CANicoll Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 Have to hit the pause button on this build as this coming week is going to be busy. Moving my 88-year-old mother into a senior living facility nearby this week. Lots of work left to do on the stencils, markings, Sidewinders, attaching the wheels to the landing gear (and any suggestions on how to attach resin wheels to the landing gear using screws?) not to mention some touch up and details to be added including the nose probe. Probably a couple of week's worth or work left (don't hold me to that!) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Chris Mom absolutely comes first and you are doing the right thing as she needs the care a home can provide. No doubt all the remaining stencils will be waiting for you when you are back at the bench. Wish I could help out about the resin LG question but that is uncharted waters for me and I would only be guessing at best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Like Peter says, Mom firs, Chris. The F4 will not run away. I doubt, screws are a solution to mount the resin wheels. I guess the LG axles are relatively thin and won´t take a thread without disintegrating. Maybe you can strengthen the assembly using brass tubes, one fitting onto the axle and the next larger one fitted into the hub. Albion makes ´slide fit´ brass tubes, which actually slide into each other with minimum tolerances. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 Hmmm.. Slide fit would be interesting. Nice idea Rob, thanks. The white metal LG should take the screw but you just reminded me I need to check the diameter of the holes. On the main gear the screws hold the tire/wheel to the leg, on the nose gear the screw seems to just hold the two nose wheels together onto the leg. Will check out the Albion option - thanks! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Chris Is it possible to use the kit's landing gear (metal & plastic) and graft on the 3D printed/resin details? I've watched a few videos of 3D landing gear being used on the 1/32 scale Italeri Tornado and the gear just fit perfectly. I'm only guessing but the way Tamiya designed the F4 with a lot of screws, was to add the maximum strength to the gear parts, as the Phantom is one big and heavy brute! On my Tamiya Spitfire build, the gear is held in place by screws as well, allowing the gear to be positional rather then fixed in place. While I'm not crazy about all the movable features on the model, which Tamiya did away with on their later kits, it did make for a super strong and positive way of attaching the gear. I'm still not sold on how strong the 3D printed gear on F4 will actually be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Chris, like the others have said look after your mom first. We can all wait a bit more for your masterpiece. For the gear, the main legs use a screw through the leg and into the wheel. Just drill a slightly small hole in the resin wheel and screw it in place. You can add some slow CA to get a better hold if you want. On the nose, I use a brass rod to replace the screw. Cut one long enough to go through the leg that sticks out on either side wide enough to mount the wheels. This time drill a hole the same size as the rod. Hope that helps. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 Carl and Peter, One thing this pause has enabled me to do is sit and think about the approach, and give you all time to weigh in with suggestions that I had not thought of, so this is very helpful, thanks. Carl - First, I'm laughing over the masterpiece comment. Thank you!! I think your suggestions are exactly what I'm going to do. The nice thing is I have a set of digital calipers so I can get a pretty accurate read on the size of the brass rod I need. I have a bit more confidence in drilling and using a screw on the resin wheels supported by some thick CA. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 12 Author Share Posted July 12 Took advantage of some open time this evening to make a bit more progress on the nose stencils on the right side of the fuselage. Other than the Sidewinders, I think I have about 60 stencils still to do. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Chris Looking mighty good and just keep chipping away at those mere 60 stencils 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 Added 21 more this evening - working my way nose to tail... Finding that not all of the stencils have black and white options, however the placement is very clear so not really an option other than not use. Thus, there are some stencils 'misplaced'. Babies aren't dying so not going to stress over it! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 Got mom moved and had to deal with some last-minute issues but seems like she's getting settled in. Whew. In the meantime, been making progress. Declaring the Stencils done unless I find a few more to add along the way. Still need to choose the individual aircraft markings. Lots of bits to complete including the Sparrow missiles, touch-up on the nosecone and add the metal probe, add the various landing gear doors. But first is a sealing coat over the decals - tomorrow. I used part of computer interface pin as the metal axle for the nose wheels. Just happened to be the right diameter. The main gear went together easily, using the same drill bit which matched the size of the screws to drill the hole into the resin wheels. SLOWLY screwed in the screw to tap the hole. The nose gear is attached with CA, the main wheels are simply screwed in, for now. Now she does sit on the wheels. Also attached the wing tips, and got them to about the 12 degree angle. In the pictures they look more acute. I used a piece of cardboard and marked the 12 degree angle - these are pretty close. The gap on top is tight, underneath, not so much. Slow, but steady progress! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 She's starting to look the business there Chris. Nice to have her on her feet too. