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1/100 Entex Air Force One 707 build


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Plans for future builds of this kit. (I have 3 more variants in the stash) The engineering for this kit gives the modeler the option to remove the port side of the cockpit and replace it with a clear part so the cockpit details can be seen. This idea makes assembly a Royal PITA whether you use the clear part or not. The clear plastic wind screen parts (when you opt out on the big clear panel) is almost impossible to remove from the sprue without marring them. If you manage a clean separation, you have to cements clear windscreen halves into the fuselage halves and fill the center windscreen frame after gluing the fuselage halves together. As you can tell by this build, it didn't work out too well for me, so I filled in and painted over everything.

 

My solution will be to take this... Scan it, mirror it...

0311231043~2

 

To make a one-piece shell like the BPK 737 kits... Like this, then print it on my 3D resin printer.

0311231054_HDR

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All the Coroguard has been masked off. I'll be checking again for seam shadows, then I'll give it a good going over with a 12,000 grit buffing cloth before applying the Gloss Black base.

0317231731_HDR

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First coat of Gloss Black applied.

It'll get to set while I'm out on a 4-day trip. I'll be able to handle it by then and give it a good going over before the Metal work can start.

 

Tracy

0318232304_HDR

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OK, I'm done going over and over the surface looking for and fixing flaws. The Black Basing is finally finished...

The base color of Aircraft Aluminum goes on tonight!

 

Crossing fingers.

 

0324231943_HDR~2

Edited by Vidar_710
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OK, this project is over.

I went too far and ruined the finish. I would have to strip down to bare plastic and start over. The heart isn't willing, but at least I didn't throw it against the wall.... YET. Maybe I'll come back to it. Too nice a kit to just throw away.

Learned what not to do when I do the AstroJets.

 

Tracy

Edited by Vidar_710
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More issues arose in one of the engines that was unfixable. That was the straw that broke the camel's back... I chucked it!

I've broken out another copy of the kit and have already started on it. It's easier because the kit is intact this time.

I will come away with some different approaches on doing things with this kit that I believe will come out for the better in the long run.

 

I'll revisit this thread when I get past the priming stage.

 

Tracy

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Going about the new build in a significantly new way. This copy of the kits was not shattered and did not have the pax windows glued in.

 

The cargo door and entry doors have been cemented, filled, and feathered into the fuselage. Panel lines in the cargo door had to be filled in and re-scribed due to them being too wide and deep compared to the fuselage details.

 

0331231744

 

Instead of the badly engineered kit clear parts, I have opted to fill the pax windows and windscreen with clear UV resin.

 

0331231745

 

The right is the raw fill after removing the scotch tape, before trimming off the excess... The left is the beginning of shaping the resin to the fuselage.

 

0331231742

 

Both sides coming along. Much better fit results than the kit's clear parts.

 

0331231826_HDR

 

Both sides finished shaping. Next, polish back to a clear resin, along with the pax and entry door windows.

 

0401231132_HDR~2

 

Tracy

Edited by Vidar_710
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The product is called Solarez. I used the Doming Resin - I may want to try a thinner version next time for the windshield.

 

Be sure to buy their UV light. It's tuned to their resin for best curing.

 

Edited by Vidar_710
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20 hours ago, Vidar_710 said:

The product is called Solarez. I used the Doming Resin - I may want to try a thinner version next time for the windshield.

 

Be sure to buy their UV light. It's tuned to their resin for best curing.

 

The Solarizer light makes a huge difference.  A lesser light leaves many clear UV resins tacky.  

Sorry you had to start over! Sometimes it is just way easier to start over than try to fix. 

Edited by Kurt H.
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  • 2 weeks later...

UV resin polished in for the windscreens and Pax windows.

 

I donated the clear cockpit part to Vintage Flyers and asked them to make a 1/100 scale masking set for this kit. However, I did ask for a change. I requested a full mask that includes the wind screen frame. This allows for the proper placement of the windows, as well as allowing the framing mask to be removed to paint it bare aluminum. The frame mask can then be placed back on to mask the framing for shooting the color.  Several Airlines left the windscreen framing bare metal.

 

0412232314_HDR~2

 

0412232314a_HDR~2

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Dabbling a bit late at night. I'm still working a bunch of paint mules for the optimum bare-metal look.

 

In the first build, after building the engines I noticed the N1 Bypass exhaust was just a step in the surface detail. I've decided to carve out some material to give it some relief since it is the exhaust for the bypass fan - which can be up to 85% of the engines thrust. left is done, 7 more halves to do.

0507230019~2

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