1/48 RoG Rafale B

[MarkW]

Started this a few weeks ago (before it was hip ;) ), finally have some progress to show. As I'm building this from my downrange man cave, there are a few things I won't be able to do for some time--like close up the fuselage (reasons to follow), or get anywhere near painting. But I at least hope to get the majority of construction tedium out of the way...

This kit normally gets rave reviews, and I can see why. The molds are crisp and clear, and the fit is overall pretty decent. There are a few nits, though. First, the plastic is very soft--making it hard to re-engrave panel lines after sanding. Second, shown below, are the SCALP EG/Storm Shadow missile instructions. Normally I wouldn't care about them, but since they are seeing use in Libya, I thought, hey, this should be cool. Here's what RoG gives in step 66:

Unfortunately, the top cover piece that holds the wings in place is on backwards. The pointy end going forward is based upon a model hanging from the ceiling of some cool museum--RAF Hendon (If your museum has cruise missiles, it IS cool). The wing hinges shouldn't be exposed, and the leading edge of that top plate in operational use is just a thin, flat edge. Also, the bottom most fins are extended only in flight--RoG shows them extended for captive carry, but they also have a convenient panel line to show how short they are stowed. So, first: how the topcover should fit (it actually doesn't fit backwards as shown anywho):

Next, the topcover chopped. Basically chopping it at the forward pinhole where it mounts to the rack works pretty good--that's where the lugs really more or less are.

Here's one of the lower tails (part 126 or 126A). Note the line at the bottom of the picture.

That line, which cuts the fin down to about 1/3 the original length, is actually how long the fin should be when carried. When in flight, the fins pop down. Mounted on the missile body, this what they should look like.

The panel lines created where the nose and tail cones mount should be filled in--but the molded one on the nose should be left alone. For a "stealthly" cruise missile (and it is very much so), the ones you see hanging off warbirds have a few more panels than the mockups, which I'm not sure I can replicate with the tools I have here.

[rom]

Nice start! ;)

[MarkW]

Thanks--I hope to have an update shortly.

[Aigore]

That was a good heads up, noted :D

Looking forward to the rest of the build :D

[MarkW]

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are a couple reasons why I won't be buttoning up the fuselage. First, it's gear up (this aircraft really has nothing to look at in the gear department), and I need to decide how it's getting mounted. Second, while moving it in a plastic box, the Samsonite Gorillas got a hold of my stuff. In one box was a full bottle of Ambro Pro Weld and both inlets...

OK, so one of them isn't trashed...the least detailed one...so, I got that going for me.

Ugh. I know, D-Mold makes replacement, full inlets, but they are pricey, and I wanted to scratch my own. I do have a replacement set from Revell on order. Just didn't need that to happen. Insult to injury: Now without solvent glue!

On the plus side, construction continues. Being gear up, I reinforced all of the internal landing bay parts that won't be seen with epoxy putty. The gear doors, when cleaned up, practically fall into place. Revell has this done. I had to look for the nose gear door after installation when there wasn't shiny Tenax glue film to give it away.

The mains were minor "fiddly".

[Finn]

Here is a SCALP being loaded on a Mirage 2000D that might help with details.

Jari

[MarkW]

Thanks, great view! Does a blue stripe on a French missile mean a training round like it does in the U.S.?

[ChernayaAkula]

Nice work so far! The SCALP info will come in handy. :) Cool to see you're doing an in-flight display.

[MarkW]

Yeah, I'm still debating using a magnet or a rod mount. It might have to be a rod mount just because the underside is kind of busy, and there are a few good vents/scoops on the underside I could hide a mounting spot.

[Finn]

Not the best view but a Rafale with a SCALP launching for a target in Libya. Note the wrinkled body of the missile.

Jari

[MarkW]

Strike aircraft need bombs. RoG was nice enough to provide 6 GBU-12s. They are actually quite good, and while they have fewer panel lines and details than the Hasegawa Weapons set variety, they 1) come with the kit, and 2) actually look a little better in some ways because the Has panel lines are ridiculously overdone.

Regardless of which ones you use, both have a solid seeker cone. Even with the magic of slide molds, this part is too tiny to be anything but a hunk of styrene in an IP kit. Since all my casting stuff is packed away at the moment, I could just make copies of better cones like I did for my Strike Eagle build. Having an abundance of free time today, and nothing to lose, I decided to work on the kit cones. I statred by cutting them off, and smoothing the back side. Then carefully drilling from the back of the seeker head, making sure the drill bit stayed aligned and centered, I slowly excavated the back side. After some drilling, you can see through the now thinned plastic--that isn't a hole yet.

Once the plastic between the ring, fins and seeker tip (the part i wanted gone) started to turn white on the outside, I stopped drilling and used a hobby knife to clear out the gaps. Here's the result:

...and to prove it wasn't a fluke, the second one (took much less time). Note the first has the tip chopped off so I can put clear epoxy for a seeker tip when I get some epoxy.

They need some further clean up, I know, but keeping in mind these photos are 10-15 times larger than life, not a bad start I hope.

