TommyP Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Afternoon all, A rather large package arrived from Hannants the other day - Mach 2's 1/72nd DC-8 has finally arrived! Having got my civvy-aviation mojo thoroughly going, I've dived right in this straight away... I've gone for the Iberia scheme as I love its retro look: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The box is literally crammed with parts: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Instructions are - how can we put it? - basic, but should do the job on a relatively simple kit such as this: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Paint guide and decals, which seem to be nicely printed: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A bit of flash to clean up here and here, but surface detail is nicely done: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Transparencies are done as individual cabin windows, and the cockpit has the roof section moulded integrally: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've made a start and I've begun by joining the rearmost section of fuselage containing the tail cone to the main fuselage parts. I like to work on fuselages in one piece and from experience it's easier to get a good, clean join this way. First of all I have cleaned the mating surfaces with a file to ensure they are perfectly true: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Not really trusting butt-joints I have added a ring of plastic card around each section: by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Here the upper fuselage is glued and clamped, whilst the lower is just a dry-fit, which as you can see is a pretty good fit: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The tail cone sections are securely attached to the fuselages here, with the fit being fine: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The cabin window apertures are a little 'flashy': Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr These were cleaned up and made more uniform with a file and some sandpaper: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Here are the basic flightdeck components: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ... and as these come they don't fit too well: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr But with a quick once-over with a file the cockpit, and the nose wheel bay, all fit together quite snugly: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr This then slots nicely into the fuselage: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr But for some reason there's only a raised guide on the right hand side, so I quickly made one for the left from Evergreen: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr This results in a reasonable fit when the fuselage halves are brought together - they are only dry-fitted here and when a bit of pressure is applied the floor meets the sidewalls fine: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm going to see if I can get a splash of paint on the flightdeck over the weekend, but that'll depend on the weather... Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Thanks for sharing the build Tom, I have one of these on order. Will be following with interest and borrow your methods 😄 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Yes, Tom! Thank you. I may change my mind and order one after all! I am a little concerned about the squareness of the cabin windows. While DC-8 windows were larger than Boeing 707/727/737 windows, they had definite rounded corners. K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 On 1/8/2021 at 11:00 PM, Trojan Thunder said: Thanks for sharing the build Tom, I have one of these on order. Will be following with interest and borrow your methods 😄 Feel free to borrow away! Make sure you start a build thread when it arrives! 18 hours ago, Dutch said: Yes, Tom! Thank you. I may change my mind and order one after all! I am a little concerned about the squareness of the cabin windows. While DC-8 windows were larger than Boeing 707/727/737 windows, they had definite rounded corners. K/r, Dutch I think you're right and the windows are a little square - this could be easily remedied by lining the window apertures with Evergreen strip and rounding the corners off - if one was so inclined. I've still got the bit well and truly between my teeth with this build - I nipped into the shed and sprayed some of Halfords' finest grey primer on the cockpit and interior to make it nice and dark in there: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I added some lead to the extreme nose with Araldite 5 minute exposy, and have painted the basics of the rear bulkhead. I haven't added the seats at this point as they can be done later. I had to file the forward bulkhead and floor a little to get a really snug fit of the tub into the fuselage, as can be seen by the exposed plastic. This results in the top of the instrument coming fitting correctly beneath the canopy sill and ensures the fuselage halves meet correctly: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Once the fuselage halves were joined I thought I'd add the fin whilst the wind was in my sails: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The fit wasn't great here to be honest, but I could have spent a bit more time filing and trimming to get a better join. Still, nothing a bit of careful sanding and some Milliput won't fix. Here's the 'problem' area: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Starting to look the part: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr It's easy to think that the DC-8 is a big aircraft, until you compare it to a DC-10! Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm going to get the joints cleaned up next before having a look at the wings. Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 (edited) Excellent progress! You're clipping along at a good rate of speed, 12-15 knots I should think! Take advantage of the wind while you have it. 😎 K/r, Dutch Edited January 11, 2021 by Dutch correct spelling Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Tha is coming together quickly Tom. Not to shabby! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 13, 2021 Author Share Posted January 13, 2021 (edited) Greetings all, The DC-8 continues to progress well - all joints have been filled with Milliput which is my filler of choice. I put on more than is needed as it helps with blending process. Sandpaper and some water to keep dust to the minimum are the tools of the trade! Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The sanding process proved to be completely trouble-free and now all joins are blended nicely. The tail fin issue is now a distant memory, and the rear fuselage section has a seamless join: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A bit of scribing was needed on the underside fairing to reinstate the panel lines - which incidentally all line up perfectly: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I think the Mach 2 certainly goes a long way to capturing the look of the DC-8: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A member of another forum requested some images of the clear parts so I thought you chaps might be interested too - a bit of work will be needed at the base of the windscreen to get the look right here: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Now I'm keen to see what the wings have to offer... Tom Edited January 13, 2021 by TommyP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Thanks Tommy. Yes indeed! It does look very much like a DC-8. The windscreen shouldn't prove too difficult. While the right side rear and bottom line up pretty well, the left side rear requires a little sanding to remove some material at the backside to get it to line up with the fuselage and draw it further back a little, which should help with the fact that the forward portion sits a little too far forward. I noticed that you did not install the cabin windows. Your thoughts on this please? K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 That Windscreen part? I plan to re-enforce it up in clay, mold it, cast it in resin, make refinements in the resin casting, then vacuum form a new clear part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share Posted January 16, 2021 On 1/14/2021 at 3:07 PM, Dutch said: Thanks Tommy. Yes indeed! It does look very much like a DC-8. The windscreen shouldn't prove too difficult. While the right side rear and bottom line up pretty well, the left side rear requires a little sanding to remove some material at the backside to get it to line up with the fuselage and draw it further back a little, which should help with the fact that the forward portion sits a little too far forward. I noticed that you did not install the cabin windows. Your thoughts on this please? K/r, Dutch Hi Dutch, I'm not going to use the kit's cabin windows - they're not particularly clear and I prefer to use Micro Kystal Clear or the like. Saves a lot of faffing with masking too! I've built up the wings over the last few sessions at the bench - you'll be pleased to know that were no dramas here and they build up absolutely fine. Again I was impressed that top and bottom panels lines largely matched up: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've now mated the wings to the fuselage. Being Mach 2, and knowing things were going too well, these didn't fit was well as the fuselage has done so far - the mating surfaces are not completely true and although I did some careful filing, I'm still left with some gaps to sort. However, you don't buy a Mach 2 kit and expect Tamiya quality: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The left wing is worse that the right - you can see that the wing itself it a little longer than the fairing on the fuselage. I decided it align the trailing edge, and consider it easier to blend this forward fairing than faff about with the rear: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr More gaps below: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Still, nothing major and Milliput will make short work of that - he says hopefully... It's starting to look like a DC-8 though: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Now it'll be a filling/sanding session - wish me luck! Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
le_boz Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 It look like you are going to need it 😓 Good luck, and I really look forward to see the result 👍 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 (edited) The way you combine speed with quality never ceases to amaze me Thomas... Even the most hopeless kit turns out well in your hands. Edited January 16, 2021 by jenshb Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 (edited) Tom, I agree with you on using Microscale Crystal Clear for the cabin windows. Definitely beats masking. I may have installed the windows and puttied over them, then used decals, but this is 1/72 scale and clear windows will make a better impression. As to the wing-fuselage seam. If you look at your fourth photo (the underside shot) and carefully check, it looks like the leading edge of the starboard wing joins the fusleage forward of the port wing root. So your decision to align the wings at the rear was a wise choice. Additionally, I noticed that the leading edge line forms a kink on the port wing at the fuselage join area (see third photo), so simply adding some styrene strip and putty may smooth out the leading edge to wing root line and make it correspond to the starbord wing root. Yes, I agree with Jens, you are definitely combining speed with quality. To quote Frank L. Stanton, "Keep a goin!" K/r, Dutch Edited February 8, 2021 by Dutch refine details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) 18 hours ago, jenshb said: The way you combine speed with quality never ceases to amaze me Thomas... Even the most hopeless kit turns out well in your hands. 