A-10B Conversion - Moulding time...

Hi all,

Got the old  modelling mojo back, and over the last couple of days I've gridded my loins and started moulding the crew figures..

I modified a figure I had, got two right arms, one holding a rod as a joystick and the other slightly extended, like reaching for a panel. Also got a second head and added the visor cover, so there is an option of two heads for the figure and two arms.

Got some silicone mould making ingredient and some resin and started off. Out came the Lego and plasticine..

 Mixed and poured one half, after a coat of vegetable oil as a release coating...

 Removed the plasticine a bit more oil, Legos to box, mix and pour sliicone again..

And we have a mould.

So today out with the resin..

and we have the first casting out...

A bit of feathery flash to clean up but looks ok, so on to number two.

Since I like having crew in my models, I quickly run out of plastic figures, so this will hopefully save some time and effort. I need to do about four copies as I have a Tornado as well as the A-10 to crew up. The next time I do some WWII crew, I'll make a mould as well, and should solve my lack of crew.

Off to pour some more resin..

All the best

Cheers

Jim

A-10B Conversion - Cocking about

Hi folks,

A bit of enjoyable fiddly imagineering happening in the cockpit..

Some spurious screens and dials in the cockpit, I think its ready for a bit of paint now.

I've started building a couple of  ACES II ejector seats,

 First attempt but I was not happy with it, so had a rethink:

Here we are with the new seats. Still have to build the head rest/top part of the seats, but I'm happier how these look.

The Monogram figure is the headless one in the seat, he has a mask on and the visor down as moulded, but I'd like a head with the visor up as well, so I'm trying to modify the Airfix legless pilot head into a similar helmet as the Monogram one. I'll remove the Airfix head once I'm happy with it. Then the intention is to make a mould so I can cast a few.

All the best
Jim

A-10B Conversion - fit and fitout

Hi folks,

After a bit of dry fitting I found I sanded too much off the vacforms..

had to add some strips to spread the fuselage out so the vac canopy would fit and the kit nose cone fit better.

The rear join will need a good filling; the vac plastic is very thin on some of the corners, so will need some rear support.

 Cemented the nose under section on one half, and made new undercart bay doors, as the kit ones, were terrible fit in the closed position.

Instead of trying to make the vacform cokpit tub fit, I thought I'd build it, also means I can add a couple of bulkheads to give the fuselage some rigidity.

I've found a Monogram A-10 pilot figure to use for the crew, just have to buy some mould making silicone.

All the best
Cheers
Jim

A-10B Conversion - the plastic cutting begins..

Hi folks,

Well I finally laid hands on plastic, no not that kind of plastic.. decided to have a crack at an A-10B using the "Falcon Triple Conversion V: F4H-1 canopy/nose / HC-130P / A-10B"

I've already used the F4H-1 conversion, which comprised a new nose, a new shape canopy, on an old Revell F4E kit set.

For this project I got a cheap Academy A-10 Warthog. The kit had been partially started, wings and engines and cockpit had been cemented, but they easily separated, into their components.

So tonight I started on the vacform bits, and made the first kit hacks.

The Falcon set, has the two new fuselage nose sections, a cockpit tub, the taller fins, and two vacform canopies.

The vac bits cleaned up easily, and I cemented the fins together, and the new nose sections onto the rear fuselage halves. Once the cement is dry I'll think I'll reinforce the joints.

Not sure if I'm going to do wheels up or down, depends if I can fidn some jet jockey crew in my spares.

Cheers
Jim