Kitty Hawk F-5F done.

[Clunkmeister]

Proving I can follow Ivan’s direction....

 

[Clunkmeister]

And quickly found the Mother of all Gaps after joining the two fin parts.  Ain’t that sweet? This looks like a job for Mr. Dissolved Putty...

[Clunkmeister]

So far, this kit has been all grins.  This model just hollers and screams to be super detailed. What’s in the box looks and goes together perfectly, but believe me, my next build will be going a bit on the stupid side. 

[Ivan Ivanovich]

Sometimes, I catch myself wanting to give the KH designers a sound fish slapping... 

 

[Guest DannyVM]

On 11/15/2018 at 5:29 PM, Clunkmeister said:

What I know of jets:

1. air goes in the front

2. fire comes out the back

3. they go really fast

4. they look really cool

5. they're really loud

You forget Ernie, they kick ass

[Martinnfb]

[Clunkmeister]

3 hours ago, Maxim said:

I think it's typical Kittyhawk. So close but they just drop the ball a little at the end. Sometimes I think it's rushing to get the kit out without final checks and balances in place.

I’m not sure Is go QUITE that far, Max, but the gap is there and fortunately, easily dealt with.  I’m not sure what could have been done differently with the fin because I’m not an expert in plastic molding technology. There is no panel line or any detail close to where the join gap is, so I’m glad the seam repair must be done there rather than in a high detail area.   Most F-5s have the VOR antenna on top of the fin, so it’s correct for most F-5 builds.  The Frankentiger doesn’t have it, so 2 minutes with a sanding stick fixed that.

And there’s plenty of kits out there from beloved manufacturers that have minor sins well beyond what I’d say this kit has. A certain 1/32 P-47 comes to mind: engine off center and covered in sink marks. Nothing horrendous and all easily dealt with.  Same with the same Company’s Bf-109s with the massive seam to fill on the port side cowl where the inserts are installed. Stuff happens. Yet those 109s are considered a gold standard. 

About the only thing I really DON’T like here is having to install the nosewheel leg and tyre as one of the very first acts of building.  It’s just asking to be broken.

[Peterpools]

Ernie

Agreed on all accounts. Sometimes we just expect non-perfection from a manufacturer and then when we find it, we’re vindicated in our pre build thoughts.  Other companies who have been with us for so many decades and some how they get a pass where others don’t

Peter

[Ivan Ivanovich]

On 11/29/2018 at 1:44 PM, Clunkmeister said:

(...) I’m not sure what could have been done differently with the fin because I’m not an expert in plastic molding technology. There is no panel line or any detail close to where the join gap is, so I’m glad the seam repair must be done there rather than in a high detail area. (...)

If they had omitted the two rudder mounting lugs/positioning aids as well as the corresponding slots, they could have moulded the vertical tail in one piece. I'll be using Magic Sculp 2K epoxy putty to fill the gap. Once applied, I'll be able to smooth it down with a wet Q-tip, hence minimising later sanding. 

[GazzaS]

5 hours ago, Ivan Ivanovich said:

If they had omitted the two rudder mounting lugs/positioning aids as well as the corresponding slots, they could have moulded they vertical tail in one piece. I'll be using Magic Sculp 2K epoxy putty to fill the gap. Once applied, I'll be able to smooth it down with a wet Q-tip, hence minimising later sanding. 

I recently did something similar with CA and baking soda when I built my ME-410.  I got rid of panel lines that were filled in the Cosford plane and left only those that I could see in historical photos.  I didn't fill the access ports, either.  A thin coat of CA, sprinkle with baking soda, 3-5 minutes to dry, then wet sand.  Saved me heaps of time waiting for slower drying stuff.

 

Gaz

[Ivan Ivanovich]

Been using the same technique, CA/baking soda/talcum, for many years until I switched to brown or black epoxy putty a decade ago.
Magic Sculp/Magic Sculpt is my putty (in fact it's a clay) of choice every time I have to rescribe or restore rivets/rivet lines. Dead sharp lines and contours - no cracking whatsoever. Once you've got the hang of it, you won't need any sanding after it's been smoothened with some water, a damp cloth or a Q-tip. After a final wet sweep with 3500-grit Micromesh, the Magic Sculp will be as smooth as baby's bottom and blend in perfectly with the kit plastic. 

[Ivan Ivanovich]

10 hours ago, Martinnfb said:

Two things...

One of the rare instances where you'll see an F-5E/F with opened gun gas purge doors and extended muzzle blast deflector.
And while we're at it, Kitty Hawk forgot the lower rear fuselage ballast weight between the afterburner nozzle shrouds... 

USN/USMAC Franken-Tigers had their 300lbs ballast weights removed. (no guns)
The ballast was introduced on F-1 standard F-5F aircraft to balance the longer nose and additional weight of the second cockpit.

[harv]

Ivan, what is the weight you are refering to ?....harv 

[Ivan Ivanovich]

"25 EXTERNAL TAIL BALLAST (F)"

[Martinnfb]

Talking about guns 

[Ivan Ivanovich]

Is a nice kit? Yes!
Is it a good kit? It depends... 
Is it a great kit? No. (KNIFE HAND) Too many errors, omissions and question marks.

Can it be a fun kit? Yes, make it a fun kit!

[HubertB]

56 minutes ago, Maxim said:

I was referring to the kit overall. Not saying it's not a nice kit and years ahead of the Hasegawa kit but getting the decals incorrect, panel lines incorrect etc is a sign of bad research or rushing the kit out the door.  Trumpeter are another culprit for this as well and usually worse though they do have some beautiful kits like the Avenger etc.  No kit is ever correct and that's why we are modellers.

Considering that they announced the TBD in 2006, and we are still waiting for it, I would say Trumpeter are not rushing their releases ... 

Just my 

Hubert

[Martinnfb]

well played Hubert  

[Clunkmeister]

1 hour ago, Martinnfb said:

well played Hubert  

Yup, well played.

[Clunkmeister]

4 hours ago, Ivan Ivanovich said:

Is a nice kit? Yes!
Is it a good kit? It depends... 
Is it a great kit? No. (KNIFE HAND) Too many errors, omissions and question marks.

Can it be a fun kit? Yes, make it a fun kit!

Yup,

remember, I’m by and large a resin and Eastern European low pressure mold kit builder, so any kit that falls together without a room full of sanding dust or fit adjustment is good with me.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this build, and that makes me grin.

[Ivan Ivanovich]

Those among us who have battled Eastern Express, Amodel, Mach2 or Fonderie Miniature kits in the past, have, quite inevitably, a significantly higher pain threshold.  

Also, the two-seater's fwd fuselage seems to go together in a much more straightforward manner than its single-seated counterpart. What's next, Kitty Hawk? Separate ribs, stringers, webs, tees and skin panels?  

Given the sometimes hilarious parts breakdown, the KH parts fit surprisingly/reasonably well. Deffo not Shake & Bake, but it's OK. Most kits require a fair amount of extra work to depict them with hatches and doors open. KH kits, in turn, require pretty much the same amount of extra TLC just in order to batten down all those hatches... 

[Clunkmeister]

The two seater’s hatches fit great when closed. Now I haven’t built the single seater...

One of things that I like about Kitty Hawk is, like you say, oddball parts breakdown, and yet when you build it, POF, it all actually not only fits, but fits beautifully.

My next Kitty Hawk build is a Kingfisher, so be ready for some hooting and hollering coming from my bench.

[Ivan Ivanovich]

The F-5E is a different animal in that regard. The gun bay covers alone are wobbly two-piece assemblies requring some degree of out-of-the-box thinking. The entire fwd fuselage is a wobbly affair. Also, you'll have to sand down those silly cover latches - depicted in open position. If you want a really flush installation, be prepared for some serious sanding, rescribing and riveting. Sometimes, the delicate surface detail is just too delicate.

 

[BlrwestSiR]

8 minutes ago, Clunkmeister said:

My next Kitty Hawk build is a Kingfisher, so be ready for some hooting and hollering coming from my bench.

You know you're the reason there's a Kitty Hawk Kingfisher in my stash right? I watched your first build and suddenly had the urge to add a float plane to my collection. 

Carl

 

[Clunkmeister]

I bought the full Eduard set, some Yellow Wings decals, and a bit of reference materiel. 

It’ll be a semi quirky floatplane build with an awesome opportunity to exercise the airbrush.  I’ll warn you though. I built the engine a while back when it was getting trashed online, and it’s an ‘adventure’, not because of poor fit, but because of poor instructions. There’s plenty you can leave off the engine, like rocker covers and most of the accessory section if you’re modeling a closed cowl. I’ll post some pics once the F-5 is done. 

I think the Kingfisher will display quite nicely next to the HPH PBY-5. 

Carl, there’s plenty of little details you can odd to the Kingfisher cockpits to make it into a stunner. Mostly in the rear pit with gun mount details, radio wiring, etc.