Jim: Really nice work there, wish I were moving that fast.

Ken: Yeah, seems like you could combine the two kits somehow to get the best out of them.

Hey Jim:

What's with the asymmetrical wing notch, the port wing has some kind of additional

'clip'

the starboard wing just has the regular notch?:

Dom

jimbot58

GE J79! I gotta get me one of those! Nice video although the cameras do not capture the sound!

Here are the same guys playing with snow and the J79:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb6BoaB-atQ

That's one way to clear your driveway!

So Ken, are you going to be able to make any of that work?

Well, the Hornet got its wings last night (did you hear the bells Clarence?)

Sitting here looking at a scale model, it makes me realize that the Super Hornet is one big a** airplane! I guess the fact that my last build was the A-7, which is tiny in comparison, makes it seem so. Many don't realize that this version of the Hornet is a whole new aircraft based on the over all design of the A-D versions and not just an upcsale version.

I would have to say that is the best snow blower I have ever seen! 

On your question about making any of the two kits work, I am going to start working on the Eduard Brassin kit while I am waiting on the photo etch for the Aires kit.  Then when I have both kits finished, I will decide which one looks the best and use that.

Now on to your Hornet.  That looks great!!  (I like the joke about the angel's wings!    )  I just watched a documentary that talked about those leading edges in front of the wings beside the cockpits.  They are supposed to cause a vortex so that the Hornet can turn tighter in a dogfight.  Pretty bad a** plane!

Ken

Striker8241

Hey, Ken,

Why not combine the best features of both kits? You've already spent the money and they're in your hands...

In fact, with all the work you're going to do on detail that won't hardly be visible, why not open up the side panels so you can show everything - intakes, engine, exhausts... are there engines with the kit?  Well, at least the intakes and exhausts! .

Russ

Hi Russ,

That would be a great idea but the two kits are different diameters.  So none of the parts would fit the other.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Does everyone remember that great picture that Dom posted for us of the stripped J-79 with the flame holders exposed:

Then I commented about maybe bending the photo etch flame holder into a cone shape just like the real flame holder which would make them fit?  Something like this:

This would have turned out great if it wasn't already destroyed by my previous attempt to make them fit.  (This is the Aires set by the way.)  So you may be wondering.  How did I manage to bend it so nicely into that symmetrical shape?

Well how did I?

Keep looking.....

It is coming......

Almost there....

Surprise!!!

That is the end of my file handle!  Nice soft plastic.  I realized to make it even more rounder I could use a more rounded object, say like a different handle, or a large toy glass marble, or a ball bearing, or anything round.  Pretty cool huh?  I just wouldn't try something too small or the photo etch may crease.

Ken 

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Does everyone remember that great picture that Dom posted for us of the stripped J-79 with the flame holders exposed:

That is the end of my file handle!  Nice soft plastic.  I realized to make it even more rounder I could use a more rounded object, say like a different handle, or a large toy glass marble, or a ball bearing, or anything round.  Pretty cool huh?  I just wouldn't try something too small or the photo etch may crease.

Ken 

Ken,

Maybe that is what Aries intended for you to do. It looks as though if you sever the outer ring from the PE and carefully push in on the inner ring, the middle and outer rings should begin to fold inward to form a cone, as you did with your handle. But I suspect the rings would deform before the flame holder reached the more extreme cone shape in the J79 engine picture. To make that work, you would need to cut each ring to allow the ends to slip past each other, then glue them together when the structure was the proper shape - that is, fits inside the can.

On the other hand, I may be all wet...

Russ

Hey Ken:

I wasn't figuring on the end of a file handle! but that looks okay for sure!

When I made my flame holders, I used a paper cone as a mandrel. But seeing

as how PE needs a bit of force, that came out great.

What a project......well done.

Dom

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Does everyone remember that great picture that Dom posted for us of the stripped J-79 with the flame holders exposed:

That is the end of my file handle!  Nice soft plastic.  I realized to make it even more rounder I could use a more rounded object, say like a different handle, or a large toy glass marble, or a ball bearing, or anything round.  Pretty cool huh?  I just wouldn't try something too small or the photo etch may crease.

Ken 

Ken,

Maybe that is what Aries intended for you to do. It looks as though if you sever the outer ring from the PE and carefully push in on the inner ring, the middle and outer rings should begin to fold inward to form a cone, as you did with your handle. But I suspect the rings would deform before the flame holder reached the more extreme cone shape in the J79 engine picture. To make that work, you would need to cut each ring to allow the ends to slip past each other, then glue them together when the structure was the proper shape - that is, fits inside the can.

On the other hand, I may be all wet...

