VTOL, STOL, STOVL GB 2020

WOOHOO! Round strut supports!

OK, so Hurdle 3 was to find a way to replace the kit's airfoil shaped skid support struts with round ones. Well, I got my hands on a set of skids from Monogram's Cobra, thanks to Floyd Werner. (Thanks Floyd!) Although Monogram was round struts, the struts and skids are part of an assembly that makes up the entire underside of the fuselage and nose.

It also has boarding steps molded onto it, which the real demonstrator did not have on its struts. So, now that i had the parts, I had to figure out how to use them. I really had two options. Cut off the struts and somehow attach them to the skids, or since the distance between the struts on the -1W is wider than the distance between the struts on the -1F, somehow figure out a way to "lengthen" the skids. I decided to go with the latter.

As a proof of concept, I took an old unused skid from my spared box and decided to try out a little experiment. Since the diameter of the Monogram skids was the same as some styrene tube I had floating around, I decided to use the tube as a sort of lengthening plug. I cut out the piece of skid between the two struts.

Next, I drilled out the sections that contained the struts and glued in some wire. The wire was supposed to slip into the tube to aid alignment and increase strength.

Once I figured out that my idea would work, I decided to go for it with the Monogram skids. Before I could, I had to remove all the excess plastic. After that, I bit the bullet and went for it. 

You know what? It worked!

It looks like the white styrene is a larger diameter than the rest of the skid, but that's an optical illusion. Instead of two small "pins" inserted into each strut piece, I decided to go with one long pin, run through the tube, connecting both struts.

It's not perfect but with some clean up I think it'll pass muster. Under some paint and behind the weapons hung from the pylons, not much will seen or left to notice.

Today's final mod was a simple one. I glued the unused chaff dispensers from my recent Skyhawk onto the demonstrator's outer pylons; just like the real thing.

Oh, and one last thing. I might be able to get my hands on the resin set from Cobra Company that contains the corrected nacelles and exhaust area. Eventhough my fuselage is all glued up, I may still chop it up to get the rear of this thing's doghouse right.

So, tell me what you think. Comments, questions and criticisms welcome.

Thanks in advance for the input!

-O

Nicely done Omar!

Buttoning up the bird.  Bit of warp on the underside of the chopper, so I'm working from tail to nose on the belly.  About 1/2 there in this pic.  Topside lined up pretty nice.

Well done, Omar and John.

Ran into the first issue with this kit 

I have been trying to wrap up another build and got it done so here is a bit of progress on the Osprey. Interior seating is dirtied up a bit and done and I have started on the pit. This one is moving into the primary spot on my bench now. I should have more progress in a few days.

O, John and Jacknewblll looking good.

John, that dosen't look too bad of a seam.

Not too bad - almost ready for primer/paint

I now have all the parts together to start on the XFV-1, here's some pictures of the current state of things.  A master was made which I sent off to a friend who is good at vacforming, and got back two really nice canopies.  I have one nearly trimmed to size, needs a little more work but hurrying is not cool at this stage of the canopy fitting.  I plan to have the canopy open.  It slides back, including the fairing behind the clear section which is molded as part of the vacform part.

Thats a great looking canopy, look forward to seeing more.

Oh wow John,  fantastic looking canopy!

More progress.  I was going to use a resin cockpit for an F4U but instead I tried a cockpit from a Monogram F-80 and I think it is more believable, with the addition of the Yahu instrument panel for the Corsair.  The ejection seat top was modified to look more like the seat in the pictures I have on the Ginter book on the XFV-1.  I think it is positioned about right in these photos.  The cockpit back and floor are plastic card.I also made ducts from plastic card for the engine inlets as they were just open holes in the Lindberg version.  That would make for a drafty cockpit!  Next up is to fashion the engine exhaust which Lindberg made no representation of at all, and to modify the duct on the bottom, oil cooler I guess, which is too wide and the wrong shape at the aft end.

