1/87 is US model railroading HO scale. It was a popular wargaming scale in the 60s that morphed into a military modeling scale in the US & parts of Europe. All my modeling is done at that scale as it allows for units of items & broader vistas. PaulE
Italeri 1/48 AH-64D Longbow Apache
- Thread starter Archetype
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Afgan topography more likely. There is an amazing rescue story of a couple Brit Apaches carrying special operators on the sponsons into an ongoing Afgan village battle to rescue/recover two wounded Brit marines I think. I have the book somewhere. Truly amazing story. PaulE
Yes, the battle of Jugroom Fort. PaulE
Jack L
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A really good read! Funny when you read the pilot's account of Jugroom Fort, and then how it differs to the Commando's account.
Archetype
FAA plane builder
They certainly are. Still playing with thoughts & ideas about how to tackle the access panels. The biggest problem I think is the difference in width of lines and how to balance this out. The only thing I can think of is to fill and rescribe the whole panel. I'll think on.
Both his books are great! A number of years since I read them though.
Archetype
FAA plane builder
Adding a little update...because I feel like it!
Got the vast majority of the main fuselage seam cleanup done yesterday and corrected (at least I think so) the wonky access panel lines.
I had to paste on a load of filler to the section between the rotor housing and the gearbox(?). You can see it in the second photo of post #19. Once I got it all sanded down to it's level it reappeared, but at least it's all flat and smooth now. I also scribed in where the two access doors meet in the middle.
Moving to the underside I replaced to little misaligned circular mouldings with equally uncircular platicard bits. As above, also straightened the poorly aligning panel lines.
Here's the really poorly fitting panel under the cockpit. If I were building the 'A', this would be a problem.
Since I'm not, the additional cheeks (sponsons?) cover the vast majority of it. Maybe my luck is in!
...or maybe not. Take a look at the exhausts aganst an image of the actual thing.
I am considering removing the entirity of the area that should be black, saving the mesh top and bottom and making everything else up from card. An alternative might be to just chop out the vertical bits in situ and replace with card. Hmm....
Anyone that might have an alternative perspective on how to approach these exhausts please pipe up!
Got the vast majority of the main fuselage seam cleanup done yesterday and corrected (at least I think so) the wonky access panel lines.
I had to paste on a load of filler to the section between the rotor housing and the gearbox(?). You can see it in the second photo of post #19. Once I got it all sanded down to it's level it reappeared, but at least it's all flat and smooth now. I also scribed in where the two access doors meet in the middle.
Moving to the underside I replaced to little misaligned circular mouldings with equally uncircular platicard bits. As above, also straightened the poorly aligning panel lines.
Here's the really poorly fitting panel under the cockpit. If I were building the 'A', this would be a problem.
Since I'm not, the additional cheeks (sponsons?) cover the vast majority of it. Maybe my luck is in!
...or maybe not. Take a look at the exhausts aganst an image of the actual thing.
I am considering removing the entirity of the area that should be black, saving the mesh top and bottom and making everything else up from card. An alternative might be to just chop out the vertical bits in situ and replace with card. Hmm....
Anyone that might have an alternative perspective on how to approach these exhausts please pipe up!
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Hi Chris
Great effort you're putting into this. The filling and rescribing on the fuselage is looking good. As for the exhausts - could you replace the front? Cut a new front and cut/drill/sand the three openings.
Keep up the great work.
Jim
Great effort you're putting into this. The filling and rescribing on the fuselage is looking good. As for the exhausts - could you replace the front? Cut a new front and cut/drill/sand the three openings.
Keep up the great work.
Jim
I would add filler to all the inside walls then trim/file/sand to suit. Then clean up the outside as needed. PaulE
scottie3158
SMF Supporter
Chris,
Your doing a great job of licking this in to shape.
Your doing a great job of licking this in to shape.
Archetype
FAA plane builder
So...I have been agonising over these exhausts since my last post and what by any measure would be considered a disproportionate amount of time given the object.
I started out with Paul's inspired idea to fill them and shape them, which I did and made mess of it.
So I thought I might fill them completely and make a template, then drill them out by hand. The logic being the drilled holes would have a more uniform profile and the template would ensure consistency.
But it didn't go as I had planned or hoped and the result is still cack-handed.
Then I remembered Bobs (Bowcat) latest acquisition in the form of the drill. I have a low torque 1/4" driver for ikea furniture, so I bought a 1/4" chuck for it.
But this too messed up the holes.
So this is mainly a story of woe, misadventure and starting from scratch.
I'm going to take Jims advice and make new face plates!
I started out with Paul's inspired idea to fill them and shape them, which I did and made mess of it.
So I thought I might fill them completely and make a template, then drill them out by hand. The logic being the drilled holes would have a more uniform profile and the template would ensure consistency.
But it didn't go as I had planned or hoped and the result is still cack-handed.
Then I remembered Bobs (Bowcat) latest acquisition in the form of the drill. I have a low torque 1/4" driver for ikea furniture, so I bought a 1/4" chuck for it.
But this too messed up the holes.
So this is mainly a story of woe, misadventure and starting from scratch.
I'm going to take Jims advice and make new face plates!
scottie3158
SMF Supporter
A great improvement on what you started with.
You have much patience Chris. Looking at it, and if you haven't already lost the will to deal with this PITA, would it be an option to cut off the face, and precut styrene sheet faces onto the exhaust box? Having said that, it looks like once you smooth them down they'll look okay under the dark OD or gun metal (?) colour.