I tried out the Shadow Hobby circle cutter to make some inspection panels on the fins.  This tool is unique in that it does not leave a hole in the center of the circle.  The blade smoothly glides around on the perimeter bearings, and the design allows very small (0.5mm) circles to be made.  It can also do much larger circles, so cutting masks for roundels are also possible.  I used 0.005" sheet plastic, which I find rather difficult to work with as it seems to deform rather than cut, but the tool made neat circles with little effort.

https://flic.kr/p/F94D9v][/url]Bakagalas-22 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/23r1Siv][/url]Bakagalas-23 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The tool does require a gentle touch, and setting the exact diameter of the cut involves a little trial and error.  But circles of any diameter (within the limits of the tool adjustment) can be made, unlike a punch and die set.

I had a brain fart to make blister fairings which would be much simpler than casting a plaster female mold.  I'll try out my theory this weekend.

I made some card stock templates for the flaps, ailerons, and wing tips last night.  They were taped to the model along with the fins to check for fit, but also I really wanted to have a look at the overall silhouette.

https://flic.kr/p/F9Zeqa][/url]Bakagalas-24 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/F9Ze8X][/url]Bakagalas-25 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I noticed the fin supports look too thick - I confess to increasing the cross section from my drawings when making them.  No problemo, I'll just sand them down.  The anime version had struts that contiuously tapered, so I'll go for that look.

https://flic.kr/p/F9ZdHZ][/url]Bakagalas-27 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

They don't look so bad from the rear, which is the only vantage point that was available while the fins were in the jig.

https://flic.kr/p/F9ZdQc][/url]Bakagalas-26 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I started making a mini vac-form rig to make the many lumps and bumps needed for the build.  It is designed to take a 4"x6" sheet of plastic, which a standard 12"x6" sheet will provide three.  The old vacuum cleaner attachment will provide connection to said vacuum cleaner.  I have a larger home made vac-form rig which I was able to clamp to a kitchen drawer next to the electric range, so I'll be doing the same here.

https://flic.kr/p/GHN8my][/url]Bakagalas-29 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I am still making pieces for the rig, and have to cut little teardrop shaped holes in a sheet of basswood.  Progress photos and tests shots to follow soon.

That's just amazing G! Great work there on all the surface detail. 

Looking forward to seeing how she looks all painted up. 

The vac-form rig is done, but during tests I discovered that enongated lumps tend to bulge out in the middle, ruining the shape.  So back to Plan-A, which is squash forming with plaster female molds.  At least I know this will work as I have done it before.

https://flic.kr/p/23ZAJ43][/url]Bakagalas-30 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

To keep momentum going, I started working on the flaps.  I'm just making it up as I go along, but the outboard segments are fairly simple in shape so they will probably just get sheeted over.  The inboard flaps are another kettle of fish as they undulate quite a bit!  The jury is still out on the best way to tackle them, but here is where I am at.

https://flic.kr/p/GWAG8S][/url]Bakagalas-34 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The fin support struts got another look, and I decided to taper them down in the middle to get them to look slimmer.  The anime art also has this feature so I should have planned this from the start.  But I think they will look much better when done!

https://flic.kr/p/GWAGBs][/url]Bakagalas-36 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Really neat, G thanks for letting us follow along here.  

No probelmo Gamera!  But you do realize that the bus driver is crazy?  

Real G

Oh Peter Pan, yousa breenga thats lousy Jarjar!  He no welcome here!  ...

Sorry you feel that way about my friend.

Real G

No probelmo Gamera!  But you do realize that the bus driver is crazy?  

 

This passenger ain't exactly stable..... 

I paid my toll... FULL SPEED TO CRAZYVILLE!!! 

Work has been slow, but I managed to start the starboard flap sections.

https://flic.kr/p/HhpsBW][/url]Bakagalas-37 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/22EgjMQ][/url]Bakagalas-38 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Once the support ribbing is in place, they will all get sanded to final shape and get sheeted over.  After that, the ailerons and wingtips need to get done, but they are simple compared to those wiggly inboard flaps!