Russ

Actually, here is the instructions that came with the Aires kit:

Photo etch flat as a pancake in the instructions.  I did try just pushing one of them in and it just bent up all to h*ll.

Ken

Bockscar

Hey Ken:

I wasn't figuring on the end of a file handle! but that looks okay for sure!

When I made my flame holders, I used a paper cone as a mandrel. But seeing

as how PE needs a bit of force, that came out great.

What a project......well done.

Dom

Thank you Dom!  It just came to me!

Ken

Bockscar

Hey Jim:

What's with the asymmetrical wing notch, the port wing has some kind of additional

'clip'

the starboard wing just has the regular notch?:

Dom

Oops, ya caught me! There is an additional part there that  will correct the wing notch for thr Growler. I did one side and everytime I sit down to do the other, I seem to get distracted. Last night I was painting the fuel tanks. I guess I'll get busy and finish the other wing!

Ken, have you ever tried annealing PE parts to make them more ductile? Heat it up until it glows and then allow it to cool-makes the metal softer and easier to shape. I did that with my burner cans before I curled then, then I rolled them up with a metal knife handle on top of a piece of soft leather-like a rolling pin.

I like that you got my reference to the bell and Clarence, the angel second class! I love some of those old classic movies-kids don't know what they are missing today with transformer movies and what-not.

jimbot58

Bockscar

Hey Jim:

What's with the asymmetrical wing notch, the port wing has some kind of additional

'clip'

the starboard wing just has the regular notch?:

Dom

Oops, ya caught me! There is an additional part there that  will correct the wing notch for thr Growler. I did one side and everytime I sit down to do the other, I seem to get distracted. Last night I was painting the fuel tanks. I guess I'll get busy and finish the other wing!

Ken, have you ever tried annealing PE parts to make them more ductile? Heat it up until it glows and then allow it to cool-makes the metal softer and easier to shape. I did that with my burner cans before I curled then, then I rolled them up with a metal knife handle on top of a piece of soft leather-like a rolling pin.

I like that you got my reference to the bell and Clarence, the angel second class! I love some of those old classic movies-kids don't know what they are missing today with transformer movies and what-not.

Hi Jim,

No, I never thought of annealing the photo etch parts to make them softer.  I will experiment with that!  Thank you for the tip!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

I had a pleasant surprise this evening.  After cleaning the Eduard Brassin resin to be sure to remove any release agents, I began cutting off the excess mold stubs.  After removing the ends of the jet pipes to reveal the interior, I could see the great detail that Eduard put into them!  Take a look:

The Aires jet pipes don't have those small dimples that represent the vents to let the outside air that help cool the jet pipe.  Here is the Aires jet pipe:

Now, to tackle the problem of the exhaust turbine not fitting into the jet pipe, I introduced it to my little friend:

Here is the exhaust turbine end of the jet pipe after a little work with the Dremel:

 Now the exhaust turbine and what Dom believes is the fuel injection for the after burner photo etch fits nice and neat:

Ken 

Hello all. First off, Ken and Jim thanks for the education on all things Phantom-like as well as resin, PE etc. I can't believe the patience you've shown on that F-4 I know it's a labor of love but holy cow I'd be ready to go bananas with just the tail section alone! I'm still plodding away on my T-34.....got a little side tracked by a build I did for a buddy. I included a pic as that model is done Should be wrapped up with my Soviet tank by next week. Have a great weekend y'all!

Nice piece of work there, Mikey!

I added that other part for the wing notch finally:

And I'm finding the PE game in never easy myself. These little parts should drop onto the recesses on the bottom, but they are a tad too large:

I don't want to loose the detail of the PE part by filing it away, so I will have to carefully enlarge the opening. Obviously I have a bit of work to do on a gap there.

Son Of Medicine Man

~

 Now the exhaust turbine and what Dom believes is the fuel injection for the after burner photo etch fits nice and neat:

Ken 

That's great, Ken. That really looks nice! Does the flame holder go in now?

Maybe you could use Dom's method of a cone-shaped mandrel to rebuild your flame holders. You would have to cut the rings loose but they need to be bent to follow the sides of the cone anyway. Then you can glue (solder) the connecting pieces to the rings. However, if they're not going to show up very well anyway, it probably isn't worth the effort.

Russ

mikeymize

Hello all. First off, Ken and Jim thanks for the education on all things Phantom-like as well as resin, PE etc. I can't believe the patience you've shown on that F-4 I know it's a labor of love but holy cow I'd be ready to go bananas with just the tail section alone! I'm still plodding away on my T-34.....got a little side tracked by a build I did for a buddy. I included a pic as that model is done Should be wrapped up with my Soviet tank by next week. Have a great weekend y'all!

