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Post by agalbraith on Feb 13, 2012 19:03:19 GMT 12
WOW!!!!!
I was wondering the other day how this was coming along.......well worth the wait!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 13, 2012 19:22:17 GMT 12
Hell yeah. There's more precision in this kit than the real thing I reckon.
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Post by mstokes on Feb 28, 2012 21:25:19 GMT 12
Just a quick update on my progress. Fitting etch is a fiddly process so it is going a bit slow with superglue fingers and all. Not too much text, just some pics to keep some interest up... Some of the 'assorted' straps and strengtheners. Bof had a 950 hopper in her so there were some individual panels and strengtheners unique to her that were best represented in this medium Underneath, still working here. Now have the correct panels attached as well as some I had missed earlier. The wing strap (where the dihedral is) looks much better here than before (where it was plastic strip that was not very straight!) The cowls will look pretty awesome when done. I etched the panel with 'half of a hinge' attached, Simply cut some .04mm tube and then bend the 'comb' part around the tube. The cowls on the real BOF were not exactly streamlined, they sat a little bit proud of the aircraft so I will replicate this. The hinged detail also details the nose nicely.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 28, 2012 21:37:40 GMT 12
Amazing work.
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Post by mstokes on Feb 28, 2012 21:40:30 GMT 12
By the way, the cowl in the shot above is blu tacked on, I should have mentioned that as otherwise it alludes that BOF had a major gap between it and the nose ;D I also forgot to add the photos of the flap actuators I have done to replace the out of scale and bulbous plastic attempts. These were built up in 4 brass parts and then a hinge was added from some metal detail car parts I had in the stash. Only did two at a time as my eyes were fairly done by then ;D A knocked up shot of what they should look like when together
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Post by mstokes on Feb 29, 2012 13:10:53 GMT 12
Thanks Dave, now I just need people to stop getting married, rugby to go away, cricket to finish up and the pub to shut down and I might actually finish it....
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Post by fyl on Feb 29, 2012 13:41:31 GMT 12
Thats awesome work, Mike...keep it going, mate!!
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Post by mstokes on Sept 29, 2012 15:00:05 GMT 12
Small update, mainly just showing the more to scale etch flap actuators that I have added onto BOF to replace the over scale and low detailed plastic card ones. Each actuator is made up of 5 parts which were bloody annoying to fold, glue and attach to the model. Each one was quite weak on its own until the final stage where I added plastic rod to tie both ends of the actuators together. I have also been working a lot on the hood. It looked to short because it was really too high. I took out triangle slivers of the canopy and slowly 'encouraged it into a new shape. This was a very long process as it had to snugly fit the fuselage and it is always better to cut off too little than too much. It looks slightly better, but I am at the extreme of the cutting I can do in this now, so it will have to do.
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Post by mstokes on Oct 6, 2012 11:23:02 GMT 12
I have made some new seatbelts for BOF (the last ones were made out of foil and the paint was appearing to flake off). I also had a few overscale issues with the last belts and when I did my last etch I made some buckles for improved ones. The belt material comes from a mending 'iron on' patch that I picked up at the supermarket. It has a cloth surface on one side and a plastic surface on the other. This was perfect for balancing strength, scale thickness and durability. The adjuster buckles were made out of fuse wire bent around a small rectangular plastic rod. once you have slipped the buckle onto the belt, you then put a small length of straight fuse wire between the buckle and the belt to kick it out a bit and make it look like it is spooled. I found this tip online and found it very realistic.
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Post by agalbraith on Oct 6, 2012 13:45:33 GMT 12
Awesome Mike...look like they would actually work!
Cheers Anthony
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Post by the.x.man on Oct 7, 2012 9:37:12 GMT 12
Some mighty impressive skill on display here...
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Post by mstokes on Dec 16, 2012 12:36:52 GMT 12
Old seatbelts out, new ones in. I have also added real leather to the cockpit/hopper bulkhead. I will have more pictures in a few days, but have also fitted some Mike Grant decals in places where data plates would be and have printed some of my own decals to add as warning labels etc. I have also ripped out the old panel with the ignition, circuit breakers and switches out as I was not happy with its appearance and etched a new one which reflects the 300hp one. Airbrushed it buff this morning and once dry will add breakers, switches and ignition.
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Post by agalbraith on Dec 16, 2012 21:33:43 GMT 12
Stunning mate! I always look forward to this progress thread.
Not far now!
Cheers Anthony
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 17, 2012 15:15:37 GMT 12
Oh jeez, if this doesn't win any prizes I will be most upset! The reason I rarely comment in the thread is I worry I will run out of superlatives.
