Vacuform GB is On!

I ordered from Roll Models, they say an order takes 2-3 weeks and I ordered 3 weeks ago so hopefully I'll have it soon. I'm out of town next week but if it hasn't arrived by then I'll search ebay and find something else for the build.

I've never ordered from them before so I don't know if this is abnormal of them. I've ordered twice from Tower in the same time and already have my second order, but Roll Models has a much larger selection.

What´s up Aaronw?......Where did you order from?...its been a long time coming!!!
Hope you get it soon my friend.....

Hi everyone...................Its been quiet for the last week, I guess we are all
busy or working slowly but surely in our models. I am finishing the cockpit interiors of
the HE and should be done on the weekend. Will shoot some pics and post....see you all.

solid wrote:

Welcome Rob, should be an interesting model....................:)

It is the only complete armor kit I have ever seen in vacuform.

I've got an ancient Armtec 1/76 scale Jadgpanzer Hetzer that is a vacuformed kit. It also includes a small sprue of injection molded plastic that has the road wheels, sprockets and gun tube. I may try to build this old museum piece, although I do not know how well it will turn out.

Hopefully, I will remember to finish this kit. I'm knee deep in a couple of other GBs right now.

The kit comes with a keel structure to support the fuselage halves - I just didn't show it in the pictures.  It's a pretty thick plastic structure that fits partway inside one fuselage half, and then the other half is fit over it.  I'll post some pictures once I get to adding the keel.  The plastic on AIM kits is pretty thick, so it probably doesn't need much more than that for the fuselage.  I've done one AIM kit before (1/72 HS Nimrod, a little smaller than the KC-10) and didn't add any support and it was fine.

If I didn't have the keel, I would probably make some bulkheads with a contour gauge (which I hate doing, since it always winds up for me requiring a lot of fiddling, but you do what you've gotta do), and also add some tabs to each fuselage side that interlock to allow the halves to be put together with no step.  I'd also put some strengthening strips and buttresses in if they'll fit.

Here's a picture of my Bv238 with the buttresses and strengthening strips (and before I had added the interlocking tabs):

The KC-10 will definitely need a wing spar, though.  There's one in plastic provided with the kit.  I usually make my own from metal rods or balsa - haven't decided which to do here yet.  I'll probably decide once I get further along.

Bruce

Wow Bruce, that is bigger than I remember it!

Should be impressive! What kind of support structure are you going to do for the fuselage?

Charlie 

I fished out the KC-10 kit to do a quick fit check.  After looking at it, I have no idea where I'll fit the model once I'm done.

Some AIM kits come precut from the backing, and this is one of them, so I don't have to go through the cutting-out process as much (some things still have to be cut out - wing and engine openings, gear bays, etc., so I won't miss all the fun).  But there'll still be a lot of work on this one - the fuselage cuts weren't quite complete, so I'm going to have to clean that up quite a bit.

Here's a couple of pictures (yardstick for scale - plus there's a 1/72 scale Bf109 lurking as well).

The parts laid out:

And taped together for fit testing:

It'll probably be a while before I get much further, since I've got to make some progress on some other projects to clear off space on the workbench (I can lay out kits for pictures on the dining room table, but I don't think working on them there would go over too well with the wife).

Here's a couple of references for building vac kits that might be useful:

http://www.aeroclub-models.com/files/VacForm.pdf

http://www.donsmodelworks.com/reference.htm

Plus there's a few more tips in the discussion here:

/forums/730512/ShowPost.aspx

Bruce

Aaronw, I'll be really interested to see the Sherpa kit.  My first assignment in the Air Force was to Zweibrucken, Germany, home of a C-23 Sherpa unit, complete with planes in the dark green and gray euro camo.  Even caught a few hops on them to other bases in Europe.  I think the USAF bought them to ferry engines and parts around Europe, but one of the crewmembers told me that the F-100 engines used in F-15s and 16s wouldn't fit, so they were pretty much underutilized.  I caught one down to Aviano, Italy (long before Aviano became a major US base, it was a piece of concrete and a few rusty hangars back then), and we had to make an ops stop in France for gas, because the Sherpa couldn't fly over the Alps.  They had a very modern glass cockpit, though, that one pilot compared to a modern Learjet.  I think the USAF gave them all away to the Army and various govmt agencies after Zwei closed in 1991.

Solid, nice subject you picked there.  I love all the old funky, interwar parosol aircraft.  Got most of the old Heller line of French interwar and early WWII aircraft waiting in the stash.  I'm too big a chicken to try one in vacuform.  Look forward to seeing it complete.

Hi everyone:.........Finished choosing the plane...here it is: The Heinkel 46. As you can see it's bare.....but looks nice and different, an old Monoplane from the 30's.

Hi Jeff:.............. The Fokker XXI looks great....and here is the usual "trick" when
cutting the parts from the card:
"Go over the sides of the parts with a "Marking Pen" to get a dark outline!!!! then you can cut the part knowing you won´t mess up!!!............ use a very sharp knife (Carefull!!) xacto 11 is fine or similiar.....you will notice that by doing this you will cut very near the part so little sanding will be required to get the parts to fit well together............

