Vietnam Air War GB - Extended!

Hi Everyone,

Well here is tonight's project.  The Aires Auxiliary Air Intakes:

 You will notice in the instructions shown in the next picture that they show cutting off the original doors molded into the wings and mounting the interior behind the wing.  What they don't show is that the fuselage is behind the wing, which needs to also be cut out to allow room for the interior "box":

 In this next picture you can see the wing with the auxiliary air intakes loosely attached to the loosely fitted fuselage halves:

 In the next picture you can see the fuselage without the wing showing the plastic I need to cut for the interior "boxes" to poke through:

 Here is a picture of the actual resin pieces.  Once again, very high detail typical of most Aires products:

Ken 

I got the molded on doors cut off:

Tomorrow I will work on cutting out the holes in the fuselage to make room for the interior boxes.

Ken 

Hi Everyone,

I got a late start tonight but made some progress.  I marked the location for the holes in the fuselage where the auxiliary air intake boxes should go and made the first cut:

 I also cut off the resin mold stubs from the boxes:

I also spent some time researching my "The Modern Phantom Guide:  The F-4 Phantom Exposed" to get more of an idea of how it should look when it is done.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

After researching the Aires auxiliary air intakes, I found that the detail is not all that accurate.  In fact, they actually lack a lot of it.  So there is not a real correct side for how they are installed, just as long as the engine and bulkheads are in the correct orientation.  With that, I have one fuselage hole finished cut out:

I will work on the other side tomorrow.

Ken

professordeath

It's looking good, Ken. Your attention and dedication to detail is inspiring. I just can't force myself to do all that kind of work knowing it will not really be seen. I guess it's all about the satisfaction of knowing its there.

Thanks Jimmy D. for the compliment!  I actually plan on suspending it from the ceiling when it is finished so this will be visible.

Ken

professordeath

Ahh! Well that makes a ton for difference. I alway buy kits telling myself that I'm going to throw all the resin and photo etch at them I can, but never do. It takes me long enough to just get one finished OOB. Lol.

I know exactly what you mean!   

Ken

Hi Everyone,

I have the hole enlarged enough in the other fuselage for the auxiliary air intake to fit through.  I went ahead and fit the pieces together so that I could get an idea of how it was shaping up.  Here is how it looks so far (nothing is glued):

I will need to enlarge the original openings in the wing on the outboard sides so that the inside rail is showing like the other two parallel ones are.  I will also have to thin the plastic in the wing so there isn't a gap showing.

Ken

Looks good to me Ken!

troublemaker66

Looks good to me Ken!

Thanks Len!  I am thinking about adding some wire to represent hydraulic lines to better represent the real thing.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

After measuring the opening in the wings for the auxiliary air intakes I realized that they were already the correct size.  So that meant I needed to move the boxes inboard.  That meant more cutting on the fuselage.  Since there wasn't very much remaining between the hole already cut and the edge, I simply removed the small strip all together:

 I also cut out a squared area in the inside of the wing where the boxes will mount so they will be flush:

 I mounted the boxes to the wing using tape to get an idea of how they are going to look:

 Here is a picture looking at an angle that you would be more apt to see the auxiliary air intakes from once the doors are mounted:

Next on the agenda is to start cutting and fitting the fuselage for the Aires cockpit!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

I chopped some more on the fuselage!  The Aires cockpit that I have already completed includes the front instrument panel that is molded into the fuselage shown here:

 Here is the Aires part:

 And here is the fuselage chopped:

Ken 

Hi Everyone,

Today I did a lot of research so not a lot of work on the F-4E.  Since Dom was kind enough to point out that I should install aftermarket wheel wells that has put me at a point of limbo.  The cockpit sits on top of the front wheel well so I will need it in hand to get a better idea of what to do next.  But I have been researching and found it is going to take a bit of "shoe horning" to make it all fit.  Another thing that I plan on installing that I have not mentioned yet is the Verlinden F-4E Phantom Super Detail Set which includes the open avionics panel.  This requires cutting into the fuselage area where the cockpit is located.  It is going to be a tight fit.

Another thing that I am planning to install is the aftermarket flaps and ailerons.  Since this cutting has to be precise, I am taking my time on planning this very thoroughly before I proceed.

Ken

professordeath

You really are going all out in this bad boy that's for sure. All the extras you're shoving in there is really going to make the build fun to watch and interesting on your part. Look forward to seeing this one completed.

