Attention to detail or who is going to notice it's missing?

[McColm]

Hello,
Not quite sure if this is in the correct place, but here goes.
1/144 and certain 1/72 model manufactures omit cockpit detail, and I have in the past managed to get glue on my hands handling the glazed pieces. I normally remedy this by painting the glazed areas black. I know some of you may consider this a sin, but due to the size of the model your not going to see much of the cockpit area unless the cockpit is open or a side panel is taken away. i.e. the Airfix BAe Nimrod, you can't see much the interior through the glazing.
You could extend the glazing turning the model into a Whiff.
Or I can be very careful on how I handle these delicate areas.
I've also experienced whilst cutting from the spruce, that small pieces seem to whizz through the air and however much you search you can't find it until empty the hoover bag. Is there a solution?

For the larger scales more attention to detail is needed and photoetch/resin kits readily available. Super detailing requires knowledge of your subject with trips to the real life subject and photographs/drawings.

Another point/area of discussion are the exhaust pipes.
I'm working on a turboprop version of the Lockheed Neptune, most turboprops have an exhaust pipe on the side of the engine or at the rear. If I didn't add this on would I be able to get away with it?

[Maverick]

Whilst I'm certainly not anal about 'detail' on a given aircraft, some small details are just as important as wings, fuselage & tail.  An exhaust for a turboprop is certainly one, for without it, you have an odd looking piston engine.

My 2 cents anyway.

REgards,

Mav

[Hobbes]

To prevent losing small parts you can do a few things:
- hold the part while cutting. For small parts, I'll rest a finger against the side of the knife and on top of the part, then cut the part loose.
- tape the part down

To prevent glue on a canopy: use wood glue or transparent glue (e.g. Humbrol Clearfix is designed for use on transparant parts) to minimize the effects of smearing. Wood glue can easily be removed.
Handle the canopy carefully. I apply the glue with a cocktail stick or similar, and hold it with tweezers. Springloaded tweezers are good for this.   

[Weaver]

An alternative to tweezers for small parts is to put a blob of blu-tack on the end of a stick, stick the part to it, put the glue on, then "dab" the part onto the model. Avoids the mess where capillary action makes the glue run between the part and your fingers.... You need to hold the part in place for while until the glue "bites" so that you can pull the blu-tack off.

Proper sprue cutters reduce "ping off" when removing parts from the sprue, although they don't stop it entirely.

I sometimes make cuts in the sprue well away from the part, removing whole sections, so that when I do cut the part, I'm not loading up a "plastic spring" that's going to break it or ping it away.

[PR19_Kit]

A 'non-Whiff' modelling buddy of mine HATES cockpits with a passion, and almost every model he's ever made has a black painted canopy. He's even gone to the extreme of fitting Aeroclub ejector seats into cockpits of models that need the nose weight and THEN painted the canopy black! 

There's one guiding rule here, 'It's YOUR model., do it your way'..........

[McColm]

Thank you oh wise ones 

And another thing...

Most models have an after sales kit for wing folding, if you are Whiffing on an aircraft that dosen't normally have its wings folded. What do you recommend?

[Hobbes]

As kit said, it's entirely down to your preference. Folded wings can look cool, but they can also spoil the lines of an aircraft.

[Old Wombat]

If you're doing a navalized WhIf, then folding/folded wings are almost compulsory.

Just make sure you have your fold lines planned ahead & get an appropriate type of folding mechanism.

Not all wings fold straight in; many fold at an angle or back or multiple times.

For example:

S-2 Tracker


E-2 Hawkeye


Fairey Gannet


Fairey Firefly

[Army of One]

I think that another thing to take into account is.......what is in the wing where you cut for the fold....will the cut interfere with slats/flaps........does the cut need to be straight or can you follow a panel line.......? Have fun.....    

[McColm]

Thanks Wombat.
There is a E-2C conversion resin kit that shows the wings in the folded position. The pictures will come in very handy for my other projects.

[PR19_Kit]

Yes, if there's a way of folding wings that's complex and bizarre you can be sure that Grumman or Fairey will have done it at some time or another......... 

[Old Wombat]

Yes, if there's a way of folding wings that's complex and bizarre you can be sure that Grumman or Fairey will have done it at some time or another......... 

Well, you'd appreciate, Kit, that Grumman & Fairey tend(ed) to put long wings on their aircraft & they had to get them to fold in enough for them to fit in the hangar deck somehow .

[PR19_Kit]

Well, you'd appreciate, Kit, that Grumman & Fairey tend(ed) to put long wings on their aircraft & they had to get them to fold in enough for them to fit in the hangar deck somehow .

Absolutely! Off all manufacturers, and with maybe Miles and Northrop added in there as well, those two are the Whiffer's faves.