VACUFORM –Any Aircraft Subject (Starts 2/1/05 Ends 9/30/05)

miduppergunner...your in!

i am sorry but it looks as though i will not be taking part in this build. avusk has given me the cold shoulder. no contact at all. according to their website they are still in buisness but they havent responded to my emails. truely sorry as this build looks like fun.


joe

Sorry to hear that, Joe. Any chances of getting another kit?

I would like to join in please with the Dynavector Javelin. I purchased this recently from the Hannant shop in Lowestoft (East Anglia UK) which is about six times the size of the Colindale shop. It is in fact a warehouse - with just about every kit, Photo etch, paint decal, after market accessory etc. etc produced for plastic modelling. There is also a full sized Harrier there awaiting restoration! I would gues that you need two full days to complete a browse!

I have some reservations on the Javelin kit however, there are some floors in the molding - due to a damaged mold which are not as easy to remedy as the manufacturer suggests. It will involve a lot of "scratch building" I think to produce a model that is commensurate with the scale - 1:48 - it is quite big and thus will need a lot of detail to look anything.

sorry for the late response dj. i dont think i will be going for another vac form kit at the moment. real life has spoken yet again. but i will be following this build with interest.


joe

Hope things get better for you soon, Joe

thanks dj. nothing really serious just little stuff.


joe

Sorry to hear that it is so hard to find Vacuumform kits. I am glad I was a continual buyer when they were popular. I would hope that thee would be a selection of VF at the local club meetings but after attending both the IPMS/USA National and a Region 10 contest recently I must admit that these types of kits have virtually disappeared from the seller's inventory.

I hope Glen S does alright with his Seamaster project. I built my Airmodel kit of the Seamaster about 20 years ago. It will be a challenge as, if my memory is still correct, the wing to fuselage mating plus the installation of the engine packs will be difficult. I also believe that the bullet fairing at the tail junction may be too large. I am afraid that there is not a lot of detailed data available on the Seamaster that can help on the corrections. I gave my data package on the A/C to a freind who is currently doing a very good job on building his version using the Airmodel kit. Unfortunately he is not into computer writing.

I have the assembly of the Avro Arrow in process with the main fuselage together and am proceding with a simple interior as the windows are rather small. I do not like the kit's approach to installing individual clear sections in the basic cockpit area and will cut off the entire cockpit section and use it for a master to vacumform a completely clear unit. This will be installed in place of the cutout and then the windows defined by the external painting process. Naturally the interior color will be applied before the final all white paint job is completed. The wings are also being assembled and I have found them to be an excellant fit to the fuselage. My overall impression of the kit is that it is quite well planned and very well molded.

Richard

May have to change my choice of a kit since I can not put my hands on the metal bits that came with the vac parts... I bought this Embraer several years ago and I've moved a few time ever since, with apparently, possibly disastrous consequences for this kit...

For Glen S

I wote the original book for Kalmback on vacumform model VF building back in 1984. Unfortunately, it is out of print and I hae no other copies to sell. I am collecting a list of modelers that might be interested in a copied version of the book in black and white. I need about 10 interested persons for me to get a KinKo printing. The book would sell for about $15 postpaid. If you have an interest write to me direct at mats.man@cox.net

In the interium I would recommend that you read that Aeroclub web page cited by mult-media. It contains a lot of useful hint.

Richard

I was just wondering if anyone has made any progress with their choice of model. I am a little down the road with the Dynavector Javelin - very enjoyable build but I seem to be discarding a number of items and scratch building them myself - e.g the "acorn" fairings on the wings - the pitot heads - ejector seats (new ones from Aeroclub) and there will no doubt be more - am I however being a little hard and instinctively leaning to a scratch build in toto?

Midupper-gunner I am not surprised by the fact that you are scratch building some parts of your Dynavector kit as I have found that no matter how good a vacuumform kit is there are always items that one would like to see more accurate or easier to add to the basic model. A lot depends on how detailed or precise one wants to be about a specific model. I often build a good VF like it was out of the box. Other A/C are particular favorites of mine and I will expend a lot of extra time in the construction process to improve the overall appearance of the finished product.

