Blackadder's Scratchbuilt Thunderhawk Redux

[Jadriancz]

You've surpassed it already!!



Actually, that's a fair question. I don't post any work I have designed. However, I have helped many 100's of people with their models, many commercial ventures, with parts they had trouble designing. I never name names to respect their privacy, and I never charge, however, I have been gifted more paper models than I could build in the life I have left, whole collections, given in gratitude. I mostly enjoy teaching people how to do it themselves. I spend around 2 hours a day just going through the threads and administrating this forum, and sometimes, much more time answering P.M.'s. It actually adds up to a lot, and that has been my contribution for a long time, oh, add "Keeping the Peace" onto that list. There are some projects I do really want to finish, one is that coupe inspired by Mauser's model, the full frame and engine for Tonino's Balilla, that's done, just need to finalize, build, and then build a Balilla to make sure! On top of that, this year I plan to do much welding of the repair panels onto my 1973 M.G.Midget, it has the round rear wheel arch, I already blueprinted the engine. A Full plate.

Way too many projects for me.. I hope you get some of those cleared off your to do list so you can do the ones you "really want" to do.. Another few yrs and I will be at retirement age then its going to be either fishing or modeling..

 

[Blackadder]

Pause and Reflect:

Time to step back and see where we are proportion-wise.

Mounting the Flying Lascannons struts shows me I must extend the wing roots about 13 MM which will increase the wingspan about one inch. The Lascannon length is okay so that can be detailed today.



The overall length of the T'hawk is 26 inches, 7 inches longer than the FW version and I am hard pressed to find a place to photograph the entire model.



Likewise the front view; with the struts in the stowed position it looks very much like the 3D image.



With the struts deployed it has a decidedly menacing appeal.



This model is starting to grow on me; mebbe I should work on it more often.............

 

[zathros]

If this went on EBAY, I think you would be shocked at ow high the price would go. This is incredible.

 

[Blackadder]

Thanks, I was offered five figures for my Lucius Warlord and turned that down as an order of magnitude below which I wouldn't even consider selling him for. Some things can't be bought I suppose.

A Couple of Building Hints:

I am frequently asked for building plans and templates and I ruefully have to answer there are none. I work strictly off of computer images I find on the 'net. For this model I have largely to thank an artist on 'Deviant Art' for these fabulous 3D imagings. Of course I do not copy his work strictly but also incorporate the best of the FW T'hawk, the T'hawk from the video game trailer and some original thoughts of my own especially when it comes to making movable parts.



The other tip is a bit more prosaic but at least I can feel better about being able to share information......



I needed a spacer jig for the rings around the Laser Barrel so I fashioned this in less than a minute and had a rude but effective spacing tool 1,0 MM thick.

 

[Blackadder]

Arcane Lascannons and Fist Sized Rivets:

Good, at least the rivets show in both these images, I'm trying a new method of making rivets; in this case the rivets are 0.035 inch styrene rod and shaved to about 0.010 thousandths thick ideally. I can install about six rivets per minute so the 128 rivets per strut (top and bottom) should only take about 20 minutes but actually because of the tedium took about an hour and a half.



It strikes me that the rivets small as they are are in scale about the size of a fist which would look rather silly on an actual aircraft but my tired old eyes can't deal with anything smaller. I remember with Lucie I actually installed quite a few 0.020 thousandths rivets and at the time 35 thousandths rivets were a cakewalk.

Forgot the 4 image limit............

It strikes me that the rivets small as they are are in scale about the size of a fist which would look rather silly on an actual aircraft but my tired old eyes can't deal with anything smaller. I remember with Lucie I actually installed quite a few 0.020 thousandths rivets and at the time 35 thousandths rivets were a cakewalk.

 

[zathros]

It would be impossible to place a price on this model. It's a work of Art. That says it all.

