S-3 Viking to ES-3B Eagle Eye: a FAR conversion

redstar72 · June 22, 2009, 12:30:38 PM

Very well done, Steven!

FAR148 · June 22, 2009, 09:16:01 PM

Thanks everybody for your support and your kind words.

Hopefully this week I will figure out just how I'm going to attach the outer wing to the inner wing so I can start scratchbuilding all the fun details.

Until later,
Steven L

Sisko · June 23, 2009, 12:50:28 AM

Nice stuff so far mate!

If this ends up being like your A-10 then it's going to be a real treat!

sotoolslinger · June 23, 2009, 06:33:09 AM

That is really excellent plastic shredding right there

Brian da Basher · June 23, 2009, 01:04:03 PM

That's an excellent tutorial and an outstanding whiff in the making, Steven! Thanks for sharing your techniques. I'm really looking forward to roll-out!

Brian da Basher

FAR148 · June 27, 2009, 02:40:46 PM

Busy week at work. No update this weekend, I should have something by mid-week.

Until later,
Steven L

FAR148 · July 04, 2009, 02:10:21 PM

Hello everybody,
So all week long I had been waiting for GE to drop off my new TF35-GE-200 Turbofans for my ES-3B and they finally showed up Friday!

The General Electric TF35-GE-200 are basically the same engine installed on the IAF's A-10I but with a little more thrust. The -200 is rated at 12,000lbs of thrust roughly 1,500lbs of thrust more than the -100.

Here's how I built my pair of TF35-GE-200's. First you are going to need a few parts, you need top and bottom engine nacelles along with the front turbine of Revell's 1/48 A-10(kit no#5521). And the rear nacelles, rear bypass fans and the exhaust turbines of the Ertl/AMT S-3 or ES-3A kit(1/48).

The first thing I did was to cut the tops of the A-10 engine nacelles away from the center mounting area. Quick work with my razor saw. I than glued the two halve of the nacelles together and place the front turbine. Now with that all glued up, It makes it easier to remove the center section. Again, quick work with my razor saw. Next I removed the S-3's nacelles from the pylon. Using the back side of a no#11 blade, I just kept scribing the intersection where the nacelle and the pylon met until I cut through. Once I did that, it leaves a sizeable hole to fill. The rear of the A-10's nacelle is angled forward, with my razor saw I trimmed it level so in side view it is vertical and not angled forward.

Here you can see where I filled the hole in the rear nacelle of the S-3/ES-3. I also added my favorite putty(super glue and baby powder) around the front turbine of the A-10 nacelle.

After I trimmed the rear of the A-10 nacelle, that edge needs to thinned down so that it looks in scale. Here's a before and after pic of the nacelles. I scrape around the nacelle with a X-acto blade until I was happy with it and sanding it smooth and round with some sand paper.

Once I glued the front and the rear of the A-10's nacelles back together, I notice just how much work I had infront of me to make them look like the image in my minds eye. After a week of putty/sand/putty/sand/putty/sand/primer/more putty/sand/primer/putty/sand.....the rough shape of the new TF35's are done. Still got some more sanding to do to them as well as rescribing panel lines and add detail stuff. With the long weekend I may have another update this weekend.

Until later,
Steven L

GTX · July 04, 2009, 02:21:59 PM

Stunning!

Regards,

Greg

philp · July 04, 2009, 03:14:15 PM

Yeah. But I bet he doesn't know how to build a kit out of the box with no modifications

Steve, great idea and fantastic execution.

kitnut617 · July 04, 2009, 03:30:56 PM

Brilliant

BlackOps · July 04, 2009, 03:34:33 PM

Now that is some tasty work, always leavin' me hungry for more!

Steven your doing some seriously cool mods to this baby!

Eddie M. · July 04, 2009, 04:40:04 PM

Very nice imaginative work. Excellent idea for the engines.

nev · July 05, 2009, 12:46:04 AM

Outstanding work, and great tutorial

Hobbes · July 05, 2009, 07:41:20 AM

Very impressive work!

I was a bit surprised by the lengths you went to to strengthen the fuselage joins. You've ended up with a very heavy fuselage, which makes life difficult for the undercarriage.
I've found CA glue and a few bits of styrene to increase the contact surface create a pretty much unbreakable bond. Or can't Ren-shape be glued with CA?

FAR148 · July 05, 2009, 12:11:13 PM

Thanks for all the support guys!

QuoteI was a bit surprised by the lengths you went to to strengthen the fuselage joins. You've ended up with a very heavy fuselage, which makes life difficult for the undercarriage.

Hobbes,
Yeah, the model is getting a bit heavy and I have not even added the radar yet. I knew from the start that she was going to be a fat girl, thats why I got some white metal gear for her.

Here's the other small updated. Since I made new engines for my ES-3B I wanted to make new engine pylons. The old ones look a little weak to support the new TF35's. So last week as I was waiting for my new engine to show up.... I started working on the master for the new pylons. The master part is made from Ren-shape. After sketching some ideas, I came up with a shape Im happy with. I did use the old pylon to match the curve at the top of the pylon so it would mate up with the underside of the wing.

After about hour of sanding and shaping, I mocked it up to the new engine to check for shape and fit. Still got to scribe in some panel lines.

Last night I was up burning the midnight oil. I manage to scribe the panel lines, make a mold (using the last of my rubber

) and cast two resin copies. Parts turned out nice.

And with a little double back tape, one of the two GE TF35-GE-200 and engine pylon.

Cheers,
Steven L