ksenna Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 (edited) First, I'd like to thank every one who posted comments on my first topic, Trumpeter Mig-29K 1/32. I am overwhelmed by the positive response to that project. There have also been a few inquiries about producing the 'K' cockpit in resin. Chris Wilson, 'THE MAN' behind Zactomodels, asked me if I had any plans to produce the cockpit in resin. I had to confess to Chris that I did not have a clue on how to work with resin. To my surprise he offered to include the 'K' cockpit in the Zactomodel line-up. Well I had just purchased Zactomodel's Su-27 Combo-kit at that time, so I knew Chris made a high quality product. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to work with him, but after Chris explained the limitations of resin casting, I had to deny his request. My plans for the 'K' cockpit would have to be redesigned and some details would have to be dropped. I asked Chris if he might be interested in a cockpit for the Revell MiG-29A kit instead. Chris liked the offer and we have been working on the details for a few weeks. I'll design and make a plastic MiG-29A cockpit for the Revell kit to meet Chris's specifiactions. If there is a need for photo-etching or anything else beyond plastic and/or brass, Chris will design and integrate the parts. Of course the kit will be available at Zactomodels.com. The MiG-29 has been around for a while. There have been alot of variants of the MiG-29 and some small changes involving the 29A (9-12) cockpit. The research for the 'A' cockpit consists mainly Soviet, Czech and Hungarian MiG-29's, they appear to be the best equipped, and this cockpit will reflect those aircraft. The kit will also provide any parts needed for the 9-13 or 'C' version to go along with the spline kit that Chris has in the works. My goal is to provide a highly detailed, highly accurate representation of the MiG cockpit to Chris and his customers. We all know about the high quality and the attention to detail in a Zactomodels product, so I have my work cut out for me. This is the only project that I'll be working on until it's complete and I plan to update this topic often. The following pics are of the mock-up I made to get the proper dimensions and for the overall fit to the fuselage. There is no detail and none these parts will be used in the actual cockpit, but they give a feel of the overall proportion of the cockit. The parts are just fitted together and the entire mock-up is only supported by side pressure of the fuselage so there are some gaps. They will not appear in the actual cockpit. Mark Kissel, a.k.a. ksenna With the Aries/Quickboost seat (OOP's...should of dusted the seat) With the Revell seat (More dust!) I'm working on the cockpit floor, pics on Fri. or Sat. Mark Kissel Edited February 13, 2009 by ksenna Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Thanks for posting Mark! THE MAN? :lol: Of course, I will be watching this thread with interest. I can't wait to see the detail work progress! If this develops anything like your MiG-29K cockpit has then we're in for a big treat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Great news on the cockpit! Thanks for the update. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
geedubelyer Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 That's a very neat start Mark :) Judging by what you've posted here in the past, this should be well worth waiting for. Please keep us posted of any progress. Your work is so precise it is astonishing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ksenna Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 What a miserable weekend. I planned to have the cockpit floor finished by Saturday. I've made two center sections for the footwell and neither look right. The third time is the charm? I'll post pics of the completed floor as soon as I get it right. Here are pics of the basic floor and the rudder pedal arm. I can see by these two pics that some of the 'dimples' need to be cleaned-up. I'm happy enough with the rivets. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-1 Nut Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Oh my goodness! Very cool, indeed. I can't wait to see this one as it comes along. JED Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eastern Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Great progress, Mark! Very neat and flawless work! Keep it up, dude! Cheers! Alexander. ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ksenna Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 Thank you both Eastern and B-1 Nut for the kind words. It's been awhile since my last update because I have not been able to make decent looking leather boot for the stick. Does anybody have any tips or ideas on how to make a proper boot? Here are some more progress pics. Do the rudder look to close to the cockpit floor and should they be raised? The current height is .020in. Thanks, Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eastern Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 That's great, Mark! Commendably crisp and flawless 'pit. With no doubt - a real benchmark job! Cheers and happy modeling! Alexander. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rom Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 i really like how your work looks sharp and clean!! Zactoman is hiring!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eastern Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Thank you both Eastern and B-1 Nut for the kind words. It's been awhile since my last update because I have not been able to make decent looking leather boot for the stick. Does anybody have any tips or ideas on how to make a proper boot? Thanks, Mark You know, Mark, I think you can rough out the boot using resin. The process can be described as follows. Use plasticine (don't know the exact English equivalent to the slightly oily material that kids use for making different things) to make a kind of mold. Prepare needed amount of resin and poure it into the mold. When the resing had cured a little remove it from the mold and shape the boot with your fingers. After the resin cured completely, shape the boot with the use of modeling knife, needle files and sand paper. Instead of liquid resin you can use so called Quick Steel - two-component epoxy material that available in automotive. I hope my tip will help. Happy modeling! Alexander. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 :D Looking Very nice Mark! I'd suggest adding the hoses/wire-bundles that lay on the floor along each side of the tub to determine whether the pedals need to sit higher. The pedals are slightly elevated above than those 'hoses' so will need to clear them. .020 might be a little tight... My first suggestion for the boot would be epoxy putty. Miliput is available at most hobby shops and works well. You can knead it, and rough shape it and still have lots of time to add details and fold. You can smooth it with water or rubbing alcohol. It can be further carved or sanded after it is cured. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ksenna Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks Eastern and Zactoman, your solutions are better than using plastic. I wasted a week trying to create the boot, including the seam with the lacing. The wrinkles and texture just did not look natural. As for the pedals, I did not realize the mistake until I took the pictures... it was then that I realized the pilot would be using only his heels! Oh well, one of these days I'll start paying attention to what I am doing! Adjusting the pedals with the wiring harness in place is a good idea, thanks Chris. I'd still like to include the lacing, but I'm going to get along with rest of the cockpit for now. Thanks again, Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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