Wildcat F4F 1:72

[Marcos Borges]

Hi Guys.
First of all I would like to apologise for a very long time without posting here 
I have some projects that are stoped like the F100, but started new ones.
Here is a F4F Wildcat that I'm working for a group build in a forum here in Brazil.

Bellow are some pictures of the work in progress:















I hope post more updates soon.

Cheers,
Marcos.

[lastvautour]

Looks great Marcos. I hope to see more photos soon. Is your forum a solid model forum? Do you have an email address. I may not understand the language, but I love looking at the pictures these carry.

Lou

[Marcos Borges]

Hi Lou
I'm registered in some foruns, but all of them are dedicated to plastic modeling. I think that I'm the only one that likes to model in wood, although I've been modeling in plastic and resin too  
Here are the links and my e-mail bellow.
Cheers,
Marcos.

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http://www.plastimodelismo.org/bbs/index.php

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http://cafemodelismoforum.livreforum.com/

[buccfan]

Hello Marcos, your wildcat is looking great,how did you cut out the hole in the front for the engine?. If I were you I would remove your email address from the open forum as you may be subject to lots of spam emails, or be used by someone else for dodgy purposes.Regards Paul J.

[Marcos Borges]

Hi Paul,
Thanks!
I openned the front hole and the cockpit area with some tools like this one in the picture using a Dremel.



Thanks for the advice about the e-mail address. I will remove it.

Cheers,
Marcos.

[Oceaneer99]

General information for all members:

When you are logged on to the forum, you can send personal messages to any member by clicking on the "My Messages" button.  That's the best way to exchange e-mail addresses.

Garet

[Balsabasher]

Marcos I think your Wildcat looks great, also keep up the good work in promoting solid modelling in your country,you may be the only one but represent our hobby non the less,you never know someone may come forward as another builder due to your own models ?
Barry.

[cliff strachan]

Marcos your Wildcat is really neat (old expression well fitted to this hobby). It looks like you're preparing to fit it with a transparent cockpit canopy. If you have time perhaps you could tell us how you moulded such a canopy.

Cliff.

[buccfan]

Thanks for the picture Marcos, Regards Paul J.

[Marcos Borges]

Hi Guys.
Cliff, I want to fit it with a transparent canopy that I hope to make with a simple vacuum form machine that I'm building (picture bellow). The master will be made in wood.



Balsabasher I really hope that some friends give a try in building solid models. I'm always posting some work here in the Brazilian foruns and linking to some impressive work from this forum and from solid model memories site.
Oceaneer, thanks for the information and bucfan for following the construction.

Cheers,
Marcos.

[cliff strachan]

Marcos, that's a fine looking vacuum machine. Perhaps you might consider the plans for such a machine as a contribution to the Group. Incidentally, I've also experimented with transparent canopies and home- built  vacuum machines. In fact, my P51D's canopy and the canopy for the larger of my two Mariners was built using that device. Also, when, or if, I get my  F6F-5 painted it will also have a plastic canopy built in the same way. Of interest is my two observations resulting from this approach: the first is that as a result of having two Mariners I concluded that the more conventional way of  applying dull black paint provided just  as real a cockpit canopy as the one produced by vacuum forming. Secondly,when it comes to the actual interior of a fighter aircraft it appears impossible to adequately replicate  such an interior as required by the existence of a transparency. An area - as  much as I hate to admit - that is much more suited to the plastic alternative. In this sense a painted canopy removes the necessity of trying to carve all the  details of the interior of a cockpit.
Cliff.

[Marcos Borges]

Hi Cliff.
I will do some plans for the vacuum machine e post it soon. There is a need to correct some issues that I notice in the first tests.
I understood what you say about the two options in the canopy area. I was figuring out how to work in the interior and in this scale I think that the only option is do something with styrene sheet. But let´s see how it will come.

Here are some pictures of the recent work in the tail. I used a wood stick for the rudder and elevator.

[cliff strachan]

Marcos, I think that the wood stick - which from here looks like a "doctor's tongue depressor" - looks like a good idea. But I'm really interested in finding out how you manage the interior. For myself, I generally approached an interior as an unoccupied one with a seat made from aluminum and a safety belt made from masking tape in place over the seat. This I guess worked OK but in aerial photos of course it was sadly inferior. Hence "the ghost ship" which is probably justified.
Cliff.

[buccfan]

I used a tongue depressor for the tailplane on my bucc,they are ok if flat but they sometimes curl slightly.Regards Paul J,

[Balsabasher]

Yes Marcos I for one would love to have details of how you made your vac machine,I keep hearing about these Mattell toys but have never seen one ? when it is perfected then show us all how to reproduce one like yours as it would be so useful.
Barry.