I wish more people would comment here, what you're doing is really cool G!

Thanks Gamera, but it's no biggie as I'm primarily using this thread to motivate myself to keep pushing ahead.

Those curvy flaps are now being addressed.  This was one of the stumbling blocks I ran into many years ago that contributed to shelving the project.  I resorted to plank and frame with 0.030" sheet - it's a primitive method but I know it works.

https://flic.kr/p/FMBTED][/url]Bakagalas-40 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/HmL8Ld][/url]Bakagalas-41 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/248z84Z][/url]Bakagalas-42 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/HmL8ch][/url]Bakagalas-43 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I realise the photos are crummy, but my phone camera has difficulty focusing on all white things.

The flaps will receive a second skin to incorporate details, but they will need to be vac-formed so that they are one piece.  Stay tuned as Wily E. Coyote concocts an elaborate plan to tackle this problem.  Actually, I have already concocted it; I'm just waiting for the package from ACME.  

Well, there may be only one passenger on the crazy bus but I'm enjoying the ride. 

WOW, went back to the start of the thread, holy smokes what a cool project. I wouldn't do a cool project, but you sir have this thing in the bag. Glad I started from the beginning 'cause it is cool. Bus driver this stop is mine but I will need a ride home.

Thanks Gamera and Armornut for the comments!

Poky progress due to work and feeling lousy last couple of weeks, but work continues on the flaps.

https://flic.kr/p/25GN9Pg][/url]Bakagalas-44 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The lower surface got planked this weekend, but not much else was done.  Gaps and uneven areas will be filled in with stretched sprue and thin plastic strip.  I favor this technique over putty as there is no shrinkage and the material cuts and sands the same as the plastic part.

https://flic.kr/p/22WShcU][/url]Bakagalas-45 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I have sourced some Eduard 1/72 Ju-88 and 1/48 Bf-110 wheels for the project.  Though differing in scale, they look very similar so I think they will work well.  That was another stumbling block long ago - there were no resin wheels readily available back in the 1980s.  Although the anime artwork appears to show the wheels all the same size, I decided to make the central wheels bigger, ala Me-323.

Anyway, I am getting anxious to finish the control surfaces so that I can move on to other areas that need attention.

Again, very cool!

Ok now I'm really liking it. You guys that can put thought to action....my hats off. Can't stop looking.

Armornut,

Yes... I like solving problems I make.  It's a hobby of mine.   

Real G,

    You are being watched. It is beautiful work.   I have limited experience and poor understanding of Scratch building and detailed Sketching. My comments would be quite juvenile and of no material value here. I suspect many other folks are in that same overloaded boat with me.

     No previous comments means we are overwhelmed with your Project and Problem solving. Keep at it.

  So, where might I find the old TV show(s) that you model is based on?

  Nino.

Ok G, now, I'm intrested in doing some scratching myself thanks to you. I just need to come up with some crazy idea for something and dig into my parts and balsa boxes LOL.

Nino - No problemo!  The Bakagalas is from the Miyazaki film "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" (Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa).  Do NOT watch "Warriors of the Wind", as it is a lobotomized version that had all the meaning of the story cut away.  Avoid avoid!

Steve - Hee hee, the poison is working...

Real G, fantastic work!  I just found this thread and read through, thank you so much for sharing the pix of this project.  You are doing the Miyazaki designs proud.  Truly, it is a mystery that models based on his movies aren't more prolific...

One thought (reading about the 'thopter wings') is that they could be drawn as a grahic on the computer, then printed on transparency film in a laser jet printer, braced with thin wire if necessary.  I seem to recall them being flat... I use the open-source office suite OpenOffice.org, 'Draw' tool to create vector-based graphics which can be sized with no loss of fidelity.

I look forward to further developments!

Regards, Robert

Thanks for looking in Robert!  Yeah those bug wings are still a "thought in progress".  The bug models for sale at the Ghibli Museum had wings that seemed real, but I could not figure out where they could source such large wings.  If they were real, the donor insect must have been scary huge!

