Hi all!

Well, they are crude, but consider these compressor faces will be barely visible a ways back in the fuselage, (esp. with the scale we have here) and only a hint that they are there will be needed for that casual observer. I used a set borrowed from an F-15, brushed on a thin coating of petroleum jelly to act as a release agent, pressed the originals into the modeling clay, and then poured  in the 5 minute epoxy. This is cheaper than investing in resin molding supplies, for just this one part. If I was replicating something exposed on the surface of a kit, then this would not be the way to go.

I wonder if using a slower setting epoxy would give more time for bubbles to surface, and the mixture to flow into the detail better. Might have to give that a shot one day.

I refined my cut-outs of the intake areas, cutting even further back and rounding things off. I figure from some cut away drawings I found, those compressors will end up just behind the wheel bays. A couple of rolled pieces of thin styrene sheet will then enclose everything. Like I said, nothing fancy, but an improvement over those blank walls just inside the intakes!

I also had to fill a rather large Gap between the halves of the intakes. I used Bondo automotive glazing putty for this. I like using the putty better than any modeling putty I have tried. Has great adhesion, sands easily but eventually dries very hard. There are also a couple of ejector pin marks in there to fill. (Can't see from this angle)

The detail set requires removing molded in seat belts-I trimmed them away and now they will soon be painted, and lots of mind blowing detail parts to add. (I still think this is self inflicted torture!)

Something I noticed here: on the left is my earlier "E" kit with the "G" on the right. The difference is the ECS vents (Environmental Control System). Earlier Supers has issues with the effects of heat on the skin near the vents and G's had newer ECS pipes installed, and also E's and F's were changed as upgrades were added. I was just surprised that Hasegawa actually retooled their molds to reflect this. Both kit sprues are labeled as F/A-18 E/F so it is not a separate tooling for the G! No I don't plan on changing anything on the E!

mikeymize

Gamera

Mike: The Dragon kits are nice, the older ones kinda fiddly but the new ones are top-notch. They're funny though in that about 1/3 to half the parts are not for use! Hey, more stuff for the spare parts bin! Still the Tamiya kit is still a goodie and much cheaper- unlike the new Tamiya tanks which are crazy expensive.

Jim: I know what you mean, I keep wanting to come home from work and take a nap...

Speaking of crazy expensive I shouldn't admit it but I went and ordered the Tamiya Elefant along with the Zimmerit adhesive from Squadron. I have never paid so much for a kit but had some extra cash from tax returns and thought what the heck? I'm not planning on building it for a while. I'm still working on the T-34 and have started doing some research on my next build which will be the Academy F-86 (NMF) My first love has always been aircraft but the tanks have been a nice diversion.

Wow Mike!  That Tamiya Elefant is a monster!  It looks like it will be a really nice kit!  Congratulations!   

Ken

jimbot58

Hi all!

Well, they are crude, but consider these compressor faces will be barely visible a ways back in the fuselage, (esp. with the scale we have here) and only a hint that they are there will be needed for that casual observer. I used a set borrowed from an F-15, brushed on a thin coating of petroleum jelly to act as a release agent, pressed the originals into the modeling clay, and then poured  in the 5 minute epoxy. This is cheaper than investing in resin molding supplies, for just this one part. If I was replicating something exposed on the surface of a kit, then this would not be the way to go.

I wonder if using a slower setting epoxy would give more time for bubbles to surface, and the mixture to flow into the detail better. Might have to give that a shot one day.

I refined my cut-outs of the intake areas, cutting even further back and rounding things off. I figure from some cut away drawings I found, those compressors will end up just behind the wheel bays. A couple of rolled pieces of thin styrene sheet will then enclose everything. Like I said, nothing fancy, but an improvement over those blank walls just inside the intakes!

I also had to fill a rather large Gap between the halves of the intakes. I used Bondo automotive glazing putty for this. I like using the putty better than any modeling putty I have tried. Has great adhesion, sands easily but eventually dries very hard. There are also a couple of ejector pin marks in there to fill. (Can't see from this angle)

The detail set requires removing molded in seat belts-I trimmed them away and now they will soon be painted, and lots of mind blowing detail parts to add. (I still think this is self inflicted torture!)

Something I noticed here: on the left is my earlier "E" kit with the "G" on the right. The difference is the ECS vents (Environmental Control System). Earlier Supers has issues with the effects of heat on the skin near the vents and G's had newer ECS pipes installed, and also E's and F's were changed as upgrades were added. I was just surprised that Hasegawa actually retooled their molds to reflect this. Both kit sprues are labeled as F/A-18 E/F so it is not a separate tooling for the G! No I don't plan on changing anything on the E!

Nice scratch work there Jim!  And like you said, at that scale and as far back as the compressor faces will be, that will be good enough!  And thanks for the information about the differences on the models of the Super Hornets.

