transparent. The risk here was thinning too much (307).


IMG-20240801-153445.jpg

 

I couldn't use toothpicks the way they are.  First, I inserted each toothpick into an electric mini drill and smoothed each of them against a sanding stick in order to eliminate surface imperfections (308).  


IMG-20240801-153610.jpg

 

Then, with a X-Acto blade, I longitudinally removed the half (309), always checking with a caliper that the dimensions of these four parts were the same (310).

 

IMG-20240801-153705.jpg

 

IMG-20240801-153746.jpg

 

At this point, after tracing the position (311) with a pencil, I used Tamiya X-22 gloss paint for gluing the toothpick "remains" to the horizontal tailplanes.  Tamiya X-22 adhesive power is strong enough to safely stick these parts together and its grip is slow enough to give me time to find the right position.

 

IMG-20240801-153851.jpg

 

And here the amost final product :

 

IMG-20240801-153933.jpg

 

IMG-20240801-154007.jpg

 

IMG-20240801-154034.jpg

 

 

The almost final product because some blending is very much needed. The overall look will improve a lot after some sanding and a coat of primer, but before of that I would love your feedback.

Edited by Lucio Martino
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Hello Mr. Happy, great work you're doing on this Tomcat! I appreciate your "thinking out of the box" idea of using a toothpick to represent the antenna; however, curious as to why you chose a toothpick instead of styrene rod? 

 

 

-Elmo

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On 6/13/2024 at 5:21 PM, Gwen Phoenix said:

 

Hi Lucio,

Never mind; having been born in South Africa made me a strong female. That MDF shelf took the worst part😐🤑

Oh, by the way; here's how I goofed my AMK lower right wing: :rolleyes:

 

...

 

Gwen,

For what is worth my opinion, the damage on your AMK wings is fixable.

Best would be filling up the scratches with cyano glue to be sanded down relatively soon, before dry very hard. Lost detail can be easily engraved again.

But I really don't know.

Lucio

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On 8/5/2024 at 5:57 PM, wardog said:

Hello Mr. Happy, great work you're doing on this Tomcat! I appreciate your "thinking out of the box" idea of using a toothpick to represent the antenna; however, curious as to why you chose a toothpick instead of styrene rod? 

 

 

-Elmo

 

Hi Helmo,

Toothpicks because I would have never been able to give exactly the same conical shape to four plastic rods.

Toothpicks ends have a conical shape and their dimensions, while  not perfect, are acceptable. I just hope I didn't cut them too long.

However, my Hasegawa Tomcat is far from being perfect. My goal was just to improve this kit. Up until now I have already taken many shortcuts.

By the way, let me congratulate you for your incredible A-6 Monogram. Congratulations, and congratulations again.

Edited by Lucio Martino
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Oh, nice!

Some more progress on this awesome build. Look, two of my favourite modellers on the same thread; Elmo and Lucio.

 

Hi, Elmo.

 

(I must have been good.)

 

On 8/8/2024 at 2:51 PM, Lucio Martino said:

Best would be filling up the scratches with cyano glue to be sanded down relatively soon, before dry very hard. Lost detail can be easily engraved again.

But I really don't know.

 

Hi Lucio,

Thank you for your help. I'll try CA glue to fill up those scratches. Just how soon I should start sanding over the CA glue I had the faintest idea.

Hope to see more progress soon.

Cheers,

 

Gwen

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Gwen,

You should sand cyano glue very soon, long before it becomes rock hard.

If you're not very experienced with cyano glue maybe better to go with Milliput, even if would be more difficult to restore the panel lines.

Milliput has the advantadge to be easier to blend, before it dries you can smoothed it down just with your fingers and some water.

Keep me posted.

 

Regarding my Hasegawa Tomcat build going very slow, I have to say that I really cannot go faster in this moment of my life.

 

I would like to thank Thadeus, Mr. Happy, Elmo, and especially Gwen for their persistent interest in this build.

 

Lucio

Edited by Lucio Martino
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  • 2 months later...

Ciao, Lucio!

 

How are you doing? Are you currently in the US or Italy?

Always come to check your build thread when I've got the time to be online.

 

On 8/10/2024 at 11:02 AM, Lucio Martino said:

If you're not very experienced with cyano glue maybe better to go with Milliput, even if would be more difficult to restore the panel lines.

 

I'm not experienced at all with cyano glue, I'm afraid, but I'd give it a try if only you told me how soon I've got to start sanding cyano glue after I've applied it on plastic.

 

Milliput or even Tamiya Epoxy Putty (white stuff) is more forgiving, but then it's troublesome when I rescribe over it, like it will start to tear apart in some areas. I surmise cyano will give a much harder surface where scribed edges will stay sharper?

 

On 8/10/2024 at 11:02 AM, Lucio Martino said:

Regarding my Hasegawa Tomcat build going very slow, I have to say that I really cannot go faster in this moment of my life.

 

Oh, never mind; very slow is a lot better than nothing. Hope you get some time soon to keep on with this great build of yours.

Back to page one.

Cheers,

 

Gwen 

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  • 3 months later...

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