F7U-3 Cutlass conversion

[ysi_maniac]

Severe reconstructive surgery.

[Scotaidh]

Stuck in PSR ... my least favourite phase of any build.  The dust tickles my allergies, but at least the sneezes clear it away! 

When I use Aves Apoxie Sculpt, I use my fingers to apply and shape it, because it's water-soluable and I get better control.  But, when I use Squadron putties (any colour), I like to use artists' palette knives to keep the stuff away from my skin.  Aves comes off with soap and water - Squadron, not so much; somewhat like paint, I find it has to 'erode' away.

[NARSES2]

Good to see the progress 

Must admit I like Squadron Green Stuff. Easy to see where you've put it and what's still to sand. The smell however is a little "iffy" for me.

[Scotaidh]

Good to see the progress 

Must admit I like Squadron Green Stuff. Easy to see where you've put it and what's still to sand. The smell however is a little "iffy" for me.

The smells of putty, glue, and paints are why my wife has banished my Man Cave to the basement ...   

[Scotaidh]

Since I'm done with PSR - for now - I added two braces to hold the cut-off original chunk of fuselage. I used Evergreen L-beams, trimmed down at each edge, sitting triangle-like in the triangular gap above and below the once-round-now-figure-8-shaped extension pieces. The angles fit snugly, and I have high hopes that they will provide enough strength .


Head-on you can kinda see where the angle beams went. I did slap some aircraft grey paint in there this morning before heading off to our local Scottish Festival.  (My annual "fix" of Irn Bru!    Woot!)


As hoped, the cut-off slipped neatly over the angle beams. Thankfully the glue is not the "instant set" type - I needed the wriggle time to ensure everything was straight.


Sometimes I use the flash in hopes that it will show me something I missed. Not really, this time, although it did allow me to see all the way back to the "engines".


I guess I'm not done with PSR after all ... <le sigh>


There's quite a step there. Note that things are not quite straight - this picture showed me that, and I was able to straighten out the problem. Thank goodness I wasn't using super glue!


The Grand Canyon ... darnnit. I fear the hard-points will be endangered by the PSR process and require replacing. Oh, well - it's not as if I liked those pitiful wee stubs - I think we can do better.


The "canyon" up close ... Difficulty - the upper right area is the beginning of the fairing for the cockpit, so I've got to keep it. There's someone here (cough-PR19-cough) who believes that most aircraft are improved with longer wings. I feel that most aircraft are too short for true aesthetic beauty, and could do with these three things: 1) a bit of a stretch; 2) larger wing area; 3) more powerful engines.

[NARSES2]

The smells of putty, glue, and paints are why my wife has banished my Man Cave to the basement ...   

Just check you've enough supplies of all kinds in case she accidentally locks the basement door 

[Scotaidh]

The smells of putty, glue, and paints are why my wife has banished my Man Cave to the basement ...   

Just check you've enough supplies of all kinds in case she accidentally locks the basement door 

No - I'm alright there. There's no lock on the basement door, and in any case the hinges are on the down side.    When we bought the house we removed the door altogether, to aid in moving furniture down.  We only put it back on years later when my father-in-law moved in - we didn't want the old boy to take a tumble. 

[jcf]

The lower fuel consumption is a result of the general overall
improvement of turbojet engines in the period.

[Scotaidh]

Back from a holiday in Oregon, and back into the fray! 


F7U-3 Cutlass - 033    Some internal support structures were needed.


F7U-3 Cutlass - 034   Done with PSR - for now. The joint for the fuselage to cockpit sections is a simple butt-joint, and I've never liked those - they usually lack strength, so I decided to add some extra support. To wit, the length of sprue protruding from the fuselage, left. It is bedded in a section of solidly affixed square tubing, and will be bedded into a twin piece of square in the top of the cockpit section.


F7U-3 Cutlass - 035   There was a lot of PSR - I'm glad of the break in that segment of the build.


F7U-3 Cutlass - 036   A better look at the putty. I tried to make the curves continuous and concave ... I may have some more to do, there.

[PR19_Kit]

Just wait till you get the primer on, that usually generates more and MORE levels of PSR!

[Scotaidh]

Kit, I know there's almost always more PSR in the wings, so to speak - I was just enjoying a quiet moment in between sessions. 


F7U-3 Cutlass - 037
The aircraft just underwent a successful 'Add-a-nose-to-me' procedure. Since that went so well, the surgeon decided, just for the heck of it, to go ahead and do the next planned procedure as well. The patient was resting comfortably, and since everyone was already in theatre, gowned and ready - why not?
The intakes were started. These are the original intakes, which, because of the widening strips added to the engine bays, are now much too narrow. In any case, though, they'd have had to be enlarged to handle the required air mass demanded by the new engines.


F7U-3 Cutlass - 038
Here can be seen the required additions to the intake areas. As you can see, the starboard intake will require additional work to match the port intake. :/

[NARSES2]

This is really starting to get a certain "look" about it, indeed "it" is very fast becoming a "she" 

[ssdunkel@me.com]

Oh man, that thing is SEXY!!!

I hate to say this, but it's SCREAMING for a pair of canards at the top of the intakes... 

[Old Wombat]

Beginning to look very good! As Chris said ""it" is very fast becoming a "she"".

Don't know about "SCREAMING for a pair of canards" but I can certainly see how a set of small trim canards wouldn't look out of place.

[Scotaidh]

I've been wondering about canards.  I've considered everything from Mirage V-esque 'nose-strals' to Kfir's small 'n'sexy sweeps to full-on Viggen-ards'.  No decision as yet - but it's nice to know y'all are of the same mind.

Thanks!