Mike: Very cool! I love how those guys are so good they can collapse a building without harming the ones right next to it!

Russ:

One last note about those covers. I'm guessing the front track was also paired. The trucks would run between the two parallel tracks. The reason for the trucks is to keep the pins always orthogonal, that is always at a perfect 90 degrees to the plane of the tracks.

If they didn't do that, the pins could twist in the tracks, and that means that one end of the nacelle could be higher or lower than the other end. That would cause jamming, or one end to fall.

I dunno, just guesses. I'll bet those nacelles opened smoother and straighter than the hood of a car. -but I still remember being wrong once...ahem......lol.....

Hey all,

I took the plunge and upgraded my gear doors. I just couldn't stand the squashed versions they provided.

Russ

Hi Russ,

Those look nice, but since I have not built the Monogram B-52 I am not familiar with how they appear straight out of the box.  Can you give us some more detail as to what you did please?   

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Russ,

Those look nice, but since I have not built the Monogram B-52 I am not familiar with how they appear straight out of the box.  Can you give us some more detail as to what you did please?   

Ken

 

Bockscar

Russ:

One last note about those covers. I'm guessing the front track was also paired. The trucks would run between the two parallel tracks. The reason for the trucks is to keep the pins always orthogonal, that is always at a perfect 90 degrees to the plane of the tracks.

If they didn't do that, the pins could twist in the tracks, and that means that one end of the nacelle could be higher or lower than the other end. That would cause jamming, or one end to fall.

I dunno, just guesses. I'll bet those nacelles opened smoother and straighter than the hood of a car. -but I still remember being wrong once...ahem......lol.....

Makes sense to me. Say, you weren't an engine mechanic in one of your other lives by any chance...?

As for those latches opening smoothly - that type of latch was used on covers and radomes all over the aircraft. They have a release button in the handle you push first and then the handle pops out. Some of the handles had to be turned 90 degrees or even unscrewed to release them. They got dented, dirty, dry - they could be a pain to open.

Wow nice work there Russ, they look pretty darn close to the real thing to me! 

Thanks, Gam

Gamera

Wow nice work there Russ, they look pretty darn close to the real thing to me! 

Oh, thanks for all the great BUFF shots guys....

Striker8241

Bockscar

Russ:

One last note about those covers. I'm guessing the front track was also paired. The trucks would run between the two parallel tracks. The reason for the trucks is to keep the pins always orthogonal, that is always at a perfect 90 degrees to the plane of the tracks.

If they didn't do that, the pins could twist in the tracks, and that means that one end of the nacelle could be higher or lower than the other end. That would cause jamming, or one end to fall.

I dunno, just guesses. I'll bet those nacelles opened smoother and straighter than the hood of a car. -but I still remember being wrong once...ahem......lol.....

Makes sense to me. Say, you weren't an engine mechanic in one of your other lives by any chance...?

As for those latches opening smoothly - that type of latch was used on covers and radomes all over the aircraft. They have a release button in the handle you push first and then the handle pops out. Some of the handles had to be turned 90 degrees or even unscrewed to release them. They got dented, dirty, dry - they could be a pain to open.

The closest I ever came to that type of latch was on my old briefcases, one at each end.....

My pa was a mechanical engineer.....I spent years holding the light......cars.....furnaces....pumps.....electrical panels......I ended up repairing bikes for a while.....lol

Did some more on my apache over the weekend. Havent got any photos cos the couple i took didnt come out.

A list of what ive added to the main body.

Engine nacelles.

Undercarriage.

Wheels.

Belly turret.

Things left to do.

Weapons pylons (and weapons.)

Rotor blades.

Tail rotor.

Decals.

Nearly there.

Bockscar

Gamera

Wow nice work there Russ, they look pretty darn close to the real thing to me! 

Ditto that!

Oh, thanks for all the great BUFF shots guys....

Thanks, Dom! And yer welcome .

Bockscar

Funny thing Russ:

The closest I ever came to that type of latch was on my old briefcases, one at each end.....

My pa was a mechanical engineer.....I spent years holding the light......cars.....furnaces....pumps.....electrical panels......I ended up repairing bikes for a while.....lol

Now that is funny, Dom. I had a briefcase like that too, with the same kind of latches   Ya, I can see were you picked up your mechanical bent. My father, bless his heart,  had a men's store but I was just never interested in sales. Finally ran off and joined the Air Force .