 

[Blackadder]

I appreciate that,

The Cockpit and Canopy:

I only have a few major components to go on this model; the cockpit and canopy, the horizontal stabilizer, the two canard wings, Volcano cannon, and cockpit interior.... whoops and the twin ball turrets, maybe not so few after all.

Below are the six walls and the floor of the cockpit ready for assembly.



The cockpit walls glued together with angle styrene and 6,3 MM strips used for corner reinforcement and gussets ready to slide into place.



The cockpit walls and canopy will be a removable modular construction and the floor a separate unit for ease of dis-assembly for detailing and painting. the whole will plug in snugly without the need to be glued into place.



With the cockpit walls established I am ready for the exterior bezel that melds the canopy to the fuselage.

 

[Blackadder]

Cockpit Flange:

This is coming along so quickly it's hard to believe how much I begrudge devoting time to this model. I'd much prefer working on the Reaver project which I plan to pick up again tomorrow.

The cockpit rough work is just about completed and I am ready to start framing the canopy.




It really paid off giving the time to make precision cuts etc because the plug in cockpit wall slide in well like they were made for it.




I am a lazy fellow and I hate filing and sanding filler so making things fit properly in the first place pays dividends in the long run.



The apron in front of the cockpit needed to be extended over the bonnet.



and it still needs about another 3.0 MM extension so the windscreen will have the proper angle but it's enough for now.

 

[zathros]

Very well thought out assembly method!!

 

[Blackadder]

Thank you,

Canopy:

Hard to believe such a simple structure would be so hard to duplicate.

I suppose I should have done a drawing to get the angles and proportions right instead of extrapolating from the screen in fact as I write this I'm thinking, "Why didn't I do a drawing????"



Well we'll see where dead reckoning takes us and it is a reasonable facsimile so much the better otherwise, "Back to the drawing board."



took these images rather more for my benefit than any sense of beneficence because I need a 2 dimensional image to see what this construct looks like so far.

It's difficult to get proportions right on a 3D object when working from a 2D image. Yeah a drawing would have been better....



Another problem is the next step because there is a certain amount of fudging when 3D art is presented. What looks correct on a flat projection does not translate always into an actual object. (At least in my experience.....)



The angled facets of the triangular side windows I have doubts about because I think the glass (perspex) will be bent to make the real object representation. something the artist needn't be concerned about.

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

I know what you mean, when you mentioned "What looks correct on a flat projection does not translate always into an actual object". When I first started building paper models, I was scratch building, I would use pictures or diagrams. Back in 2010 I scratch built a model of a forward swept wing Thunder Fighter. I took the wings and front canards off the Grumman X-29 and matched it with the "Happy Birthday Buck" Thunder Fighter.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!

 

[Blackadder]

I know what you mean, when you mentioned "What looks correct on a flat projection does not translate always into an actual object". When I first started building paper models, I was scratch building, I would use pictures or diagrams. Back in 2010 I scratch built a model of a forward swept wing Thunder Fighter. I took the wings and front canards off the Grumman X-29 and matched it with the "Happy Birthday Buck" Thunder Fighter.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!

Thanks for including a link to your gallery. I am amazed at the detail you can achieve with the flimsy medium of paper. I for one relish the innovation of others when surmounting the restrictions of their material of which your's is a marvelous example. I began building with fine grained wood and other models built entirely from resin but I do not deem myself capable of working with paper. That is an incredibly special talent.

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

Thanks for including a link to your gallery. I am amazed at the detail you can achieve with the flimsy medium of paper. I for one relish the innovation of others when surmounting the restrictions of their material of which your's is a marvelous example. I began building with fine grained wood and other models built entirely from resin but I do not deem myself capable of working with paper. That is an incredibly special talent.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I am glad that you like my work.
I have to say that I envy people (like yourself) who can use sheet plastic. The skillset (for the most part) is pretty much the same. The only major difference is the material that is preferred. The thread (as a few others that I have seen) is inspiring me to try my hand at building something with sheet plastic.
If you ever decide to try your hand at building a model from paper (cardstock), I can give you what advice I can.

