1/32 scale Mig 31 Firefox PP1

It certainly has been a fun build to watch..  Seeing the Soviet stars has started to give me tingles down the spine..

Chris 

  what do  you believe , is this the right  or the left  wing tip? very  inderterminate from my actual point  of view.thanks William.

very   hard to  determinate in this views, a side view will be very  helpfull or a frontal view.

 but  if i can especulate  , i think this  is the right wing tip, with the chisel tip  in the more conservate  undersurface  of the relic. whitout other views,  im not sure..may be.

    thanks.

You're right...It's the right wing tip, chisel tip is underside...by the way, the red star was painted, not a decal, and blends really well..

Will

Looking good to me!...

Chris 

ok small update...

My  friend who is a mold making master helped me make boxes this evening, these things had to be exact as the mold boxes will be key to ensuring a proper fit to tools being made within them. they also have to be interchangeable. here's the latest photos of this progress taken this evening. Now it's ti9me to clay up the master pattern for the RTV pour. Enjoy the photos.

Best,

Will

Little update,
I finally had a chance to clay up the remainder of the fuselage, now time to add registration and key system
in da mean time how bout some pics, enjoy!
Best,
Will

I think what I love about this build is that you have shown from the start what is involved in something like this.. For me, I just take kits out and build them, and really dont take alot of time to consider how it got there.. Thanks for sharing..

Chris

Howdy,

Big update here . I've been trying to finish off other pieces but had some time to work on the PP1 project. First, I finished claying up and adding registration keys as well as the perimeter key system. This permimeter key system took a wile to manufacture, but the result is worth it, then mold boxed the whole piece. After this was finished using mold release, I sprayed the entire project thoroughly. Finally after I was satisfied with coverage, poured the RTV.  It's a lot of RTV silicone rubber as you will see, but necessary for this two stage molding process to work. After waiting 24 hours to demold, I carefully unboxed the tool and turned her upside down to remove the clay, being extra careful to ensure that the master pattern stayed locked in the upper RTV rubber mold. Removing the clay proved to be a breeze, as the mold release did it's job extremely well. After removing all clay( it actually came aprt in a couple large sections), I removed the perimeter key system, and boxed the tool back up for final RTV pour. Again waited 24 hours which ended this past evening so i undid the mold box once more revealing a large block of RTV silicone. Carefully I pried the halves apart and what you see in the last photos is the final result. My opinion is it came out perfect, no clean up and  a major bonus in this field, the Master survived. Now comes the fun part, laying sheet wax in each half and remolding forming the resin cavity necessary to make hollow castings for the new resin hollow masters from which all final details will be added, bays recesses acess panels cockpit details, engine area details and what ever else is needed. Once this is done, I'll make the final tools . In the mean time, enjoy the photo documentation.

Sincerely,

Will

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:48 pm    Post subject:    

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Howdy gang,
I just wanted to update everyone interested. I had a chance to do a little on the Firefox. I started laying the sheet wax into the bottom half of the mold. Now, perhaps the method I'm employing makes a little more sense. there are a few gaps you will note and these get smoothed over using clean clay. Also, I didnt go all the way up to the edge. Again this gets finished with clean clay to ensure the proper edge. see the pics, as always, questions welcome. Once I get the clay into the gaps and smooth everything over, pour sprue and vents applied, a liberal amount of mold release will be applied, then final rtv rubber poured. this will complete the bottom half of this stage one mold, then this process is repeated on to the top half. Enjoy the pics.
Sincerely,
Will

I'm really excited by your model project and I can't wait to see it completed! I absolutely LOVE Clint Eastwood, and that movie was really awesome!

Impressive techniques! Just make sure you think in Russian!

ok,
I clayed up the wax in the bottom mold last night. Now I just need to add vents and pour sprue and she's ready to pour last half..as for the sheet wax, you can get quite a few different thickness(in thousandths), adhesive backed or not. note for those interested, the adhesive backed is a little more pliable, I chose .100 thickness. I think that will be thin enough, but still have strength once resin is poured in the cavity created by the sheet wax.
Sincerely,
Will  

Source: [URL]http://www.freemansupply.com/SheetWax.htm

Big Update!,

Ok, here we go..I'm quite happy with the final result of this casting so it will become the lower fuselage for the new "hollow"master pattern. The inside will be super smoothed out like an injection kit for final molding process. This series of links, in order, will hopefully give everyone an idea as to the casting and demolding process. I couldn't pour this casting under pressure and due to that fact ther are a couple airbubbles. the most prominant one is on the starboard side intake on the inside. There is also one on the front of the belly intake edge as well as the side of the belly intake, both about the diameter of a No2 pencil lead. on to the pics..enjoy

Best,

will

Looks like your making great head way! If your only getting a couple small voids in your casting, that's great.

I want one...I want one!!!!

Beautiful casting ....this is so cool to see in progress!

Whenever it's available, I gotta get one, too!

It would round out the MiG lineup I have in mind.  ( Yes, I know the Firefox is fictional, but it'd still be fun to have next to the Foxhound )

Wow, I sure let this one slip

Got to know that that w2as not my intention. I had a major tragedy in my life in Nov of 2007 that halted work on models in general for quite a while. I need to get back on this more and in fact have done a little more on it since my last post..

Will

     I stumbled upon this discussion while surfing the WWW. What has become of this and / or the other 1/32 kit mentioned? How about those drawings obtained from Apogee/Industrial Light and Magic? I'd sure like to by a set myself. Thanks.

Hi William,

I have just stumbled across your excellent build thread for the 1/32 Firefox. It's fantastic work! I know it has been a long while since you posted on here. But i would be VERY interested in a super scale Firefox kit if you are still producing them, or if you have one available. Further, i would also be interested in copies of the plans you used. I fly large scale radio controlled jets, and i am intending to begin work on a Firefox in 2015. It would be very helpful if i had one of your 1/32 Firefoxes and the plans for reference. If you could contact me i would be most grateful,

Kind Regards,

Mike

Hi William , just wondering how the build is going and if possible to buy a kit from you . I see thats it has been awhile but i recently stumbled across  you on fsm . Thanks paul

I would be very interested in a 1/32 scale MIG31.

We require one for a museum project.

If it were available in time we would pay well for it.

Kind regards,  Joe Parker.