Russ

As many of you know, sometimes Rich gets a bit frustrated with a kit,

sometimes it is not even the kit's fault.....he used to have a kit chomping

iguana, cats jumping on his work bench, nasty carpet monster, a daughter

whom occasionally 'helped out,' and the like.

Here is an old pic of what Rich did when he found a big pack of

firecrackers, and helped a woeful frustrating kit to really take off:

Wish I had been there.......lol......

Looks like when mythbusters makes things go away.

I just love the smell of Strontium 90 in the morning...  Smells like burnt plastic...

Yeh I'm still alive folks, although I had a scare over the last 2 days.  I'm okay though.  Mostly. 

Why is it that hospitals insist on catheterizing anyone who they even think may be admitted to the CCU...  ouch...

Hey does anyone here have a spares kit of the Testors / Italeri B-66 kit (1/72)?  I'm missing a part from a garage sale kit I got.  It's part A16, the deck over the control and instrument panel under the front glass.

If so, would you be willing to trade or sell the part?

Rich

Hey rich, glad to hear your ok.

Hey gang! I actually made a road trip last weekend to see an old friend. I never could get away before as Mom was so demanding for my time, I could never go. I usually got the "If you don't want to be around me, I might as well be dead!" speech. Even though she could be such a pain, I still miss her terribly.

That aside, with being out all weekend and working overtime during the week has kept my time building down to a minimum, though I did accomplish a few things:

Scraped, sanded, and polished that nasty center ridge out of the canopy. (Thank you, Colgate toothpaste!):

Then I masked and painted the inside frames of the windscreen:

Note that I have yet to install the instrument panel, or the cowling.

Damn Jim, you did a nice job of the canopy. I never could get the toothpaste method to work, guess i didnt have the patience.

Very nice job, Jim!

Tell us how dijja do that Jim?

Excellent work!

Bockscar

Tell us how dijja do that Jim?

Excellent work!

Which part?

jimbot58

Bockscar

Tell us how dijja do that Jim?

Excellent work!

Which part?

dentures......

How did you scrape the ridge down on the inside of the canopy,

and how did you apply the Colgate?

Please and thank you.

By the way, that story about your mom using guilt is a classic.

jimbot58

Hey gang! I actually made a road trip last weekend to see an old friend. I never could get away before as Mom was so demanding for my time, I could never go. I usually got the "If you don't want to be around me, I might as well be dead!" speech. Even though she could be such a pain, I still miss her terribly.

That aside, with being out all weekend and working overtime during the week has kept my time building down to a minimum, though I did accomplish a few things:

Scraped, sanded, and polished that nasty center ridge out of the canopy. (Thank you, Colgate toothpaste!):

Then I masked and painted the inside frames of the windscreen:

Note that I have yet to install the instrument panel, or the cowling.

Nice work Jim!!      How much time did it take you to do that?  And I still can't believe you are working that magic on 1/72 scale.  Amazing!

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Then I masked and painted the inside frames of the windscreen:

Note that I have yet to install the instrument panel, or the cowling.

Nice work Jim!!      How much time did it take you to do that?  And I still can't believe you are working that magic on 1/72 scale.  Amazing!

Ken

It's a surprise Jim didn't paint the individual screw eyes around the wind screen....

has anyone here polished a canopy with a Dremel and a polishing bit?

Dom

I tried it once, to get enough speed for it to be effective (ie quicker than hand polishing) it ends up heating the plastic and damaging it. Its easier to do it by hand, you can feel it better.

Well, I appreciate all the comments, but there really is no special skills or magic involved here. To eliminate the ridge down the center of the canopy, I first used a round hobby blade to carefully scrape away the raised material. Using the round blade minimized the contact between the two and left a smaller area to repair. I then used a Flex-i-file triple grit polisher/finisher:

I have one I split in half to give me a polisher about a half inch wide, and with some water for lube and using the two finer grits (the black is a bit too aggressive for this) I polished away, changing directions and patterns (back-forth, circular, etc.) several times. When I got to to the point where there was mostly a fine haze still left, I then went to work with the toothpaste (Colgate cavity protection-no gels, whiteners, etc. just plain ol' white minty tasting toothpaste. Usually buried on the bottom shelf below all the fancy crud) A piece cut from an old cotton t-shirt for a cloth and adding a dab of the paste to the cloth wrapped around my fingertip, I went to work. Here again, I changed directions and patterns often. I dabbed on more paste as needed and it really didn't take long.