 

[Famous Dave]

What an amazing build you have there. If course I would think that you couldn't do any less. I am blown away by your talent, sir.
Thank you.
Dave

 

[Blackadder]

Thanks for the reply,

Canopy Alteration:

I don't like either the FW canopy or the 3D version but I lean more toward the 3D version.



It seems to me that the framework around the windows should be as narrow as possible but I mustn't let my prejudices alter the look of the T'hawk too much.


Anyway the steps that I deem necessary to frame the canopy should make it clear how it was done.

Limit of Visibility:

To cut the lower sill of the side windows requires a lot of pure guesswork. I have no tools that can measure the tiny compound angles required to reproduce the sill strip which in it's rectangular form is 1,0 X 2,5 MM/0.040 X 0.100 inches.

The strip on the right lower corner already shaped........



I beveled the edge of the strip by drawing it's length across the blade of the 'Utility knife' at what my best guess is the correct angle. Then I pared back the rear edge of the window frame on the base piece to correspond to the adjusted width if the sill strip. that cut is almost perpendicular to the frame of the after cabin. I then cut a compound angle to accommodate both the front slope of the cockpit and the cant of the side window frame and glued in place. I repeated the procedure for the other side.



After gluing both side sills in place I adjusted both the converging angles and the cant angles of the frame by eye as no tool is small enough to measure the angle.



I thought I could only post four images a day????

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

Actually, you can post up to 10 high quality large photos directly from your computer.

 

[zathros]

Thanks for including a link to your gallery. I am amazed at the detail you can achieve with the flimsy medium of paper. I for one relish the innovation of others when surmounting the restrictions of their material of which your's is a marvelous example. I began building with fine grained wood and other models built entirely from resin but I do not deem myself capable of working with paper. That is an incredibly special talent.

"Flimsy medium of paper"!! Why sir, I resemble that remark!!

 

[zathros]

"Twin Ball Turrets", so it's definitely a male model!!

 

[Blackadder]

Aw you peeked!

and yes this model will have ball turrets.

I'll relieve you of the tedium of the rest of the cockpit build unless it's requested but I need a change in the constructionvenue as many of the readers must be tired of the same appearing images; right? so onward to the Horizontal Stabilizer..........


Shake Your Tail Feather:

Well I don't want the tail to shake but I do want it removable because during transport anything that sticks out is libel to damage. A slide in horizontal stabilizer seems the way to go.

I began by making the rails the stab (shortened for convenience) will ride on as it slides into place.

I used 0.080 X 0.100 inch / 2,0 MM X 2,5 MM strips for the rails giving the robustness to stand dozens of assemblies without undue wear.



The tail horizontal plane measures 8.0 inches by 3.0 inches 202,0 MM by 75 MM by my calculations and the core is 1,0 MM/0.040 inch thick sheet styrene. I give these measurement so it can be compared to a FW model as I have no idea what the FW product relate-able size is.



Another view of the rails that engage the vertical stab tabs.



The basic tail slid into place and secure. A simple solution to a vexing problem.

 

[Blackadder]

That Layered Look:

The first impulse is to cut the tail from thick styrene but it's better to use three layers for many reasons:

First it is nigh impossible to cut through 3,0 MM styrene with any degree of accuracy especially with hand held hobby tools. I try to limit my sheet material to 1,0 MM thick or less.

Second it's easier to modify your work should inspiration seize your labors as in my case where I have decided to add 'camber' to the stabilizer which will give it a more satisfying profile.



Plus the construction will be stronger.



The basic airfoil for the horizontal stabilizer is roughed out and ready for the final sanding and detail
This is the front:



The backward orientation of the 'stab' continually confused me and I had to keep reminding myself, "This is the front and this is the back." but it all went together pretty well.
This is the back:



This is the bottom:



And this is the top: