First Ever Official RPF Group Build - IT HAS BEGUN...

Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

You do - MiB HQ...

Yeah, but I can't get any of them to give me a tour. Every time I knock on the door, they point a chrome plated tampon at me and I wake up in New Jersey.

-Fred
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

I'm surprised that you actually REMEMBER them pointing that device at you. :lol

I can certainly empathize as living in the middle of the US means there isn't much to get inspiration from when it comes to spacecraft, although things are getting a little better. The Kansas Cosmosphere is about 6 hours away and while the Strategic Air & Space museum is much closer, I've seen their stuff for years and there isn't much space related hardware. Although I can't complain too much since they have an Apollo block 1 capsule on display, some smaller NASA artifacts, an SR-71 Blackbird and the recently arrived X-38 CRV. Plus back in 2006, we had the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule on display when it was a travelling exhibit (it is now on permanent exhibit at the Cosmosphere).

Admittedly though, the eye candy you can see at KSC, the Smithsonian or Edwards AFB periodically makes me ponder wanting to move close to one of those places permanently. That is until I look at how much rent I would have to pay to do so. Plus, I'll be going to KSC next month to watch STS-131 lift off, so at least I can get my "fix" of spaceflight induced endorphine release in my brain (it is worse then any illegal drug I know of, or sniffing Testors tube glue. ;) ).
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Just a heads up, there's an wesome conversion article in the latest Fine Scale Modeller on how to convert a B-52 to a Mothership. Looking foward to following this build!!
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

I'm surprised that you actually REMEMBER them pointing that device at you. :lol


Yeah, my best guess is that they don't set the time back far enough to account for the original encounter. That's why these guys are door agents and not field agents - get what you pay for, I guess :lol




Just a heads up, there's an wesome conversion article in the latest Fine Scale Modeller on how to convert a B-52 to a Mothership. Looking foward to following this build!!


That was a really good article - some of the guys that submit the articles are just phenominal modelers.

Why not join the build - it'll be more fun than just following ;)

-Fred
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Ok, im confirmed on the B-52 mother ship (PROVIDED I CAN FIND A KIT) :angry

Thus far it seems all the kits that are in a decent scale are out of production. Still trying to locate a Revell 1:72 or Minicraft 1:144
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Ok, im confirmed on the B-52 mother ship (PROVIDED I CAN FIND A KIT) :angry

Thus far it seems all the kits that are in a decent scale are out of production. Still trying to locate a Revell 1:72 or Minicraft 1:144

So if you build a 1/72 B-52, and I'm building a 1/72 X-15, and we're both in San Jose... I sense a finished group build photo op...
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

So if you build a 1/72 B-52, and I'm building a 1/72 X-15, and we're both in San Jose... I sense a finished group build photo op...

Your feelings are strong!

Sounds good to me

THOUGH i may end up in 1:144 since i cant actually find a 1/72 yet

EDIT: If anyone has a good source for online kits, let me know!
 
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Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Ok, well i have not been able to find a B-52 kit i can afford, nor any decals for the NASA mothership in the scale i want.

SO....

im going to instead do a Lindberg 1:48 XFY-1 POGO
 
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Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

What about trying to find the 1/200 Dragon B-52 with X-15A2 and Pegasus booster? They pop up periodically and you can do one essentially out of the box as you get all the right pieces and decals in that scale. Granted that model is OOP as well, but it might be a worth while alternative if one can be located.
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

i am still keeping my eyes open for a B-52 kit...but i think i will start with the XFY-1 kit.

Supposedly, a small shop near me has a B-52 kit, but i need to see what type/scale it is. Most likely its the 1:144 scale Minicraft kit. Which i suppose would be ok if i could find decals for it.
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

The only thing about 1/144 B-52s is all the ones done have been either Gs or Hs. The Minicraft kit is an early H model. At least you won't need to bob the lumps off the nose, but the nose profile itself will need to be reshaped. The tail will need to be made taller and the engines will need to have their two step appearance removed to make the turbojet engine pods (or if you can find a Revell G model, scrounge the turbojet pods from that). The tail gunner station will also need to be built up as while the NASA drop ships didn't mount a tail gun, the clear windows were back there and the profile was bulked up a little bit near the base of the tail.