I also appreciate the great tip about using Bondo.  I will be picking some up on my next trip to the store.  I have experience using it on cars but didn't think about using it on models!

Ken

Mike: Cool! I have a Dragon Elefant, way too cheap to spring for the new Tamiya kit but is looks like a beauty. From what I've seen of the new Tamiya stuff she should go together smooth as silk.

Jim: The compressor faces look fine to me! I can see what you mean about the seat though. I didn't know about the differences between the G and the earlier models, I'm impressed Hasegawa did change things. I guess they couldn't design plugs for these kits instead of retooling them!

Ken: IL-2 Sturmovik is a PC flight simulator. The original was based around the Second World War IL-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft, hence the name. The newer versions allow you to fly a hundred or so different planes. It's one of the most detailed and realistic sims on the market right now. It's so detailed in fact it's a bit of a bear to beat the learning curve. I need a LOT more practice before I can actually get any good at it.  

And sorry, I've been using acrylic type washes, both Citadel Games Workshop and the Flory brand. I'd guess a thinner based wash with oil or enamel paint would lift and ruin the metallic paint. My mistake, good you caught it. 

Ken,

Not to hijak your thread but below are a couple of pictures of my personal A20C in IL2. The first is on the tarmac prior to startup and the second is on final approach. On takeoff and landing, you have to use speed adjustment and flaps just as with a real aircraft or you will crash.

Cheers,

Russ

Jim, I love that line about  self-inflicted torture....so true, but the results are usually worth it. In your case I'm sure of it. Also never tried bondo except on my old VW!

Gamera, I suspect this Elefant will indeed go smoothly as most Tamiya kits do. The question is whether I can do it justice. I'm going to as nervous as a kitten trying not to mess it up.

I'm just curious, has anyone here ever considered doing one of these 'fictional' fighters?

It is a recent release from Hasegawa based on a downloadable plane for a game called "Ace Combat Assault Horizon" and is called the "ASF-X Shinden II KEI Nagase". It looks like it would be a fun kit for a diversion, but not at almost 60 bucks a pop! Looks pretty cool though.

Jim: Yeah I saw the ad that appeared here on FSM a few months ago and clicked on it. Pretty awesome looking plane more money than I'm willing to pay too.

Well, got more work done-the seats needed to be black base color,

Plus I wanted a gloss surface be sure the PE parts stick, so....

I will brush on flat where needed after adding the Eduard parts.

Painting the intakes and the decking around the cockpit.

Inside intake area painted. I curved some flat stock that will be cemented in above this area to complete the illusion.

Now it seems that my build may be evolving and growing. While waiting for glues, paints, etc. to dry, I pulled down the "E" model and worked on it. There was a fit issue between the upper and lower fuselage I had to solve, plus I filled the seam on the underside of the LEX (Leading Edge EXtension -Not showing off, I had to look this up) I used the Bondo putty here and then shot on some of the grey I used above to check them. There are a few panel lines to rescribe here, though.

I also jumped ahead a bit here. The vertical tails on both the aircraft call for all black color-so I thought it might be easier to pre-paint them. These are the tails for the "E". Not easy to tell in the photo, but I used gloss black here.

jimbot58

Well, got more work done-the seats needed to be black base color,

Plus I wanted a gloss surface be sure the PE parts stick, so....

I will brush on flat where needed after adding the Eduard parts.

Painting the intakes and the decking around the cockpit.

Inside intake area painted. I curved some flat stock that will be cemented in above this area to complete the illusion.

Now it seems that my build may be evolving and growing. While waiting for glues, paints, etc. to dry, I pulled down the "E" model and worked on it. There was a fit issue between the upper and lower fuselage I had to solve, plus I filled the seam on the underside of the LEX (Leading Edge EXtension -Not showing off, I had to look this up) I used the Bondo putty here and then shot on some of the grey I used above to check them. There are a few panel lines to rescribe here, though.

I also jumped ahead a bit here. The vertical tails on both the aircraft call for all black color-so I thought it might be easier to pre-paint them. These are the tails for the "E". Not easy to tell in the photo, but I used gloss black here.

I see those balsa blocks are coming in real handy!

Nothing like multi-tasking, nice to have another build to default to while stuff is curing.

Yeah, fit's always an issue, yah gotta' love bondo......

Dom

Gamera

Mike: Cool! I have a Dragon Elefant, way too cheap to spring for the new Tamiya kit but is looks like a beauty. From what I've seen of the new Tamiya stuff she should go together smooth as silk.

Jim: The compressor faces look fine to me! I can see what you mean about the seat though. I didn't know about the differences between the G and the earlier models, I'm impressed Hasegawa did change things. I guess they couldn't design plugs for these kits instead of retooling them!

