kace Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 i did some reading on the spad in the last 2 weeks and started fiddling round the cockpit with dry fitting and stuff. it is very interesting read on skyraider modus operandi. i got the cutting edge A-1H/J detail set with the whole tub, instruments, seat, PE pedals and side wall details. the kit is popular 1/48 tamiya A-1J that i got about 4-5 years back. the fitting on the side wall details require removing all the details from the original kit. it seems the need to shave off or thin the wall quite a bit too. any experience to advise please? i will stick to the SEA camo scheme as part of my current theme. i have not decided on the marking yet. i prefer a USAF marking but nothing stands out particularly. i kind of like the VNAF marking from Eagle Strike 48-067 with the chinese character or tiger motiff. any advise on these decals? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trietmcam Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 the fitting on the side wall details require removing all the details from the original kit. it seems the need to shave off or thin the wall quite a bit too. any experience to advise please?i will stick to the SEA camo scheme as part of my current theme. i have not decided on the marking yet. i prefer a USAF marking but nothing stands out particularly. i kind of like the VNAF marking from Eagle Strike 48-067 with the chinese character or tiger motiff. any advise on these decals? I also had to shave off the kit side walls to make the details fit. Personally, if I had to do it over, I'd leave the side wall details off because it is nearly impossible to see there once the fuselage glued in. I'd stay away from that vnaf marking - due to the inaccuracies. First off is the dragon head logo on the fuselage - one of them is facing the wrong way, I think the left side. Plus, they're way too small. Regards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted September 16, 2006 Author Share Posted September 16, 2006 thanks for the advise Triet... your focus on skyraider is quite amazing and always enjoy your build and writeup. quite agree with the little view on the cockpit details. seems like the cockpit entrance is very small hence restricting the view, compared to modern planes. so what decal is recommended for SEA camo? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trietmcam Posted September 16, 2006 Share Posted September 16, 2006 thanks for the advise Triet...your focus on skyraider is quite amazing and always enjoy your build and writeup. quite agree with the little view on the cockpit details. seems like the cockpit entrance is very small hence restricting the view, compared to modern planes. so what decal is recommended for SEA camo? Well Kace, if you want to stick with the SEA camo, the USAF decals are more easily available than the VNAF decals. Aeromasters did a bunch of VN war Skyraiders with USAF markings. Cutting Edge did a sheet with VNAF markings. I used this in the past, and it is accurate. But I found the decals tends to crack easily if you are not careful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted September 18, 2006 Author Share Posted September 18, 2006 finally got an aftermarket decal from the local hobby shop... it is good to support the local shops and shopping in the traditional way. touch it, take a close look at it... hold it and decide which one. it is funny because i finally got the vietnam warriors pt 1 with F-4E JV-308 "Betty Lou" and TC-609 "Good Buddha". having completed betty lou earlier but in 1/32 scale. i was referencing - tri-color band with another build from this decal set. :) maybe toying with the idea of shark mouth skyraider... hee...hee... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 had a serious accident... on the wings. tried making the dihedral more obvious but it back fired. what i did was to heat and reshaped the angle using a candle. it has gone bad... the edge has melted and some details are gone!!! now i am in some shock state trying to recompose myself before moving on to the recovery. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 this is working backwards showing the result from the mishap hopefully the dihedral looks more promising. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 (edited) and here is the damage... Edited October 13, 2006 by kace Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 to fix the upper aerofoil, i have to sand out to fit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 13, 2006 Author Share Posted October 13, 2006 this is another recovery that need to fill in the gaps and touch up. :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trietmcam Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Looks like you're on your way to a good recovery Kace. I think it's salvageable with a little bondo and elbow grease. What I do about the dihedral angle problem is just sand off the top wing root a little. This creates a gap between the wing and fuselage. When you close in the gap, the wing angle will bend up, giving you a proper dihedral. Regards Triet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 15, 2006 Author Share Posted October 15, 2006 thanks triet for the tip. so much for my experiment when there are solutions already... :D i have tappered off the momentum with tis build, dunno whether will complete in 2 weeks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BadCop Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Come on Kace! You can get it done. The "this seems like a good idea" method of fixing kits might make for a few problems, but sometimes lets you find a new and better way of getting things done. I had no idea that the wing angle was off and did nothing to correct mine. It's looking good anyway, and you will have construction finished in no time at all! Trent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kace Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 yes trent... stop whinging and start working. i just went browsing "defending the reich GB". guess, i need to knock over afew fockewulf so that i can buy some more. LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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