If you do decide to try this though, in addition to the FSM article I highly recommend picking up a copy of Aerospace Modeler issue #10 as it has a great article on converting a Minicraft H model to a B-52D. Almost everything there is needed for a NASA NB-52A or B.

http://aerospacemodeler.com/
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

So sad that this is on page 2... maybe it should be stickied :love

So at first when I heard March was the starting date, I was kinda bummed 'cuse I had time to work on it in January, but now that its Feburary and I'm busy as heck I'm glad I got some more time before I have one more thing to add to the to do list :)
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Thanks for the bump, Liz :D. I agree with the "sticky" idea :cool. I had to put sticky in quotes, otherwise the sentence read funny, :lol:lol.

So, we're at just over one week left until the start. I just have to put the finishing touches on my current project and then I can clear the decks for the group build :D. I'm almost looking forward to the week's reprieve from sniffing modeling chemicals :lol.

-Fred
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

So, we're at just over one week left until the start. I just have to put the finishing touches on my current project and then I can clear the decks for the group build :D. I'm almost looking forward to the week's reprieve from sniffing modeling chemicals :lol.-Fred

"I love the smell of styrene cement in the morning!" As I'm pulling together all the stuff that I'll need for this build, I started thinking how this will be a great opportunity to learn from each other and to try new tools, materials and techniques.

It seems that almost everyone will be building up a plastic kit of one sort or another. That means cements and fillers, and everyone has their favorites. After trying a bottle of Tenax-7R plastic cement years ago I never touched a tube of Testors again. It's water thin and is pulled into a joint by capillary action, so it's got to be a tight fitting joint. Very fast too, and strong because the plastic is actually melted and welded together. I've also used MEK (from the hardware store) in the same way. I usually use a small paintbrush to apply the welding fluid but many use a bottle and thin needle applicator.

I've used CA for plastic joints as well, but usually only when there's a gap to be filled. Have not had much experience with the old "CA and baking soda" filler trick so I can't comment much on that, but it seems to be quite popular. Maybe someone else can detail that? Should also note that these materials are usually not good for you and everyone should take a few moments to get familiar with what they are using and how to use this stuff safely.

I have yet to find a filler that I like. I guess putty and filler materials need to be selected specifically for the requirements of the job, and there may not be a perfect "universal" putty. Never found the various Squadron putties to be good, I have an old tube of Dr. Microtools red putty that is slow to dry but not bad for some spot work. In fact, the best I've found is autobody spot putty. I know that some use various epoxy materials, but I've always found them to be difficult to smooth and sand after drying. So any professional advice on fillers and contour putties??

Later, as we progress, I would like to hear more about primers, and pre-shading panel lines, and all the cool uses for Future floor wax. Among other things.

Marcus
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

All good points. I've done space related models for years and there isn't really much about it that is different from other forms of plastic models. Only tricky bit is if one wants to get accurate, it typically means some form of scratchbuilding, or at least parts modification. It is very rare that a model can be done OOB and accurate. Although there are happy mediums in the center.

As for my cement of choice, I go with Ambroid Proweld. It is not as hot as Tenax, but it does the job in a similar fashion. Plus, right now I can acquire Proweld while Tenax is either not in production right now or worse (I work at an LHS and one distributor lists it as discontinued, no confirmation as to if that is really the case or if a new batch just hasn't been produced yet). Tamiya liquid cement is apparently similar to Tenax as well.

Filler depends on the job, but for small areas I tend to go for gap filling CA glue (usually Bob Smith IC-2000 rubber toughened CA glue, black in color so I can see what I am sanding). Large areas typically demand something stronger, so I use either Apoxie Sculpt or Milliput. I also have a couple bottles of Gunze Mr. Dissolved Putty for very light filling applications (sort of between Mr. Surfacer primer and a paint).
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Hey Marcus,

For styrene, I like Tamiya thin cement and ambroid pro-weld. The tamiya has a brush applicator and I use a touch n' flow needle applicator for the ambroid. Mostly when I'm trying to get in a tight spot. The tamiya is my first go-to glue.