As you may note in an earlier message I have started my VF of the Avro Arrow and am currently scratch building a couple of simple ejection seats and the cockpit interior. As the window area is relatively small I do not plan to detail the inteior beyond a few bsic items. I will be vacumforming an entire new cockpit window area as I se that as the easiest way to get a quality set of clear windows and a good fit to the main fuselage.

Right now I am finishing a couple of regular injection molded kits so progess on the arrow has been halted.

Richard

Hi all! I'm just wondering if we have a sig patch for this GB yet.

Thank you Matsman/ - you have summed it up of course - for my part it adds to the pleasure however - a bit more of "me" in the model!

I need a volunteer to help with the group badge, anyone out there?

Since I can't locate half of my Embraer 120 kit, I've had to get something else and I got two new vacuform kits in the mail today.. a PZL 104 Wilga and a Hansa-Brandenburg CC, both in 1/72...

If I can find decent info on the Wilga, it will be the one. Quite different, I like it! The Hansa-Brandenburg is one aircraft I've always been interested in, and I already have enough info on that one, but the Wilga is just cute and different...



By the way, I found this on the net.. Quite informative, as far as Vacuform kits are concerned..

http://www.wwi-models.org/misc/vacs.html

Hi everybody,

I'd like to join this GB with a 1/48 mig-3 from Hit-Kit.

I have build vacuform kits before and I usually am very slow in building these kits. (I've build 2, they both toke about a year to build) I would therefore like to know if its a problem if I start a bit earlier then 2/1/2005?

Remco

Hello Remco, welcome to the forums.

Please feel free to join the group build. It's Ok to start a lttle early, no gb police here. Please post progress reports as you build.

OK I will keep you posted!

Hi Ya ! guys I would like to take part, But cant choose between my Sanger Black burn Beverly. Or my Historic wings Handlely Page Hastings, Both are 1/72 will let you know more closer to start date.
Joanna.

Joanna, welcome aboard. I'll add you to list as undecided.

Hi ya, I will build my hastings, Then my Beverly in that order.
Joanna.

Hi guys, it's been a while but I here I am again.
As told before, I'll be building the Aerospace 146-200 for this GB, however a while ago I ordered a RarePlace North American FJ-4B Fury on E-bay. I received it within 3 or 4 days, BUT one part was missing ; the conopy, any idea on a replacement folks ???

Oops, forgot to mention that the scale is 1/72, and that I am not able to my own vac-forming.

And welcome Joanna, there aren't much girls around here, so you are more than welcome.

It's not to late to ask Santa for a vacuform kit and get involved in this GB. Start date is less then two months away.

I have found some good reference pictures for my Fokker D. XXI. Could use of few more of the instrument panel, any suggestions?

Along with my Hastings and Beverly, will alsaw build a welsh models Vanguard freighter, In transport command colours.
Joanna.

I have not sen any update messages on the vacuumform (VF) model build for sometime. Have the participants given up? My CF-105 Avro arrow is now in assembly with the fuselage, forward nose section and wings together. The cockpit has been simply detailed as the window areas are small and extra detail would never be seen. I plan to VF a clear section, using the kit cockpit parts, as this would make for a cleaner appearance than trying to insert sections of clear into the kit framework. I needed to add some slivers of plastic sheet to improve the engine intake alignments and also at the wing to fuselage joint at the trailing edge to accomodate a slight misalignment. That may have resulted my fitting procedure.

Hope to hear that others are starting their projects.

Richard

well folks i dont know if it will be done in time. dont even know when i will be purchase it but i am now looking at a combat models b-17 so dont count me in but dont count me out yet


joe

QUOTE: Originally posted by mats.man I have not sen any update messages on the vacuumform (VF) model build for sometime. Have the participants given up?

Richard, while some have started the build early, which is fine, the official start date is February 1, 2005. I think you will see more posting then.

Fightnjoe...glad to see your back in as at least a maybe.

Just bumping this back to the top. A little over 4 weeks to the start of the build, plenty of time to find a vacuform kit and join in.

Dan, would a 1/72 F-86 canopy fit..?