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Chris McG F-86 Sabre Dog build blog


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Hello gents,

Not a great deal to declare but I had some progress with the fin fairing V2. angel

1719_fin_fairing_900.jpg

With the thicker cardboard being pre-bent and reinforced with a layer of diluted PVA, I prepared some templates to suit the dorsal triangular fin and all went very smoothly this time.

Far from done yet, but at least I’ll have a solid base to build on when the fairings are dry.

Forgive the temporary balsa sticks and pins, but quite chuffed with this V2-test so far… cool

Hakuna matata & stay prudent

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR V2 Cardboard Control

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Hi again,

Switching from the tail end to the wing again as it was a cold but dry and windless here in BE.

The wing had its second Sauce layer already and I could sand it back to check for ‘imperfections’.

A few spots - like the aileron shrouds - could do with a thin 3d layer of Sauce. frown

1722_wing_misting01_900.jpg

1728_wing_misting_900.jpg

Both sides were prepared that way and then ‘misted’ with a contrasting - flat black spray can in this case - colour for the final sanding.

IIRC, Dirk used it on his Sabre as well. It’s an old trick used in car body-shops to obtain a smooth end result. Once the ‘misting’ is gone/sanded away equally all over the part, the surface is ready for the primer or paint to be applied.

Hakuna matata & stay safe all

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Misting Control

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Hello out there,

I just thought I could bring in a few bright colours to enlighten that grey winter week-end…

Not that many words needed, I guess?

1729_elevator_under_900.jpg

1738_elevators_radome.jpg

The elevators are now done with the Belgian tricolour at the underside and fully ‘vermillion’ at the top. Even the jig has been ‘nationalised’ now… it’s not going to rust right away, for sure. wink

The radome nose costed me sweat and tears to sand the filler properly as it always wanted to end with some flat spots… the flat black is truly helping to hide the blemishes though… angel

Hakuna matata & stay cool all

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Bright Colours & Flat Spot Control

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Thank you both for commenting, gents. smiley

I must say that I'm well pleased as well with the results shown by the elevators.

Only a very short session at La Grotte as it was the final GP of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi. blush

Some blue foam added to the fairing and the tilted end piece of the fairing behind the rudder glued in place as well.

Next will be filling up all the blemishes with my light weight filler combo and then... sanding again... frown

Cheers

Chris

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Thank you Mike, Ade and John for you motivating visit and kind comments. yes

@ Mike > yes, I've been using peel ply for larger projects but always in combination with vacuum bagging. Combined with some absorbing tissue - like kitchen towels - it gave real lightweight results but it was on the 'inside' of the part.

I know Danny F uses it a lot at the 'outside' of glass covering, but I never used it for small modelling bits as external coating.

Anyhow, it leaves a small wave as well, hence some 'filler' is still needed.

Freddie B's sauce really is the most light weight form of filler I've been trying out. But of course, I stand to be corrected.

Cheers & stay alert all

Chris

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Thanks for visiting, Martyn. yes

Albeit being a very slow builder, I'm trying to do the best I can, but sometimes - as with the cardboard fin fairing - I get myself into a genuine 'exploration journey' as well... I really like that part of modelling though.

I still have to find a way allowing me to paint the wing and fuse later on.

The smaller parts were done outside in between our national rain showers. Now, with the temps decreasing and the humidity increasing drastically, I'll have to find a different approach... indecision

Cheers & stay careful

Chris

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Hi again,

Some progress with the fin fairing V2.

I added some blue foam at the lateral fronts of both the fairings, got the cardboard to blend in with their shape and finished up with some lightweight filler ‘combo’.

The filler needed two passes with a light sanding in between as there are lots of concave and convex shapes all over the place… frown

1745_fin_fairings01_900.jpg

1746_fin_fairing02_900.jpg

Probably the easiest part of the tail unit was to foresee the tilted end plate.

A bit of measuring, sculpting and sanding was all it needed.

Luckily, I didn’t forget to integrate the little plastic tubing for the LED beacon… angel

1751_fin_fairings03_900.jpg

And yes, the tail unit of the F-86K ‘Dog’ - including larger fin/rudder and certainly fairings - is completely different from the standard F-86.

But, at least, now I know for sure… wink

Hakuna matata & stay careful all

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Fin Fairings Control

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... thank you all & of course, our brand new Young Mister Moderator as well. wink

I'm really glad I went on with the second version. The slightly thicker cardboard did the job nicely and being only 0,6mm thick, it remains quite lighter than that big lump of balsa needed to do the job.

The jury is still out regarding how to properly glass that convex/concave tail end...

Next will be to build a fuselage jig for glassing, Saucing and painting... and also find a solution where to paint the lot properly.

Note to Ade > No, I don't have an appropriate 'conservatory'... devil

Cheers & careful, gents

Chris

 

Edited By McG 6969 on 17/12/2020 18:01:08

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Thanks for your motivating words, Lady Chief. kiss

No session at La Grotte today as I had a 'prospection journey' to my very old garage box.

The bad news > as I had foreseen, it will be quite impossible to have the Dog's painting sessions over there.

Main reasons are no mains, hence no light and no heating and of course way to dusty... sad

The good news > I found some scrap bits of wood that will be close to great to build the fuselage jig for painting... smiley

Cheers & keep safe all

Chris

 

Edited By McG 6969 on 19/12/2020 18:54:36

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Thanks for jumping in, Dave.

No worries, I'm still enjoying my journey with the Dog. I already learned sóó much during this 'long-ish' build.

But TBH, I would really like to find a solution regarding my painting booth problem.

I will first start the carpentry phase for the fuse jig and then depending on the final size needed, I'll have to find a viable solution.

Cheers & stay prudent

Chris

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Hi again,

La Grotte has been converted to a wood/carpentry shop for a while to prepare the fuse jig.

The wood I found was formerly a double bench/bed from an old French - or was it Dutch - Château caravan from the early nineties. Nice quality and at least the wood is fully dry… and free... yes

I was a bit surprised that it seemed to be held together with simple staples, even ‘large type’ ones.

Even when those were removed, it appeared that the units were still standing very solid.

Looking closer, I discovered that all the bits were not only glued together but that each joint also was reinforced by two 6mm dowels… Did I mention ‘quality’ earlier? …

Result > a complete session to only obtain a bunch of old wood… sad ... at least they are usable planks now.

Hakuna matata & stay careful, gents

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Quality Control

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Hi Martian and thanks for visiting. yes

Regarding the 'bed' idea, I'm afraid that won't be possible as the longest piece of the bench is only 1,4m.

I'm not a really tall guy, but even at 1,8m it would be hard to have a good night rest. By the way, is the Dog's blog that boring that I should think about going for a nap? devil

Anyhow, I started to measure and saw about all the planks I will need to build up the fuse jig.

Getting the glue and staple gun now prepared to have some further action soon.

Cheers & careful please, gents

Chris

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