Martinnfb Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Some nice pictures here 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Impressive work, Chris! The molded detail on this kit looks very crisp. I've always liked the looks of the Cat, but I'm a 1/32 scale snob and the HpH kit is a little too much. I look forward to seeing this one finished. Personally, I use Mr. Surfacer 1500 (black) as a primer and as a finish coat for large black subjects (my 1/72 USS Scorpion was finished this way) - a smooth, satin finish that dries super fast and is tough as nails. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 The Patient is ALIVE!!! Sorry to steal Peter's update format (which is brilliant, by the way!) but I am just so happy I don't know what to do. Doing the Belcher Bits tail conversion on the Cat is something I've never attempted before - anything on that scale - and I was certain I'd cut the fuselage poorly or crooked or in the wrong place or whatever. Long story short - it worked!! I have to say thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support in doing this conversion. Here we go! The very simple and clear instructions from Belcher Bits said to cut 3.2mm in front of the last panel line. Basically where the scratch mark here is. I measured using calipers, actually, and the metal points were handy for making the scratches on the surface. Must say, very happy the paint shows the scratch clearly. Next step was to mark the line using tape for use as the border for the cut. FWIW, this is the ZM tape. Both sides were marked. Since I am a neophyte at this kind of thing, I decided to do a 'practice cut' close to the tail just to see how the razor saws worked on the styrene and how easy/hard it would be to keep on a straight line. While it LOOKS bad, actually the cut was very clean and straight. I scraped the blades around to see if they would find the groove (they did!). Speaking of razor saws, here is what I used. Started with the dual-sided razor saw (with the snapped blade) as it seemed to be easier to start the line with. Debated which side to use, and eventually went with the full-length side (60 count? Can't remember). I do have a replacement blade, but there are times when the shortened blade comes in very handy (like cutting small clear parts). Once the cut line was established on the fuselage, the old, trusty razor saw came into action. This thing has to be 25 years old and mostly is used to cut resin pour blocks from parts. The two blades are about as fine, but the larger razor saw provided the hope for a longer, straighter cut. It delivered! Instead of flipping the fuselage around and cutting right and left sides, decided to start on the left side, cut most of the way through, then use that to guide the saw for the right side. Does this remind anyone of the Halloween costumes of a saw-blade buried in the head? Here is the comparison of the two tails. While the kit tail looked fine to my uneducated eye, wow, the resin tail really provides a different profile. And the moment I know you have been waiting for. YES, it fits BEAUTIFULLY! Some filler will be needed, but wow, I don't think a lot given the how well the dry fitting is. From the top. The fuselage halves are not fully joined this far back. I was not sure what to expect with the fit, so left some wiggle room. Does not look like it will be needed. Time to give the resin tail a good washing and will more than likely attach it to the fuselage tonight. Whew! 12 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 That is excellent, like I said, Mike's stuff is top drawer and he is a great guy to deal with ............. this is a cool build ! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landlubber Mike Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Wow, that worked out perfectly, nice job! I'd probably need a stiff drink before attempting that! 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 Thanks Jeff and Mike! If this hadn't worked out, not sure what plan B was going to be... The bottom of the resin tail doesn't quite match up with the contours of the fuselage bottom, but it is pretty close. Left side matched up perfectly fuselage with a nice tight line. The right side was off a little bit, but that could have been my cutting. Still, pretty close! The bottom contours are off but again, pretty close. Letting this cure for a day, but in the meantime, its Voodoo time! Chris 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 Looks great and the panel lines seem to match up pretty well too. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 1 hour ago, GusMac said: Looks great and the panel lines seem to match up pretty well too. Thanks! Looking forward to seeing how the tail affects how the plane looks, once it is painted. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 Great job on the tail-ectomy. The fit looks really good for such a big graft. Carl 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 Chris Brilliant work and nothing like treading into the unknown - No question your plan of attack was logical and worked out perfectly. A nice steady hand and the cuts were right on the money. Of course, I can't express how much I appreciated all the detail photographs of the tail replacement. Just glad my presentation/update style worked so well for you. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackster Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 I salute your bravery, I am very glad it worked out as well as it has done! Cheers Kev 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landlubber Mike Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 That came out great - the panel lines match up very nicely. Don't forget what you did on yours because I might have to send you mine whenever I get to the kit! Did you end up hollowing the inside of the tail? Mine is completely solid which means substantial weight. I think the later versions had hollow centers, but mine must be one of the early iterations. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 Chris I'm right with Mike as if you removed any resin from the inside of the tail to lighten the load. