Variable Geometry: the Swing Wing GB

Ah, your strategy is now clear, Eatthis.  Your plan is to build a kit representing every one of the variable geometry aircraft that ever existed; and several kits of some of them...    A laudable effort, and judging by how quickly you progressed with the ef111, one that should be completed in a week or two. 

I've got the B-1 engine nascelles together and smoothed and started the main landing gear. Got some photos and hopefully tonight I can get some time to crop and transfer them to Photobucket and post.

Don

the f111 isnt and was never intended to be pretty but i will be trying new things on it

im not sure if my efforts are laudible or laughable the pictures will reveal the truth lol

iv just realized iv got 4 tornados and 5 f 14s lol

As I was starting the B-1B, I was a bit concerned about the weight of the model, partly because of its size, the weight needed to prevent a tail sitter, and the extra stuff I was adding to the bomb bays.  So I purchased a set of metal landing gear.  Well, it was wasted money; the detail in many places is less defined than the plastic parts and the metal itself was very soft.  So for those of you who might be thinking about a 1/48 B-1B, I cannot recommend the aftermarket landing gear.

Doesn't solve my problem, but a post on the ARC forums proovided an alternative solution.  This gentleman shored up the plastic landing gear with 3/32" brass rod.  So that's what I did:

Adds some heft to the gear and should strengthen the struts considerably.  Just put the main gear struts together with no fit issues and the 3/32" rod is a perfect fit once one removes the locating pins.  Some fiddly parts were glued this evening and will be left to dry and harden completely before continuing.

Also, the engine nascelles were completed.  I ended up following Macattack's advice and removed the locating pins to allow customized positioning of the inner and outer nascelle parts. This is recommended since it prevents a large gap between the forward cowling and the nascelle.  Fit and finish were OK and required just a little putty and sanding.

And a look down the intakes showing the radar vanes...

That's it for tonight.  Will continue with the assembly of the main gear tomorrow and maybe take a stab at the Eduard exhausts this weekend.  I could never roll PE and get it to look good and hold by gluing, so maybe I'll take a stab at soldering.

Don

eatthis

iv just realized iv got 4 tornados and 5 f 14s lol

What, no Russians?  We're desparately short of MiGs and SUs in this GB.  I may have to look into a kit when I finish the Bone.

Don

no russians and no money to buy any lol

heres a mini update

1/32 f14 with 1/32 spitfire mk1

iv got some pics of the 1/48 cat and the f111 and 1/48 tornado theyr being uploaded now il sort them when i get in

eatthis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bro, I like yr HMS Hood and HMS Princes of Wales. Haha...

Harshman II

 

eatthis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bro, I like yr HMS Hood and HMS Princes of Wales. Haha...

hood was my 1st ever model handpainted apart from the hull (rattlecan) ps the concorde in front of hood is the same scale!!!

eatthis

Wow.  That 1/32 F-14 is nice.  Looking sharp with the decals applied.  Really like the contrasting panels on the leading edge of the vertical stabs and trailing edge of the wings.

Don

pordoi

 

eatthis:

 

 

 

 

Wow.  That 1/32 F-14 is nice.  Looking sharp with the decals applied.  Really like the contrasting panels on the leading edge of the vertical stabs and trailing edge of the wings.

 

Don

 

thats the 1/48 scale   the easiest way to tell is the antiglare doesnt go right done to the nose on the 48th scale it also has all of its wheels the 32 scale has a part missing from the u/c :(

the leading edge of the vert stabs is aluminium the back of the wings and rear wings are white its deceptive with the flash

Don, nice move on the landing gear!  I heard the same thing about the aftermarket landing gear being a little soft....almost like pewter.  Nice job with the engines too.  I am glad I was able to help.  Also, don't forget to shave off those bumps on the aft section of the nacelles.  They were on the B-1A model but were eliminated on the B-1b.  

Eatthis, love the tomcat!  Like I said before, I always liked that paint scheme.  Keep up the good work.

I got 95% of the seams eliminated on the fusleage.  I am attempted to make a few of the vents around the fusleage with plastic sheet.  I haven't done any scratchbuilding until this kit....if thats what you want to call it.   Any help is appreciated.  I don't have any scale plans of this plane so I am eyeballing the sizes of items.  I am using the instructions from the Eduard PE set as a guide for placement and items needed.

i hate decals espescially the little fiddly buggers my eyes are bad and my hans are too big!!

its my 1st attempt at preshading i just slapped some black on it with a brush does it need to be neater than this??

is it me or does that pink not look a million miles away from raf desert pink???

has the preshading worked at all? its more pronounced in the flesh

Eatthis, I am with you on the tiny deal dilemma.  There seem to be a million tiny stencil data decals for the modern jets.  Enough to make you a little crazy.  

As for the preshading, it doesn't have to be that neat.  The idea is to get a suble variation of color.  You did a fine job. 

macattack80

... I am glad I was able to help.  Also, don't forget to shave off those bumps on the aft section of the nacelles.  They were on the B-1A model but were eliminated on the B-1b.  

