A Gutless challenge - Fisher’s mighty F7-U3 M. Working hard before trying to make both ends meet ...

[ScottsGT]

On 1/13/2023 at 1:11 PM, HubertB said:

The only issue of the Waldron set is that they rust, by simple contact with body moisture …

But somehow, probably linked to the cristalline structure of stainless steel, which includes chromium crystals, you cannot get as sharp edges with stainless steel punches as with ordinary steel …

My micro-punch set has also steel punches, and they rust, even when I never touched them, given the way the set is designed.

Hubert

Just a quick tip for the rust issue.  Woodworkers use a sprayable wax coating for their bare steel/iron table saw tops and other wood working shop tools with bare steel/iron surfaces.   Glide coat is one brand.  If you can clean them up, hose ‘em down with it. 

[Landlubber Mike]

Nice work Hubert!

[BlrwestSiR]

Stunning work on the ejection seat as well as the rest of the cockpit. I'd be completely frightened by the idea of repainting it after it's assembled. 

[DocRob]

The result looks absolutely fantastic, but your processual planning seems to be a bit on the weak side, or was that only to have an excuse to miss the deadline of the GB, Hubert?
I can feel all the pain you went through and my nerves wouldn't have kept up with it, I guess.

Cheers Rob

[HubertB]

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

The result looks absolutely fantastic, but your processual planning seems to be a bit on the weak side, or was that only to have an excuse to miss the deadline of the GB, Hubert?
I can feel all the pain you went through and my nerves wouldn't have kept up with it, I guess.

Cheers Rob

I think you nailed the issue, Rob  ! That was piss-poor planning on my side!
I looked at that bang-seat picture I don’t know how many times without managing to get the full picture. And not only the pic, but the drawings from the various manuals, including the tensioning device  detail drawing in the Ginter book. Then my brain stopped farting, but I had already committed to assembly, so it was disassembly, and more than once !
Ditto for the paint: I had read, and it’s mentioned by Fisher, that the seat was Interior Green. Then I re-read the painting instructions in one of the manuals, and found out that the tub was also painted Interior Green  !

If I had any prejudice that I was good at planning my modelling tasks, than this misconception was shot down in flames by my Cutlass 

Sic transit gloria mundi …

Hubert

[Clunkmeister]

Hubert, obviously you’re not going to finish this in time, but you, sir are receiving a very honorable mention in your gracious attempt to give this a good start.

So much so that assuming you continue right along with this build, once I’m finished my LSM obligated review build and the couple or 3 I have almost finished,  I’m going to join you with a build of the same kit.

You have absolutely inspired me here. 

[Peterpools]

Hubert

Awesome work on the front office and ejection seat. Don't worry about the finish line, just finish the Cutlass not matter how long she takes - awesome work for sure.

[GazzaS]

The interior looks great, Hubert.  I hate doing interiors...  Well...  maybe hate is too strong a word...   Keep up the good work!

[CANicoll]

Beautiful work, Hubert!  

[HubertB]

Ok. In spite of the GB being finished, I keep making progress on this one …

The last weeks have been spent, working on and - mostly - off, on populating the front landing gear well. With the Cutlass high stance, there is a chance that some of it will be visible, and the truth is that the well was pretty full.
In passing, you can find a lot of walkaround pics on the Cutlass, most of them of the Cutlass in the National Museum of Naval Aviation. They are very useful, but beware, a number of elements have been removed from this museum item. In this respect, the pics of the Cutlass under restoration a few years ago, help fill-in - literally - the  voids left on NMNA Cutlass.

The front LG well is crammed with hydraulic lines, and mechanical linkage rods. Fisher has represented only a very small portion of this - as they readily admit on the instructions - and you can - as I did - spend a lot of time adding details. 
I used some wire, of 0.4 mm diameter, to represent the hydraulic lines. Being a copper wire, it’s stiff enough to represent the hydraulic lines of the original, and be bent whilst keeping its shape. To represent the various connectors of the lines, I have used pieces of 1 mm square rod, 0.8 mm hex rod. Drilling those with a 0.4 mm drill to pass the wire through it is fun, and requires a steady hand  . I am quite pleased that I used only one bit for this, and managed not to break it 🤪 !

 

Anyway, here is what I started with …

As I mentioned previously, the ram represented in the well , which is the ram operating the landing gear doors on the original, is a bit too long, and requires shortening :

Then I added progressively the various bits, pieces, wires, tods, etc. to try to represent the original. Fisher provides some PE parts to dress up the well, btw, like the dials of some pressure gauges, which could be consulted by the but not the maintenance crew, but not the means to fit them in the well. So I also made some additional parts in brass sheet, either to support the dials, or to represent the frame supporting some of the linkage rods.

Here is what I have ended up with tonight. 
 

Now for some paint to blend everything together …

I still need to add, when the gear leg is in place, the final bit of piping for the compressed air of the wheels turbine, and the brake piping on the leg.

