1/32 Tomcat Black Bunny - Tamiya

[cor]

Bit of a long term project this one. The sheer size of it will take lots of hours just prepping the outer surface.

I got this kit in Tokyo earlier in the year for a very nice price and have been looking forward to getting it started. There will probably be gaps along the way where I build something else just to keep sane.

My goal is to make this the best model I've ever build in terms of practical skill and artistic finish. There, I've said it, no turning back.

I was inspired by an article (links below) where someone build Vaders old Tie fighter as a competition winning model and all the work he did on it.

Basic overview here

Detail description here




This finished model with be wheels up on a stand, no armaments

The only third party stuff used will be the Vandy One Black Bunny decals, plus whatever I have lying around in the spare pe, wire, luckydip box.

So...with that said, here's a few pics.


Kits box was jettisoned so I could bring multiple kits back from Japan










Acrylic rod for stand




Very nice tyres I wont be using.






Stuck decals on to this mesh to give them some texture. The cockpit panels are totally flat.
I might put some bits of wire or something on the knobs for a more 3D feel.









Some left over pe from a 1/32 Eagle build

[digger303]

Yeah it's a bigun, but at least the fit will be good.

[Stokesy44]

And we're off!

Great to see you starting this one, looking forward to watching along

[cor]

Yeah it's a bigun, but at least the fit will be good.

Time will tell.

And we're off!

Great to see you starting this one, looking forward to watching along

Hope the ride isn't too bumpy.

I'm going to try and document this as detailed as I can for a comprehensive overview of what's done.


Decals were a bit crumbly, so I had to scratch the left pilots console.
I used a toothpick and thick acrylic white paint, the touch up with a thin black marker, O.1 mm








The rest of the pit is done until the plane is mostly built.







Work on the nose area

Covers. The gaps were filled with putty, then sanded flat and scribed. Then painted Mr surfacer 500 into the gaps, then while wet dragged a knife blade through the paint to make the line nice and thin






Fuel probe cover was indented so filled with Super glue. I originally used putty but it cracked away when I scribed the lines.



Needed to cut the hole for the gun, it was filled solid

[bfrd]

I did a Tamiya 1/48 F-14 VX-4 a while back. It was a fun build.

[Stokesy44]

Cockpit looks good and nice work on the rescribing. Looks like its going to be an odyssey but hey, that's why we love the hobby. Its not the destination, its the journey.

[digger303]

[cor]

Cockpit looks good and nice work on the rescribing. Looks like its going to be an odyssey but hey, that's why we love the hobby. Its not the destination, its the journey.

It is a great hobby, isnt it.
I normally put a time frame as a rough idea of how long it will take for a build, but with this there is no limit. I want to see how good I can be when I try.

The nose has inscribed panel lines on the plastic, but the fuselage top and bottom have raised lines.
I spent a bit of time getting all the bits to fit right, the nose cone, and the wheel well covers. Plus filling in the indented fuel probe cover, and sanding back a couple of panels that were strangely raised. Its a mixed bag this kit. But so far looking good with the primer on.





Fuel Probe cover - super glue as filler








Nose join - Mr Surfacer 500 as filler













This would be the first kit where I am giving the underside the same amount of attention as the top.
I normally dont bother very much with the things that are barely visible, but this will be on a stand so the underneath can be scrutinised if so desired.

And speaking of stands, I have to rethink how to use the rod I have as the model is just so darn big. I need a thicker acrylic rod and will have to incorporate the attachment into the fuselage somehow so that one rod can support the plane.









Used a needle with tip cut off for the front tube. Wrapped some aluminium foil around part of it
The yellow superglue container is there so the camera can focus.

[digger303]

[Stokesy44]

That's beautiful work on the joins, panel lines and scribing.

[cor]

That's beautiful work on the joins, panel lines and scribing.

Thanks. I should be an expert at it by the time I finish this gigantic thing.



Bit of work done starting on the underside.


Scribe tool is a needle in a pinvise.
Bought these Hasegawa rivet templates for this model. (Last pics)

[Stokesy44]

Good progress on the detailing.

I'm surprised some of the detail is so soft for Tamiya. How old is the kit?

[cor]

Good progress on the detailing.

I'm surprised some of the detail is so soft for Tamiya. How old is the kit?

1980
On scalemates

The detail is very lackluster for a premium Tamiya kit, but I'll try and do something about that.

The guys at my local hobby shop opened up the box of trumpeters 1/32 bombcat.
It has an impressive level of detail, puts this one to shame, but I've heard Tamiyas is the better shape.

[cor]

Bit of work on the jet intakes. Got this idea from someone whos built this before.

Styrene sheet inside the intake to make it cleaner inside








Mr Surfacer 500 - my new best friend






Original without the insert




Is big

[cor]

Good progress on the detailing.

I'm surprised some of the detail is so soft for Tamiya. How old is the kit?

1980 was the original tooling

Link to it on Scalemates

[Stokesy44]

Good progress on the detailing.

