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A short time after I returned
to plastic modeling after a fairly lengthy hiatus (working on a never ending
wooden ship project) I thought maybe I’d try my hand at that ‘scratch
building thing’ I’d heard so much about. So, armed with Monogram’s 1/48th
F-101 Voodoo, some great reference photos, and way too much time on my hands I
set out to discover the joys of building without the aftermarket crutch.
I decided to keep the
scale of the project fairly small, so the major scratch portion would be the
forward left avionics bay. Everything else about the model seemed detailed
enough that no major surgery would be required to fix errors or omissions, as
is often the case with Monogram kits. The first thing to be done was to
re-scribe the panel lines. This proved to more difficult than my previous
experience due to the fact that the kit was molded in white plastic. My last
project was mercifully molded in silver, so the lines remain as ghosts after
you sand them down, not so with kit. I decided, with the help of the
membership of my local club (insert shameless plug for the Delaware Plastic
Modelers Club here), to outline the raised panel lines with permanent marker,
and then sand them off…hopefully leaving a nice white roadmap to follow.
This worked alright, but was real pain in the @$$. Also not helping was the
plastic itself, which was fairly hard and brittle. All in all, not an ideal
scribing project, but what can I say, I’m a pathological scriber.
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Next up was the
cockpit, which turned out to be one of the easier aspects of the kit. The
overall detail was fine, but a few items had to be addressed. The kit
seats were detailed with stainless steel wire
to simulate hydraulic lines and
assorted conduits. I needed to grind off the ‘cushion’ on the backrest
because this was, in reality, the parachute…which presumably went in
with the pilot after the flight. I then added some Eduard straps ‘n
buckles and fashioned g suit, oxygen, and com. connections from annealed
guitar wire. The rest of the cockpit received careful painting and some
odds and ends (the RIO’s maplight, assorted wire bundles, lending gear
lever, etc.) to fill it out.
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| The next project to
be completed was the avionics bay….and let me tell you, those pattern
makers who build up the prototypes that eventually become resin
accessories earn their keep! The first task at hand was to create a
measured drawing from a photograph to work from. After about 6 hours of
measuring, cypherin’, and swearing I had completed this seemingly simple
task. All I can say is this: Kids…pay attention in algebra class! The
bay, itself, is built from twenty thou. styrene sheet, with details added
from thinner stock. |
| All the black boxes are styrene
laminate with syringe tubing inserted to simulate cannon plugs and decals
added from the scrounge box. Having built all the sub components I was at
the point of no return…either cut out the original access panel, or pack
it in and build the kit as though nothing had happened. I chose the
former. I thinned the inside of the nose section with a round metal
cutting bit until I could see light through the plastic, then finished up
with a sharp knife. The piano hinge was especially fun! Now the fun
part…creating a replacement panel. This was accomplished using brass sheet
and wire stock. After annealing the sheet, I used the plastic original as
a guide to get the right shape, and then nibbled the brass to shape with
some tiny tin snips. All the internal bracing was then added by soldering
in brass wire and filing flat. After everything was cleaned up and painted
it was fairly convincing. The black boxes were fitted into their
respective places in the bay, and wire bundles made from REALLY thin
stretched sprue were added and routed as best as I could determine from
the photos. |
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on image below to see larger image |
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The rest of the kit went
together with very little done to it, aside from filling the seams. The only
trouble spot was the rotating weapons pallet. I think the modeler would have
been better served by a solid bottom, instead of the rotating pallet. The fit
of the engines was not all that great either. Oh well…can’t have
everything. I used Testors Model Master paints for the exterior, and Metalizer
for the metal bits. The only other aftermarket item to be used, besides the
seatbelts, were the Aeromaster decals…as always, a joy to work with.
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Click on images below to
see larger images |
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All in all, a fun project,
but I don’t think I’ll find myself scratch building again….until the
next time!
Brad
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