15 hours ago, Dutch said: Tom, I agree with you on using Microscale Crystal Clear for the cabin windows. Definitely beats masking. I may have installed the windows and puttied over them, then used decals, but this is 1/72 scale and clear windows will make a better impression. As to the wing-fuselage seam. If you look at your fourth photo (the underside shot) and carefully check, it looks like the leading edge of the starboard wing joins the fusleage forward of the port wing root. So your decision to align the wings at the rear was a wise choice. Additionally, I noticed that the leading edge line forms a kink on the port wing at the fuselage join area 9see third photo), so simply adding some styrene strip and putty may smooth it out and make it correspond to the starbord wing root. Yes, I agree with Jens, you are definitely combining speed with quality. To quote Frank L. Stanton, "Keep a goin!" K/r, Dutch You're too kind, gents - I just throw caution to the wind and don't get hung up on the small details... saying that... see below! Dutch - you're correct about the leading edges, and I've given the left wing a good sanding at the root before applying the filler. This has already significantly removed the added length and the 'kink' is now, more or less, gone. The filler is currently curing so I'm hoping to get at it later with the sandpaper. With the wings securely attached to the fuselage and the Milliput drying, I set have about the horizontal stabilisers. As with the wings, after the removal of a little flash, the fit was absolutely fine with no filling needed: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr However, my joy was short-lived... and you know I said this build had been reasonably trouble-free thus far? Famous last words! I was checking out the fit of the stabilisers and was scratching my head a I simply couldn't get them to align properly. Then I discovered a bit of a problem... IMG_E1016 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Let me explain... The red lines are the true vertical and horizontal - the fin and the wings line up with these lines well; The blue lines are the positions of the fairings above and below the mounting points for the stabilisers; The green line is superimposed over a piece of plastic strip threaded through the openings for the stabilisers. As you can see, the starboard stabiliser is mounted considerably higher on the fuselage than the port - no wonder they wouldn't line up! Having consulted numerous photographs, I have come to the conclusion that it is the starboard stabiliser that's been moulded too high. So... here's the starboard mounting point as it comes in the kit: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And here's my relatively simple solution - I've sanded off the raised fairings, and after some careful measuring have lowered the attachment hole, bringing it in line with the port side. A plastic card plug covers the original hole. After the stabiliser is attached, I will then add the raised fairings from plastic card, and it should be problem solved. Other Mach 2 DC-8 builders beware! I'll keep you posted... Tom Edited January 17, 2021 by TommyP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
le_boz Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Impressive work there ! Thanks for sharing those hard line with us, some inexperienced modeller would have some trouble here 😉 Keep posting, I really enjoy your build Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) Impressive and courageous I would say! Tom you have tackled the horizontal stab issue nicely. Better than I would have, particularly when it is already assembled. I recently attempted to build a "freebie", not caring for too much detail, just wanting to get assembly done, paint and decals on. The "freebie" was the old Hasegawa 1/72 F-105D Thunderchief. I assembled it well enough, and masked and painted it reasonably well, but when I looked at it from on the nose, the vertical stab was aligned 5-7 deg to stbd and the nose twisted 5-7 deg to port making the wings slant to port and the horizontal stabs slant to stbd! I binned it. I learned a few masking lessons on that one, suffice to say. Edited January 17, 2021 by Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Dunch, There is an awesome new alternative to Crystal Clear, or Dental Acrylic. It's called Solarez. Cystal clear resin that can be sanded, buffed and polished. I use it on large Star Ship models. Technique. 1. Use clear tape to mask over the window ports on the outside surface of the fuselage - Clear tape reason is coming. 2. Apply Solarez to each window from inner surface of the fuselage. You have all the time in the world to allow it to self level, and ensure no air bubbles are stuck in the window port. 3. Hit the Solarez with a UV Flash light for several seconds to cure it. NOTE: Solarez requires a specific frequency of UV light for their product, so I suggest you buy the flash light from them. 4. Now, why the clear tape? as a precaution, hit the outside of the windows with the UV flash light to ensure a cure all the way through. If a models windows aren't to your liking, you have the option to enlarge the window ports a bit for more flexibility to update window placement, then apply masking to ensure a proper window alignment and placement. Like I said, sands great and can be buff to a crystal clear finish. They even sell different thicknesses. One product is called Dome Resin for making clear domes. example: filling in aircraft position lights, cure it, then sand to the wingtips/airfoild shape and