The F-102 begins! I have marked out boards and begun basic cutting of wood to begin the jet. Just a reminder, check your drawings! I found that the size of the wing on my side view and top/bottom views were different. If I had cut that fuselage with the side drawing, I would have a quarter inch gap to fill. I have had so many problems with the monster Hellcat the past couple of months from inaccurate measurements/drawings that I am a little snakebit.
F-102 trivia:
In 1949, the USAF specified a new supersonic interceptor to go into service by 1954. It would be the first integrated aircraft and weapon system. During the development it was found to be an impossible demand by the USAF and overwhelming task for Convair. The F-102 was to be the "interim interceptor" with the F-102B to be the "ultimate interceptor" to come online a couple of years later. The later design was so different over the years it became the F-106 and didn't enter service until 1959.
The cheek fairings on the tail are for the area rule. They couldn't shrink the waist of the fuselage so they had to expand the front and rear sections.
When the F-102 was delivered, there were no manuals for operation of the radar, though the pilots were required to run intercepts with it and to qualify themselves operational. The F-89 boys gave some tips and the rest they figured out on their own. Techniques for tuning televisions were used to tune the display, including wiping the mode select knob vigorously.
The performance capabilities were confidential and not released to the pilots. When they read in a French magazine it could reach Mach 1.5 in a dive, they had to try it out. It worked!
The F-102 had a lot wrong with it, but so did everything made during that era. Aviation was in unknown territory and the US had to consider defense against an adversary. The lessons learned from the century jets paved the way for the F-16 and F-15 in later years. The ability of the F-102 to actually intercept a bomber was questionable, but it did provide a deterence, which was the name of the game back then.
Pics to follow when something is worth looking at.
Ken Pugh
The block was prepared with pins and the side view drawn on outside and inside.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger002.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2500
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Test fit of pieces.
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I then carved in the side view.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger005.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2552
Ken Pugh
Coming along nicely. I have yet to proceed beyond printing the drawing of the F-104. Too many projects not enough time.
Lou
Thanks Lou,
I am still trying to wrap my mind around how to put the wings on the Starfighter and get them to come out right at 1/72 scale. I plan to do all of them, possibly including the prototypes of unbuilts, but the F-104 has me puzzled in the wing area.
Ken Pugh
I did a 1/24 scale one some years ago. (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_IMG_0728.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2322
I notched the wing and fuselage and just replaced the plug I took out to insert the wing from the bottom. The wing was a one piece affair with the dihedral built in. I will post some pictures as I am about to do a notch on another plane.
Now that my Family Life Center model is finished, progress is being made on the F-102. I have the basic form of the fuselage done. Filling and finishing is needed there. I still need some wood placed forward of the canopy so I can correct the outline.
The Case X wing has washout at the tips and I am carving the outlines of that. Hollowing out the underside and making all this thin will be entertaining. Using poplar it will be hard to carve but will not break and can be carved pretty thin.
Ken Pugh
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger006.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2814 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2814)
Ken, that is a really sleek 'plane. I ran across some drawings of a sleek Nord jet and have been contemplating my next project.
Garet
Just as I was looking at my half-carved wing I realized I had the wingtip curved up instead of the leading edge curved down. AARGH!!!! Unfortunately, flipping the whole wing over will not fix the problem. In the trash it goes. I traced out another one and will cut it out later. Time to go to bed.
Ken Pugh
As I was making the replacement wing, I noticed a mistake I made looking at pictures. On one page was the Case X wing where the tips curved up slightly. The next page had the Case XX wing with the leading edge of the wingtip sharply curved down. My original wing was correct with a curved up tip, but it was curved too much and didn't look right. The new wing looks better. If you decide to build an F-102 make sure you choose which wing you want to build and stick with it. The tips were curved differently and the elevons were shaped different.
This is a very sleek jet and a joy to see come together. I will post pics as soon as Ray says the gallery is ready. Can't wait to build the even more beautiful F-106.
Ken Pugh
The more I work on this jet the more I appreciate its beauty. There is a lot of fine shaping that needs to be done but most of the structure is in place.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger007.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2836 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2836)
The upper fuselage shape is in place and the wing is attached.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger008.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2835 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2835)
Wood glued on the bottom for lower fuselage shape.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger009.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2834 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2834)
Lower shape roughed-in.
Ken Pugh
Hello,
Would the F-4 Phantom qualify? It was originally designated as the F-110 :<)
John Bell
John,
As far as a Century Jets cookup goes, it does not qualify. It was not designated by the USAF in the hundreds. Of course, we would love to follow your progress as you build! Cookups are just suggestions of build topics and a fun way for us to build as a community. Check Lou's projects, he builds all kinds of stuff outside of cookups.