As to the wind screen, keep in mind you are only seeing the black as it shows through from the underside. The outer surface is still unpainted. I swear by the use of Parafilm "M" available from Micromark. Read how to use it here:

Parafilm

The secret is to use a new, never been used #11 blade to trim around the edges after it has been applied.

On slight advantage I have is actually a disadvantage: I am very nearsighted, and when I remove my glasses, I can hold the piece very close and see every detail in perfect focus. This allows me to trim the masking very so exact.

As to Mom, I'm more than a little embarrassed and ashamed to admit how much that, with my being in my mid '50s, just how much this domineering woman had control of my life. But blood being what it is and my being a "good son" and all, I could not walk away, as much as I wanted to.  I know it made me a laughing stock to my co-workers and friends. The guilt is a powerful weapon, one she used without mercy!

Jim

P.S. A side note here is that I also polish areas that are to receive decals to eliminate any possible silvering. You have to be careful though. I cracked one of the wings of my Phantom when i applied too much pressure.

J

jimbot58

Well, I appreciate all the comments, but there really is no special skills or magic involved here. To eliminate the ridge down the center of the canopy, I first used a round hobby blade to carefully scrape away the raised material. Using the round blade minimized the contact between the two and left a smaller area to repair. I then used a Flex-i-file triple grit polisher/finisher:

I have one I split in half to give me a polisher about a half inch wide, and with some water for lube and using the two finer grits (the black is a bit too aggressive for this) I polished away, changing directions and patterns (back-forth, circular, etc.) several times. When I got to to the point where there was mostly a fine haze still left, I then went to work with the toothpaste (Colgate cavity protection-no gels, whiteners, etc. just plain ol' white minty tasting toothpaste. Usually buried on the bottom shelf below all the fancy crud) A piece cut from an old cotton t-shirt for a cloth and adding a dab of the paste to the cloth wrapped around my fingertip, I went to work. Here again, I changed directions and patterns often. I dabbed on more paste as needed and it really didn't take long.

As to the wind screen, keep in mind you are only seeing the black as it shows through from the underside. The outer surface is still unpainted. I swear by the use of Parafilm "M" available from Micromark. Read how to use it here:

Parafilm

The secret is to use a new, never been used #11 blade to trim around the edges after it has been applied.

On slight advantage I have is actually a disadvantage: I am very nearsighted, and when I remove my glasses, I can hold the piece very close and see every detail in perfect focus. This allows me to trim the masking very so exact.

As to Mom, I'm more than a little embarrassed and ashamed to admit how much that, with my being in my mid '50s, just how much this domineering woman had control of my life. But blood being what it is and my being a "good son" and all, I could not walk away, as much as I wanted to.  I know it made me a laughing stock to my co-workers and friends. The guilt is a powerful weapon, one she used without mercy!

Jim

P.S. A side note here is that I also polish areas that are to receive decals to eliminate any possible silvering. You have to be careful though. I cracked one of the wings of my Phantom when i applied too much pressure.

J

Thanks, Jim, and thanks all of you for your contributions here. This is all new to me and I'm learning a lot.

Jim, you don't need to feel guilty or embarassed. You did your best for her and it takes a lot of courage not to just walk away in that kind of situation. Your friends and coworkers - if they don't know already - will know soon. If they don't, there's no way to describe the chaos and anguish you go through dealing with this. You were her lifeline and her security - instinctively, she would do anything to hang onto you. Don't be angry with her for that.

She's at peace now - time to put regrets aside and live your life. You've earned that right.

Russ

Jim;

Great accuracy, having that eyesight helps. I can't see much accurately anymore, a slave to

the Opti Visor.

It's true what Russ has mentioned. It also takes a lot of courage to stay with

people who may not deserve that kind of attention, and manipulate you all

your life; damned if you do and damned if you don't kind of situation. I agree with

Russ, you have earned your freedom.

Judging from the quality of your work, there may have been an upside to your tenacious dedication Jim:

you seem to have learned patience and persistence for tough jobs!

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." - Good ole' Neitzsche strikes again!

Hey canopy there looks great to me!

And you do what you can for your family even though sometimes they can drive you berserk...