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share Posted January 24, 2023 Mike and Peter - I started to hollow out the tail but realized that I was not going to get enough out to really make that much of a difference. Oh yeah, it is definitely tail-HEAVY. Mike, I just hit the Belcher website and it looks like he released a later tail for the 5A and it is two pieces, so hollow. Oh well... The bottom contour is off - ironically the resin piece is flatter while the kit's fuselage is scalloped a bit. But it sounds like we have some of his early work so I have a feeling the newer pieces fit even better. Oh well! Now in the process of researching the crew dress so I can get them painted, then masking the clear parts. I want to show both pilots in their seats, one waist gunner on his gun looking out, and the other waist gunner looking out the open window for a downed crew. These pictures help, but if anyone has a larger/better ones I would be grateful! 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share Posted January 24, 2023 13 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said: Great job on the tail-ectomy. The fit looks really good for such a big graft. Carl Thanks Carl, much appreciated! It was a big cut. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share Posted January 24, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 10:59 PM, Martinnfb said: Some nice pictures here Thank you Martin! Sorry, missed hitting send on that. I did get to see the Catalina based at Duxford taxi and fly off - these are grand aircraft! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landlubber Mike Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Chris, thanks for that info. I might go ahead and pick up one of the newer tails as I'm not sure that I want to risk hollowing it out. Of course now that I'm looking at the Belcher website I'm seeing lots of interesting goodies... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 21 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said: Chris, thanks for that info. I might go ahead and pick up one of the newer tails as I'm not sure that I want to risk hollowing it out. Of course now that I'm looking at the Belcher website I'm seeing lots of interesting goodies... That is the problem with his website - lots of goodies to ponder over!! 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 A bit stalled at the moment on the Cat. Work, woodshop and the Voodoo took over some time, while I pondered painting the crewmen. The idea in my head will not pan out unless I look for other figure options: I wanted the waist gunners to be clad in more tropical wear, looking out the open blisters. Naturally, Monogram has all of the figures outfitted in full flight suits like they are flying bomber missions in Europe. Simplifies painting, but NOT what I had planned. Need to get into my spares and see what I can conjure up. I think I have a bunch of ground-crew figures (from Monogram's B-17 kits!) which I may repurpose. In the meantime - need to mask all of that glass (it makes the Seiran or Helldiver masking look simple) and hoping these masks fit up to Eduard's usual standards. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy1 VX-4 Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 You can also look into the Monogram P-61 Figures, They my work out better as they are Maintenance crew 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted January 26, 2023 Share Posted January 26, 2023 The surgery came out pretty neat, with a bit of sanding and scribing it should look perfect. When I cut plastic, I use Dyno Tape as a guide, which is a bit stronger than Kabuki tape. Cheers Rob 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 26, 2023 Author Share Posted January 26, 2023 I'll look up the P-61 figures as I think that is exactly what I had in mind. Thanks for the suggestion! Rob - yeah, I was thinking of doubling up on the tape but it was really more of a visual guide. The cut, especially with that long razor saw, was very straight and straight forward so once it got going, it was very easy to change the angle of the saw and just keep cutting. This was really a VERY easy conversion. Mr Belcher is to be commended for his fine work! Perhaps a future build will be to put the Aerocraft resin filleted-tail onto the Revell early P-51D, in addition to their windscreen. Basically, the same thing as replacing the tail on the Cat. The result is a much easier and less expensive 1/32 P-51D. Now just have to get another set of the AMUR resin flaps! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 So after the successful grafting of the Belcher tail onto the Cat, I see a huge (for my eyes anyway) issue: The panel lines on the resin tail are ginormous (and the join also needs some serious attention). The lines were on the unpainted tail, but for some reason that just didn't register on my addled brain. I think the next step is to spray them (brush them?) with some Mr. Surfacer 500 and try to fill them in as much as possible. There is such a huge contrast between those lines and the fine detail on the fuselage. Here is a picture of the Catalina based at Duxford, and the tail is very smooth. Zoom in and it is clearer - sorry for not posting the zoomed in picture. I guess I'm breaking out the Mr Surfacer, or maybe this is a time to see if the Sprue-Goo works? Maybe do one on one side, and the other on the other side? But off to dinner with friends first so will see if I get to this tonight, or tomorrow. Chris 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Chris, I'm not sure the sprue goo would work well as the tail is resin and it may not bond well to it. I'd stick with either Mr Surfacer or possibly Mr Dissolved Putty. The latter shrinks a bit more though and is a bit softer when dry. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 These panel lines on the Belcher tail are positively ugly. Not sure they even make sense from a structural point of view. And I’m with Carl: sprue goo won’t hold to resin. Hubert 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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