Vidar_710 Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 (edited) Better plan this time assembling the engines. The styrene tubing for the inner intake surface details are ground down to shape - as are the inner surfaces of the nacelle halves up to the engine anti-ice lips to receive the tubes for a flush fit. The back 3rd of the inner surface of the styrene tubes, as well as the Fan bullets are shot with Boeing Gray. The fans have been shot with a dark metal color, then dry brushed with medium grey to make the stator detail pop. The markings on the tubes represent the top of the tubes due to them needing to be tapered back about 1/16' at the bottom for a level fit in the nacelles. The fans have been sanded down to fit snugly into the tubing this time. I messed this up badly before causing one of the fans to repeatedly pop out. When I return from my next trip, I'll mask off the rear 3rd of the intake tubing and shoot the forward 2/3rds of the tubes a medium gray. Edited May 9, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Most excellent 👌 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 16, 2023 Author Share Posted May 16, 2023 The N1 fans snuggly fit into the new inner intake detail, I used UV resin to secure and lock them in this time. In inner intake surfaces have their preliminary paint scheme applied before gluing them into place. Some of this will be damaged during the gluing and filling process. But it does get the Boeing Gray and the fans established. Fan assemblies glued into place. A little green clay to help them keep their position till the cement cures. Nacelles glued, filled, and intakes repaired after blending the inner surface to the engine intake de-icer lips. The small intakes for engine pods 2 - 4 were lacking the ECS inlets for cabin pressurization. I drilled in that detail - not seen here. Old kits like this, they engineered the trailing edges for the top and bottom halves to match. This made for a nasty gap to fill so that the trailing edges would blend together. They were taped off right up to the edge then green 3M putty was used for ease in seeing how the filling went against the white plastic. Currently grinding away at the at the engine pylon tabs and the slits in the wing they slip into to ensure the nacelles hang properly from the wing... perpendicular to the ground. More pics to come! Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 Mold shadows in the plastic due to the wheel well bulkheads on the other side. Some green filler over the top to see it easier... Filler sanded away till a flat surface is achieved, then panel line details scribed back in. If I had not filled this, the aluminum finish would have made it stick out like a sore thumb. 2.2mm and 1.6mm Model Railroad lenses placed in the Taxi light ports with Ultra Glue. Solarez UV resin will go over the top, then sanded back to the shaped of the leading edge of the wing, then polished back to a clear finish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 ... and the intakes have been masked off... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 Nice progress and techniques to fix those little flaws. What did you use to mask the intake? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 (edited) Tamiya flex tape to mask the lip, then filled in with toilet paper then sealed with liquid mask. Edited May 20, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 Solarez UV resin filled in, cured, then sanded and polished to shape over the Take Off / Landing lights. 1.3mm Rail Road lenses this time in the wing tip Nav lights. UV Resin applied then cured. A little much on this one, but workable. Sanded to shape of the wing. Then polished back to clear. Tamiya Blue and Red added. Then polished back with 4000 grit sanding pad. After re-scribing lost details, I've started gluing the engines on to the wings first before gluing the fuselage halves this time around. It's easier to hold just a wing while filling and sculpting in the engine pylon gaps. This also allows me to make sure the wings seat well into the fuselage. Pics to come. Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 (edited) A bit of a casualty to engine #2. I dropped it and the end of the pylon snapped off then "pranged" into oblivion. Laminated some Evergreen strip styrene a bit over-sized, cemented it into position and let it cure overnight. A little light Dremel drum sanding work and some sanding sticks, you can hardly tell the difference. Edited May 20, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 Tracy, Lovely bit of work there! Kind regards, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 Slight different color in the plastic for the pylon repair. Fits like a glove in all respects. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 Tracy, Good show. Been there, done that, multiple times. Doh! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted May 27, 2023 Author Share Posted May 27, 2023 (edited) Sculpting and feathering in the Smooth-On Form Air filler with water dampened fingers and tools to fill and blend the pylons smoothly into the wing fillets as much as possible to reduce the amount of sanding. I let this cure at least 24hrs. Edited May 27, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Fantastic work sir. I've always loved this kit. Just wish it was in 1/144 instead of 1/100. Keep the great work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Nice work, blending looks good Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 Nose wheel well, and cockpit installed. A fishing weight epoxied on both sides, and strip styrene tabs added to the port side fuselage for added gluing surface for strength along the seam. Wings glued in first this time around to ensure the wings seat better into the fuselage. The starboard wing fit like sh!t, so some filling will need to be done on the bottom seam. Form Air to the rescue again! This will cure overnight, then I'll dress up the seams at the wing roots before gluing the fuselage halves together. Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cubs2jets Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 I like the work that you have going on here! This is going to be really nice when finished. Is the fuselage big enough that you might get "seam flex" when filling/sanding after closure? Would it benefit from a couple of sprue "posts" to add rigidity? C2j Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 Cubs' ... This kit doesn't really require much re-enforcement; however, I did add styrene strips all along the port side half to add gluing surfaces for a stronger bong. Four different fillers at different densities and colors to see highs and lows, as well as being able to note the layers to ensure a level surface result. This area will be bare metal, which will reveal imperfections like a beacon if not prepped properly. Re-scribing details before primer. Then I'll put the halves together and allow them to cure during my next 4-day trip. Allowing things to set longer before filling reduces the chance of seam shadows showing because filler was applied too early after cementing. Pics after gluing the halves together before I head out to come. Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 10, 2023 Author Share Posted June 10, 2023 (edited) Fuselage glued together with Mr Cement SPB. It's water thin and Black so it's easy to see. This lets you see if cements got to all the gluing surfaces. A bead of UV resin was also applied to the windscreen's gluing edge so the two halves of the windscreen can be glued together after being zapped by UV light. Even after the initial sanding, the Mr Cement SPB is still visible. This will sit and be allowed to fully cure and possibly develop soft plastic that may shrink causing seam shadows. Then I'll apply the filler to the seams and blend them in. Edited June 10, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 The one section of the fuselage that needed filler - the keel. I'll re-scribe the detail back in, which is about 3 or 4 lateral panel lines. This butt plate for the horizontal stab has got to go. Do not know why it's there since the stab goes all the way to the fuselage. It poorly matches the airfoil profile of the horizontal stabs, so just filling and blending it in is more trouble than it's worth. Taped off to protect the surrounding detail, it's ready for a slow-speed Dremel drum sander. Happily, the stabs fit awesome to the new surface! I do however, need to laminate a strip of styrene to the elevator's inner surfaces as a shim to shape them to the contour of the tail cone. Keep in mind, no filler will be needed to fill the stabs to the fuselage. The entire horizontal stab assembly is moveable for pitch trim. There is a natural gap there - which is another reason the raised surface was problematic. Pics to come! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 16, 2023 Author Share Posted June 16, 2023 Shims cemented in place. They'll be trimmed back to the profile of the elevators, then blended into their surfaces. Then the new shape of the stabs will be ground down to follow the contour of the fuselage. Not much material was need. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 17, 2023 Author Share Posted June 17, 2023 Shims shaped to the airfoil with some detail scribed in... Shims ground down to fit the fuselage. The fit may be too good here. When everything has cured, I'll go in and scribe a recess where the horizontal stabilizers butt up to the fuselage to indicate the entire stab assembly is moveable for pitch trim settings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 Simply and beautifully done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted June 29, 2023 Author Share Posted June 29, 2023 (edited) Assembly is finished for the most part. Landing gear is mostly finished. Tested for seem shadows with Mr Surfacer 1500 along the major joints. Looks like a clean build so far until the primer proves me wrong. Vintage Flyers is producing a mask set for me for this kit. Until he gets it to me, this is as far as I go before painting starts. I'll move back to the 1/32 F-16XL project (seen in the "In Progress" forums) with some dabbling on the scratch-built Starship Excelsior project in the Sci-Fi forums. More 3D modeling changes and upgrades in-the-works and the graphics for the decals have begun as well. Will be back to this soon. Tracy Edited June 29, 2023 by Vidar_710 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vidar_710 Posted October 18, 2023 Author Share Posted October 18, 2023 Good news... Vintage Flyers has finally created the masking set for this kit. When I receive them, I'll get right in to the painting of the bare metal TGA aircraft from the 1970 movie "Airport". Tracy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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