Crimea_River
Marshal
Can't have you doing an easy build now can we?
**** DONE: 1/32 Fw 190D-9 - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.
- Thread starter JKim
- Start date
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Lovely work so far John!
- Thread starter
- #24
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
I'm still in the tinkering stages here with the Dora. First order of business was taking a look at the MDC cockpit and trying to address some of the warpage issues. First attempt was a big FAIL. I ran the rear cockpit deck under hot tap water and tried to bend it straight but ended up snapping it in two.
The warpage on the deck piece is quite complex and involves multiple planes.
I couldn't quite straighten the forward cockpit wall either but figured that it would be all but invisible once the instrument panel was in place. Dismayed at the lack of success, I put the MDC cockpit pieces away figuring that I would have to cannibalize the rear deck from the kit cockpit tub.
A few days later, I decided to give the warped pieces one more shot at correction. This time I dipped the pieces in boiling water and then pressed the pieces flat between a sheet of plate glass and the hard tile countertop. This worked much better and the piece might be usable but comparison with the kit part shows that the resin is a bit undersized, a victim of resin shrinkage. There are also some cracks in the resin piece that resulted from all of the bending that will need to be filled.
The cockpit instrument panel was given a coat of dark grey in preparation of painting.
The warpage on the deck piece is quite complex and involves multiple planes.
I couldn't quite straighten the forward cockpit wall either but figured that it would be all but invisible once the instrument panel was in place. Dismayed at the lack of success, I put the MDC cockpit pieces away figuring that I would have to cannibalize the rear deck from the kit cockpit tub.
A few days later, I decided to give the warped pieces one more shot at correction. This time I dipped the pieces in boiling water and then pressed the pieces flat between a sheet of plate glass and the hard tile countertop. This worked much better and the piece might be usable but comparison with the kit part shows that the resin is a bit undersized, a victim of resin shrinkage. There are also some cracks in the resin piece that resulted from all of the bending that will need to be filled.
The cockpit instrument panel was given a coat of dark grey in preparation of painting.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Good stuff John. for warped resin pieces, it's best to immerse them in hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes, then gently bend them to shape.
- Thread starter
- #26
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
I think different resin formulations require different approaches. I've had past success dipping resin pieces in hot water, bending them gently and then giving them a dip in cold water to set, for example the pieces in the Alley Cat 109G-10 Correction Set. This didn't work with the MDC resin. The boiling water did the trick in this instance.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
OK.
second that...
- Thread starter
- #30
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Before jumping back onto the Ta 152, I wanted to finish up the cockpit. So here's how the MDC resin cockpit went together. The foot pedals are photoetched with straps cut from foil. MDC gives a handy template on the PE fret for the seat belts and the foot straps... nice touch.
The cockpit tub has a PE map holder and separately molded throttle but all of the other sidewall detail is molded in.
Here's is the finished instrument panel. After painting the panel dark grey, I picked out the instrument bezels and other details with a fine paint brush. I even put some color on the dials but due to the VERY fine molding, it's hard to register.
The home-brewed harnesses were painted light green just to change it up from the standard beige that we always see.
Here's the cockpit tub after painting and weathering.
Time to start putting the cockpit components together. First come the foot pedals.
The seatbelts are mounted on the fully painted/weathered seat.
The seat slides in from the top on rails.
Finally the front bulkhead and instrument panel are glued into place. Cockpit is essentially done. I still need to paint the Revi 16B gun sight but that drops into place after the instrument coaming is attached. The only thing missing from this picture is the throttle. Troublesome bugger... it took multiple repaints to get it looking right and then it goes missing. Hopefully, it'll turn up or I'll have to scratch one up.
The cockpit tub has a PE map holder and separately molded throttle but all of the other sidewall detail is molded in.
Here's is the finished instrument panel. After painting the panel dark grey, I picked out the instrument bezels and other details with a fine paint brush. I even put some color on the dials but due to the VERY fine molding, it's hard to register.
The home-brewed harnesses were painted light green just to change it up from the standard beige that we always see.
Here's the cockpit tub after painting and weathering.
Time to start putting the cockpit components together. First come the foot pedals.
The seatbelts are mounted on the fully painted/weathered seat.
The seat slides in from the top on rails.
Finally the front bulkhead and instrument panel are glued into place. Cockpit is essentially done. I still need to paint the Revi 16B gun sight but that drops into place after the instrument coaming is attached. The only thing missing from this picture is the throttle. Troublesome bugger... it took multiple repaints to get it looking right and then it goes missing. Hopefully, it'll turn up or I'll have to scratch one up.