Ken: IL-2 Sturmovik is a PC flight simulator. The original was based around the Second World War IL-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft, hence the name. The newer versions allow you to fly a hundred or so different planes. It's one of the most detailed and realistic sims on the market right now. It's so detailed in fact it's a bit of a bear to beat the learning curve. I need a LOT more practice before I can actually get any good at it.  

And sorry, I've been using acrylic type washes, both Citadel Games Workshop and the Flory brand. I'd guess a thinner based wash with oil or enamel paint would lift and ruin the metallic paint. My mistake, good you caught it. 

Hi Cliff,

I have been giving it some serious thought about trying out some of those games.  But I am like you, I would have to practice on my own for a while before I would try getting together on a mission online.  Maybe we could put together a group among ourselves!

So is there some type of realistic type of simulator controls available to use with these games, like rudders, control sticks/wheels, throttle, etc.?  I know there used to be some you could use with the Microsoft Flight Simulator.

On the subject of the wash, I think that the buffing will help to bring out the detail.  Since I can't get all the way into the corners when I buff, it will remain a little dull and darker.  I will take a picture when I am done and let you be the judge.

Ken

jimbot58

I'm just curious, has anyone here ever considered doing one of these 'fictional' fighters?

It is a recent release from Hasegawa based on a downloadable plane for a game called "Ace Combat Assault Horizon" and is called the "ASF-X Shinden II KEI Nagase". It looks like it would be a fun kit for a diversion, but not at almost 60 bucks a pop! Looks pretty cool though.

Hi Jim,

That does look pretty cool!    I myself have so many kits now already to build that if I started into the realm of fictional aircraft, I would have to buy another house to store them in!

Ken

jimbot58

Well, got more work done-the seats needed to be black base color,

Plus I wanted a gloss surface be sure the PE parts stick, so....

I will brush on flat where needed after adding the Eduard parts.

Painting the intakes and the decking around the cockpit.

Inside intake area painted. I curved some flat stock that will be cemented in above this area to complete the illusion.

Now it seems that my build may be evolving and growing. While waiting for glues, paints, etc. to dry, I pulled down the "E" model and worked on it. There was a fit issue between the upper and lower fuselage I had to solve, plus I filled the seam on the underside of the LEX (Leading Edge EXtension -Not showing off, I had to look this up) I used the Bondo putty here and then shot on some of the grey I used above to check them. There are a few panel lines to rescribe here, though.

I also jumped ahead a bit here. The vertical tails on both the aircraft call for all black color-so I thought it might be easier to pre-paint them. These are the tails for the "E". Not easy to tell in the photo, but I used gloss black here.

Great job Jim with the air brush!  You are definitely showing off your skills there!    Nice and smooth finish!

Ken

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for not posting much this weekend.  I have been pretty busy.

Friday night was the monthly local IPMS meeting.  Another great time!  Don James, the flight leader and pilot of the F-84E "Hoosier Hotshot" told us about how right after he flew his 100th mission in the Korean War, he learned on his way home to the U.S. that his plane had been shot down and the pilot was killed.  The plane was taken down by small arms fire during a bombing run.  Don said the last words out of the pilot's mouth was "Oh sh*t" before he flew straight into the ground.  A rather sobering thought about what it is like to be a pilot in combat.  He went on to tell us some more stories about close calls he had.

My wife was sick last weekend so we had to postpone my birthday party to last night.  That meant I had to help her get the house ready.  Then I couldn't believe it but I was up until past 4:00 AM this morning.  We had a really good time talking and watched a couple of movies.

Today I decided I needed to add another shelf to store my paint on.  So now I am in the middle of doing that.  So no work at the bench this weekend.

Ken

Wow, Ken, sounds like you have a real lineup of first rate heroes in your IPMS group! Sorry to hear about your wife being sick, but glad you finally got to have your birthday party. I can't do that "till 4 AM" bit anymore - gettin too old

Cheers,

Russ

Ken: Yeah I hope your better half is feeling better soon. Pretty neat to get a vet to address your IPMS group, we've had a few over the years and it's always interesting to hear about the real life experiences of someone who was there.

As to games World of Tanks is free though you'll want to drop some money into it as you go along to get some better in-game stuff. And you don't need anything special to play, just a mouse and keyboard. But to be honest I'm getting somewhat ticked off and frustrated by it, I abandoned the game for a month or two over Christmas and may be getting out of it again soon.

Il-2 you'll want a decent flightstick. Both Russ and I use the same Logitech brand unit. Russ knows way more about the game than I do so he can probably answer any questions better than me.

Hey, All,

I came across this link for a Dream Model catalog with some beautiful photoetched and resin parts. Maybe you already know this one. I was looking for decals for my MD-3 power generator but they don't seem to have any decals in this issue.