Yes, thanks.  I knew that i was supposed to shave off something but for some reason, I was thinking it was on the fuselage, not the nacelles.  Saved me a trip to the reference book.

macattack80

I am attempted to make a few of the vents around the fusleage with plastic sheet.  I haven't done any scratchbuilding until this kit....if thats what you want to call it.   Any help is appreciated.  I don't have any scale plans of this plane so I am eyeballing the sizes of items.  I am using the instructions from the Eduard PE set as a guide for placement and items needed.

If you mean the three vents that surround the front gear bay, I measured the PE parts and each is 4mm wide and bevels to a height of 1mm from the fuselage if positioned in open form.

Eatthis:  1/48, 1/32, with wheel, without wheel... I can't even remember the names of my own kids at times.  How am I going to keep this straight?    I'll keep following but don't be surprised if you have to keep reminding me which kit it is that I'm looking at...

Don

pordoi

macattack80:

... I am glad I was able to help.  Also, don't forget to shave off those bumps on the aft section of the nacelles.  They were on the B-1A model but were eliminated on the B-1b.  

 

 

Yes, thanks.  I knew that i was supposed to shave off something but for some reason, I was thinking it was on the fuselage, not the nacelles.  Saved me a trip to the reference book.

 

macattack80:

I am attempted to make a few of the vents around the fusleage with plastic sheet.  I haven't done any scratchbuilding until this kit....if thats what you want to call it.   Any help is appreciated.  I don't have any scale plans of this plane so I am eyeballing the sizes of items.  I am using the instructions from the Eduard PE set as a guide for placement and items needed.

 

 

If you mean the three vents that surround the front gear bay, I measured the PE parts and each is 4mm wide and bevels to a height of 1mm from the fuselage if positioned in open form.

 

 

 

Don

Thanks for the info Don.  It is much appreciated.  I try to attempt new things with each model I build so a little scratchbuilding was due sometime. 

coming along now the plane itself is decaled im doin the munitions now

1st time iv used an airbrush without masking the laquer has eaten through the purple for some reason!!!

i snuck into my daughters room last night and left it on her table. 1st thing today she comes in and says i hate that dad i didnt want it like that haha shes now gonna draw it on a piece of paper and tell me what she wants

LOL.  Your daughter had high expectations.  Would love to see her rendition and then a photo of the finished product painted to her specifications.

BTW, love the late '70s Jolly Rogers scheme; it's coming together nicely.

Don

woohoo iv finished my 2nd ever plane :)

here it is clean

and here it is tooled up!

bloody tape lol (now removed)

and some with my other completed model a tsr 2 in the same scale the tsr2 had a better power to weight ratio!

this is entered in 2 groupbuilds is it cheeky to take both badges with 1 model?? (i do intend to do other planes in the same groupbuilds)

the tomcat feels very delicate especially around the gearbay doors and incredibly annoyingly theres a prece of tape thats found its way INSIDE the canopy!!!!  overall im reasonably happy with it again theres mistkes but i corrected most and got away with some others

anyway what do you all reckon?

Eatthis, Nice job on the Tomcat!!! 

pordoi

LOL.  Your daughter had high expectations.  Would love to see her rendition and then a photo of the finished product painted to her specifications.

 

Don

As for your question if you can use the same plane with 2 GBs, this is my first GB so I can't answer that question for ya....sorry

Keep up the good work

I haven't had too much time at the bench lately but I did manage to get a few more things done. 

I used the measurement that Don gave me to make a few of the vents around the nose gear bay.  There are 3.  I made one of the vents 1 mm wider to make it a little more interesting. 

I also replaced the vortex generators......again.  This time I used .010 styrene instead of the .020.  I am much happier with the way it looks now. 

I also made the sensors on the lower tail section that I believe are for defensive avionics.  I am unhappy with the placement after looking at them with fresh eyes so I will move them around later and see if I can't get them where I like them.  I will get a pic of these when I get the placement right.

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No problem with me about the multiple entry.  You contributed to this GB and from what it seems, you plan on building other swing wings.  So grab the badge. 

For a second there looking at the first set of photos, I thought that you forgot to remove the canopy masking.  But then it came off when the armament was added.  Overall, you did a very nice job with the painting and decaling.    Tough luck with the piece of tape in the cockpit!  Weird.  Is it stuck to the inside of the canopy or just loose? 

This is only your 2nd plane?  If so, you're a quick learner.  I still find aircraft to be a more difficult build than armor.  Look forward to your next build.  I'll update the front page with a photo.

Don

pordoi

No problem with me about the multiple entry.  You contributed to this GB and from what it seems, you plan on building other swing wings.  So grab the badge. 

For a second there lookingn at the dfirst set of photos, I thought that you forgot to remove the canopy masking.  But then it came off when the armament was added.  Overall, you did a very nice job with the painting and decaling.    Tough luck with the piece of tape in the cockpit!  Weird.  Is it stuck to the inside of the canopy or just loose? 