I just noticed you are a new member. Welcome aboard! Build what you like and share. We'd love to see your work and talk with you about it. Also, check out our gallery if you are not already a member. There is a link for it near the top of the page. It requires a separate login/registration.
Ken Pugh
Ken,
The 102 is looking nice!
I did find a book with some Century jet concepts that were (in general) not built, but I don't remember any with enough detail to make a reasonable model (though I'll double-check)
Garet
For Ken, very nice looking Dagger.
John the question of what constitutes a Century Series bird depends on where one looks. If you look hard enought, someone somewhere determined that the F-103, F-107, F-108, F-109 and F-110 Spectre all qualify depending on the literarture you read. The two Phantoms renamed as F-110 would have remained as such had the Defense Department not ordered that all Air Force, Army, and Navy aircraft be designated under a common, universal system on September 18, 1962. However, Ken interpretation is also correct in that the F-100 to F-106 (- F-103) were the only ones to make it into production. So for myself, I will eventually be making an F-108 Rapier. I think that she is a sleek looking craft that should have made it, but like the British TSR 2, Israeli Lavi and the Canadian CF-105 they did not.
Lou
Thanks, Lou.
I am still having trouble with the wood added to the front of the canopy. It is just not holding up. I decided to take a more durable option. I put a piece of square stock on that almost looks like a top rail. Once that dried a little, I filled the area with CA and micro balloons. Hopefully, this will be strong enough to make the front of the canopy.
Ken Pugh
The advantage of wood is that you can do stuff like this and still come out with an accurate shape. Good luck and post some pictures. My F-104 is coming better than expected with the sanding. I will glue the wings shortly but will make sure I have pictures of the cavity and the angles involved should you decide to make one yourself.
Lou
Time to build the tail cheeks. The area rule could not be done on the F-102 by narrowing the fuselage because there was no room inside, so they installed fatter tail cheeks to achieve the same thing. It is a good idea to do one side to completion before moving to the other as you are digging around in the exhaust area. I planked the area with 1/16" square basswood stock. It was glued on with CA. As you add each piece, do a little carving in the exhaust to begin smoothing this out. This is easier than waiting until it is all in place (lesson learned).
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This was all carved down to shape and the inside area was carved. It gets kind of narrow in there so I made the afterburner can from dowel rod. This was glued inside and then I could do all this over on the right side.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger012.JPG)
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This last pic is a little blurry in the gray area but you get the idea. It still needs a little filling/sanding but the shape matches the pictures pretty much.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger013.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2864 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2864)
Ken Pugh
Excellent approach to a tedious problem. So far it looks great. My F-104 is still in the sanding bay. Too many other projects keep popping up. Do you have a roll out date yet?
lou
I don't dare set a date because I know of no way to meet it! It doesn't look like much is left to do, but I know I will want to have as smooth a surface as possible. I also know the paint will take a lot of time because I plan to paint everything. It will be a good exercise in masking.
Ken Pugh
I set dates to make sure things don't drag on too long. But then, extensions are always possible.
Lou
Good Luck with your paint.
No pics but words on this update. A lot of time has gone into finish sanding trying to get the wood to look like an aluminum jet. It is now pretty slick. I am at the point of adding fuselage details and the question now is how much to add. The search has also gone on for a paintjob. Since this model has the Case X wing, it is necessarily an early model and there are simply not as many pics of Case X jets. I will probably build it as a very early model without the intake ramps. The problem is the US AIR FORCE lettering was bent to get it to fit. Though correct, it would look like an error to the casual observer. I guess that will be a conversation starter.
Anyone considering building the F-102 should give plenty of consideration toward whether you want a Case X or Case XX wing (10 or 20). They are very different in shape and have different elevons. Case XX wings were not retrofitted to older models. Many of the other fuselage details, antennae and tail hook, came over time and were usually retrofitted, though not always. Most of the antennae are small and are not significant, but that wing definitely is. Of all the photos and prints available of F-102s, Case X wings are quite rare.
Ken Pugh
The silver paint goes over clear gloss quite nicely. The gloss takes out the minute imperfection and provides a nice surface for the paint to adhere to. Mine will also be bare metal, but the Canadian version of white wings, red tail plane and grey under wing. The remainder will be base metal. The tail area is problematic as the metal discoloured due to heat. Same as the F-100. Painting is still a long ways away for me. Yesterday I added the fillet materiel for the main wing and will sand in a few days. The spine on the back of the fuselage will be a half round dowel. I have yet to do that piece so wish me luck. I will either use a rasp to render it half round or perhaps put it on my belt sander. Either way, it look like Ken will be done before me.
