I also started working on the wings and Paragon wingfolds. I’m starting with the left one first.
I measured and cut the kit wings per the Paragon instructions, then put the wings together. As you can see, I still have to remove the outboard flaperon (I haven’t quite decided on the best way to do that to acheive the right look). In this picture I’ve got the inboard wingfold installed and am starting to blend it in with the kit wing. I haven’t done the outboard fold yet. You can compare it to the kit’s as yet unmolested right wing.
I’ve also installed the Cutting Edge replacement HF antenna (the fairing that goes along the spine). Just a little blending needed - due more to my cutting job than Cutting Edge’s part (all of which are up to their usual high standards).
Outstanding work![8D] One of these days I might get up the nerve to use some of that AM stuff. You say you’ve got intimate knowledge of the working ejection seat. What happened in your mishap? I happen to have several Prowler mishaps on Plat Lens, along with a host of others. I also built the Revellogram EA-6B, but mine is OOTB only. Also, Here’s a link to the VAQ -136 pix I took back on my days on the Midway. That just brought up an old memory. I was in Crash and we were told that if there was a crash on deck and the crew were unconscious, to watch out for them coming to and trying to punch out with us trying to remove them. It was an unwritten rule that we were to use force if necessary to keep them from pulling those handles until we could safe the seats.[;)]Luckly ,I never had to deal with that.[:)] Bravo Zulu on your work.[8D]
Eddie http://www.midwaysailor.com/eddiemiller/eddiemiller-696b.jpg http://www.midwaysailor.com/eddiemiller/prowler.html
I claim “intimate” knowlege based on my spending almost 1000 hrs strapped into them. No mishap yet, knock on wood. A few precautionary field arrestments, a couple diverts to Ali Al Salem, but no mishap. Unless there’s a Class C or something, memories of which I’ve managed to repress, but I don’t think so! [:D]
Thanks for the pics - there’s one that gives a great view of the AOA probe protector in place - something else I’m going to have to figure out how to make that I really wish I would have thought of a few steps ago (ie before I put the intake together!!) [:p]
Sorry for the mix up. Glad to hear it. I bet those seats aren’t built for comfort. I witnessed an ejection once. F-14 went over the side after a bad arrestment. After they got fished out of the drink, they walked down to medical under their own power, although the rumor was that they were a 1/4 inch shorter. Got that on tape as well.
I’m glad I had a pic that could help.Looking forward to seeing your progress.[8D]
Eddie
I believe the 1/4 inch shorter part. Everyone i know personally who has shelled out was a bit shorter at first due to vertabrae compressing. Eventually they “stretch” out again…
As far as comfort, its not so bad till you get to the 4-6+ hour range…
Haven’t been able to do much more than tinker the last couple weeks until today when I was able to spend a couple hours working on it.
I mounted the arresting hook piece after removing the doppler radar blob and rescribing the ALE-39 expendables dispenser. The part didnt fit quite as well as I’d hoped, and this is making for some rather interesting filling and filing, but I think it will turn out OK.
Also finished the upper steps on the right-hand side boarding ladder. They are a little hard to make out here, as everything there is all bare white styrene, but I’ve decided they look better than the molded steps on the other side. So I’ve sanded those off too and will replace them with styrene. I also drilled/cut/filed a hole (hard to see from this angle) for the AOA probe protector, just forward of the ladder area and just below the top of the intake trunk. I didn’t need to “box it in” because of the way the intake is engineered in this kit.
Last, I think I’ve finished blending in the Paragon wingfold parts on the left wing. You can see where I shot some gray paint to QA the blending job and then touched it up a bit. I’ve cut the right wing, using the lessons I learned on the left wing. I’ve thinned the trailing edges from “inside” before putting the top and bottom halves together, and also cut out the flaperon (to be replaced with Paragon resin). This should make blending the Paragon wingfold parts on the right wing go a lot quicker than on the left side…
Your progress so far has been impressive and I admire your patience to get things right. Thanks for taking the time to document your work for us.[:)]
Eddie
Yeah Kolja,It’s nice to see someone documenting all the steps beginning to end.Your work is truly a benchmark to strive for…I agree with all the sentiments above.I hope to get started on my Prowler soon.I 'm still trying to scrounge pennies together to buy the Cutting Edge Wingfolds,but I have everything else.I have decided that after seeing all the work you put into the boarding ladders with sheet plastic,I am going to try to go an easier route and try and see If I can make the Verlinden A-6E boarding ladder brass take it’s place.Anyway I am learning a TON of stuff with your postings.Thanks again for your post!
That should actually work out fairly well, though on the right side you will still have to cut away the kit plastic as Monogram does not give you the option on the right side. I’m not sure why, after all they went to the trouble to give you the choice of ladder up or ladder down on the left side…
But I’m reasonably sure the boarding ladders were either the same, or pretty darned close. The brass ones should look nice!
Been a busy fall/winter - last 6 weeks especially with lots of work and holiday travel. Plus now we’ve got an air wing in town (my shortest work day this past week was 12 hours - the rest were 14-17, and even worked 8 hours today). But I’ve got some more work done.
Mostly small stuff really, as I got thinking it was time to paint but decided I better think about all the detail parts that would need to go on before painting lest the attaching process hose up the paint job. So, the scoops and antennae that are big enough to survive painting are going on. Also finishing up the wings - the wing-fold parts are about faired in, and now I’m working on the Cutting Edge set’s replacement plates on the wing underside. Also doing stuff like drop tanks and pods. I’ve elected to use the kit pods but attach Cutting Edge’s RAT’s. The detail of the Cutting Edge pods is slightly better, but the overall shape (at least in the set I’ve got) seem warped when looked at from the front…
I didn’t forget about ya! I figured the same thing happened to you that happens to alot of us…it was just to frustrating to deal with, so it went back in the box and back on the shelf till another day… But it is definately good that you intend on finishing this thing.I will be watching closely.Later on…
Fantastic O’ Enlighted One! Wish that I had yours and many others skills to build like you guys do.
So, I guess that I’ll have to wait until Trumpeter releases their Intruders and Prowlers in 1/48.
My Intruder will be from WMA(AW)-224 Bengals and the USS Coral Sea’s 71-72 Vietnam cruise,
together with the colorful VF-51 and VF-111, some amazing display of colors, eh? Don’t you just miss those days with all the colors compared todays different shades of greys?
My Prowler will be from WAQ-135 Black Ravens, from the same ship and their 85-86 Med cruise.
PS. Wasn’t it during the Coral Sea’s Med cruise in 85-86 that they attacked some installations in Libya? Or am I completely out of synk?
