Airfix 1/24 scale Hellcat.

[BarryW]

I have used c.a on the last section of the fuselage bottom. I then cemented a piece of plastic sheet inside to strengthen the join. I will have a spot of filling and sanding to do there but overall it is not too bad.





I have been getting on with odd sub assemblies and decided to cement the gun covers into place. I suspect that although providing for the option Airfix expected the panels to be left open and did not pay too much attention to the fit of these panels.

To get them to fit evenly I sanded the edges, creating a bevel. I had to be careful not to sand the top edges of the covers as they fit perfectly



I still found an issue on the corners and I resolved that by carefully cutting away the ‘ridge’ in the corners.
In the pic above the top left one is removed. I also cut away a chunk from the bottom left and the section in the middle.

After that, a perfect fit.


Tomorrow I will tackle the upper front fuselage, the area worse affected by the warping.

[KarlW]

I keep hearing this is the best kit of the 1/24 Airfix line up. It's certainly giving you value for £/hour.....

[BarryW]

I used c.a., just two spots, on the front top fuselage section to hold the front together and then ran a brush of cement along the join.


The the same method to fix the bulkhead to the top, as below and then the sides seperately. Taking this slowly and in stages paid off.



Some shots of the cockpit. I was so focussed on the warping I forgot to position the i.p. before joining the fuselage halves..

I managed to work it into position though. I have left off the map tray as it would not be appropriate for an open cockpit with no pilot.










I have been working also on the wing structure. Very tight fit. It will be closed up so it won’t be painted, i am just enjoying putting it together, it adds weight and structural rigitidy.


I used these fillers on the fuselage seams. Vallejo for the larger gaps and the MDP for the rest of the seams. Next, sanding them.

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Thanks for your thoughts on the warping. Whatever the cause you have it sorted. It has just resulted in extra filling, sanding and rescribing.
Jim

[Defiant911]

On with the build and now I get to a few issues....

But first a pic the the i.p. which has worked out rather well
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128265[/ATTACH]

The instructions say that you need to use the fuselage side as a template the get the angles of the floor and forward bulkhead right..... That is all well and good, if the fuselage was not so badly warped. Consequently I just had to glue the bulkhead on judging it by eye.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128266[/ATTACH]
note the piece broken off - that is what happens when you fight a warped fuselage.... another piece got broken off as well. Neither breakage will give me a problem to sort of course but even so.

I had other sub assemblies to add to the floor before fixing it to the fuselage side. Some pictures below illustrate the amount of warping that I have to contend with.

You can also see the cockpit detail now all ‘in-situ’.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128267[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128268[/ATTACH].

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128269[/ATTACH]


I am having to cement the fuselage together in about four stages starting with the spine. I am having to use clamps and tape and let each section dry fully before moving to the next. Below you can see how much both sides are warped after cementing the spine and tail. Oh, I am using the black tinted cement for this.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128270[/ATTACH]

Here is the bottom after gluing only the spine and tail. There is quite a gap but it will close.....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128271[/ATTACH]

Also just to show that the front should close OK here is a dry run.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128272[/ATTACH]

With closing the fuselage taking so long needing to be done in stages I am getting on with other areas. The wheels are nicely detailed and thankfully the hubs and tyres can be kept separate for painting.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128273[/ATTACH]

But, then another problem. Part F30 was on the sprue and ‘F31‘ was loose.... Except it was another part F30...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128274[/ATTACH]

So I have emailed Airfix and hopefully they will send me the right part. Normally they are very good at this.

So I will focus on other sub-assemblies while awaiting the missing part.

Like a wing...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128276[/ATTACH]
I am getting a lot of use out of my clamps on this kit. I hardly ever use them on Tamiya.

Then I was able to cement the next section of the fuselage, part of the underside, and clamp that,
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1128275[/ATTACH]

That is all for now....

Nice clamps..

[BarryW]

I have progressed sub-assemblies and here they are lined up.


i had a email from Airfix to say they had a backlog to catch up with thanks to the lockdown and getting me the part will take longer than usual....

hopefully I have enough to keep me going for a bit and, what with my holiday starting Friday it won’t delay me much if at all. We shall see...