Great pics..... 

 Here's my first progress report.  I picked a subject and opened the bag!  I'm going with Wing's 1/48 Fokker D.XXI.

Here's a pick of the parts sheet.  Seems to be well molded overall, though note the lower wing half.  One of my major concerns is that there is no clear demarcation between the part and the surrounding plastic.  Guess I'll have to cut it large and sand/test/sand/test until correct.

The kit comes with a nice decal sheet for 2 Dutch, one Danish, and one Finnish version.  Right now, I'm leaning toward the Dutch #221, since I live only 2 hours from the replica this kit is based on in Soesterburg, Netherlands.  I've already taken some detail pics of the replica to use for this kit.  It also comes with a nice bag of white metal detail parts (engine, prop, intake and exhaust trunks, tail wheel)

 Here's a pic of the instructions.  Lots of info on the various versions included.  The sheet contains my second major concern with the kit, though.  Found this line in the assembly instructions:  "Install built up wing into fuselage.  NOTICE: there is a nasty gap between the upper wing halves and the fuselage . . . You have not made a mistake, we have!"  They then go on with some techniques on how to fix it.  Guess you have to admire their honesty, though I'll be interested to see this gap in person.

Plan on starting around GB start date.  Should be fun.

solid wrote:

Hi Charlie............Ok, nice. I am sure you will enjoy your 1/2 and 1/2 and finish this GB with a full Vac....

We'll see how well this one goes! Then maybe move onto a full meal Vac! I do have a few full kits stashed away, along with a number of Koster conversions.

Charlie 

Hi Charlie............Ok, nice. I am sure you will enjoy your 1/2 and 1/2 and finish this GB with a full Vac....

I took out my vacs last night but did not deside which one, they are all nice!!! I will tonight..

I do may natural metal birds with " Chrome Spray" let them dry for about a week and then "rub" in different areas with my thumb.....this gives you a very good "metal look" with different "tones" like the real jobs. Do try the "spray" on the plastic first to see if it does not "eat" it up!!!!!!

Ok, here's my first pics.

First pic I borrowed from another site, basically just shows the lay out of parts. 2nd pic is my current progress. Not much really. Just primed the 2 fuselage parts, cut them free, and have started sanding away the excess plastic. They're pretty close

I need to dig out one of my monogram P-47s for the rest of the parts. I haven't decided whether I'm going to make bulkheads to beef up the fuselage, or go with some kind of foam filler.

 Still haven't decided on a scheme. If the plastic holds up well, I'll do a natural metal bird. Maybe some fictional "1946" markings, if the plastic looks like hell (this is my first vac), I may do a fictional "1946" olive drab bird!

 Charlie

Well there is no chance of my having a false start, I'm still waiting for my kit, hopefully it will be here by the 1st. I've gotten out of the habit of taking in progress pics but I can get back into the habit. This should be interesting since I've never really worked with vacuform. I don't have a pic of the kit since it hasn't arrived but this is what I'm hoping it looks like when I'm done.

Great Jeff,......... all those planes are nice, I like the Avia B-135.........yea send a pic once you
deside which one it´ll be!!!! ........am sure you will produce a nice model.

bwr1 wrote:

For this one, I think I'll do the AIM 1/72 scale KC-10 kit - should be interesting.  I don't know where I'll put it on the workbench (currently I'm working on the Bv238, an An-22, an An-124, and an An-225, all in 1/72 - I'm running out of room). Bruce

Oh my, that's a big kit. Many years ago a co-worker of mine ordered one of those. I saw it when it came in. It's a HUGE kit!

 Charlie

solid wrote:

Hi Charlie...............well, I guess you can come in with your 1/2 & 1/2, the idea is to have fun and learn a thing or two.....Welcome...

Great! I'm in!

Thanks!

Charlie 

Well, I'm overextended already but I'll sign up for this one anyway since I like doing vac kits.  I'm currently working on a vac kit, the Airmodel Bv238, but I hope to finish that in the next couple of months.  For this one, I think I'll do the AIM 1/72 scale KC-10 kit - should be interesting.  I don't know where I'll put it on the workbench (currently I'm working on the Bv238, an An-22, an An-124, and an An-225, all in 1/72 - I'm running out of room).

Bruce

Hi Charlie...............well, I guess you can come in with your 1/2 & 1/2, the idea is to have fun
and learn a thing or two.....Welcome...

Do vac conversions count? Or does it need to be 100% vac?

I've got an Koster XP-72 waiting in the wings, but its a half and half!

Charlie 

Hi Guys:

 OK.............Its 5 of us to start: Jeff, Aaronw, Daywalker,Ollie and me.
                                             Charlie is in with a conversion 1/2 & 1/2

                     Rules:
                             1) Any Vacuform Kit of any Scale can enter.
                             2) Kit must be started on the GB dates not before.
                             3) Participants should place photos of their progress
                             4) Starting Date: Feb/01/2007
                                 Ending Date:   Nov/01/2007
                              ............That´s It!!!!!!

                              Happy Modeling and have a lot of Fun with your Vac!!!!!!