I just purchased the blackbox kit for the Trumpeter 1:48 scale Vigi. I have not worked with the resin cockpit sets before, What is the easiest & best way to work with them? What should I watch out for/expect as I work on it?[%-)] While checking out greatmodels.com I came across (part #)NAU 2809 RA-5C Internal fuselage brace ($12.55) what do you guys think on this? Is it needed?
Any help you can give would be much appreciated> Thanks, Eddie
HAven’t even comtemplated building the Vigi yet, but with the black box resin pit,
wash it first with warm water and gentle soap to remove any mold release residue prior to painting. Test fit constantly as you sand and cut . Patience is the key, as well as CA glue.
Also resin dust ain’t great for the lungs, so wet sand and use a respirator to protect yourself.
The internal frame looks like built-up wood - probably would only need to use it if you are worried about warping after the project is complete. If you are worried about warpage
you can make your own stiffeners out of .4 card stock, which would be much cheaper than the AM product.
Hey Ed Go to this Address http://www.kitparade.com/features01/f14cockpitdwa_1.htm
Everything Wibhi2 said. But also, since I’m in the middle of this build, having by mandate to do it OOB (except for the markings), I can tell you I wish I had some kind of support structure for the inside of the fuselage. It’s a big, wide, semi-flat expanse of plastic, and it’s wobbly and does not want to mate up. And it’s going to be a real bear to clamp any way you try it, It’s going to be taped, I fear, because rubber bands or conventional clamps will make it impossible to align properly. I found it sort of odd that it was engineered that way, instead of being split horizontally. But a lot of modelers don’t like that kind of fuselage split, though on the Vigi the wing and tail would have hid most of the seams nicely.
And adding to what Bud said about cleaning the resin parts, has anyone besides me noticed just how incredibly oily Trumpeter’s kits are right out of the box? I often get lazy with this step, and on these kits it will almost always be at your peril. They must be washed, every part, and in fact I swab them down with alcohol too after screwing up my Vigi’s cockpit walls by painting before degreasing. It’s not an east area to have to sand all the paint out of.
TOM
Thanks for the feed back fellas! I am now getting back into my hobby after some 20 yrs. I’ve always been an OOB builder but, now w/ finding AM detail sets I am enjoying the challenge. These forums are great, your support & advice are awesome[:D][tup] wibhi2 , the card stock idea sounds like a winner, definately cheaper than AM! Tom, why do you swab down your mods w/ alcohol, what does that do? The link on the F-14 cockpit was also helpful & I will go back to it as I begin my model. I’m waiting on the cockpit to arrive along w/ the book NF64 by Ginter. If it’s anything like his 2 books on the A-3 Skywarrior, it’ll be great!! Thanks again fellas!! Eddie Keep the razors sharp[#dots]
To remove any residual greasy mold-release agent left on the plastic after washing the parts in warm soapy water, which I don’t like to do anyway because I tend to break them with my fat clumsy fingers. Instead, I usually wash my parts down with cotton swabs and lots of rubbing alcohol, then sand them with a very fine sanding stick or paper.
The nold release agent was so thick on my Trumpeter 1/24 Hurricane Floatplane it was actually beaded up on the engine block parts! I noticed it just before I blithely began to airbrush it thinking, “How greasy can this part be?” Very, very greasy, as it turns out. And as I said above, I found the same problem on my Vigi. I mean, it’s part of the injection molding process, and we all know after we reach a certain proficiency to expect it, so I guess it’s not fair to call it a problem. It’s part of modeling. It’s a problem if you get lazy like me and wind up causing problems by shirking the little housekeeping chores that go with scale plastic modeling.
TOM
Thanks again Tom, I am fairly new to resin Cockpits. I’ve added resin parts to a couple of projects ( The Revell B-17G in 1:48- the verlinden update set) which were easy to work with. This cockpit will be quite entertaining to build with… we’ll see how it goes!![:-^][tup] I might try the alcohol swabbin’ especially on the delicate details.
Eddie
MY cockpit finally came IN!!! [:O][wow][yeah] I am totally in awe at the detail. Man, this is gonna be FUN!!! Can’t wait to start in on it!
Eddie
I ferGOT to mention that The Company didn’t include the instructions in MY kit!! [BH][:O][#oops] Anybody got a copy they can scan & email to me? [I’ve contacted Squadron.com as they’re good about replacing “missing” items.] It is a highly detailed pit I’ll say that!!
I just recieved a poor photocopy of the instructions from squadron. It’s a good place to start & I’m sure my NF64 RA-5C book will get plenty of use!!
Hey Sharkskin, how’s the OOB build coming along??
Eddie