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New exhausts for 1/48 F-111s


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19 hours ago, Bulldog 09 said:

Now all we need is a good set of intakes for the F-111 family from them, in both 72nd and 48th.

 

Actually what we're in need of is a decent 1/48 F-111 family.  Another airplane that seems cursed among model kit manufacturers.  Nobody seems to care enough to get them right.

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39 minutes ago, Sleepy said:

 

Actually what we're in need of is a decent 1/48 F-111 family.  Another airplane that seems cursed among model kit manufacturers.  Nobody seems to care enough to get them right.

 

Amen

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6 hours ago, Mstor said:

 

Amen

Ditto! Its been a very long time coming. I've seen many much more obscure and less iconic aircraft been given a better representation in 1/48 scale. How much longer do we have to wait? Hasegawa, GWH, Kinetic ? anyone??

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On 7/20/2019 at 5:05 AM, Mstor said:

 

I don't think Hobby Boss did an F model. ResKit has done an exhaust set for the Academy F-111F.

You are right but as noted below HB D/E kit comes with pave tack so I thought about doing F from it. Can i squeeze ACAD exhaust into HB kit, anyone has both kits? Thx 

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49 minutes ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

I do; I bought both the Academy and Hobby Boss 1/48 FB-111A kits, and while the Academy exhaust are correct, they're very basic and lacking detail. They will stand out like torches on the detailed Hobby Boss kit.

Could you check diameter of exhausts/fuse holes for them...i wonder if Reskit for Academy would fit HB. 

Thanks!

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On 7/20/2019 at 11:40 PM, Sleepy said:

 

Actually what we're in need of is a decent 1/48 F-111 family.  Another airplane that seems cursed among model kit manufacturers.  Nobody seems to care enough to get them right.

 

I dont think we'll ever get one in any scale.

Even the almighty Hasegawa kit has some glaring faults with it.

Its the best game in town Im not going to pretend it isnt but it isnt as accurate as all that.

 

I had high hopes with HobbyBoss made one a few years back. Which was nice, but in the end there were faults with it. It just depends on what faults you're willing to live with as to what kit to go for.
Ive managed to build up a collection of several of all of them over the years but Im in no rush to torture myself with any of them.

 

I think the only company who could make a good one is Tamiya. But they never will now.

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I contacted ResKit back in February about the differences between the F-111F nozzles and all the others, including the FB-111. I explained to them about the difference between the petals when the engines are shut down. So, hopefully, they have accounted for all that in these kits.

 

I haven't seen the actual resin, so can't comment on the quality/accuracy yet, but with six 1:48 F-111s to build, I'm hoping they're good, although I'm not sure how my bank account will feel about that. 😁

 

Oh yeah, I don't think there's any significant difference between the ACA and HB kits in that area--you should be able to use these with either kit.

Edited by mrvark
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58 minutes ago, mrvark said:

I contacted ResKit back in February about the differences between the F-111F nozzles and all the others, including the FB-111. I explained to them about the difference between the petals when the engines are shut down. So, hopefully, they have accounted for all that in these kits.

 

I haven't seen the actual resin, so can't comment on the quality/accuracy yet, but with six 1:48 F-111s to build, I'm hoping they're good, although I'm not sure how my bank account will feel about that. 😁

 

Oh yeah, I don't think there's any significant difference between the ACA and HB kits in that area--you should be able to use these with either kit.

Thanks Mr Vark! 

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1 hour ago, mrvark said:

I contacted ResKit back in February about the differences between the F-111F nozzles and all the others, including the FB-111. I explained to them about the difference between the petals when the engines are shut down. So, hopefully, they have accounted for all that in these kits.

 

I hope you're right and they make the set a "varied" nozzle set like Aires does for the F-14A kits, but I have the sneaky suspicion that they aren't and are just making the open pedal set. Hopefully I'm wrong.

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Jim! :worship:

 

On 7/21/2019 at 11:36 AM, Petarvu said:

Could you check diameter of exhausts/fuse holes for them...i wonder if Reskit for Academy would fit HB. 

 

Sure I can, once I'm back home in August the 1st. But why would you want to check whether the ResKit bit for the Academy kit will fit the Hobby Boss one for? ResKit has one bit for each kit. 

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4 hours ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

Jim! :worship:

 

 

Sure I can, once I'm back home in August the 1st. But why would you want to check whether the ResKit bit for the Academy kit will fit the Hobby Boss one for? ResKit has one bit for each kit. 