This is only your 2nd plane?  If so, you're a quick learner.  I still find aircraft to be a more difficult build than armor.  Look forward to your next build.  I'll update the front page with a photo.

 

Don

 

 

thanks for the badge info and yeh i plan to do a few more swingwings atm this is the  list iv got

2 x 1/72 fr 14 (1 basher 1 unstarted)

2 x 1/48 f 14s (1 complete 1 unstarted)

1 x 1/32 f14 (60%)

2 x 1/72 tornados (1 adv 1 ids both unstarted)

1 x 48 tornado ids (unstarted)

1 x 32 tornado ids (unstarted)

1 x 1/72 ef111 (80%)

2 x 1/72 b1b (both unstarted 1 will be a what if with some scratchbuilding)

1 1/48 b1b (just payed for so hasnt arrived yet)

 i may have forgotten a cpl

Kevin, always good to go back and take a second look with fresh eyes.  I'm getting ready to add the vortex generators myself and the 0.010 stock looks like the best choice.  Thanks for being my guinea pig 

Only had a little time at the bench this weekend but assembled and painted the landing gear.  The front gear was pretty straightforward, but in the pics below, the white glue that I used to attach the running light lenses hasn't dryed yet and still looks cloudy.  It should dry clear.

The rear gear, though...     Some tough to reach seams, adding some PE parts (but hey, they do look nice) and other problems.  I'm convinced I'm a modeling dyslexic.  I can't finish a single build without installing something backwards or upside down.  In this case, it was the struts just inside of the main wheels.  There is a left and right handedness to these parts and also a correct top and bottom.  Then, given that the instructions illustrate the assembly with all the parts upside down instead of how they will actually sit on the finished model,  it was a recipe for disaster. 

And I thought that I was careful, but after dry fitting the first strut, I saw that it was installed upside down.  Trying to get it off,.. it broke.     Take two.  Got that piece on and the entire gear assembly glued when I noticed that it was the left strut, not the right one.  Too late.  That mistake is modeling history.  Then on top of all that, the main axle assembly had some torsional warping so the whole wheel assembly rocks back and forth diagonally when on a flat surface.  This seems fixable since a little weight on the assembly seems to flatten everything out.  So I'm hoping the weight of the aircraft will hide this error.

The other set of rear gear went together without a hitch and look great.  Go figure.  Painted everthing with gloss white, some detail painting with Tamiya metallic gray, then oil washes with black and burnt umber oils.  Here are the final results:

Next step is to attempt to tighten up the wing pivots without permanently immobilizing the wings, the adding some detail to the feselage prior to priming and painting.  I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Don

Eatthis- As stated before on another thread, Nice Cat.

Don- I don't see any mistakes. It's looking good.

Well I'm finally moved into the new house and have the workbench set up already (priorities right?). Really looking forward to getting the Tomcat out. There's room on the workbench for it next to the Osprey. As long as I can keep the Cat from eating it.

Eatthis- Very nice Cat! WOW!

I haven't posted on this thread since the main part of my build is over.....I have been watching it though. Great work to all!! I have been working on some home projects as well as some for the Korean War GB. In between I have been working on the Dio for the Raven to sit on as well. Here are some pics. It is a basic wood base. I used Plaster of Paris for the Concrete pad. The colors are a mix of Greys, Black, White, and tan to get a concrete floating pad look. Enjoy.

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As awlays any and all comments are welcomed. This was the first scratch built base I have done. I haven't built a diorama in a long time!

Travis

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Very nice base, Travis.  How about a few more details about its painting.  It's not easy to get convincing concrete and you've done it well.  Any plans for adding figures?

Medicman:  Good to hear that the move went well, and I see nothing wrong with your priorities to get the workbench up and running.   Looking forward to seeing the first shots of your tomcat.

Don

Pordoi- Yes I have a couple of the Hasegawa ground equipment sets with figures. I will probably keep it simple with maybe 2-3 figures. I want the plane to either look like it is just returning or minutes from take off. I also have an access ladder from the Verlinden cockpit set.

The base was just a variaty of "rattle can" paints I keep on hand. I probably went over it 10+ times to get the well worn and used concrete pad look. I live near an old WWII B-26 training field (Buckingham Airpark). It is still in use by our Mosquito Control and private flyers. Add to that the concrete work I have done in the past and I had a good idea of what it should look like. . I primed it with a Dark primer grey. Then lightened it with a light grey. I added the "speckles" and other different colors you see in poured crete using a mist of white, black, bronze, and tan. I finished with flat coat.

I painted the white stipe with masking and the same white spray paint. I then went back over it with the light grey to dull it down.

I will keep it updated as I finish up. Thanks for the kind words.

Travsi

heres some wip pics of the 1/48 tonka

the pit isnt great but i am improving iv since tidied the belt up a bit

its my 1st attempt at nmf

Nice work Eathis,

I am almost finished with painting and decaling.

Sorry I am not too active. I will try harder.