Nice work on whatever that is Mike!  Not being uncaring, just don't know armor.  Is that WWI or WWII vintage?  Anyway, it looks fantastic!  Great job on the weathering!     

Ken

jimbot58

Nice piece of work there, Mikey!

I added that other part for the wing notch finally:

And I'm finding the PE game in never easy myself. These little parts should drop onto the recesses on the bottom, but they are a tad too large:

I don't want to loose the detail of the PE part by filing it away, so I will have to carefully enlarge the opening. Obviously I have a bit of work to do on a gap there.

So tell me Jim since you have a lot more experience with photo etch than I do, is this a typical problem where the photo etch does not fit?  It has happened to me now several times as well.

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

~

 Now the exhaust turbine and what Dom believes is the fuel injection for the after burner photo etch fits nice and neat:

Ken 

That's great, Ken. That really looks nice! Does the flame holder go in now?

Maybe you could use Dom's method of a cone-shaped mandrel to rebuild your flame holders. You would have to cut the rings loose but they need to be bent to follow the sides of the cone anyway. Then you can glue (solder) the connecting pieces to the rings. However, if they're not going to show up very well anyway, it probably isn't worth the effort.

Russ

Hi Russ,

Yes, the flame holders will go in now without a hitch.  I just needed to do a little more work with the Dremel since they go in all the way to the step inside.

No, if I tried to make that drastic of a bend using the method that Dom did with paper on the photo etch the rings would come apart.  The best way would be the method I already showed using the end of the handle of the file.  But since I have cut out this set using the Dremel, the photo etch will not need to be bent at all.  At 1/48 scale and looking down the end after the nozzles are glued on, you would not be able to see the cone shape anyway.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Here is a picture of inside of one of the jet pipes with all of the photo etch in place along with the exhaust turbine.  (Of course nothing is glued together!):

Now to do the other one!

Ken 

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Nice piece of work there, Mikey!

I added that other part for the wing notch finally:

And I'm finding the PE game in never easy myself. These little parts should drop onto the recesses on the bottom, but they are a tad too large:

I don't want to loose the detail of the PE part by filing it away, so I will have to carefully enlarge the opening. Obviously I have a bit of work to do on a gap there.

So tell me Jim since you have a lot more experience with photo etch than I do, is this a typical problem where the photo etch does not fit?  It has happened to me now several times as well.

Ken

Ken, I haven't had as much experience as you might think with PE parts, but yes, I have found that sometimes they don't fit as they should or as I might want them to. Sometimes the instuctions are too vague and I can't determine just how a part should be placed.

On problem I discovered is that adding a PE part changes the dimensions of a kit part. An example of this is the seats on the Hornet: there were sides to be added and when I went to install them, they no longer fit into the cockpit tub. I should have realized this and thinned the seats a bit to allow for this. I ended up grinding the sides of the tub to make them fit. As it was, I pondered whether these parts were needed as they are now fully hidden from sight!

I know I am going to have to watch for this:

The parts at the center of the photo are rings that get mounted on the edges of the canopy and the windscreen. I'm going to need to remove that much material from both if the cockpit is to be closed, otherwise it wouldn't fit. I suppose they could be left off if I choose to close everything up, but still I wouldn't have the mirrors that would show even with the canopy closed.

It's bad enough that the kit parts don't ever fit as they should, we choose to add to our frustration by trying add extra parts to the mix.

I often wonder how PE sets are produced. Many times it seems the aftermarket parts are hitting the market before the actual kits. I assume that there is a co-operation between Kit manufactures and someone like Eduard. They must send them pre-release examples like they would for FSM reviews.

The strange tracked vehicle is a SonderKraftfahrzeug aka SdKfz. 251 Or simply put; a German half-track. I've been reading a book on the exploits of the 2nd. SS Panzer Grenadier Division at Kursk and this vehicle was used extensively by them as well as virtually all Wehrmacht troops. Also, my buddy's a German Armor fanatic but doesn't build models so I thought this would be a cool surprise.

I'm still trying to figure out why the aftermarket resin and PE stuff you're getting requires all these modifications. I can't believe your ability to resist smashing some of that stuff when it doesn't fit!

Mike: Nice work there on the 251, is that the Tamiya kit?

Jim: The F/A-18 looks good!

Ken: The cans looks pretty darn good too!

Not a big fan of PE here.

I tried to get some work done on the Wildcat but dang the engineering here is strange. Instead of a two part fuselage they did a left, right side and bottom. And the bottom is a pain to line up straight.

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Here is a picture of inside of one of the jet pipes with all of the photo etch in place along with the exhaust turbine.  (Of course nothing is glued together!):

Now to do the other one!

