<div class='quotetop'>(PHArchivist @ Jul 15 2006, 03:31 AM) [snapback]1281144[/snapback]</div>
Just realized the nose on this thing is a firm rubber material. Damn lawyers.
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Yep, and its undersized and has a cut-out for the front landing gear too. ALL a big part of the reason why I did a very simple ram cast of my maxi nose cone, which helped things along nicely. I did have to hack off the underlying plastic to make this work, but it wasn't really a concern for me since I never did plan on trying to modify that vinyl PITA nose cone.
FWIW, this was my pre-resin and silicone days, and I did it with nothing more than readily available items, like some saran wrap, vasaline, bondo and plaster of paris. Pretty simple to do, just takes some time and creativity, and it'll give you a heck of an appreciation for the "old school" days we all take for granted, pre that modern miracle of 2 part resin and quality silicone in every garage makers hands . . . back when even the PROS had few materials to work with other than expanding foam urethane resin and BONDO.
So, it went something like this:
Take the maxi nose, cover with vasaline lightly. Take a line about 1/2 down the side and make "pocket" with saran wrap. Pour 1/2 plaster of paris, making first half of mold, and be sure to give yourself some kind of index marks fro the 2nd mold half to "key" into. When dry, recoat maxi nose with vasaline, and remove saran pocket, and make new pocket covering plaster of paris from bottom mold half. I did this by demolding the maxi nose, putting saran wrap in the pocket left behind, and then putting maxi nose back in. Pour 2nd half of mold, and then seperate wrap and mold parts. Coat inside of mold with some gloss paint, and then when dry add a thin coat of vasaline. Mix up some bondo, and start craming it in from the body area hole with a pencil sized dowel. When you get it full and tamped down well, and you have to work FAST, let set and then pull apart the molds. If you catch the bondo before it sets fully you should have a few good minutes of when its still soft but doesn't deform, makes any bulk cleanup a cinch with a knife. Once it hardens fully, bust out the sanding stick and some spot putty, and you've got a passible maxi nose copy, on the cheap $ wise, but of course not labor wise.
Makes sense I hope . . . I still have 1/2 my "mold" laying around, kept it for sentimental reasons and to remind myself what I went through (makes a great paperweight too, keeps those ref pics from floating around.), and what the old school guys used to have to do to replicate a simple part, and to keep me appreciating the tools and materials we take for granted today. I'll take a shot of it with the rest when the camera gets back . . .
Hope that helps, and since I think you said you have a maxi to use as a base I though you'd find it an interesting possiblity for you . . .
Hey, and shoot me a PM, I may have some pieces to help you along toward getting a nicer build . . .
Ryan