I will not do as much detailing on the main landing gear wells, which will not be visible. Just add some of the prominent pipes one can see on the original.

I hope you like it.

Some more pics to come when I have made progress.

Hubert

PS edit: replaced yesterday’s pics with sharper ones I took this morning …

[DocRob]

No wonder you didn't finish in time Hubert, with so many precious extra detailing going into the front wheel well only. It clearly is more visible with that natural near tail sitter and will be eye candy with equally detailed landing gear struts.
You should move your thread to the LSM under construction section, as, I won't speak it out again, ...deadline, ... GB..., ...wet,..., finished. 

Cheers Rob

[KevinM]

That's a model in itself Hubert Nice Work

[HubertB]

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

No wonder you didn't finish in time Hubert, with so many precious extra detailing going into the front wheel well only. It clearly is more visible with that natural near tail sitter and will be eye candy with equally detailed landing gear struts.
You should move your thread to the LSM under construction section, as, I won't speak it out again, ...deadline, ... GB..., ...wet,..., finished. 

Cheers Rob

 

24 minutes ago, KevinM said:

That's a model in itself Hubert Nice Work

Thanks guys.
I am really enjoying doing this type of detailing. Although I know I should be like Johnb, i.e. focus on an impeccable painting (but I am not sure I could ever equal his proficiency at this work) with minimal extra-detailing, as most viewers will never know nor see what went into this detailing, I just can’t help trying to reproduce the technical details in scale  … That’s an approach that does not help reduce the stash quickly though 😂.

Rob, you’re right. If any of the mods read this, can you please move this thread to the WiP forum (when you have the time) ?

Hubert

[Landlubber Mike]

That's really nicely done Hubert.  Love the extra details, fantastic work!

[BlrwestSiR]

Great work on the gear bay. I'm still plugging away at my Tomcat build as well so I'm sort of glad to not be the only one here. 

[CANicoll]

Hubert,  That gear bay is definitely a model unto itself, wow.  Almost a shame to stuff it into the fuselage!  And the steady hand to drill a .4 mm hole?  Nicely done!  

[Peterpools]

Hubert

WOW, the nose gear bay looks brilliant. Your detailing is so beautifully done.

 

[Martinnfb]

As per request from Hubert, I am moving this to regular Large Scale WIP section.

Cheers

Martin

[HubertB]

Thank you Martin. And now that I’m back from my trip (with my boy toy) in the land of foie gras, duck magret and duck confit, I should get back to it

Hubert

[Pete Fleischmann]

Good stuff Hubert- pleasure to watch you work!

 

P

[Clunkmeister]

Hubert, I’ll be joining you soon enough, and I’ll be using your build as a guide.  Stunning work! 

[Clunkmeister]

On 1/9/2023 at 8:48 AM, HubertB said:

You can always go roaming on Master194, looking for Sweety. Not been personally on that site for ages, between the ever-present bullies and the chainsaw massacre of the French language and syntax…   Using the tool is easy, as you push down on the spring-mounted punch. So no hammer necessary. Which is good on small dia punches. Plus, as you mention, it is guided in the vertical plane. I can’t remember if I paid the set 129 (most likely) or 169 €.

If RP Toolz have a set, it’s probably good buying one.

Hubert

My friend, you obviously haven’t visited Quebec lately, have you?  Their “French” will make you’re head spin.  To anyone taught Parisienne French, Quebecois French is abhorrent.  

[HubertB]

5 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

My friend, you obviously haven’t visited Quebec lately, have you?  Their “French” will make you’re head spin.  To anyone taught Parisienne French, Quebecois French is abhorrent.  

French canadian is based on XVII Century French. hard to understand, yes, but probably purer than the one spoken currently in Paris… But my gripe is more with the poor level of mastery of the language, even by supposedly educated young people.

To illustrate this, one of my favourite examples I use with people forgetting the syntax is the following :  « If I give you a payslip, and I put a stamp on it, do you prefer the stamp that says « Payer » (To pay) or the one that says « Payé » (Paid) ? » For many, I suspect it is the first time they realise there is a useful difference between « payer » and « payé », which have the same pronunciation, but a completely different syntaxic meaning ….

Ok, end of the rant by Old Fart Professor Hubert  

Hubert

[Bill_S]

On 1/13/2023 at 1:11 PM, HubertB said:

The only issue of the Waldron set is that they rust, by simple contact with body moisture …

But somehow, probably linked to the cristalline structure of stainless steel, which includes chromium crystals, you cannot get as sharp edges with stainless steel punches as with ordinary steel …

My micro-punch set has also steel punches, and they rust, even when I never touched them, given the way the set is designed.

Hubert

Those Waldron punches are simply ejector pins. Yes, the same ones that leave those wonderful marks for us.

[Peterpools]

I've had my Waldron Puch set since the very early 1970's, still have it and use it all the time. Matter of fact, it was my first modeling tool set for decades. Yup no rust and in perfect condition - of course I lost the case many years ago.🏆