Couple more shots.  The kit misses the engine exhaust entirely and the lower duct, oil cooler I guess, is too wide throughout, and is both too deep and not tapered enough at the rear.  I sawed it off, removed a bunch of material from the middle, more as I got to the rear.  I cut away the area where there is a depression for the exhaust and made a plastic part for the funnel shape.  I shaped a piece of brass plate first, then heated and drape formed a piece of plastic that will go on the model.

Great scratchbuilding skills John.

-O I'm dying to see how that beauty looks under paint. Sweet work on the mods!

keavdog you may just inspire me to finally do  acoast guard build. Always talk about it but never do.

John that vtol is coming together nice! 

Thanks, Steve and Goose!

More work done on the Salmon lately.  I put gizmology into play because I can't find any good photos of what is going on in front of the instrument panel or behind the seat, althought the ones I do have make both places look very busy.  There is no cover over the area in front of the instrument panel.  I made a guess and went with dark gull grey for the overall color, and slapped on a bunch of pe placards and such.  This kind of thing is really hard for me to do, just making guesses and going with it.  Oh well, that's the way it is in the out west area of modeling!

Two of the casters were missing from the glue bomb so copies from resin are being made.  Another reason to make more is to reset how they are positioned.  The way Aurora cast them is outward in all positions, but in any motion I can see they should be somewhere between all in the same direction or in the same direction of rotation if the aircraft were being rotated, or some combination of the two.  I am planning on drilling and pinning the casters to the remaining housings on the tail fins, as all of that part is still there.

Excelent work John!

Finally masked the Jayhawk canopy - making progress!

Sweet

I have been unable to log on due to technical difficulties for a month. Many thanks to Elizabeth Nash.  But during that time I finished my Sea Harrier

Looks good, John.  Your Phantom in the Export GB is very pretty.

I did a lot more work on the bottom of the Salmon, made a new bottom for the belly and added the duct back on under it.  Other than that it's been occaisional work on blending in the exhaust duct and scoop. I'm using Aves Epoxysculpt and Perfect Plastic Putty.

Awesome TJ , I love the Harriers. which pic do you want?

You have a lot of patience. If I can't get on for a few days I start to get testy.

Mr Eaton, a lot of work there, how do you like the that Epoxysculpt?

I got you up TJ. Again, great looking Harrier in the gentleman's scale 

modelcrazy

Mr Eaton, a lot of work there, how do you like the that Epoxysculpt?

It's an essential tool, Steve.  Like Milliput, but less expensive.  I've been using the same two quart containers for years.  It comes in different colors, I have metallic grey.

I can't believe the last time I posted was in May! Holy cow! 

Anyway, I have a small update today. Just to show that I haven't been exactly sitting on my hands all summer. 

I bit the bullet, pulled my CC AH-1W set out, and commandeered the exhaust set. Once LSM gets going again, I'll just buy a new set for my (future) AH-1W. 

Since my fuselage was already glued together, I used the -1W parts to measure out where I needed to make my cuts. 

Overall, it went in pretty well. I think it would have fit better if I had made the cuts before glueing the fuselage halves together.

I also worked on the stub wings. The original demonstrator had the Sidewinder rails attached to the top of the wings. Italeri's -1Z boxing offers both tip and top mounted rails. I used the top mounted rails but drilled a hole through to the wing. A piece of wire runs through the rail to the wing and extends a bit out of the top. That will provide a little rigidity and strength to the assembly as well as give me an attachment point for the Sidewinder.

Here are things just kind of slapped together to see how they look. Next will be replacement of the missing raised detail and primer.

Hopefully it won't be another 3 months between posts. Anyway, for now, feel free to share you comments, questions, and/or criticism.

Thanks for looking!

-O

Coming right along O !

Distractions, distractions, so many distractions...

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2020/08/amusing-hobbys-new-48th-scale-kit-in.html#more