I have been working the fuselage seams with the David Sander and it certainly takes some hard work out of the job. I found that it is more controllable at higher speeds and so far I have used the attachments below each with a different grade of wet n dry. It certainly helps get right up close to detail. Overall while not cheap it is a good purchase and I expect it to get a fair bit of usage.

Waiting for another touch of MDP to dry ready to sand and, hopefully after a spot of scribing the seams will be up to scratch. Photos to follow.

one further thing to add, I don’t think the black cement does not help in any way.

[BarryW]

I have had a couple of interesting’ sessions...

first a shot of the spine, the seams all sorted and re-scribing done. I am not impressed by that black cement and won’t bother with it again. It adds nothing.

Here are my range of scribing tools, the ones I use most are the bottom three.

I have been moving on with more subs...
and found this.


Note the part numbers, here are those parts on the sprue, not the same numbers...


It is definitely the same parts, those are not the only ones on sprue F that are misnumbered either




To think that I was praising Airfix for their sprue organisation.... pity they got the numbers wrong, not that it’s a massive problem of course but they really should pay a bit more due care and attention.

Also this horrible soft cheap plastic strikes again


Again this is not a big problem and is easily sorted. I have also had more warping on larger parts, not as bad as the fuselage and easy to sort but it is annoying though. It is things like this that really differentiates Airfix from high end companies like Tamiya. Airfix really have some great kit designers, as good as Tamiya’s, but they are let down by the production side.

[KarlW]

I've seen Aifix kits where the ejector pins have punched holes clean through the kit, and then replacements arrive with exactly the same issues. I sometimes think they rush their production runs as sink holes are avoidable.

[stona]

I had a feeling you'd not find much use for the 'black' cement.

It's a gimmick, and one that you can do yourself with a few drops of paint if you think it is useful. I've yet to find someone who does think it's useful.

Cheers

Steve

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Glad your new sander is proving its worth. Shame about the black glue but it did sound like a bit of a gimmick. Airfix really do need to take that bit more care as slap-dash production is spoiling some great new kits. Neat rescribing - something which I find hard to do successfully.
Jim

[Matt.]

Hi Barry,
Been a hectic time at work lately and not managed to follow this daily, just had a catch up tonight on what I’ve missed. What a great read, so thorough, looking absolutely great. Surprised about the fit issues after watching the documentary I saw the other year and this been the kit that would kick start the turnaround of hornby/airfix.
Matt

[BarryW]

Hi Barry,
Been a hectic time at work lately and not managed to follow this daily, just had a catch up tonight on what I’ve missed. What a great read, so thorough, looking absolutely great. Surprised about the fit issues after watching the documentary I saw the other year and this been the kit that would kick start the turnaround of hornby/airfix.
Matt

Hi Matt
The fit issues are down to two things, the warping and sometimes shrinkage of the soft plastic which is unsuited for large kits and the tight tolerances. The tolerances are easily dealt with, a swipe of a sanding stick. It really is a good kit and you should not be put off by these things, or indeed, any of the issues I have encountered. None are impossible to overcome, though if you want to display open panels then it would be a bit more of a challenge. I do like to identiify both the good and (however minor, or major) the bad. Too many kit reviews gloss over small issues or dont even mention them.

I just find it frustating that the Airfix staff, here in East Kent, can do a first class job designing a kit only for it to be undermined by their manufacturing processes. If they could only get the latter right they would produce kits as good as even Tamiya. Like many of us, I grew up with Airfix and would like to see them prosper but that does not mean we ignore where they go wrong or they will never improve.

[BarryW]

Hi all, I am off early tomorrow morning for a week in The Lake District so this will probably be my last post for over a week though, with luck I will still get the odd chance to look in when the missus is not looking....

I have made a start of the excellent engine. Great fit and nicely molded, well detailed with lots, and lots, of parts. Here is where I have got to with a lot more to do....


The instructions even include very detailed guidance on how to wire it up and, well, it would be rude not to bring out my lead wire! That will be the next job.

More when I return.....

[Defiant911]

Looking good Barry..going Back a step or two how did you do the seatbelts. They look amazing?
carl

[Alun Wells]

Just had a catch up session, looking good, really enjoying your blog.
Cheers
Alun