Simon's Big Bird ***DNF*** :(

For the TSR-2, real or whiff.
Runs May 1st to 31st. GBL is Lancfan.
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SJPONeill
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by SJPONeill »

JamesPerrin wrote:I wonder if mounting and aligning the fuselage frames on a piece of square dowling would have helped utilizing the square Splash holes.
Makes perfect sense to me, James, and that is what I thought the Splash-holes were for when I built my first large scale aircraft. Unfortunately, any place where the holes coincide with the aircraft's centre line is an accident and when I tried to skewer the fuselage sub-assemblies on a piece of rod, it looked like something that Richard Dastardly might have dreamed up...I suppose it would be possible to determine where such a would run through the unassembled formers but I don't think that my geometry is up to it

The Defiant for which I built the cockpit in the Museum Display GB at the beginning of the year is one of the very few aircraft models that has a central keel that runs longways (as I guess a keel does) for both strength and assisting alignment. If I can get my measuring and cutting act together, I am going to try adding length-ways braces between the formers to add some strength to the fuselage. I will probably also have another go and using expanding foam to create a surface on which the skins can be laid without denting - once upon a time, I found a foam that expanded in the mixing pot and remained pourable for a couple of minutes so that there was minimal risk of the foam expanding and distorting the shape as it cured...you think I can find that stuff now..? Florist foam is another possible aid that I have been looking at as well, mainly because I just found a large chunk of it in the garage yesterday...

In the end though, I think that careful cutting of parts and proper preshaping will remain the keys to good alingment and minimal gaps...
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SJPONeill
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by SJPONeill »

No progress tonight as I have been working on Barbarella's ship in the SciFi GB...the TSR has been staring balefully at me across the table all night while have been watching Intelligence and Alcatraz on TV.... It will get some more love and attention tomorrow...
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splash
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by splash »

Simon your card builds has set the ball in motion, I have now started my first proper card model build over in the ships thread, so if it pushes me mentally over the edge it's all you fault. :ha: :ha: :ha:

Regards Splash
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by SJPONeill »

Come on in, the water's just fine 'over the edge'...been here a long time and some more company will be nice...
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by SJPONeill »

Progress over the last few nights...
Image

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Tail structure in place
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One of the intakes precurved before assembly. I am finding that rolling these parts on my thigh is a good way of rget the curve into the part.
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The intake cones and turbine fans...the cones look simply but the photos in the instructions show them with a 1-2mm stand-off from the side of the fuselage but are not clear at all about how this is acheived. There is a cut out in the intakes side for the cones to butt up against the fuselage but no guidance as to how they do this. Because the base of the cone closest to the fuselage does not have a detail skin, I would be lead to believe that it butts up hard against the fuselage but the photos show a gap between the cone and the fuselage...
Image
One of the turbine fans just sitting loosely in place to give an idea of the 3D effectiveness of this 2D part. The cut-out in the side of the intake is for the intake cone.
The intakes and cones with the former that is meant to support them but it is again unclear just what fits where. poring over the instructions such as they are has been absorbing too much of my time the last few nights...

Clearly I am not going to be anywhere close to finishing this before the end of the GB. I have to admit that I was a tad complacent in my approach to the kit and did not realise just how complex it is, especially given the nature of the instructions. That being said, I think that the kit itself is well-designed and will make an impressive model for anyone that takes the time to work through the instructions and figure the construction out.

I'd like to tank David as the GBL and everyone that has followed this build for their support and suggestions throughout and I will be continuing it as a 'normal' build in the aviation section. A special shout-out to Splash, not only for his 'invention' of splash-holes but also as a convert to the exciting world of paper models...
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lancfan
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by lancfan »

Cheers Simon, this has been a marvellous effort on your part to build this model to the stage it has reached in the time we have had, card models are very like scratch building in plastic and are a great achievement when finished.


David.
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TimJ
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by TimJ »

That turbine fan looks pretty impressive. Keep up the good work.
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iggie
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by iggie »

Still can't wait to see this finished, it's going to be impressive! :-D
Best wishes

Jim
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Re: Simon's Big Bird

Post by SJPONeill »

Thanks for all the support...depending how the further build goes, I am considering making this one a further test bed once it is done and filling the dents with filler and maybe whiffing the final finish as the filling will eliminate the original markings...

I have set up a continuation build thread over here http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=19&t ... 42#p192942 for anyone that may wish to pull up a seat and watch my meanderings...
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