32" Falcon My First Scratch Build

Thanks eric. your work is an inspiration my friend & something that drives me to go forward. Thankyou for your words as they are always encourageing. :cool
 
Howdy. Its been waaaay tooooo long since I gave this project some attention so when I got home from work this morning I went about glueing all the ribs to the base. Ive got them all glued down with the 'Weldon#16' great stuff & I won't be useing super glue any more. I will also go back over what Ive built & reinforce it with the Weldon. So the shape is there. I bought a bag of wall filler that I am going to use to fill in the ribs to build up the shape. Unfortunately this 500g bag aint even going to get close to doing the job & will need a premixed bucket at about $60 worth. This is going to be a costly exercise initself so better bloody well be worth it
 
Fantastic built!!

But would you mind to tell me tht wut kinds
Of tools youre using to cut off the round edge of the plate to make it balance?

Thx a brilliant
 
Hinako the only tool Im using is a Stanley Knife or Exacto Knife. None of the round edges are 'perfect'. You have to clean up with sand paper on a sanding pad as best as possible. The only other way world be to use a circle cutter or have the parts laser cut.
 
Thankyou very much for the hint to me!!
May try to built my own falcon someday!
Anyway once again thx a brilliant!!
 
No worries. Im still a learner also. Ive got my supplies to finish the plug so will be working on getting it done tonight. Have never done anything like this before & hope it works. Will be really kool to have 'Vaccuformed' domes for the hull of this build. Thanks for the support.
 
Had to work late & familly dinner at our house so didn't get this done tonight. I have the supplies & am keen to tackle this task. I have a can of foam filler that I will spray between the ribs to fill them. I will then use a box cutter to cout away the excess. I will then use this Polimer Putty to fill over the foam & smooth off. After all this is done I will sand down to the required shape. That I hope will give me a nice 'plug' to take to the plastics shop & have vaccuformed into 2 nice dome hulls for the Falcon
 
Ok so got home went for a walk with the kiddy's & got straight into it. I really have no idea if this will work. I saw Sean C a very good modeller doing something similar with the foam though was a different product etc. the method is sort of the same so my mind is telling me this will work Ive sprayed between all the ribs with the filling foam & it looks pretty bad right now. the plan is to come back when its cured & hopefully a box cutting blade will cut through the top along the ribs giveing me a roughly filled in dome shape. I will then come over that with the Poly Potty to fill in all the areas the foam didn't & give it a coate. After that has set I will sand it all down to the ribs & will then hopefully have a full shape which should be the plug for the Falcon Domes to get vaccuformed
 
The foam has started to cure & has expanded more filling in all the space. Pretty kool stuff! I think this may just actually work :love
 
So started cutting away at it last night & realised the centre hadn't cured. It had formed a crust over the top & the centre had stayed sticky & uncured. i cut some pockets to let the air in & left it over night. I got up this morning & gave it a bit of a bash. I used a hack saw blade & sawed through it. It was pretty hard going believe it or not. I now realise I could probably have got a better result using less foam & just let it expand. I guess we gotta learn some how & Im not unhappy with the results. A bit more shapeing & then can fill in the gaps & create a smotth coate with the poly filler. This is sorta fun in amoungst the stress of waiting for failure & success. Stay tuned.
 
Oh Lawd brother I hate that foam from a can stuff for building models!!:angry:thumbsdown If I knew you were going this route
I would have steered you away!! That stuff might pop under the heat
of vacuum forming and blow out the ribs. The worst part is if it doesn't
work your never getting that foam off of the profile and cross sections,
you will have to start all over again.Were you planning on using the spakle
or wall filler as you call it over the top of the foam? They have modeling foams
with densities that will hold up to vacuum forming, but the stuff from the can
could prove to be risky.The wall filler may also crack with the heat and pressure,
especially if your taking it to a shop to have it vacuum formed! A commercial forming machine will likely have a vacuum pump that is really going to test your
pattern in a bad way!!!!
I know the 2 part modeling clay I mentioned to you is expensive for a
model this scale, but I think minus that your better off filling those ribs
with balsa wood. Then sand it all down a bit and skim with bondo, or
automotive putty! If your going to go cheap go cheap and sturdy, the balsa won't kill you money wise nor will the automotive putty!!! Sorry I didn't catch you sooner brother but good luck.....maybe it will work out for you anyway, with the route your taking.:thumbsup