Here's the link:  xa.yimg.com/.../MD_Catalogue_10

Cheers,

Russ

Gee, nice stuff Russ, thanks for the link!

You're welcome, Cliff! .

Gamera

Ken: Yeah I hope your better half is feeling better soon. Pretty neat to get a vet to address your IPMS group, we've had a few over the years and it's always interesting to hear about the real life experiences of someone who was there.

As to games World of Tanks is free though you'll want to drop some money into it as you go along to get some better in-game stuff. And you don't need anything special to play, just a mouse and keyboard. But to be honest I'm getting somewhat ticked off and frustrated by it, I abandoned the game for a month or two over Christmas and may be getting out of it again soon.

Il-2 you'll want a decent flightstick. Both Russ and I use the same Logitech brand unit. Russ knows way more about the game than I do so he can probably answer any questions better than me.

Hi Cliff,

Actually, Don James is a regular member in our local chapter, and he attends every month.  He is usually more than happy to talk about his time in the USAF.  It is the highlight of the meeting, at least for me!  He also flew the F-86, F-84G, the F-84F, the U-2A, and the SR-71, just to name a few!  And he is a really great guy.

I will check into the flightstick and those games you have been talking about.

Ken

Striker8241

Hey, All,

I came across this link for a Dream Model catalog with some beautiful photoetched and resin parts. Maybe you already know this one. I was looking for decals for my MD-3 power generator but they don't seem to have any decals in this issue.

Here's the link:  xa.yimg.com/.../MD_Catalogue_10

Cheers,

Russ

Hi Russ,

Like Cliff said, thanks for the link, pretty cool stuff!

Ken

My pleasure, guys!

Hello Everybody!

Why is it when you think a small project like putting up a small shelf should only take a couple of hours turn into a major under taking?  Anyway, I finally got it done.  Now I can finally get back to working on my Phantom.

So how is everybody else doing?

Ken

Hi Ken, just got in from a late night at work. Eating taco bell and drinking a beer at this time of night probably isn't the best thing but I missed my regular dinner time and knew I'd be too lazy to cook myself... Anyway, I've got the next 3 days off so work bench here I come! BTW, that comment about minor things being major productions reminded me of my last plumbing adventure in the kitchen!

Just  when you think things can't get worse...I get a letter from American Express concerning my account and a report being made to the credit reporting agencies.... The problem is that I don't have an account with American express! I had to post a fraud alert with the credit reporting agencies, and I need to get a credit report to see what the f*** is going on.. Unfortunately, I could not get one online and must wait 15 or more days to receive one in the mail.

Just what I need-something to keep me away from what little sleep I seem to get now.

jimbot58

Just  when you think things can't get worse...I get a letter from American Express concerning my account and a report being made to the credit reporting agencies.... The problem is that I don't have an account with American express! I had to post a fraud alert with the credit reporting agencies, and I need to get a credit report to see what the f*** is going on.. Unfortunately, I could not get one online and must wait 15 or more days to receive one in the mail.

Just what I need-something to keep me away from what little sleep I seem to get now.

Wow Jim, that totally sucks!  I have had to fight that battle myself.  Don't worry, it isn't too terrible, just a pain in the butt.  Don't lose any sleep over it.  You will have to follow the process to get it cleared up but they will clear it up.

Ken

Ouch Jim, whatta pain in the butt! Good luck with getting that mess straightened out.

I have almost finished the cockpits of the F4F and F6F, hopefully photos soon!

mikeymize

Hi Ken, just got in from a late night at work. Eating taco bell and drinking a beer at this time of night probably isn't the best thing but I missed my regular dinner time and knew I'd be too lazy to cook myself... Anyway, I've got the next 3 days off so work bench here I come! BTW, that comment about minor things being major productions reminded me of my last plumbing adventure in the kitchen!

Hi hear you there Mike!  That last episode with the dishwasher was frustrating for me!  The first one leaked so I had to take it back to the store and get it replaced with another one.  And you know how much I love doing the same job twice!

Ken

Gamera

Ouch Jim, whatta pain in the butt! Good luck with getting that mess straightened out.

I have almost finished the cockpits of the F4F and F6F, hopefully photos soon!

Very cool Cliff!  Looking forward to seeing them!   

Ken

Hi Everyone,

One of the results of the ridiculous politics that recently happened here in the USA was the sequestration that went into effect 3 weeks ago. One of the multitudes of changes as a result was the cancellation of all of our military demonstration teams. Here is a link to a petition on the whitehouse.gov website that everyone can sign to help show your support to bring these teams back. They need a lot more signatures, so if you can pass this on to all your friends, maybe we can get the attention and send the message!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/support-funding-united-states-air-force-thunderbirds-and-all-other-airshow-support-2013-and-beyond/Scqxv4CV 

Ken