 

I think he must be thinking of converting a Hobby Boss D/E to an F and using the F exhausts for the Academy version. Reskit doesn't make an F version exhaust for Hobby Boss kits since Hobby Boss doesn't make an F kit.

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Okay guys, a dose of reality here:

 

Both of these kits (ACA & HB) fall WELL BELOW normal standards of accuracy. The most egregious error on both (there are SO MANY to choose from!) are the inlets. The difference between TP I and TP II inlets are far more extensive than just removing the flat panel between the fuselage and the inlet. The TP II inlet spikes are 18" longer than those on the TP I and the inlets were moved 11.5" away from the fuselage rather than the 8.5" of the TP I. These very basic features were ignored by both manufacturers--how about doing a Bf-109 with a radial engine?

 

True, Hobby Boss didn't do an F, but they did do a C with a PAVE Tack pod, which could entice some to convert it to an F. For a whole host of reasons I won't bore you with, that (in my opinion) is a fool's errand, primarily because the HB PAVE Tack is garbage. If you want to do an easy (if not entirely accurate) PAVE Tack pod, use the one from the Academy F-111C kit. If you want to do a completely accurate pod, modify the one just released from Eduard for the F-4. 

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11 hours ago, mrvark said:

Okay guys, a dose of reality here:

 

Both of these kits (ACA & HB) fall WELL BELOW normal standards of accuracy. The most egregious error on both (there are SO MANY to choose from!) are the inlets. The difference between TP I and TP II inlets are far more extensive than just removing the flat panel between the fuselage and the inlet. The TP II inlet spikes are 18" longer than those on the TP I and the inlets were moved 11.5" away from the fuselage rather than the 8.5" of the TP I. These very basic features were ignored by both manufacturers--how about doing a Bf-109 with a radial engine?

 

True, Hobby Boss didn't do an F, but they did do a C with a PAVE Tack pod, which could entice some to convert it to an F. For a whole host of reasons I won't bore you with, that (in my opinion) is a fool's errand, primarily because the HB PAVE Tack is garbage. If you want to do an easy (if not entirely accurate) PAVE Tack pod, use the one from the Academy F-111C kit. If you want to do a completely accurate pod, modify the one just released from Eduard for the F-4. 

 

 AND no resin intake set has the 11.5" TP II fuselage offset Mr Vark mentions. I'm looking at my FB- and surveying all the work that chore entails, and how far along I am with it..... let's just say that my skills are, erm, growing...

 

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12 hours ago, Mstor said:

I think he must be thinking of converting a Hobby Boss D/E to an F and using the F exhausts for the Academy version. Reskit doesn't make an F version exhaust for Hobby Boss kits since Hobby Boss doesn't make an F kit.

 

Oh, I see... :hmmm:

 

5 minutes ago, IAGeezer said:

AND no resin intake set has the 11.5" TP II fuselage offset Mr Vark mentions. I'm looking at my FB- and surveying all the work that chore entails, and how far along I am with it..... let's just say that my skills are, erm, growing...

 

Ouch! :doh: And I was about to ask Jim whether or not the DMold resin intakes fixed that issue...

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11.5" = 6mm, or roughly twice as far from the fuselage than the kits. The D-Mold intakes have the correct spike length, but not the spacing. My plan is to cut as necessary to get the spacing from the fuselage correct and then fair the intakes into the fuselage by the panel line at the trailing edge of the landing gear door. That's the plan anyway...

 

BTW, between the fuselage and intake is a large, round (white) intake for the air-water heat exchanger.

 

I really need to finish at least one each of those kits and finish the 'correction' article I started years ago... Need to finish the Eldorado Canyon book first, though.

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Sight unseen, with no reviews to read or photos of the actual product, I ordered exhaust sets for the Academy EF-111A and F-111F. I already have Cutting Edge intakes for both of them, Black Box cockpits, and an Academy C with the upgraded parts to cannibalize from. And wheels from I don’t remember where. Time to stop buying and finish building.

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I hesitate to rain a bit more on the parade and don't know how detailed you plan on getting, but the instrument panel was tilted back so that there was 11" of glare shield exposed above it. Both the kits and Black Box missed this detail.

 

Feel like you're scratch building yet?

 

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18 minutes ago, mrvark said:

Feel like you're scratch building yet?

