Has anyone made their own turbo prop conversions?

[chrisonord]

Hello to everyone who, like me have a thing for military turbo prop planes.
I have several 1/72nd aircraft that I want to convert to turbo prop power, and with the exception of my P-2 Neptune and my F-84 converts, these aircraft I want to convert are leaving me scratching my head as to how I can go about a conversion.
The planes I want to do are a Nord Atlas, AC-119k and a s-2 Tracker. I have traced a conversion kit to a place in Chile for the S-2, but I dont really trust the means of payment that they accept as they don't use paypal.
I have a turbo conversion kit for my P-2 and was wondering if it was possible somehow to copy these engines. They are resin wondered if they could be copied by making moulds of them.
Any advice will be helpful as I want to get these planes done as quick as I can.
Cheers.
Chris.

[deathjester]

It might be an idea to make them from that blue polystyrene that people use for taxidermy - very easy to cut and sand to a very smooth finish

[chrisonord]

mmm,what does it paint like? as it will be full of tiny little air holes won't it?
Any ideas where I could get this stuff, I would like to give it a try first to see how how I could work it.
Cheers,
Chris. 

[deathjester]

Well, you cover it in strips of thin paper and PVA glue, then primer it in watercolour paint. Then you can paint it how you like.  Whatever you stick to the polystyrene must be stuck on with PVA, and you must stick it to the model with the same glue. I have had good results with this technique.

[chrisonord]

Nice one wooksta!!  I will have a look for some of that stuff and have a go at making some mouldings, I would appreciate some advice on doing this as I have never done anything like this before. The only moulding I have ever done is with molten lead for sea fishing lol.
I took my hobbycraft S-2 tracker over to my mums whils looking after the house and her dog, with the intention of converting it into a turbo prop,but....it is a turbo fan plane now with the engine nozzles from an IL-28 Beagle fitted where the prop engines should be. And, which is not like me I quite like the overall outcome as it looks right. Pictures will be done when I get it home and finished. 

[noxioux]

I used smooth-on stuff for my introduction to casting small parts.  I bought the starter kit (which was much cheaper, and didn't come with a DVD).  I thought it worked very well, and used it primarily to cast replacement turibine faces for my 1/48 B-1b and various B-58's.  I cast a few other things that didn't have anything to do with modeling.  It's good stuff, IMHO.

Linky:  http://www.smooth-on.com/index.php?cPath=4_1217

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Hello to everyone who, like me have a thing for military turbo prop planes.
I have several 1/72nd aircraft that I want to convert to turbo prop power, and with the exception of my P-2 Neptune and my F-84 converts, these aircraft I want to convert are leaving me scratching my head as to how I can go about a conversion.
The planes I want to do are a Nord Atlas, AC-119k and a s-2 Tracker. I have traced a conversion kit to a place in Chile for the S-2, but I dont really trust the means of payment that they accept as they don't use paypal.
I have a turbo conversion kit for my P-2 and was wondering if it was possible somehow to copy these engines. They are resin wondered if they could be copied by making moulds of them.
Any advice will be helpful as I want to get these planes done as quick as I can.

Chris,

Barry Snell (aka John Howling Mouse) did make a 1/48th scale turbine conversion for a Mustang project he was working on several years ago.  He made a mold and eventually cast up one or more of the things in resin for his project.  Not sure if he is willing to share his stuff with anyone else but it never hurts to ask him.