1/32 Trump F-117 - 45 Day Challenge!

[doogsatx/]

Over on the SMCG Facebook group, we've just kicked off a 45 Day group build, since so many of us seem stuck in the builds-take-forever trap. For a change of pace, the idea is to build something faster, but still with intent and (hopefully) solid execution.

After a lot of back and forthing, I decided to take on Trumpeter's 1/32 F-117. It's going to be fun adapting black basing and tonal variation to such a dark subject.

Nothing much to report so far. I only managed to paw around with a few pieces last night in prep for really diving in this evening. But dang is it HUGE.





Aftermarket's going to be limited. Eduard exterior PE and wheels. Quickboost ACES II (I realize there are some minor differences between F-15E and F-117 seats...I'll deal) bangseat. AFV Club AR-coated canopy.



I'm also stealing the throttle and top of a control stick out of an Academy Hornet to pretty up the cockpit somewhat. The kit amazingly doesn't have a throttle, and the control stick isn't up to par with the rest of the cockpit.



Beyond that, I've got some stupid tricks planned for detailing out the cockpit, adding the mesh to the FLIR window, and a few other elements.

[doogsatx/]

Trying to split time between editing my Kitty Hawk Su-17 build review (teaser - ugh) and the 117 and so I didn't have all that much time last night, and most of it was spend scraping away fictitious and hilariously raised RAM coating that does not exist on the actual plane.





This is pretty tedious stuff...but at least there's not much of it to tackle, and it's all on flat surfaces. It's more working around a fuselage the size of a pizza box that's the frustrating part.

Also...the Trumpeter kit is lacking some serious detailing up around the FLIR window.



This looks like a perfect application for my Silhouette cutter. So...time to capture the area dimensionally. Next I'll scan it in and lay out the details needed in Illustrator.

[John Everett]

Doogs,

Use these if you have one.


The Silhouette cutter does accurate drawing down to .001". So it's a good match for a set of calipers. I've been able to take parts directly from the cutter and have them perfectly drop into place on the model.

[doogsatx/]

Taken under advisement - with all the angles I'm still thinking scanning the tape rubbing will give me the most accurate foundation to build from.

[panzerjager2]

I couldn't even get the  cellophane off and box open in 45 days...Boy my hats off to you if you can pull this off...........

[deafpanzer]

Count me in too... you can do it!!!

[doogsatx/]

Been slowed up on the 117 thanks to the stupid Kitty Hawk Su-17 review and getting the videos edited and out the door (teaser: the wings are good, and then there's everything else...). But some tiny progress has been happening in the cracks.

First up...I was flipping through the manual for a different issue, and happened to come across this:



Cue five minutes of laughter. Guess I don't need to mess with the plotter now!

I've also decided that I'm going to build this sucker with the bomb doors closed. Why? Because honestly I think the way the doors just hang straight down looks downright goofy. It kills the lines of the aircraft - they rarely seem to be opened on the ground unless it's a loading or maintenance situation, or "air show" configuration. Either way...I think it looks better with them up, so there.

Plus that way I can model the GBU-27s separately and maybe highlight them more than they would be hidden up under the fuselage.



So - test fit of the doors. They'll take some work because the lower fuselage is pretty floppy at the moment. But the sawteeth do fit in well with the fuselage.



Bomb bay coming together for interior support.

[doogsatx/]

Man...giving the entire underside a scrubdown and then quick rinse to get rid of 1) the rough surface and 2) the detritus from removing said rough surface) took far, far longer than I anticipated and ate up much of the bench time last night.



I did, however, manage to get the initial cockpit elements (and intakes not pictured) primed up. Mix of Badger's stuff and MRP.



I know the Quickboost isn't exactly the right seat and that ACES IIs have minor differences, and that it's a bit small in the cockpit. But I'm heavily leaning toward building this with the canopy down so I'm not going to sweat it. It's better than the kit seat.

[deafpanzer]

I don't blame you for keeping the bomber bay closed too. Looking forward to see your work on the cockpit.

[doogsatx/]

More progress kind of in, around and all over.

First up - the gear struts. Cleaning seams off metal gear is one thing, cleaning ejector pins though? Ugh.



Next - getting a start on the instrument panel. I'm going about this one a bit backwards. I'm tackling the MFDs first, then will mask them and deal with the rest. I'm planning to place some cut-to-shape acetate film over them when I get to the far side to give them that nice glass-like appearance - so this is more for color matching than anything.



Thanks to Brian I learned that the FLIR window didn't have any glass. This threw my optical wire plan into disarray, since the stuff is too flimsy to span the opening on its own. Enter some spare PE mesh that actually works quite well once painted.



Deep down in there you can see the red-orange thing (technical term). Why Trumpeter molded this in instead of just making it an extra piece is beyond me. Has to be easily the silliest thing I've had to mask in some time.



There's been a lot of other work going on, too - intakes and exhausts are building up, cockpit tub has received its base colors. But my plan to display the canopy down has run into the little complication of the canopy being too narrow to do the job. So I have to put some more effort into the cockpit than I was originally planning - and now I'm waiting until Wednesday or so for the Eduard interior PE set to show up. NOT FOR THE IP or consoles, but for a lot of the surrounding non-colored bits.

[tobias5555]

I really like the extra details

[joelsmith]

Great work!