 

 

Yeah thats what I come to when I started looking at the kits.

 

I speed built one of the HB kits a while back to see how it actually looks. I made a lit of all the things wrong with it and yeah when you look at it so many things need attention it starts to look like scratch building

 

Do you think anybody will ever make a good one MrVark?

Ive given up hope myself.

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18 minutes ago, mrvark said:

Feel like you're scratch building yet?

 

 

A little bit!

 

Did I mention the Flightpath Pave Tack? Afterburner Varks sheet? Cutting Edge sheet for the EF? And putting the EF on a stand will be lotsa laffs.

 

I think I’ll prayerfully consider the instrument panel rake and see how much trouble it will be to fix.

 

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I think I will probably not even try to fix everything wrong with the HB kit. It would be a bit (far) beyond my skill level. It'll probably be a while before I get to the kit, so maybe someone will do an accurate TP II intake set (I know, I won't get my hopes up). I'll just do the best I can and call it a day.

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28 minutes ago, ElectroSoldier said:

I speed built one of the HB kits a while back to see how it actually looks. I made a lit of all the things wrong with it and yeah when you look at it so many things need attention it starts to look like scratch building

 

Do you think anybody will ever make a good one MrVark?

 

The HB reverse chord taper of the flap vanes (wide at the tip, narrow at the root) was inexcusable...

 

Maybe there will be a good kit someday. If I can get the Eldorado Canyon book published in the next year or so (depending on the VERY slow Pentagon classification review), MAYBE that will spark enough interest.

 

23 minutes ago, andrew.deboer said:

Did I mention the Flightpath Pave Tack?

 

The Flightpath pod looks the part, but is a bit oversized. The new Eduard one is MUCH more accurate and the right size, but you'll need to rotate the barrel so that the intakes on the side are on top (facing the weapon bay) and remove the nose cone. 

 

23 minutes ago, Mstor said:

...so maybe someone will do an accurate TP II intake set 

 

Call me an optimist, but I don't think that will be insurmountably difficult modification...

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4 hours ago, mrvark said:

My plan is to cut as necessary to get the spacing from the fuselage correct and then fair the intakes into the fuselage by the panel line at the trailing edge of the landing gear door. That's the plan anyway...

 

Jim, if only you could please put this into graphics because somehow I fail to accomplish where your plan is to cut at, and where to fair the intakes into the fuselage by the panel line at the trailing edge of the landing gear door.

Also, if you could elaborate on the instrument panel tilted back so that there was 11" of glare shield exposed above it.

 

1 hour ago, mrvark said:

If I can get the Eldorado Canyon book published in the next year or so (depending on the VERY slow Pentagon classification review), MAYBE that will spark enough interest.

 

That book would certainly be much welcome!

Thanks Jim.

 

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First the cockpit:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1pgdf7at3qv3kci/F-111-Cockpit.jpg?dl=0

MLG doors showing how 6" need to be cut from the aft door so it can fit perpendicular to fuselage attached to the MLG

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g8amlntvko0zvkb/F-111-MLG-Doors.jpg?dl=0

A VERY approximate depiction of the TP II inlet RAM panels

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zv3pdpp1zblpkzh/TP2-Inlet-RAM-pattern.jpg?dl=0

A couple of photos of the inlets:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6l4jhj653xcavz2/Slide12.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nncoshwc2mx5x6l/Slide13.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qscpk6luty07z3o/Slide14.jpg?dl=0

I haven't actually attempted the inlet modification, but here is a shot of inserting the D-Mold inlets into the ACA kit:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ywdiau6bfizg46/IMG_1545.JPG?dl=0

What the TP II doors look like with the engines running  (the dashed line is where I think the original kit is rejoined--but like I said, I haven't actually tried it yet!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0c5y7k5qnl5v2gw/Triple Plow II Suck in Doors.jpg?dl=0

A simple brace you can make to save you a LOT of grief on the top of the ACA fuselage:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ngkxr7l17q05282/100513-15 F-111 Aca seam brace.jpg?dl=0

One of my personal pet peeves is the strake on top of the fuselage (1st: HB; 2nd ACA)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajm7i12uv1kh33w/100509-02 F-111 HB strake.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s1h6ttq7n5v8iw1/100510-03 F-111 ACA strake.jpg?dl=0

 

Jim

 

 

Edited by mrvark
moved intake comment to correct pic
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