polish. https://www.solarez.com/ Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Afternoon all, I spent some time at the bench last night sanding the wing joins. A pretty successful operation - the leading edge of the port wing has been corrected with Milliput and it now matches the starboard side: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Milliput easily took care of the gaps where the upper wings joined the fuselage fairings: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The underside was a similar story -no drama here other then needing to reinstate some obliterated panel lines: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Phase one of the starboard stabiliser correction was a resounding success - it'll need a quick lick of filler and the raised fairings made and added to be complete: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Regardless about what you may think about Mach 2 kits, this one is certainly DC-8 shaped: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Next up will be finishing off the stabilisers and then it's on to the engines... See you all soon, Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Jolly good show, what! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f5guy Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Very cool Thomas... thanks for sharing this! I got my EC-24 and Iberia DC-8 in the mail from Hannants today. As others have noted, they're really not bad kits at all. However, aftermarket that I think would help this kit out a lot would be: 1) better detailed resin engines, 2) New wheels (hello, Res/kit!), 3) a new clear resin cockpit glass section, and 4) maybe some metal gear legs from SAC. I'm going to hold off on building mine for the moment, so I will be watching your build with great interest! Thanks, Fred K. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted January 20, 2021 Author Share Posted January 20, 2021 6 hours ago, f5guy said: Very cool Thomas... thanks for sharing this! I got my EC-24 and Iberia DC-8 in the mail from Hannants today. As others have noted, they're really not bad kits at all. However, aftermarket that I think would help this kit out a lot would be: 1) better detailed resin engines, 2) New wheels (hello, Res/kit!), 3) a new clear resin cockpit glass section, and 4) maybe some metal gear legs from SAC. I'm going to hold off on building mine for the moment, so I will be watching your build with great interest! Thanks, Fred K. Yeah I'm inclined to agree - I think the kit parts as they come are workable but there's certainly room for improvement. I'm going to build mine as it comes, but may then replace the gear with metal parts if they become available as it's a heavy old brute! I've begun working on the engines - here they are in their raw form: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr It's useful to have the intakes as single pieces which means you don't need to worry about hiding an unsightly join. The pylons have been assembled and added to the wings - fit isn't great but filler will do it's stuf: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The engines themselves were assembled without issue: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The chin intakes will need a bit of blending with filler, but are a reasonable starting point: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr More filling and sanding ahead, but it's all good fun! Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f5guy Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 11 hours ago, TommyP said: I'm going to build mine as it comes, but may then replace the gear with metal parts if they become available as it's a heavy old brute! Agreed! The plastic is quite thick and the finished model will be heavy, so some metal gear legs would be most welcome. Perhaps all interested need to email SAC! Great work on the build 👍 Fred. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 11 hours ago, f5guy said: Agreed! The plastic is quite thick and the finished model will be heavy, so some metal gear legs would be most welcome. Perhaps all interested need to email SAC! Why on Earth would you want an even more flash ridden, mould mismatched, pitted copy of the kit undercarriage cast in the weakest white metal known to mankind and pay good money for the privilege? Reinforcing the bogie with brass rod - or making a new one from brass rod should make it plenty strong enough as the main gear leg is vertical... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f5guy Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 2 hours ago, jenshb said: Why on Earth would you want an even more flash ridden, mould mismatched, pitted copy of the kit undercarriage cast in the weakest white metal known to mankind and pay good money for the privilege? Reinforcing the bogie with brass rod - or making a new one from brass rod should make it plenty strong enough as the main gear leg is vertical... Because the kit is quite heavy and I don't think that the plastic legs provided are going to hold it up for long even if it is reinforced with brass. Scratch building the the gear legs is an option, but quite frankly, if I have to build the gear legs myself, I'll probably never build the kit. I've used SAC gear legs on several kits already and have never had a problem despite all of the bashing they seem to get online. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenshb Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Are the legs coming down from the wing really that weak? The critical point would be the bogie and the axles to the wheels. Unless the plastic is like a sponge or so soft or thin it can't hold it's shape, then surely it shouldn't be necessary to scratchbuild the entire undercarriage? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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