#4453553 - 12/17/18 06:30 AM
1/48 Academy F-111C
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Ajay
newbie
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newbie
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Brisbane OZ
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This one will take a bit i think, christmas and all as well as looking into all of the paint colours i need. I've done a bit of research on it so i know a bunch of the rework that needs to be done already, just got to decide on which way to approach a few of the issues like wing movement rework and the terrible fit of the cockpit section to the main body. It's a re-release upgraded kit with extra parts sprues and a new Cartograf decal sheet that is apparently leaps and bounds ahead of the original, which was my main reason for deciding on this kit as well as being an Aussie marked plane and because the F-111 is just a monster of a machine . From a review - 2010 'Special Edition' re-release of the kit, there is a turned brass pitot probe and additional sprues from a couple of the other F-111 variants that bring a Pave Tack pod, a 'Bunker Buster' GBU-28, GBU-130 rocket-boosted bomb with Data Link pod, the AGM-142 'Popeye' missile with Data Link pod and more. A new sprue "S" for this re-release has also been added that includes a much improved and nicely detailed instrument panel, a nose gear well and parts, antennas/sensors, ejector rack foot pads and newer wheel hubs Fairly basic kit overall still for my foray into planes which is what i wanted, no flaps or slats and not much detail in the engine area or wheel bays but i think she should turn out to be a nice looking machine, if a bit plain... The only one i won't be doing on this sheet is the 30 year anniversary one. I don't like my chances with that massive tail decal! Decals overall look like a few nights worth of fun After much deliberation i decided on 1/48 owing to the size and availability. I am going to have to look at getting some sort of decent display area though as my one small shelf setup is already owned by armour. Poor old Tiger commander would have stayed at home if this beast was buzzing around Also note how terribly thick those sprue joins are, that was one of my complaints on the Academy T-34 i had. The Tamiya armour sprues are in a different league. Before i even start this beast i need to find myself a nice new work area somewhere in the house so i can spread out a bit more.
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#4454144 - 12/21/18 02:05 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Nixer
Scaliwag and Survivor
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Scaliwag and Survivor
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Posts: 17,301
Living with the Trees
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Looks like another great project Ajay, and a very Merry Christmas to you also mate.
Thanks again for sharing.
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#4454152 - 12/21/18 02:29 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58
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nice build . Back in the early PC days. I went to a Flight Simulator . It was elaborate U changed into a flight overalls then hit the flight planning room them the a/c ( mock ups some with a cockpit others u just stood in surround by a mock a/c all hooked up to a large screen computer then u started a virtual Flight complete with Tower controllers and GCA. Anyway, My Flight was in a simulated F-111 Fun Times.
Last edited by carrick58; 12/21/18 02:37 AM.
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#4454155 - 12/21/18 02:45 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 24,029
oldgrognard
Administrator
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Administrator
Lifer
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 24,029
USA
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I’ve always loved the F-111.
Good project Ajay.
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#4454170 - 12/21/18 08:44 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,581
goon
Apex avoidance specialist
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Apex avoidance specialist
Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,581
Stone, UK
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I've heard a bit about the Academy kit, and you've picked a challenging one! Nice fix on the wing mechanism. (I built an early short wing 'C' from the Hobbyboss kit a few years ago. It's a big bugger!)
Looking forward to following the build, have a great Christmas and New Year everyone!
Gareth
Gareth UNDERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the front wing. OVERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the back wing. HORSEPOWER - is how fast you hit the wall. TORQUE - is how far you can take the wall with you. Read my scale modelling blog at www.latibuliser.com or mfhmazda787.com
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#4454349 - 12/22/18 01:08 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Ajay
newbie
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newbie
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Brisbane OZ
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Good to hear from you all, even though the net has been around so long it is now second nature, sharing what we enjoy via pics and conversations just never stops being a #%&*$# cool thing. Managed to knock out most of the front section in the last couple of days despite everything going on with last minute shopping and the semi madness Christmas always seems to bring. Staying up to late is still a thing even as you get older it seems. Jammed some folded card in between the cockpit and the wheel box and loaded some glue around both.. I always get paranoid sections like this will come loose over the years. I also stacked a bolt in a big glob of blu tack then glued it into the nose section so i don't end up with a tail dragger. You can see how average the two halves fit. This worried me a fair bit as i waited a few hours for the glue to set, i don't mind working with bog/filler on cars but it makes me nervous attempting it on small scale. Filling and sanding. I had to do one more application of the putty to get a decent result. I don't know why i didn't take a front on pic once i was at this stage. I think i was trying to capture the shape or maybe i'm just an idiot. The join is much better buuuuut i did end up sanding out a fair chunk of panel lines down the centre. I attempted a rescribe of some of them before painting but it simply wasn't going to end well so it is what it is. If it was 1 to 1 scale i reckon i could do it easily At the end of the day i was happy with the result when compared to what i had started with. Glass masked and painted. Very worried with my skill level with a brush and undecided whether i should attempt to paint the curves at the corners of the frame. That's 16 little corners i need to get right and i don't want to ruin the clear plastic. Any tips besides pure skill? (Looking at you Goon:) ) Cockpit looks much better know with the shroud filling it out. Needs some touch ups before i glue the shroud down. Canopy doesn't fit neatly, on any side, front or rear either. Need to decide what do in that area to make a clean fit. All in all it's coming along pretty nicely with a bunch of little hurdles in the way, one of them being my 50/50 hit or miss skill level. I am actually glad i didn't go to 1/32 scale as i think the detail may have been a bit too much for my first plane. With the armour if you have a crappy section or bad join you can just throw some weathering at it or claim battle damage, here it's all got to be fairly clean and smooth compared. And yes, along with Dart i also now am building a level of hatred for Goon and his particular set of skills that make this stuff look like a walk in the park Cheers all, seeyas after Chrissy!