Hi Jimmy D.,

Yes, it should actually fly when it is finished!  

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Today was a busy day for me so I did not have very much time to spend at the workbench.  But I did get a little bit done.

The resin flaps and ailerons by Wolfpack are nice but like most resin aftermarket sets the directions are a bit limited.  I spent some time getting the pieces oriented as to what went where.  Here is a picture of the pieces with the top of the right wing:

The next thing to do was to cut off the resin mold stubs from the pieces.  Here is a shot with the pieces laid out next to where they are going to be:

You will notice that they do not follow the shape of the lines engraved into the wing by Hasegawa.  Also where the hinges are supposed to be the new pieces go a little farther "north" on the wing.  This is going to take some extra care when lining them up and cutting them out.

This is all I got done tonight, it has been a long day.

Ken 

Hi Everyone,

Its like all I am doing is chopping on this kit!  At this rate I don't think there is going to be much left when I am done!  Tonight I worked on the right wing flap and aileron.  Here is a picture of the top wing section with the flap and aileron held on with tape so it is not align perfectly:

 Here is a picture of the bottom wing section before I chopped on it:

 Here is the same section chopped:

  And here is the bottom with the flap and aileron in place with tape to get an idea of how it is going to look:

I still need to clean up the cuts with some sanding but I think the resin pieces are going to look pretty cool!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Chop chop!!  Cut cut!!  And presto!  Another wing is done!  I had to tape the fuselage together along with the wings so I could get an idea of how it is shaping up.  Here it is so far:

Ken 

professordeath

Love it, but I'm biased. Keep at it!

Thanks Jimmy D.!

Hi Everyone,

I opened up the Aires wheel well set for my F-4E and once again I am blown away by the level of detail!  Take a look:

Next it is off to the vinegar water bath to wash off the resin mold release agents that may be left on the parts.  Then I will cut off the resin mold bases and start fitting them into the kit parts.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Today was a busy day.  First I washed the Aires wheel bay set with the vinegar and water solution.  Next I cut off the resin base stub from the front wheel well:

Here is the Verlinden open avionics panel:

 It also had excess resin that needed to be removed:

Here it is with the excess removed:

 The Aires cockpit includes the side panels that are molded into the sides of the fuselage as shown in the next two pictures:

 And here is the fuselage halves with the molded instruments filed off:

Ken

 Hi everyone, after a few bumps in the road I finally finished the Skyraider. Not the original I started with nor the same camo scheme but oh well..... Anyhow, it was still quite fun and I actually learned more about the VNAF and its' pilots during the build which is always a good thing. I've always enjoyed the research/prep part of a project. The other thing that was cool was I started using an airbrush again, albeit a cheap one but gained some more knowledge of paint mixology as well as technique or in my case, lack thereof

  So far I've enjoyed everyone's builds and am very impressed by the efforts put forth. 

mikeymize

 Hi everyone, after a few bumps in the road I finally finished the Skyraider. Not the original I started with nor the same camo scheme but oh well..... Anyhow, it was still quite fun and I actually learned more about the VNAF and its' pilots during the build which is always a good thing. I've always enjoyed the research/prep part of a project. The other thing that was cool was I started using an airbrush again, albeit a cheap one but gained some more knowledge of paint mixology as well as technique or in my case, lack thereof

  So far I've enjoyed everyone's builds and am very impressed by the efforts put forth. 

Nice job Mike M.!     

I have to agree with you on enjoying the research part of any of the modeling projects.  It is my favorite part!   

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Ken's Chop Shop!  Today was another busy day.  Today's mission; prepare the avionics bay to be installed:

 The first thing to note is that the photo etch of the panel frames is smaller than the resin piece:

  So the area to be cut out of the fuselage will need to match the photo etch, not the resin piece.  Here is a picture showing the placement for the photo etch on the fuselage:

  I used the photo etch as a template to trace out a line for the hole I needed to cut out of the fuselage:

 Next I used my Dremel with a cutting bit and carefully cut out the hole staying well within the lines:

 Then I finished the hole with a flat file.  The next thing I had to take care of was on the inside of the fuselage toward the nose was a raised area that I had to remove with the same flat file:

 Here is a picture with the resin avionics bay inserted into place.  Take note of the upper right corner.  Because of the shape of the fuselage, that corner of the avionics bay sticks up above the fuselage.  More about this in a second.