I use CA for multi-media builds, like attaching PE to styrene or resin. My new favorite CA is Guerilla Glue brand. It bonds in seconds, so no longer having to hold two pieces together. Of course, I always have a big bottle of kicker on hand, for instant bonds. Dab a bit on one piece, put CA on the other and when the two touch - instant bond. For resin-resin bonds or large resin to styrene, I prefer 5 minute, two-part epoxy.

For fillers, it depends on the material and the type of filling. A small gap in styrene, I use CA. For larger gaps, I'll soak a piece of styrene strip in thin cement and work it in to the gap. Since it's styrene, it bonds with the surrounding areas and sands the same, so it becomes invisible once it's finished. For deep scratches (from sanding or scraping), I use Gunze Mr. Surfacer 500 and do clean-up with Mr. Thinner (which is just a styrene-safe lacquer thinner). For deep gouges and pits in styrene, I make my own filler. I cut up some sprue into a small glass bottle (like an old paint jar) and add enough amroid to cover it. Wait a while for the ambroid to melt the sprue and you have your own supply of liquid styrene. When you brush it on though, you have to work quickly as the ambroid will evaporate out and the stuff will harden.

Resin sort of has it's own set of "rules" for filling. For the errant, little air hole, just a drop of CA is all you need. Give it about a half hour and then sand it smooth. For larger divets, it's best to mix it with talcum powder as it gives the glue added strength and density. If it looks like the piece was hit by bird shot, 3M acryl-blue is your best bet. It's like bondo spot glazing putty, but better.

Now, if you need to rebuild detail or sculpt detail, Aves apoxie sculpt and Milliput white are going to be your best bets.

Now, a primer on primer. If you don't have a lot of micro detail to worry about, the $1 stuff from wal-mart is fine. Or if you can't get that, any spray can primer will work. They tend to be a bit thick, even in fine mist coats, so they will obliterate fine detail. If you do have a lot of fine, engraved lines and details, I love PolyScale undercoat. It's extermely fine and does a beautiful job of hiding sanding scuffs but leaving all panel lines and details, intact.

Pre-shading is an easy, effective technique for adding depth to any paintjob. In between the primer coat and the top coat, use your airbrush to paint a thin, black line, follwing all the panel lines. It's a very sublt effect, but you notice it. It's one of those things that you can't quite put your finger on, but you see the difference between a build that has it and one that doesn't. Here's my B-17 where I pre-shaded the panel lines

DSC_8154copy.jpg


It's hard to see, but you can see tonal variations along the panel lines.

Future - good for two things; canopies and decals. Got glass that you want crystal clear? Dip it in Future and let it cure. Lay the dipped piece on the thinnest edge you can, on a paper towel. Future is self-leveling and the paper towel will help wick the excess Future. Cover it with something so dust doesn't get in it while it's curing. If you do screw it up, soak it in windex (with ammonia) and start over.

Decals adhere best on a gloss surface. So your best bet is to either give the entire build a coat of Future, or apply Future where the decals are going to go. Then, once the decals have cured, seal with another coat of Future. Then if you're building something with a matte finish, you can spray your favorite flat coat after the Future has fully cured (I like to wait a week, just to be sure).

And another word on decals; if you have a decal that has to go on a multi-contour surface, invest in some micro sol and micro set. Use the solution to soften the decal and the set to pull it down on top of the detail. If done right, it will look like the decal was painted on.

Take a look at the closest Hinomaru - it's a decal, I promise ;)

A6M5-52.jpg



Anyway, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

-Fred
 
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Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Dang gig, that post is like a years worth of fsm!
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

Dang gig, that post is like a years worth of fsm!


:lol:lol:lol

I think I joined in Jan. of '07, so it's more like 3 years of FSM ;) :lol

It's funny how much stuff you can keep rattlin' around in your head.

-Fred
 
Re: First Ever Official RPF Group Build Sign-Up Thread - all experience levels wanted

The UPS guy just dropped off a huge box from Tower Hobbies. I'd ordered the 1/12 scale MRC/Atomic City Mercury capsule kit, and a bunch of supplies that I was running low on. It's like Christmas! I've downloaded the entire NASA Mercury Spacecraft Familiarization Manual and have a set of drawings coming from RealSpace Models. Now maybe a trip to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Scott Carpenter's Aurora 7 is on display.

This model is big and appears to be very well engineered. I'll get some pics up when we officially start.

Marcus
 
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