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Making your own "visible" fuselage halves?

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  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: atlanta, ga, usa
Posted by qarloclobrigny on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 8:57 PM
yes it is possible. i believe they call that a "female".  there is some info on doing that available.
thark you, stupid warhoons
  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by Gigatron on Friday, November 13, 2009 2:56 PM

Hey Hans, it took me a day or two before it dawned on me.  at first, I couldn't imagine why there would be irregularly shaped windows Laugh [(-D]

EasyMike, is it possible to vac form into a negative space like that?

-Fred

 

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: The Bluegrass State
Posted by EasyMike on Thursday, November 12, 2009 1:21 PM
 Gigatron wrote:

...I'd vacform over the existing fuselage, but would that, effectively, enlarge the fuselage half?  How would I go about maintaining the correct size?...

 

Yes.  By the thickness of the material you are forming with.  The next step would be to vac form a new fuselage half inside the one just created and that would get you back to the original size.

Smile [:)]

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 8:41 PM
Just FYI, What Tankbuilder is talking about is a "Cutaway"...

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Sunday, November 8, 2009 10:08 PM
 Gigatron, HI; You need to follow the proffessionals here. The thing to do is cut windows? in the areas you want visible.You then can put clear inside or outside the windows. When you do the windows make sure they DO NOT have regular edges(no smooth holes here) Rough edges thinned to scale and painted either red or white, to offset everything inside.Check out the many models that graced the cover of this great mag. That should help you along.NOTE: the builders DID NOT put clear plastic in their windows.I do to keep dust out.    tankerbuilder
  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by Gigatron on Saturday, November 7, 2009 7:34 PM

I don't think that would work, though.  Most fuelages have different interior and exterior detail (at least with WWII fighters, anyway).

For instance, the B-17 has all the internal ribbing and molded on detail like O2 tanks and hoses and some wiring - things that wouldn't be on the outside.  Same with the Me-262.  Most kits have molded on cockpit sidewalls and such.  The outside might have panel lines, scoops, vents, sensor arrays - all kind of surface mounted detail that you wouldn't get from molding the inside.

-Fred

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: NYC, USA
Posted by waikong on Saturday, November 7, 2009 12:00 AM
to make the the halve the same size, you need to first great a mold of the inside fuselage. A 'blank' I think it's called. You then vacumform over that.
  • Member since
    January 2007
Making your own "visible" fuselage halves?
Posted by Gigatron on Friday, November 6, 2009 7:58 PM

Hey gang,

After building the Revell visible B-17 and starting on a Trumpeter visible Me-262, I got to thinking that a lot more kits would be kind of cool as visible variants.

So, I started wondering about how you would go about making your own visible fuselage halves.  I'm assuming that vacforming is the only feasible way of doing this.  So then it comes down to material and technique.  What material is best - polycarbonate, acetate, etc.?  And instead of re-inventing the wheel, I'd vacform over the existing fuselage, but would that, effectively, enlarge the fuselage half?  How would I go about maintaining the correct size?

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Fred

 

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