[GreyGhost]

Really nice work, Mark ...

Gregg

[HOLMES]

img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_E90qoNFXVwc/TZIkKh_vpHI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/E5AWooAoSxg/s800/P1000520sm.JPG[/img]

The mains were minor "fiddly".

WOW look at that detail....LOVELY work Mark...

[MarkW]

Thanks, but I take no credit for the quality of the kit--Revell should be proud of this work!

Here is one of the 1250L fuel tanks, with the raised seam welds repaired.

The large 2000L tank I realized too late had inset depressions in the middle of the seam. Those are a b**ch to clean up, so I drilled them out. Now I had gaping holes...

Obviously the smart fix is to drill them out before gluing the two tank halves together, then thinning the tank wall from the inside, and gluing a slab of sheet plastic in place. Fortunately, the tank walls are kind of thick, so I had the idea of using a plug, and sticking the plug just far enough in that it would be an inset, not a maraca... :) Using a bit of smaller diameter sprue, then sanding it down more, I had this:

Then, cutting a small disk off the sprue plug, and carefully maneuvering it (with much dropping and great cursing), I carefully pushed the plug flush using the flat side of a hobby blade. Fortunately, the plug disk was tight, and didn't fall into the tank. Then, the plug was gently inset by using the rounded end of a paint brush. Once it was in place, I doused it with Tenax. After the first plug:

And after the third, with the panel line welds restored.

Yes, this is the hardest way to solve this problem--short of trying to sand an inset circle.

Not done yet, though. On the real tanks, both the 1250L and 2000L have a large, circular vent like thing on the bottom rear. You can see on the 2000L tank above a larger, shallow circular depression. This is where the detailed vent should be. The 1250L tanks have the same vent in real life, but the kit 1250L tank doesn't even have the depression. It will be off to the spares box to find the right shape--5 of them, then drilling out the hole, plugging it. On the bright side, I have a 2000L tank I haven't glued together yet. :)

On that note, if anyone has a good detailed close up of the vents on either tank, please let me know.

[Finn]

Not the best view.

Jari

[Finn]

A better view:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__A2VG2LiIPk/TNWI...e_paringaux.jpg

Jari

[MarkW]

Opps. Double post/placeholder for next update.

Edited April 5, 2011 by MarkW

[MarkW]

Finn,

Thanks a ton. Is there a keyword you use in particular to search the French govt site? I've tried plowing through that, and usually come up blank (or blanc in this case)

[Finn]

For French action in Libya go here:

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/doss...n/points-de-sit

it gives daily updates, along with images. Check out n°18 and Multimédias (3) for another belly view of a Rafale. Note the missile load is reduced to 3. To save pics, right click near the bottom of the image to get it rather than move to the next image.

Jari

[MarkW]

Perfect, thank you! Now I just need to build a Damocles pod and pylon so I don't have to build a Mirage 2000 or F-1 as the laser designator...

[toniosky]

I confirm : Blue markings on French missiles = training weapon

[Froggy]

If you are looking for a Damocles Pod, you can find one at the following link:

http://www.larsenal.com/FR/index.php

Cheers

[ChernayaAkula]

The RoG Rafale M had a Damocles pod and pylon. Maybe you could talk someone out of theirs.

[MarkW]

Thanks to all for the pictures, links and information!

[MarkW]

I hate making decisions early in a build, and have a fear of parts breaking off during my many inevitable moves. Plus, The Rafale has so many cool options for weapons and fuel tanks i didn't want to get tied down. Starting at the inboard wing pylon, I put the fuel tank mounting pylon in place. The parts actually fit pretty badly, have a tilt at the top that worked OK on one side but made the pylon vertically crooked on the opposite wing.

After that, there's the choice: Am I carrying 4 MICAs in an ADA role, or am I carrying two wingtip MICAs with the GBU-12s? Or maybe the SCALP? How's about all of the above with the magic of magnets? And that's what I did. Using neodymium 1/16" x 1/16" cylinders, the outboard pylon can have SCALPs:

SCALPS on the pylon are kind of the LIMFAC--the one SCALP outweighs 3 GBU-12s or one MICA by a fair amount.

Speaking of GBU-12s:

The GBU-12s TER and the SCALP share the upper portion of the pylon. The upper pylon has two magnets against the wing underside and two more aligned with matching sets in the SCALP or TER. This way I can swap out the SCALPs or the GBU-12 TERs with ease depending on what sort of target I'm planning against...

Like MICAs?

This shot gives a good idea of how snugly the magnets pull the pylons in.

How strong are two magnets in the wing paired to two in the pylons? Strong enough to hold the wing itself up easily.

Yes, that's the test fit of the MICA to see if one magnet pair was sufficient. It was.

There will be some hard mounting. For example, the GBU-12s and the MICAs on the outboard wing rail will likely have to be glued on simply because the TER and the missile rails are too thin for even 1/16" diameter magnets to fit. The plan is the underwing rails with have RF MICAs, and the wingtips will hold either RF or IR MICAs, since the wingtip rail is big enough for magnet mounting.