Favorite Model aircraft magazine article

Paul Budzik's article covering his conversion of the Monogram B-17G to an F model was the whole reason I began regularly subscribing to FSM. It opened my eyes to a whole new set of techniques. I also liked Bucky Sheftall's article on using foil to simulate NMF on a P-38. And, of course, Dan Jayne's cutaway aircraft are always pretty amazing in terms of the detail he lavishes on his scratchbuilt parts.

Quite a while back, when the V-22 was a new program, FSM had an article on how to build a scratchbuilt XV-15 demonstrator aircraft.

I wasn't a big fan of the XV-15, but, that "balloon covered wood form for fibreglass fuselage" technique that the builder used lit a fire under me. That article allowed me to go back to "100% plastic" builds again, and still carve masters out of wood. It was also one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.

The very simple concept is to carve your fuselage in wood, cover it in a balloon, cover the balloon with fibreglass, split that in half to separate it from the wood/balloon, and use that fibreglass as your mold. This allows us to include all the detail on our master that would normally be difficult or impossible to include if we just used the solid wood as our vac-from pattern. Then use Resin, draped hot plastic, more fibreglass, etc to make the part (you could even drill small holes and use it for a vac buck). I believe it also was the first time I saw anyone use microballoons for model building.

I still have the article somewhere, but don't recall the issue; it was about making instrument panels sandwich style. Paul Budzik's contributions were really good as well. Then there was one of the early issues with the Hasegawa F-14 with the open spoilers/dropped flaps....

Shep Payne's Lady Be Good B-24 dio, especially after seeing actual parts of it (complete with Libyan desert sand) on display at the USAF museum in Ohio.

TarnShip

Quite a while back, when the V-22 was a new program, FSM had an article on how to build a scratchbuilt XV-15 demonstrator aircraft.

I wasn't a big fan of the XV-15, but, that "balloon covered wood form for fibreglass fuselage" technique that the builder used lit a fire under me. That article allowed me to go back to "100% plastic" builds again, and still carve masters out of wood. It was also one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.

The very simple concept is to carve your fuselage in wood, cover it in a balloon, cover the balloon with fibreglass, split that in half to separate it from the wood/balloon, and use that fibreglass as your mold. This allows us to include all the detail on our master that would normally be difficult or impossible to include if we just used the solid wood as our vac-from pattern. Then use Resin, draped hot plastic, more fibreglass, etc to make the part (you could even drill small holes and use it for a vac buck). I believe it also was the first time I saw anyone use microballoons for model building.

Do you remember which issue of FSM that was in? I'd love to read it. 

Derek Brown's article in the Sept. '96 FSM on his 1/72 Ki-45 Dinah, because of the scratchbuilt engines and cockpit.

Mississippivol- that FSM issue (Sept/Oct '84) was the first FSM I ever bought. Opened a whole new modeling door for me

Dave

I often think about a 1/72 Airfix FW 189 in an early 70's issue of Scale Modeler. I was unfamiliar with the plane at that time, but immediately liked it. I couldn't figure out how anyone could paint the canopy framing on a plane like that.

Jay