The Little Charger That Could

[ysi_maniac]

It is a wonderful job      

I consider this kind of whiffery -paper projects that really could exist- as the most difficult.

BTW: have you read this article: http://www.volanteaircraft.com/ov-10-3.htm

Hope you are well again. ¡Cuídate!

Carlos.

[Family Guy]

What a beauty of a COIN bird!!! B)

Wish i had one instead of my car  

[Sisko]

Very cool concept!!

[B777LR]

I suspect it isnt a long range aircraft, so toilets and galleys arent needed?

[Rafael]

Muchas gracias, Carlos, Family Guy, B777LR and Sisko. Your comments are encouraging.
Here's how it happened:

On a clean sheet of... Photoeditor and PowerPoint, I disasembled a profile view in its basic components.... The wings and Horizontal Stabilator come from the OV-10, since I had no other plan view available, and sized the drawings in 1/72:
span: 27'6"         = 7.01 mts  = 9.7 cm
length: 34'10"     = 10.3 mts  = 13.89 cm


The center fuselage was then made into a three layer (1.5 cm) wide shape, but I didn't feel like PSRing so much....So i sought the help of a very very old Lindberg snap-tite 1/100 F-15 forward fuselage. I disconnected it from the donor, and produced a plaster mould. The 1 holer canopy was changed to a 1/72 F-16 2-holer, so...


Then I poured resin and obtained three casts (2 for later works...)

[Rafael]

My casting technique is not too good yet, but I'm getting there... I filled holes with a mix of sawdust and white glue....messy, yes, and kind of difficult to apply, but it offers no shrinkage on drying, is easy to sand and imperfections can then be hidden with a thin layer of putty...


Then I cut the corresponding boom and wing surfaces, made airfoils by laminating attack edges and cut the "slots" in wich the wings would be nestled.....


Then I made balsa plugs of the approximate size and thickness of the booms


....And assembled the booms. The balsa plugs had imperfections on the exterior surfaces, wich I filled with my magic sawdust goo....


.....Sanded, and sanded, but I was too weak from my illness to go on PSRing, so if you saw a granular finish in the boom surfaces, that's because. Then I slid the wings into each boom carefully lining them with the drawings and, Voilá, the center fuselage nestled comfortably between the wing sufaces!!!


But, Oh, my!!!! I forgot to design the weapons sponsons, so I quickly cut two balsa rectangles, sanded them to the approximate shape and test-fitted everything...Horizontal Stabilators included.....


And "The Little Charger that Could" model was ready for a little more sanding and painting.


Overall, two days of stomach pain, and fun filled-whiffing!!!

I hope you like and enjoy this little building adventure.
Un abrazo,
Rafa

[AeroplaneDriver]

Rafa, you're not a model builder.


You're an artist!

You've done a great job turning your inspiration into a great looing model.  Love that camo too!

 

[Shasper]

Dude, I have to say that you make me look pathetic! I used to use cardboard/balsa/ect for models, but I never refined it to the state of perfection that you have obtained!


Shas B)

[Tophe]

I just clap my hands with much admiration...
This scratch huge work does not belong to the same World as my using plastic kits, just truncating and adding putty. This is Master work... congratulations.

[Rafael]

Thanks Tophe, Shas and AeroplaneDriver!!!!
I still am not really in the state of scratchbuilding skills I want, but I know that with your help, I'll get there!!!

Thank You, Muchachos!!!
Rafa

[B777LR]

Hi everyone!

This plane contains barfbags and lunchboxes! ^_^    

[ysi_maniac]

Hi,
You can run the first Venezuelan kits manufacturer.

I am speaking seriously  

[John Howling Mouse]

Hard to believe what you can produce with your materials at hand.
You are another "Modelling McGyver" (I can explain in a PM)!

[Rafael]

Yeah, Carlos. I would like to. But I'm still faaaar behind in scratchbuilding skills to even start to think about it. Soon, in your LHS-Rafamodels!!!

And Barry, If I had to build with syrup and smashed corn-flakes, I would!!

Thank you!!
Rafa

[Matej]

What a mixture of materials and what a great output!

Yes, the drawing that you posted is Convair Model 48 "Charger". I have some 3-views and internal profiles, but I think that now its too late.