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And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
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Topic: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion (Read 15935 times)
Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
on:
May 20, 2020, 04:31:05 AM »
Being a glutton for punishment, I've started a third (and last, for now) 85th FS/79th FG P-40F. This one is using the 32nd Hasegawa Kittyhawk Mk.I/Mk.III kit and the Grey Matter P-40F/L resin nose.
I was fortunate to remove the kit nose at the necessary location with little problem. I also went ahead and attached the rear fuselage plugs and rear canopy inserts so that I could more easily deal with the resultant seams. Luckily I remembered to paint the interior part of the canopy prior to attaching the clear portion. I had to utilize my feeble re-scribing skills at a couple of locations, but I was able to get the engraved panel lines lined up fairly close so it wasn't as bad as I feared. I still need to drill and clean out some of the lost rivets.
The kit cockpit is rather nice and detailed but I decided to add the Eduard Look P-40F set, which has seat belts and a slightly more accurate instrument panel than what's provided with the kit. This set is actually designed for the Trumpeter kit, but I think with some careful test-fitting that I've been able to adapt the IP for the Hasegawa one. I won't know for sure until everything is buttoned up. I'll wait until that point to add the control column and what I believe is the manual hydraulic hand pump, along with the clear glass acetate for the site.
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Vince_M
Sr. Member
Posts: 321
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #1 on:
May 21, 2020, 12:44:49 AM »
Awesome, Mark.
I will be along for the ride!
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #2 on:
May 30, 2020, 06:19:05 AM »
Unfortunately, although I cut the fuselage at the indicated location per the resin nose directions, it's caused some unforeseen issues. Once I temporarily added the windscreen portion to the fuselage and put the resin nose in place, there was a very noticeable height different between the two. The windscreen sat much higher than the nose. I figured I had two options: either glue the nose in place as is, and have to do a lot of sanding and puttying to get some semblance of evenness; or, try to "raise" the nose somehow to even the top out but then have a gap between the horizontal edges of the bottom of the nose and top of the newly cut fuselage. I chose the latter approach.
What I've done is sand down the interior of the nose and fuselage where they would come into contact, so thus the nose sits higher. It should be completely even once the final touches are made. I've also temporarily added some styrene strips in that horizontal gap. When I determine the exact size needed, I'll likely superglue the strips to the nose and then go over them with some putty or Mr. Surfacer, so that hopefully when everything is painted no one will know the difference. There are still areas that needed to be cut and/or sanded for a more perfect fit, once the fuselage and wings are all glued together.
However, even with raising the nose, I've found that it curves inward more than the fuselage, so some sanding and putty work will still be needed in this area. But hopefully much less.
The resin nose is very well detailed but I'm finding that it's taking a lot of test-fitting and sanding, over and over again, to get things to fit the way I think they should. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will pay off in the end.
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P-40 Admin
Administrator
Sr. Member
Posts: 291
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #3 on:
June 03, 2020, 06:03:04 AM »
Yours is the first conversion I've seen with this nose, looks to be quite a challenge to get it to fit properly, but it will look great when done.
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #4 on:
June 03, 2020, 09:27:19 AM »
Quote from: P-40 Admin on June 03, 2020, 06:03:04 AM
Yours is the first conversion I've seen with this nose, looks to be quite a challenge to get it to fit properly, but it will look great when done.
Thanks, I'm hoping it will come out nice.
I've seen at least two of these conversions built up. One by Tom Cleaver, which was posted years ago on Modeling Madness shortly after the resin nose was released, and another that was finished recently and posted on Hyperscale. That one came out very nice (as did Tom's), and its builder has been very helpful with suggestions on mine.
From those builds and another in-progress one I know of, it seems the issues I've encountered are par for the course so at least it's not "operator error" on my part...for once!
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Vince_M
Sr. Member
Posts: 321
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #5 on:
June 04, 2020, 04:17:46 AM »
I have seen at least one or two builds over at "LargeScalePlanes".
In fact the designer of the resin parts was hanging out there while he was developing the resin master.
The parts are big enough where shrinkage may be an issue with your fit problems.
When he was developing the master I told him the intake was "too wide" and should be same width as Allison version. He wouldn't listen.
On the other hand it is the best conversion available... at least until I develop mine!
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P-40 Admin
Administrator
Sr. Member
Posts: 291
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #6 on:
June 04, 2020, 06:22:48 AM »
And here I thought I was the only one that did operator error
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #7 on:
June 04, 2020, 06:39:08 AM »
Quote from: Vince_M on June 04, 2020, 04:17:46 AM
In fact the designer of the resin parts was hanging out there while he was developing the resin master.
That would be Derek Bradshaw, who posted here as well a number of years ago.
The main problem with the conversion, as well as the Aeromaster one for the Eduard/Mauve kit, is that by the nature of them they don't (can't, really) take into account the minor difference in the panel line layout caused by the replacement of the Allison engine with the Merlin one, as can be seen in this photo of Charles Jaslow on his P-40F "Sweet Bets" (the area next to his hips)
It's not a problem with the AMtech kit that came with its resin nose, since the nose is simply being used as a replacement on a long-tail P-40F that already has the panel lines correct on the plastic kit.
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #8 on:
June 12, 2020, 08:09:58 AM »
The fuselage is together and wings attached, and all the resultant seams from the plugs and inserts have been dealt with; at least until the primer coat is on and shows otherwise.