Good lordy, it's almost Friday already. I'd better get back to work!

I have not been able to work on anything the past week or so, but I did get in some bench time last night.  The port inboard flap has been planked and rough sanded, and the resulting gullwing contours are pleasing.

https://flic.kr/p/HTfRmm][/url]Bakagalas-46 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The starboard flaps finally got their formers and were rough sanded.  A little more refinement to their contours, then planking will follow.  It's happening a little faster compared to the port side, because now I know how to tackle the task.

https://flic.kr/p/2621LCi][/url]Bakagalas-48 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The Eduard 1/72 Ju-88 resin wheels I mentioned earlier were checked against the drawings I made, and they are an exact match in size!  No skill or foresight involved here though, just dumb luck.

https://flic.kr/p/24Eqpip][/url]Bakagalas-49 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I wanted to have some larger wheels mixed in, as the landing gear sponsons are bigger in the middle.  So 1/48 Eduard resin Bf-110 wheels will be used.  Luckily, the wheels have similar tire and hub styles so they match nicely.  Again, dumb luck that it worked out.  Gotta love German WW II balloon tires!

https://flic.kr/p/24EqoY6][/url]Bakagalas-50 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Anyway, I'm getting tired of all this flappery, so I hope to get them done quickly and move on to the ailerons and wingtips.  These will be easy compared to those wavy inboard flaps!  Oh yeah, I still have to vacform the exterior skins for the flaps.

Keep it up Real G, seeing the drawings gives me a better perspective of what your going for. Man that is COOL.

Thanks Armornut!  I sheeted the outboard flaps last night, so I will start planking the inboards tonight.  I am aiming to complete the wing (flying surfaces, wing tips, skin sheeting) before the end of the month.

Real G

Oh Peter Pan, yousa breenga thats lousy Jarjar!  He no welcome here! 

Not having much bench time, but I have been working on the fin assemblies.  One support strut has been fitted with base plates.  Things have gone better than I was expecting, as fitting the struts to the curved fuselage was not too diffcult.

https://flic.kr/p/ELm1de][/url]Bakagalas-11 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/24nkCeJ][/url]Bakagalas-12 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

But I realized the fins needed to have their rudders fitted to ensure proper fit into the jig assembly, so some sheet plastic was stacked and glued together.  The inner two sheets' mating surfaces were colored with pencil lead to provide a centerline reference during the shaping process.  I have used permanent marker for this previously, but it gets messy with the liquid glue.

https://flic.kr/p/23sWNxQ][/url]Bakagalas-13 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/23sWNom][/url]Bakagalas-14 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/24tNjFh][/url]Bakagalas-15 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The plan is to finish the fins as close to 100% as possible to get a morale boost.  Then the wings will be tackled, followed by the landing gear sponsons.  By that time I should be in the swing to make the faceted canopy and all the little bits like the gun ports.

The glue is drying while I am at work today.  Can't wait to get home and crack on with sanding the rudders!

 

 

Total noob question, so I hope you'll have some grace with me, but as a budding scratch builder, I'd love to understand. How did you accomplish such wonderful rivets???

Btw...totally blown away and overwhelmed by the coolness of this project and level of skill. I saw you used the Archer rivets, but I thought the recessed ones looked amazing already. I understand the concept behind the Archer rivets, but would love to know more about how you create a such a wonderfully perfect recessed rivets.

Ha ha Rinny, you are too kind! The recessed rivets were made using a compass point and done by eye (when I had 20/20 vision).  If you look closely, you will see that they are most certainly not even nor straight!  OK my cover is blown, I admit it!    There was very little aftermarket in the 1980s, so most things were DIY.

This project is a labor of love, which is why I have pulled it off the Shelf of Doom and set my mind to completing it.  I learn lots of new things when working on a project such as this (translation: I make stuff up as I go along), and so the knowlege gained is put to good use on future builds.  From the Shelf of Doom.  But this is the  biggest SoD project I have.  Honest.  

Oh wow, still coming along great! Looking forward to more updates.