Lou
Another thing to consider with the F-102. If you see a silver F-102, it is silver lacquer, not bare metal. The only areas bare metal are the exhaust area, around the intakes, and areas of the intake ramp. From what I have seen the F-106 was also sometimes seen with silver lacquer paint though not bare metal.
Ken Pugh
Right you are Ken. I had a "Old Timer" moment.
LOu
I was specifically talking about the F-102 and I think you were talking about the F-101. I have not yet investigated the Voodoo fully so I don't know if some were bare metal. I have seen pics of the Voodoo with silver lacquer. Of course, the F-100 was available in bare metal. From my research, the F-102 was only ever operational painted and I think that was also true of the F-106.
I haven't taken detailed step-by-step pics of this build and have not tried to compile a detailed build log, but I definitely want to post info that will be valuable to a builder of this jet. Areas that have frustrated me, slowed me down, or painted me into a corner, I will post here so the builder can be aware without deep research.
One thing is for certain, Canada applied some beautiful special occaision paint schemes to their Voodoos! I don't know if they were very proud of the Voodoo or it was a convenient platform because of its large size and limited use.
Ken Pugh
The F-102 is built and awaiting primer. I think everything is done but I will stare at her for a couple of hours then apply the primer. The primer I am using is Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. It is a filling primer that dries to the touch in 30 minutes and can be recoated in 1 hour but fully cures in 7 days. I got it because it says it can prime both wood and metal. I can probably paint over it before 7 days, but that will give me plenty of time to make masks for the upcoming paint.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger014.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2877 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2877)
Ken Pugh
You outdid yourself on this one. Excellent work my man.
LOu
Thanks Lou. The painting of the markings will be a challenge but I have an idea of what I'll do. I will document the whole process for a tutorial if it works out okay. I am also planning the base. I have some red oak that I was going to use on a ship model but changed my mind. Hopefully, I will come up with a base design that looks professional that I can use for future projects, like all the Century jets!
Ken Pugh
Ken,
Excellent work! How did you do the wing strakes?
Garet
I fretted over the wing strakes for some time. When I made the perpendicular antennae on the tail, I just used 1/32" basswood. I worked out so well that I did it again for the wing.
The two inner strakes are on the top of the wing and the two outer strakes go over the leading edge and under the wing. For the outer ones, I just cut the strip of 1/32" basswood a little long and glued it to the wing with CA. Either my CA is just getting too old or this can be a problem getting it to set properly. Eventually, I got to the point where I gooped the glue on there and got the strake where I wanted and perpendicular to the wing, then sprayed it with Zip Kicker. That solved the problem nicely. I had to do a little carving on the underside of the strake to match the contour of the wing. I then carved it down and got the length past the leading edge where I wanted it. Flip it over and repeat.
An important thing to consider with these thin strips, the basswood easily splits along the grain when thin. This can be stopped by impregnating the wood with CA. This also works well if you want to use cardstock. Once you get thin wood or cardstock positioned and shaped, saturate it with CA and it will get hard as a rock. It can also be carved and sanded when dry. This trick works well when you are forcing cardstock into a curved or rounded shape when wet. Once you get it where it needs to be, goop on the CA then shoot it with kicker. CA needs moisture to set anyway, so it's not a problem using the glue on wet surfaces.
Ken Pugh
I now have the entire fuselage covered in gray primer and it looks really slick. I have not taken pics because getting a camera to focus on gray is extremely difficult. I still see little areas that are not perfect on the surface but I've finally had enough chasing imperfections. Some of these areas I have filled several times. I would just use several coats of this filling primer but it takes a week to fully harden and I want this thing done. I have got to get better at creating smooth surfaces in wood. Maybe I just need to build up quite a lot of layers of sealer or polyurethane before priming.
With it in it's gray state, you can see the strong similarities to other deltas, especially the Eurofighter. Form really does follow function in deltas.
Ken Pugh
You're doing a fine job, Ken. You've also touched on the problem of "time" as it relates to solid models. It's certainly all right to call forth the adage: "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well", but at some point we all have to decide when: "enough's enough". After all there are other things in life.
Cliff.
Ken,
Thanks for the CA tip. I've used that on inlets and rocket nozzles carved from wood, but never thought to try it for cardstock, which I have had problems with before (fuzzing).
Garet
After a lot of nerve-wracking effort at cutting masking for the lettering, I've decided not to paint the markings. I will go back to my tissue trick then hand paint over the tissue markings. They are just too tiny at 1/72 scale to waste time on.