Regards,
Michael
 
Plus you have to remember that foam is very pours after you
sliced it down to the ribs. When you put that wall filler in there
the foam is going to absorb all that moisture unless you can seal
the foam. I don't even know how you can seal up the foam? I say
save the $60 bucks you were going to spend on the wall filler and
put it towards the balsa!!:thumbsup Your going to be much happier
in the end!:):thumbsup
 
Michael thanks for your feedback. was wondering where you were:confused Well its sorta too late now. I got a 'Poly Putty' rather than the spac filler. Not really sure of the difference :unsure Anyway its done now. Yep i aint gettin that stuff off the base now so Ive come this far & am just going to see it through :confused Going down this path was actually yours & Julians idea so I'll just blame you guys :lol:lol:lol Thanks for bursting my bubble.....
 
Ya we suggested vacuum forming it, but not to build the pattern like this.
I would never suggest using that foam brother......not in a million years,
I suggested the 2 part modeling clay. I realize it's expensive thats why I gave you the balsa as a alternative. You just popped up here with this so I didn't know how you were going about building the actual pattern to form.

Regards,
Michael
 
Yeah Jase, it wont work this way, Im affraid, because of the heat. Mike said it all...

Try to ask Neil (VOS) to know what kind of foam he used.

The best way would be to get the ribs filled with hard foam, sanded, then put a layer or 2 of fiberglass. Be sure to use aluminium powder in the mix to prevent the whole thing from heat. Then sand it smooth. That's how we do most of the time the plugs.

Ive also suggested to do a quater pie plug and do 8 pulls instead of making a top (or bottom) hull plug and make 2 pulls. It would be easier to make the plug, it would cost less and youd'd be able to put it in your oven ! :love
 
Here's the 2 part rigid foam I use for all my stuff.

http://www.smooth-on.com/Rigid-and-Flexible/c10_1122/index.html?osCsid=k61un5r4dvo94lcoggcn8ugtf6

I would use at least a 3lb density for this, maybe even 5. Sculpt it down to the cross sections, then cover it in bondo, not the bondo in the tube, but the 2 part auto stuff.

If you go that route you'll have to use heavier duty cross sections as the 2 part foam gets hot when it expands and will melt those thin styrene one's. I would go with something like wood, mdf, masonite or plexiglass for the cross sections.

An example of what I'm talking about.
n_009.jpg

n_010.jpg


And if you want, like Julien says you can put a layer of fiberglass over it.

n_014.jpg


Which will make it nice and smooth when you sand it.

n_025.jpg
 
Last edited:
Okly dokly. i was just kiddin about the blame game. No one to blame but myself. i was given the right info from the start. Big thanks Michael, Julien & Rel. Couldn't ask for three better modelers to get the right advice from. Nice examples Rel. I should have payed attention to what I was told so thats what i get. All good. I'll learn. especially with such great support. cheers guys. I'll have another crack & see if I can get it right.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chazzychaz
Mcquarrie concept falcon
Replies
6
Views
1,149
chazzychaz
chazzychaz
chazzychaz
Tie bomber wing mount scratch build.
Replies
2
Views
472
joberg
joberg
The Kaiser
Scratch Build: The Rock - Trembler Device / Motion Sensor
Replies
1
Views
732
The Kaiser
The Kaiser
S
5 Foot Falcon-My Journey Begins
Replies
13
Views
1,487
sd68
S
MARK M3
My PG Falcon build...Thoughts and a second look!
Replies
11
Views
921
MARK M3
MARK M3
Back
Top