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 47 minutes ago, BlrwestSiR said: She's starting to look the business there Chris. Nice to have her on her feet too. Thanks for all your help, Carl! Would never have gotten this far without it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Looking good Chris.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullArmor Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 "I used part of computer interface pin as the metal axle for the nose wheels. Just happened to be the right diameter. "Those pins are also great as machine gun barrels 1/35 tanks. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Wonderful job you are almost there. I love it Mark 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Great solution about the landing gear axles, Chris. The F4 is rolling now and only a few bits until there is smoke coming out of the your fantastic looking bird. Cheers Rob 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Chris First and foremost; so glad Mom is now in her new surroundings and settling in. Congratulations on reaching and passing the daunting milestone of completing the stenciling awesome for sure. 🏆🏆🏆 A double congrats on working your way through all the gear issues and she looks great on her Nikes! Sometimes the camera position and focal length will cause distortion, especially if a wide angle lens or setting used and objects close to the camera will appear larger and a bit distorted. Looking mighty good 👍 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 It's always something! I'm finding that while the stencils are pretty thin and easy to apply, they also seem to not adhere well to the plane. I've had two come off just by touching them, and now a national insignia bubbles up while applying the clear coat. Ugh. I've used MicroSet or MicroSOL over every decal/stencil I put on, and let everything dry for at least 24 hours. The insignia was a surprise... as you can see here, there are significant bubbles on the top of the star in the blue (not there before I started spraying) but those came from something you can't see, which is the bottom of the blue roundel is simply sitting there - it raised off the surface when I was spraying the clear coat. Never had that happen before. The insignias are from the stencil sheet, not the kit or the Zotz sheets. The two insignias on the fuselage seem to be ok. Once the clear coat is dry, I'll see about popping the bubbles, or maybe lifting the entire decal and applying another one. Here is what is left of the stencil sheet... Off to work on the Sidewinders! 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Ouch. AFAIK, Tamiya decals are not considered their forte (I can’t really judge, as I have not touched a Tamiya kit for at least 25 years …). Looking at your pic, you’re probably better off removing the insignia completely. Just my Hubert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 Is there liquid into the bubbles or just air, Chris? Is it possibly a reaction of the clear coat wit the decal? I usually mist a very thin layer of clear lacquer over the decals and let it dry for some minutes, before seriously sealing them in with a proper layer. It may help to apply a bit of heat from a hairdryer, but carefully. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 15 Author Share Posted July 15 Rob and Hubert, Thanks for the suggestions, I very much appreciate it. I'm not sure of the cause. These were from the stencil sheet, not Tamiya's decals but it was the only one that reacted that way - strange... Rob - the bubbles are definitely air, likely from when I was spraying the clear coat. Still, very strange! I thought I would try something before removing the old decal and trying a new one: I used a very sharp knife to cut a few slits into the decal, then used a wide flat brush to apply some MicroSol over the entire decal, being careful to try and press out the bubbles. It took a couple of goes, but so far, I'm about 95% happy with the result. The hard part is just letting the MicroSol work and not playing with it. I just did one more go, popping a couple of smaller residual bubbles so will check it out later and hoping for the best. Thanks again for the suggestions! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 15 Author Share Posted July 15 Quick update - the MicroSOL worked its magic. The insignia is flat as a board at the moment. Yay! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 While waiting for the clear coat over the wing insignia to dry, as well as the primer on the Sidewinders and touching up the nose cone, I got the unit identification added, as well as some personal markings. Pictures to come tomorrow hopefully after successfully adding the sharks' mouth decals (sorry!) But I learned a few lessons: 1. Zotz decals are very resistant to MicroSOL and MicroSET. Even with a blow dryer... I didn't seem to have problems with their nose checkers on my Tamiya 1/32 Mustang Big Beautiful Doll. However, ONE application of Solvaset seems to put the decal into the panel lines, only for the lines to disappear over time. DO NOT use anything to try and push the decal into the panel lines... see number 2 below... 2. Notice I said ONE application.... I went back over the decal with the Solvaset brush, and yes, some of the color of the decal came off. WTH? 3. Solvaset will also eat through MRP Clear, and MRP Paints. That I didn't know... So, continuing to make progress, despite ongoing stumbles... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Chris Sorry for being late to the party and as far as the decal issue goes, your fix did the trick, as I thought is was a lot of trapped air under the decal. Why so much air actually remained under the decal is a mystery but for me, I just keep working at removing any bubbles I see before I let the initial Mico applications dry. Could have been something in the water that reacted with the solutions and the decal, l trapping the air - who knows. Thanks for the update on the how to's when using Zotz Decals. I have a few old sets, never used and now I know what and how to do. . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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