McDonnell Model 60 --- 1/72 Sharkit

[bearmatt]

Hello folks!
Time for some serious whiffing modeling project....

I picked the McDonnell Model 60 because it looks just so elegant and ahead of its time....
The design is from 1948 / 1949 (!)

Its my first true resin attempt....we will see, how this will turn out, but I know already that it will be a big challenge, because I'll try to implement as much as possible in this basic kit. (re)scribing, adding airbrakes, nozzle etc etc....

Now on to the pics.
First the one which appears on the kit-box itself:

[bearmatt]

I know that Renaud, the manufacturer of these kits, is also a member of this forum and I hope that he will be pleased by the result.... 

Here the instruction sheet:

[bearmatt]

Look inside the box

[bearmatt]

To the kit in general:
I bought also some Anigrand and S&M Models Resin Kits. Compared to these, I'd say that sharkit is, as far as quality goes, in between them.

Anigrand offers a huge choice of Protoypes, X-Planes etc, but the quality is rather poor. Parts do not fit very well and plenty of holes all over caused by stuck airbubbles during the casting process. And usually, these kits do not come along with a lot of small detailed parts.
Sharkit is there much better. Just minor areas have very small pits, which will need some treatment with filler. The wheels and landing gear are quite ok. You can actually use them   The cockpit area will need some extra parts and more attention tho.
S&M Models is of a higher level. No bubbles, almost no seams, plenty of parts for extra detailing and fit is also very good.

But now back to our Model 60.
So I think that this kit is a very good base to start with.

First I started cleaning the parts...

[bearmatt]

Main and outer wing went on pretty fast. Cutting out the flaps / ailerons took a bit more time and cautiousness.

[bearmatt]

But the big chunk will be the fuselage.... 
After carefully adjusting what I managed to adjust, I marked the parts with a pen, in order to know the exact position I'd glue them together.
The three fuselage parts already had some very usefull reference marks, but nevertheless I had to move them a bit here and there, in order to have the best possible alignment.

Now it's time to let the glue cure. To fill up the gaps, I use a cyanoacrylate / baby powder mix. It doesnt shrink and it's less hard then pure cyano, which will be an advantage during rescribing and sanding.

[bearmatt]

On to the wings and rudders again:

I started scribing them adding some panels and rivets

Of course, I failed sometimes...and had to close the f---up with glue again 

[bearmatt]

Not very much of a pro with rivet rows, I had to practice a little bit more on the F-16  ....
(I'm using Trumpeter's Riveting Tool, but it seems a bit wobbly)
Meanwhile I orderd another tool at umm-usa in order to compare it.

[bearmatt]

The biggest challenge during this process is to have it done parallel and at the correct distance to the panel line....
And you've got only one shot........
I tried different techniques to get it right. First to follow along the ruler or to the "dymo" tape but none of it was really working well.
Finally I just traced a line with a pencil and then followed it by eye precision....  
And it seems to be the most reliable way (so far)

[bearmatt]

And that's the stand of the project.....

More to come after this weekend

Cheers

bearmatt

[loupgarou]

Thanks.
I find your step-by-step build interesting and useful (I am a newbie for what concerns resin).

[NARSES2]

Now that was a nice looking design and it's a nice looking kit as well 

Looking forward to how this goes

[Captain Canada]

Great work so far ! What's a trumpeter riveting tool ? From the side profile you show, looks like it has canted tails, coming off the fuselage, which would make a neat conversion. Also looks like the Emhar Demon kit would be a good scratch build starting point.

[PR19_Kit]

Was the Model 60 a competitor for the Chance Vought F7-U Cutlass? It seems to have some similarities and is far less bizarre looking!

[bobbo]

You're going to inspire me to try a Sharkit kit.  Maybe. 

bobbo