I'm now at the critical point when the resin nose is to be attached. As can be seen in the photo with it temporarily inserted, it appears my plan to raise the nose for a more even fit with the windscreen will work. Now I can cut the right size of strip styrene for that gap. Of course there has to be a downside. With the nose higher, the upper limit for where the cowl flaps go is also higher. As a result, the bottom of the fuselage will interfere with their placement. I'm hesitant to sand the lower fuselage much more so that they will fit, so I'm considering the possibility of either trimming the resin cowls some or scratch-building a new set.
The instructions have one assemble the upper and lower portions of the resin nose first, then insert the entire assembly into the fuselage, but I'm considering attaching the top portion first and then, once it's securely glued in place, attach the bottom "tub" assembly. I'll need those clamps to firmly hold the fuselage tight against the upper nose to ensure a relatively even, smooth fit, but the bottom tub will need a set too where the line ends for the same reason (I have more clamps so that's not an issue). However, there doesn't appear to have as much interior contact area between these parts to glue them together well.
Whichever route I go, I'm considering using 5 or 15 minute epoxy to give me more wriggle room, time-wise, than superglue would to get everything properly in place.
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #9 on:
June 18, 2020, 11:00:07 AM »
I'm posting all this simply because, if I ever become delusional enough to try a conversion again, looking at these photos will remind me of why I shouldn't. It's obvious that with my limited arsenal of modeling skills, I'm outgunned by this conversion.
I ended up installing the top of the resin nose first and separately from the lower tub after first filling the gap that would be present on both sides between it and the horizontal kit fuselage area with strips of .20" x .60" styrene. I glued these strips to the kit fuselage and started to fill and smooth out the area with Tamiya putty. Things looked pretty good, but once I actually used superglue to attach the upper nose and placed a clamp tightly on the parts, the putty started to crack away due to the stress. A minor setback, and the good news that with this approach the top area between the resin nose and windscreen, the area I was most concerned about, should come out almost even once I finally glue the windscreen onto the fuselage. I'll need to push it down with some force, causing the side areas to splay out some, but that area will need to be dealt with regardless.
The real issues occurred when finally attaching the lower tub. Although I sanded and test-fitted multiple times. once I actually glue it into place I ended up with a rather noticeable gap between it and the upper resin nose on the port side. Not only is there a gap, but the tub protrudes slightly from the upper nose section, which will require some sanding and/or putty to fix. The starboard side isn't as bad. I chalk part of the problem due to the thinness of the resin, which might usually be a good thing but provided too much "give" as I was trying to align everything.
Also, the bottom of the fuselage on both sides splayed away from the bottom of the tub, and even with tightening down my clamp as much as I dared the two parts are uneven, so more sanding and putty will be required here. And with all this pressure caused by the clamp, the kit fuselage split at one point. I've tried to glue the parts back together evenly with limited success so, yes, even more sanding and putty.
Now, on the underside are some more gaps that I'm not as concerned about, being largely out of view. My old tube of Milliput dried up years ago but I have a large tube of 3M glazing putty I bought long ago, after it was highly recommended for modeling. I've only used it infrequently but I believe now it's time for the big test.
I'll worry about how to deal with the cowl flaps after getting all these other issues resolved, more or less....
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P-40 Admin
Administrator
Sr. Member
Posts: 291
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #10 on:
June 25, 2020, 06:47:23 AM »
Wow!
That is really going to take a lot of filling and sanding, I'd probably be using some imaginative language, you know, to encourage the parts to go together properly
Do you have any Vallejo acrylic filler? If not, it comes in a tube with a needle nose applicator that can be unscrewed if you need to put more out quickly. It's never feathered real well for me, but I do use it to fill in gaps by sticking a needle nose against the gap at a sharp angle and squeezing it in until a little comes out and then moving it back a little and repeating the length of the gap. It can then be cleaned up with a knife or wet Q-tip so you don't have to sand it.
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Vince_M
Sr. Member
Posts: 321
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #11 on:
June 26, 2020, 03:33:49 AM »
Aves two part putty is really good too.
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P-40 Admin
Administrator
Sr. Member
Posts: 291
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #12 on:
June 26, 2020, 06:49:39 AM »
Yeah, I've used to that and other times Milliput, they work really great for some situations. The Vallejo is a pretty quick option and actually dries really hard in the gaps.
I've seen some videos were guys would take the two-party epoxy and roll it out making some very thin wires or very flat for things like seatbelts, I never have been able to do that, I suppose it takes practice
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Mark Joyce
Sr. Member
Posts: 408
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #13 on:
June 27, 2020, 08:54:39 AM »
Thanks to both of you for the suggestions. Of the products you mention I've only used Milliput, and as I previously mentioned mine dried up long ago.
I decided to go with my old standby, Tamiya putty. I'm working slowly on it with the application of numerous thin layers, trying to be patient and to avoid frustration, and it appears I may actually be making some productive progress. The port side, which is the worse of the two, is almost done and I'll do some touch-ups with Mr. Surfacer prior to a primer coat. Although it will be far from perfect and some details such as rivets and fasteners will be lost (they are quite subdued on the resin nose as it is), I've been able to re-scribe most panel lines so hope the end result will be presentable.
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P-40 Admin
Administrator
Sr. Member
Posts: 291
Re: And another 85th FS P-40F started, this a 1/32 Hasegawa conversion
«
Reply #14 on:
June 29, 2020, 05:17:38 AM »
I've heard you can thin it down with lacquer thinner, might help get it in those gaps? I haven't tried it as I don't use lacquer thinner, the fumes do me in.
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