Ken Pugh
You must get into decal making. The Testor starter kit is great and any inkjet printer can make really nice decals.
Lou
I have built the base for the model so I can now start painting. The base is built from red oak. It has a real open grain and is tough to work. The base is 3/4" (sold as 1") and the upright arm is 1/4". The label is printed on parchment cardstock. I sprayed several coats of Krylon Crystal Clear on the label then used glue stick to attach to base. Once dry, I covered it with a coat of polyurethane. The base itself is coated with several coats of polyurethane.
The model was taped to the upright and a hole was drilled through the arm and model for the pin. The hole in the model was then enlarged for a piece of brass tubing that fit the pin.
I made a template from card stock to design the upright. I first marked off the thickness of the base. I then marked in the angle of the displayed plane. From there I drew a parallel line that showed the height above the base, then the upright was drawn in. This was cut out and used as a template for the upright. I like the look of this base and will probably build it for the rest of my models until I get tired of it and design another.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger017.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2980 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2980)
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Ken Pugh
Your stand looks great. A close-up of the model in the first picture shows the grey quite nicely and the smooth surface of the F-102. It is going to look fantastic when finished.
Lou
Thanks Lou,
That primer I used works out well though it takes 7 days to fully cure. It is strong and fills somewhat. I got tired of fine sanding but I know it needs to be super smooth for a good metal finish. This one is practice for when I get to the bare metal planes later.
Ken Pugh
Big setback with the jet today. I used frisket to cover the tissue decals as I painted the gray of the body. The decals had several coats of clear on them. Unfortunately, the frisket lifted the clear and ripped/fuzzed the markings. Oh well, they didn't look good enough to me anyway. So, I will step away from this thing for awhile and go back to painting all markings. I just have to learn how to cut perfect masks. I think part of the problem is the images I work from are not perfect, so I am going to draw out my own on drafting mylar and see if that helps with mask creation. I don't know what I'm going to do about the writing. Once I get this licked I'll be able to build all the jets I want, until then, what a pain.
Ken Pugh
Someone told me to use basket type coffee filters for masking. You cut them and then wet them. They will lay down nicely and be sure to spray you paint lightly and remove before the paper dries. I have not tried it personally as I normally make my own decals on my printer.
Lou
i have gone over to the dark side (easy, smart side?) and ordered decal paper. I was turned off before because of the expense but there are manufacturers that sell direct. I also realized one did not have to use the entire piece of paper but I can cut out a section and use just like I do with the tissue. I will get this problem licked soon. I got 20 sheets for $17 plus shipping.
Ken Pugh
You require white and clear.
Lou
That's what I got, a pack with 10 sheets clear and 10 sheets white.
Ken Pugh
You are on your way. Here is model I finished using home made decals. The only thing I stole from another kit was the intake warning decal.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/3765834079_acfe55a0af.jpg)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8416077@N08/3765834079/
Lou
The lettering, was it done by word processor? What font? I have a free Amarillo font that looks great, but it doesn't do numbers or periods. The F-102 is going to be a challenge because the letters at the intake are bent, but I plan to print them straight then adjust for the bend.
Ken Pugh
I downloaded some fonts and one was USAF. The A from the USAF does not match the A in the Navy font. I could not find the USN font anywhere so I substitued the RCN A instead. It is pretty close.
I started here http://hans.presto.tripod.com/fonts/usaaf.html and eventually found several good fonts.
Lou
Thanks, Lou.
The above site is where I got the fonts that I have a little trouble with. I checked our markings area and went through those links. There I found the one that is shareware with a free trial. I will try that one when my paper arrives and will pay the gentleman if all works out. I will also comment on the font here. This issue is important enough to get right so I'm slowing down the work on the F-102. I don't like doing graphics creation but the time is coming where I must if I'm going to enjoy the benefits of scratchbuilding, mainly doing the offbeat subjects. Of course, if I would just build larger models, I wouldn't have these problems, I could just paint everything!
Ken Pugh
The F-102 is built and has its markings. It needs to air out over night then clear coated tomorrow. When I get on the other side of the clear coats I will post pics.
Ken Pugh
I look forward to your dagger.
Lou
The Delta Dagger is done. The insignia are leftover decals and the lettering is inkjet made with clear film. They are thick and I didn't put on enough clear to make them disappear (I ran out). They also are not entirely black but that kind of stuff will be sorted out in the future while playing with printer settings.
Ken Pugh
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_dagger026.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-3513 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-3513)
It's a beauty.
I fully agree with Dave's assessment of your finished F-102.
Lou
Thanks, gentlemen.
The century jets had many flaws but they were all beautiful.
Ken Pugh