- Thread starter
- #32
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
I couldn't resist delving deeper into the Dora build. I wanted to check the fit of the Eagle Parts gun cowling. Once this is resolved, I promise that I'll get back on the Ta 152. The kit gun cowling fits like a dream. Note the Ta 152 patiently awaiting attention in the background!
The Eagle Parts resin piece... not so good.
Several issues here. One is shrinkage. The part is a wee bit small based on comparison to the kit part. This is most apparent in the insufficient width of the part.
There is also a funky little warpage going on that corkscrews the front of the cowling down and to the right looking forward.
Time for a hot water bath! I was hoping that some bending and coaxing would be sufficient to get a decent fit out of this part. I widened the rearward gun hatch portion to match the fuselage and coaxed the warpage out. The fit still sucks. I'm not going to fight this one so it'll go into the spares box unused. Maybe I should swear off on these large resin pieces... more frustration than their worth.
But before I put the resin piece away, I'm going to use it as a model to modify the kit part. As you can see, the humps over the gun bulges are flatter and more subtle on the accurate (but ill-fitting) Eagle Parts cowling.
I used a couple pieces of thin sheet styrene to serve as a foundation for the built up area.
White milliput is gooped on. For some peculiar reason, the first application did not react with water and I had to remove it with iso alcohol and start over. This is the second application.
Using water, wet fingers and a damp paper towel to remove the excess, I roughly shaped the valley between the gun bulges. I'll let this dry and then further refine the shape with sandpaper and Mr Surfacer putty. If all goes well, I can rescribe any lost panel lines. I have an idea of how to restore the small circular opening.
The Eagle Parts resin piece... not so good.
Several issues here. One is shrinkage. The part is a wee bit small based on comparison to the kit part. This is most apparent in the insufficient width of the part.
There is also a funky little warpage going on that corkscrews the front of the cowling down and to the right looking forward.
Time for a hot water bath! I was hoping that some bending and coaxing would be sufficient to get a decent fit out of this part. I widened the rearward gun hatch portion to match the fuselage and coaxed the warpage out. The fit still sucks. I'm not going to fight this one so it'll go into the spares box unused. Maybe I should swear off on these large resin pieces... more frustration than their worth.
But before I put the resin piece away, I'm going to use it as a model to modify the kit part. As you can see, the humps over the gun bulges are flatter and more subtle on the accurate (but ill-fitting) Eagle Parts cowling.
I used a couple pieces of thin sheet styrene to serve as a foundation for the built up area.
White milliput is gooped on. For some peculiar reason, the first application did not react with water and I had to remove it with iso alcohol and start over. This is the second application.
Using water, wet fingers and a damp paper towel to remove the excess, I roughly shaped the valley between the gun bulges. I'll let this dry and then further refine the shape with sandpaper and Mr Surfacer putty. If all goes well, I can rescribe any lost panel lines. I have an idea of how to restore the small circular opening.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Nice work on the cockpit and the cowling corrections John. Heck of a size difference with that resin cowling !
T Bolt
Colonel
Very nice work in the cockpit John
Crimea_River
Marshal
With Glenn.
Donivanp
Captain
Looks like lots and lots of fun here John.
- Thread starter
- #38
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks for checking in guys! Fun on the Dora continues and I mean that literally since I do enjoy this type of voluntary and manageable correction. After a round of puttying and sanding, the corrected gun cowling seems to be taking shape.
It's difficult to discern the surface imperfections but another round of Mr Surfacer 1000 application and sanding and it looks to be getting closer to the desired result.
The repaired area is given a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinner through the airbrush (my preferred primer coat). It's hard to tell in these photos but the large square piece of sheet plastic stands out since it has a more pronounced "valley" than the surrounding areas. I'll give this area a dollop of thicker Mr Surfacer 500 to help even this out.
It's difficult to discern the surface imperfections but another round of Mr Surfacer 1000 application and sanding and it looks to be getting closer to the desired result.
The repaired area is given a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinner through the airbrush (my preferred primer coat). It's hard to tell in these photos but the large square piece of sheet plastic stands out since it has a more pronounced "valley" than the surrounding areas. I'll give this area a dollop of thicker Mr Surfacer 500 to help even this out.
Catch22
Major
Fantastic start John!
Donivanp
Captain
Looking good John.
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