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Post by mstokes on Dec 21, 2012 23:03:16 GMT 12
More of an update, but I fear these may look repetitive and not that interesting. Having gone off the project for a while, I determined that the best way to refocus my efforts on moving this one along was to look at the construction stages and get them sorted. I had always worked on the theory that BOF would have the canopy hood attached after final painting at the very end of construction. However, looking at how the hood functions and the fact a rail needs to be added below the hood, I came to the conclusion that the hood needed to be added very soon if it is to function and have scale qualities. Add to this, I also I have etched a thin strap to go over the windshield part of the canopy which will provide strength and detail in this area and take care of the rubber seal that went over the front of the hood. This needs to be fitted over the closed hood to ensure clearance is ok and also needs to be done before the final paint. I am working on this also, so when I get around to posting any images of that it will be explained better. So I have digressed a bit there, but to add the canopy hood means that the cockpit has to be finished. There is limited room now to work in and this becomes very marginal after the hood is added. While I was happy with my original cockpit... it soon became not good enough! I had no data plates, labels or such detail in the cockpit and this was not accurate. When BOF had gone in for a rebuild in the late 70's, she had some more modern details fitted to the cockpit as in the then boom times, it looked like a 400hp motor would eventually go up front. Therefore my cockpit shared a lot more with a 400hp machine in terms of labels etc. The new and improved cockpit has: - New seatbelts as those fitted to contemporary 400hp Fletchers, made out of sewing iron on patch cut into strips, home made etch buckles and fuse wire harness adjusters. - Data labels for performance, warnings, fuel info and Ag Category details. Mixture of Mike Grant cockpit details and home made coloured decals. - Leather look alike self adhesive material to cover rear cockpit bulkhead. - New ignition and electrical panel. The new panel on the left of the cockpit I am very happy with. It is about a quarter of the size of your little finger nail and I decided to redo this as my first attempt was over scale, poorly painted and also not accurate. I thought I could live with this but when I had to do a second etch for the wing fuel tank straps, I thought I may as well do a few of these panels. One night I attacked the old panel with a plastic chisel, a pick and a flat blade. With a literally trembling hand I eventually managed to work most of it away. The old over size fuse wire switches were stuck fast into the panel and took a long time to work loose with a pair of needle nose pliers. Working blind I could hear the creaking of plastic and I worked away as patiently and calmly as I could hoping the fuse and CA adhesive was giving way and not the whole panel I had success! Probably the most risky thing I have done to a model ever and a few times I had to walk away, breathe and come back... but I had a clean space for a better panel Over all my rules on this self imposed saga and challenge of a build is that more than any other model I might do in my life... this one has to be the most accurate. I etched five panels and it took me three to get a result I was happy with. The simple 300hp ignition panel I made is a bit assumed but a far better representation. I only included a few circuit breakers (made from evergreen thin tube), a stall light (made from red painted clear stretched sprue), and a mixture of switches from my Archers rivets stock. The ignition is from aluminium punched with my Waldron punch and die set with a Waldron bezel from the stash attached over the top. I am very happy with the 3rd result and I put it in yesterday. You will see it as the buff coloured panel on the left of BOF's main instrument panel. I have rambled, I blame the endorphin's of a modelling victory, but now once I get the inside of the hood finished, I will be happy to seal up the 'office' forever. The only things that will go in later are a fire extinguisher behind the loadie's seat and a helmet. And here is the best photo I could get of the office with the much underwhelming but challenging ignition panel ;D Thanks for listening to the ramble!
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 22, 2012 9:45:38 GMT 12
It looks great! The colour seems spot-on based on my own ignition panel. You've done an exceptional job on the cockpit, you should feel very proud! Also, based on conversations I've had with people I consider to be modelling masters, the hardest thing to do with a superdetailed build is to know when to stop, otherwise you run the risk of ruining your work. I think you have the right idea to "seal" it!
You mention you've made several panels to get to this point...is there any chance I could get the "scrap" prior attempts for when the kit comes out? ;-)
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Post by mstokes on Jan 23, 2013 19:02:06 GMT 12
A bit of a delay on this one lately. Unfortunately I lost the canopy I was working on in the pictures you have seen before. I believe plastic fatigue was probably responsible or I may have had it too close to a solvent source on one of the ridiculously hot days we have had in Sydney of late. Disappointment meant I reverted back to a childlike like temper tantrum.
A few beers and a couple of days away and I pulled another canopy and have spent a month building a new framework with brass rod and brass strip. I am getting back to where I was before. No real update but I thought I would let those interested know it is still on the workbench, my Everest if you will!
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Post by hamfists on Aug 19, 2013 18:11:00 GMT 12
Love this build..any news?!
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Post by hamfists on Jul 28, 2016 23:33:51 GMT 12
Just wanted to bring this one to the top again..did it ever get finished?
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Post by ZacYates on Feb 28, 2020 5:59:29 GMT 12
Mike has just posted on Facebook that he’s brought BOF back to the bench, I’ll see if I can prod him into sharing his progress pics here too.
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