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#4454397 - 12/22/18 06:00 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58
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#4454456 - 12/22/18 10:29 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 24,712
Dart
Measured in Llamathrusts
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Measured in Llamathrusts
Lifer
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 24,712
Alabaster, AL USA
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Hack! I call hack on this! No way it should look this good. Gotta be a cheat code or something going on.
The opinions of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events. More dumb stuff at http://www.darts-page.comFrom Laser: "The forum is the place where combat (real time) flight simulator fans come to play turn based strategy combat."
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#4454491 - 12/23/18 02:56 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Nixer]
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Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 13,735
F4UDash4
Veteran
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Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 13,735
SC
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It's the "Bawdy House" red padding that does it.
Must have been Aussie special order! Kangaroo leather.
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#4454554 - 12/23/18 02:44 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,581
goon
Apex avoidance specialist
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Apex avoidance specialist
Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,581
Stone, UK
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Looking really good, the cockpit is excellent. Any tips besides pure skill? (Looking at you Goon:) ) Don't look at me, my brush skills are terrible! Transparency frames need to be super neat, so I always mask. The easiest way, if you have well defined frames, is Tamiya masking tape and brand new number 11 scalpel blade. (And I mean absolutely unused, even a slightly dull one will drag in the tape.) Burnish the tape well in to the corners, a soft pencil is good as you get a line to cut along. Then cut the tape with as little pressure as you can. If you have faint frames, perhaps on a vac form transparency, then a micro punch and die set comes in handy. Make the right sized circles for any rounded corner and sketch in the straight lines with masking tape. I've also got some 0.5mm and 1mm tape that I use to follow curves that the punch won't make suitable circles for. You can tidy up any small gaps in the tape with something like Humbrol Maskol. The Aussie seats are meant to be sheep skin covered I've got a recipe for that! Worked quite well on my Lynx. Looking forward to seeing more, have a great Christmas down there Ajay! (And every one else, wherever you are.)
Last edited by goon; 12/23/18 02:46 PM.
Gareth UNDERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the front wing. OVERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the back wing. HORSEPOWER - is how fast you hit the wall. TORQUE - is how far you can take the wall with you. Read my scale modelling blog at www.latibuliser.com or mfhmazda787.com
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#4455238 - 12/29/18 11:56 AM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Ajay
newbie
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newbie
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Brisbane OZ
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Thanks for the heads up Goon. Still procrastinating about whether i will ruin my cockpit glass or not with an attempt though Got some hours in again. Getting the wing mech all working required filing away with a blade at the weapon mounts join point. They simply do not fit the little wing arm cutouts that swing off the main swing wing mech at the correct angles, some poked inwards and others outwards once fitted. I sliced the joining stubs on the weapon mounts to suit the rectangular hole in the wing lever as good as what you have to work with and then gave them a light glue to set. They sat overnight to harden and then they got another small dose of glue in the morning and a last hit just before bed. Gingerly gave it all a move the next day and voila, she all swings as nice as i feel i could have got it. The whol operation feels much better than out of the box . That was one monkey off my back. The next was the join between the nose and rear section, the fit is just meh. I braced the rear section with some sprue inside to push up where the spine of the plane meets the front section but no matter what they would not meet flush. The only fix is a filler so that's what she got. Joined the two sections, let it dry overnight then plopped some glue in the seam at the top. I ended up digging out one side worth of glue as the join was still terrible and then ran on down to the local hardware and grabbed some plastic clamps. These ended up being slightly overpowered as you will see below All the bits needed for the swing wing operation and for the rear body to go together. one side then the next First full smooth operation of the wing, you can't see, but i was smiling rather stupidly. The white Tamiya seemed to react with the Tamiya primer in the wheel well which was weird, maybe my second coat was a bit heavy. A bit of weathering and once all of the undercarriage and doors are in, it hopefully will not look so tragic. Both wings had to be puttied due to overlapping upper and lower sections. The dreaded join at the hump, without the inside sprue pushing the rear section up there was another 2 or so millimetres difference. This is with the sides and bottom of the model perfectly joined. In hindsight, the clamps had way to much oomph. My teen daughter went first test subject on her pinkie finger and said they felt fine. I blame her pain threshold for fooling me. First putty pass. I've over sanded for sure but i am going to have to live with some faded/missing panel lines. As long as i get that hump smooth i will be happy. She is sitting now with a second thin layer of putty for sanding tomorrow afternoon. I've read the horror stories of the Tamiya putty shrinking weeks, months and even years after application but i doubt ( fingers crossed) i will have that issue as the end result will be extremely thin and i am giving it 24 hours between applications and sanding. It's definitely been another learning experience that's for sure!
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#4455420 - 12/30/18 08:31 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,557
jack72
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,557
Toronto
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I rarely use putty anymore to fix gaps... I would use plastic shims, (you can go down to as much as 0.10), sand, then apply a line of Cyanoacrylate glue, and re-sand flush.
Never shrinks, can re-scribe if needed, and when priming and painting, you won't see the line.
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#4455639 - 01/01/19 02:48 PM
Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C
[Re: Ajay]
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Ajay
newbie
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newbie
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 19,381
Brisbane OZ
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