Here is a picture of it from behind:

 In this next picture you can see where I modified the resin piece where it was "under" the panel so that it would fit flush.  This way when I place the photo etch piece on top, the thickness of the fuselage is not holding the resin piece too deep making it out of scale for the depth:

 Okay, now back to that corner that is sticking out too far.  I came up with the idea that I could run hot water over the resin piece to soften it up and thereby be able to bend that corner down so it wasn't sticking up too high.  Here is the result:

I had a feeling that it was a bad idea, but live and learn.  So instead I filed down that corner then super glued the two halves back together.  Fortunately the way that it broke you will never be able to see it after it is glued back together.  So now I will have to wait for the glue to dry before I proceed.

Ken

I have not posted anything lately for the build. I have not been lazy though. I have been working on Mongram's F-105. It will have markings for the Arkansas Traveler flown by Col. Paul P. Douglas out of Korat RTAB, Thailand in 1968. The Colonel has his kill markings from WW II displayed.

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i266.photobucket.com/.../374.jpg

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I should be able to get the decals in thenext couple of days. In addition I have been working on a B-57G with aftermarket goodies, that will most likely take couple of weeks to get completed. I will get some photos posted sometime soon.

 have not posted anything lately for the build. I have not been lazy though. I have been working on Mongram's F-105. It will have markings for the Arkansas Traveler flown by Col. Paul P. Douglas out of Korat RTAB, Thailand in 1968. The Colonel has his kill markings from WW II displayed.

i266.photobucket.com/.../020-2.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../019-1.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../024.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../023-2.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../022-1.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../374.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../375.jpg

I should be able to get the decals in thenext couple of days. In addition I have been working on a B-57G with aftermarket goodies, that will most likely take couple of weeks to get completed. I will get some photos posted sometime soon. 

OK I messed up and posted twice anyone tell how to delete one of them and I will that quickly.

MKelley

 have not posted anything lately for the build. I have not been lazy though. I have been working on Mongram's F-105. It will have markings for the Arkansas Traveler flown by Col. Paul P. Douglas out of Korat RTAB, Thailand in 1968. The Colonel has his kill markings from WW II displayed.

i266.photobucket.com/.../020-2.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../019-1.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../024.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../023-2.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../022-1.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../374.jpg

i266.photobucket.com/.../375.jpg

I should be able to get the decals in thenext couple of days. In addition I have been working on a B-57G with aftermarket goodies, that will most likely take couple of weeks to get completed. I will get some photos posted sometime soon. 

 

OK I messed up and posted twice anyone tell how to delete one of them and I will that quickly.

Nice job!     

Ken

Greetings everyone!

Welcome to another episode of Ken's Chop Shop!  In tonight's episode we are going to chop off one of the main wheel bays on the wing to replace it with an Aires resin piece.  Sounds like fun doesn't it!  Let's get started!

Here is the original wing with the Aires replacements:

 Here is what the backside looks like:

 Now I know what you are thinking, "Ken, how are you going to cut that irregular shape out and still keep the surrounding plastic intact?"  Good question.  First we are going to cut out the biggest chunk of plastic with a Dremel using a cutting bit.  Then we are going to spend about 3 hours using both a flat file and a half round file finishing the hole, constantly taking fitting calculations, and looking at pictures for reference.  Here is the result:

 Here is with the Aires piece in place (not glued of course):

And so ends another episode of Ken's Chop Shop!  Come back tomorrow when we start on the other side!

Ken

professordeath

Keep it up. You've got more patience than me, Ken.

Kelley, I really like the 105. One of my favorite planes. How is the kit, are there any major fit issues?

Thanks Jimmy D.!

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

professordeath

Keep it up. You've got more patience than me, Ken.

Kelley, I really like the 105. One of my favorite planes. How is the kit, are there any major fit issues?

Thanks Jimmy D.!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Are you ready for another episode from Ken's Chop Shop?  As promised, tonight we are doing the other main wheel bay.  Here is a shot of the original wheel bay along with the Aires resin update piece:

 Here is the view from the other side:

 Once again I started off with cutting the majority of the plastic out with the Dremel using the cutting bit:

 Here is the view from the other side:

 And once again from this point I used a flat file and a lot of test fitting to remove the remaining plastic until I got the piece to fit:

 And here is the view from the other side:

 Here is the what the hole looked like when I was finished:

 And once again the view from the other side:

That is all for tonight's episode!  Stay tuned for more from Ken's Chop Shop!

Ken