Ken 

Hey, Ken,

I see what you mean. Looks cool anyway! . Good job!

Russ

jimbot58

 

Ken, I haven't had as much experience as you might think with PE parts, but yes, I have found that sometimes they don't fit as they should or as I might want them to. Sometimes the instuctions are too vague and I can't determine just how a part should be placed.

On problem I discovered is that adding a PE part changes the dimensions of a kit part. An example of this is the seats on the Hornet: there were sides to be added and when I went to install them, they no longer fit into the cockpit tub. I should have realized this and thinned the seats a bit to allow for this. I ended up grinding the sides of the tub to make them fit. As it was, I pondered whether these parts were needed as they are now fully hidden from sight!

I know I am going to have to watch for this:

The parts at the center of the photo are rings that get mounted on the edges of the canopy and the windscreen. I'm going to need to remove that much material from both if the cockpit is to be closed, otherwise it wouldn't fit. I suppose they could be left off if I choose to close everything up, but still I wouldn't have the mirrors that would show even with the canopy closed.

It's bad enough that the kit parts don't ever fit as they should, we choose to add to our frustration by trying add extra parts to the mix.

I often wonder how PE sets are produced. Many times it seems the aftermarket parts are hitting the market before the actual kits. I assume that there is a co-operation between Kit manufactures and someone like Eduard. They must send them pre-release examples like they would for FSM reviews.

Hi Jim,

You bring up some very good points.  Especially about how Eduard comes out with the PE parts so soon after the kit hits the market.

And it is so frustrating when the stuff doesn't fit, especially when they actually put on their sets that they made for a particular kit manufacturer!  Like it is a custom fit!

Also your point about the poor instructions!  I feel like I could take each set, go through installing it, then write a real set of instructions and sell them!

I know after I get done with this project and then the F-84, the next one is going to be strictly OOB!!

Ken

mikeymize

The strange tracked vehicle is a SonderKraftfahrzeug aka SdKfz. 251 Or simply put; a German half-track. I've been reading a book on the exploits of the 2nd. SS Panzer Grenadier Division at Kursk and this vehicle was used extensively by them as well as virtually all Wehrmacht troops. Also, my buddy's a German Armor fanatic but doesn't build models so I thought this would be a cool surprise.

I'm still trying to figure out why the aftermarket resin and PE stuff you're getting requires all these modifications. I can't believe your ability to resist smashing some of that stuff when it doesn't fit!

Hi Mike,

Well he should be very pleased by your surprise!  You did an excellent job!     

On the subject of the aftermarket resin and PE, like I said in my response to Jim, after the F-84 project that I plan to do next, I am going to build strictly straight out of the box.  The extra detail is great, but it sure takes a lot of work!

Ken

Gamera

Mike: Nice work there on the 251, is that the Tamiya kit?

Jim: The F/A-18 looks good!

Ken: The cans looks pretty darn good too!

Not a big fan of PE here.

I tried to get some work done on the Wildcat but dang the engineering here is strange. Instead of a two part fuselage they did a left, right side and bottom. And the bottom is a pain to line up straight.

Hi Cliff,

So how was your vacation?  Too short I am sure!

Thank you for your compliments, I appreciate them.

On the subject of your Wildcat, that does sound like a pain.  Did they engineer it that way to make different versions using most of the same mold?

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Here is a picture of inside of one of the jet pipes with all of the photo etch in place along with the exhaust turbine.  (Of course nothing is glued together!):

Now to do the other one!

Ken 

Hey, Ken,

I see what you mean. Looks cool anyway! . Good job!

Russ

Thank you Russ!  I appreciate your compliments!

Ken

Hi Everyone!

Today was a long day!  I had to spend from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM working on the servers at work today.  A full eight hours.  At least I got a couple of hours at the bench before that.  I did manage to get the other jet pipe done with the Dremel.  So tomorrow I will do some painting!

Ken

mikeymize

I'm still trying to figure out why the aftermarket resin and PE stuff you're getting requires all these modifications. I can't believe your ability to resist smashing some of that stuff when it doesn't fit!

I guess it's the self-abuse I crave. When I'm not trying to install PE parts, I spend my evenings flogging myself with a cat-o-nine tails and sleep on a bed of nails.....

jimbot58

mikeymize

I'm still trying to figure out why the aftermarket resin and PE stuff you're getting requires all these modifications. I can't believe your ability to resist smashing some of that stuff when it doesn't fit!

I guess it's the self-abuse I crave. When I'm not trying to install PE parts, I spend my evenings flogging myself with a cat-o-nine tails and sleep on a bed of nails.....

Too funny Jim!  I think I must suffer from the same disease!

Ken