[panzerjager2]

Man, you and Leon sure know how to put'em together in a jiffy.... NICE WORK8-)

[doogsatx/]

So last night was a test run for the acetate. Using my Silhouette Cameo and the magic that is Adobe Illustrator, I whipped up some vinyl masks for the MFDs. The side consoles and instrument panel then got a coat of Mr. Paint WWI Night Camo Black - which is an absolutely gorgeous "not quite" black with a hint of blue tones. I love it so much that it's probably going to become part of the foundation for the exterior paint.

Masks were then removed from the MFDs and all is well! I'm happy that I darkened the side displays to RLM 75, since even they seem somewhat light (but this is backed up depending on the cockpit photo you go with). Really happy with the LCD green of the upper panel (MRP SEA Dark Green + Zinc Chromate Primer - who knew?) and the deep black of the center display.



Have to go back and add some additional Dark Gull Gray to the very forward portions of the side consoles, and then it's on to detailing.

[doogsatx/]

You know that point in a build where you're doing a whole bunch of things, but feel like you have nothing to show for it?

That's where the 117 is at. Installed DLIR mesh, cockpit and canopy PE elements, prepped control stick and throttle (using parts stolen from Academy Hornet), some light wiring work on the rear bulkhead, some light scratchwork inside the canopy frame. Further fuselage cleanup. Priming a lot of PE.

There's a lot going on, but it doesn't look like I'm making any progress.



Looking forward to when that changes, because it'll change suddenly.

[mrversatile]

Yeah, I know what you mean. BTW, looking at your bench got me thinking how similar we are when we build. Particularly how a build space continues to shrink as the build progresses.

[deafpanzer]

I'd be more than happy to come over and clean your bench as long as you let me take one or two kits home.

[doogsatx/]

Progress continues to be made!

FLIR and DLIR sensors. Have to say, I really love the depth that Trumpeter put into the clear parts, especially the FLIR.



Some wiring on the bulkhead to liven things up a bit.



Work on the canopy frame. Scratchwork is definitely not my thing.



The cockpit sill. This shows as a very light gray in reference photos - markedly lighter than the dark gull gray interior. I used some MRP Light Gray (for Slovak MiG-29s or something) mixed with some USN Insignia White. Phone camera had a fit with levels trying to capture it, but it's a very light gray (some darker portions are masked off).



Finally, cockpit work. Trumpeter's gauge decals are a bit too bold for my taste, but I'm trying to move quickly and am just going to deal. If I were doing it again I'd use Airscale stuff for sure.

Airscale stencils are also being employed to break up the side consoles a bit.

[Leon]

WOW....Awesome work on the cockpit and consoles Doog!

[doogsatx/]

So my plan to use acetate for the MFDs didn't work. I really wanted to find something identical to the acetate Aires, Eduard etc throw in. Thin but stiff. But the stuff I found was very floppy, and when glued in place, curved on me. Fortunately, PVA can be removed without too much issue.



Since I need to keep moving, FICE is in full effect, and I ended up using Bondic for the displays. Not terribly pleased with it, but...need to keep moving.



Cockpit sills and coaming painted up - reference pics show that the coaming seems to have more weathering than the rest of the cockpit combined, so that'll be coming up here soon.



I was also looking at the Eduard exterior PE set and decided I wasn't happy with the intake applique panels. The raised rivet detail just doesn't work for me. So...I scanned them in:



And used Illustrator + my Silhouette cutter to make some replacements out of .005 styrene sheet.





Rivet lines were marked and riveted.



And the panels glued in place:





Plan tonight is to weather the coaming and start getting that squared away, get final paint down on the FLIR and DLIR mesh so I can drop the insides in place, and get to some of the fuselage stuff I've been putting off.

[deafpanzer]

I really like what I am seeing. I have same rivet tool and I found it very interesting how the rivets are marked. That's something I need to try on my B-24... it really lacks A LOT of rivets.

[doogsatx/]

Mar 10, 2017 11:37:38 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

I really like what I am seeing. I have same rivet tool and I found it very interesting how the rivets are marked. That's something I need to try on my B-24... it really lacks A LOT of rivets.

Thing I (mostly) like about the mini wheel is that it's fairly easy to freehand. Especially if you have lines drawn out that you can follow.

[doogsatx/]

Test-fitting to answer the question - can the nose gear be installed after the fact. Answer - yes! Also, LOVE how beefy-strong the strut's mounting location is. Trumpeter does their weird things, but on the big kits, they always seem to do a bang-up job with the strut mounts.



Also, the logistical nightmare of maneuvering this huge thing around to knock down the overdone RAM lines continues.

[doogsatx/]

Joining the fuselage = a super-fun seam to deal with! There's really no way around it, with the thickness of the plastic and the shape of the fuselage.

First pass of Mr. Dissolved Putty and Mr Surfacer 500 didn't quite get the job done (showed up under primer):



So time to bust out the 3M red stuff.



LOTS of sanding with LOTS of different grades of sandpaper later:



Moving around top. Masking the exhausts is tedious, but has to be done.



Primer down! Mr. Surfacer 1500:



Looking in the harsh light of morning, though, I found something rather deflating. Sink lines running the entire perimeter of the wings. BOO. Not something I'm particularly keen to deal with after the elbow grease of the underside join.

[M1Carbine]

Doog - looks fanfreakingtastic!

Bob

[deafpanzer]

Oh man, this is supposed to be a quick easy build... but it is fighting back... don't let it win! Remind the kit you are still the boss!