I'm surprised some of the detail is so soft for Tamiya. How old is the kit?

1980 was the original tooling

Link to it on Scalemates

Yeah, that would explain it.

[cor]

Lots of work inside these intakes, filling the right-angle edges near the fan, and generally smoothing them out.
Overall result is nice and clean. I cant find any pics showing the colours on this plane, so will make it black at the very front, with most of the inside white.

These pics are all at the final stages of work. There was a lot sanding and filling going on beforehand.

[Stokesy44]

Nice and tidy work, end result looks great.

[digger303]

Nice an smooth.

[cor]

Nice and tidy work, end result looks great.

Much better than the kit finish. It's not the greatest kit this.

Nice an smooth.

Thanks. Looks pretty good.




There are lots of fitment issues with these intakes. Big gaps on the insides where the top half meets them.

The intakes are demanding a lot of work.









And the underside has a big square hole.

Filling and rescribing.

[Stokesy44]

That fill and rescribe is pure alchemy!

[digger303]

That fill and rescribe is pure alchemy!

What you said.

[cor]

That fill and rescribe is pure alchemy!

Transmuting crud into plastic.

[digger303]

[DRUMS01]

I built the older Revell one in the 80's and have the Tamiya like yours now. Thanks for sharing your work as it lets others like me see just what we are in for. You scribing to scale looks wonderful as does the intake work. I've already cheated and got revised metal landing gear, along with 3d cockpit decals. Even with those additions, it sure looks like a bunch of alignment and contour fixing and re-scribing. Keep up the inspirational work!

Ben

[Stokesy44]

If you're looking on the bright side, at least you're getting your money's worth out of the kit if you base it on a cost versus hours spent calculation!

The underside looks superb with all the work you have put in.

[cor]

I built the older Revell one in the 80's and have the Tamiya like yours now. Thanks for sharing your work as it lets others like me see just what we are in for. You scribing to scale looks wonderful as does the intake work. I've already cheated and got revised metal landing gear, along with 3d cockpit decals. Even with those additions, it sure looks like a bunch of alignment and contour fixing and re-scribing. Keep up the inspirational work!

Ben

Hi Ben, thanks for your comments. This really needs the 3D decals. And if you put intake covers on, you wont have the headache of dealing with the intakes. Besides that its not so bad, just the usual from an 80s kit. The raised panel lines are a time consumer though. Im sure yours will turn out excellent.

If you're looking on the bright side, at least you're getting your money's worth out of the kit if you base it on a cost versus hours spent calculation!

The underside looks superb with all the work you have put in.

That is exactly what I was thinking about when I was going crazy in the Tokyo model shop - value for money.
Thanks for following along. All you guys watching help me set my standards a bit higher.


So. The wings need to be done next, as they are attached to the top fuselage, which then glues to the bottom before the intake covers go on, as there is sanding and filling to be done first.

The wings have some very fine rivet detail on the leading edge, which I want to keep, Any sanding at all with eradicate it. The fit on the front of the wings was very good, and I've managed to glue them together just right. Aluminium foil will go over the front rivets, and I've put a bit on for a test. Looks really promising. And the lines on the wings are all engraved, the only raised bits are the front rivets.









No clear bits for the lights. Tamiya really didnt try too hard with this kit.

[Kevthemodeller]

Fantastic planes I can remember when they first. Appeared and making the Airfix kit back in the day.

[cor]

Fantastic planes I can remember when they first. Appeared and making the Airfix kit back in the day.

Cool memories. Airfix F14 must have been a wonder to behold.


This thing requires a large amount of filling and sanding.






















Made the reflectors for the wing lights. Ill prob drop some clear red into the hole, then work out how to fill it later...maybe tip in some clear enamel. Havent really thought it through

[Stokesy44]

Looking good. All that attention to detail is going to pay off with beautiful surface for painting

[cor]

Looking good. All that attention to detail is going to pay off with beautiful surface for painting

Im hoping so. The gloss black is going to hide nothing. Im trying to get all the parts as perfect as I can before laying down the black. Quite a lot of work with so much real estate.

[digger303]

With those big open surfaces I always get a little carried away sanding more than I should.
I'm confident you'll nail it in the end.

[cor]

With those big open surfaces I always get a little carried away sanding more than I should.
I'm confident you'll nail it in the end.

Yes, its easy to instantly delete detail. I've started using 1200 grit sandpaper, it smooths things out nicely without doing too much damage.


I've been thinking about the stand since long before starting this kit. The requirements were to have a single clear rod, and position it towards the back. Its also being custom designed to sit high in Hobbyco's window, which has somehow become my personal showcase.

This block of plastic is the mounting point. I drilled 2 holes for two optional diaplay angles - one for level display, the other with the nose up and leaning to port - these holes are not shown in the pics, will show them later. Its really messy with lots of 2 part epoxy glue dripped into the gaps.

Aluminium tubes were glued into the aforementioned holes, and into these tubes will slot the 4mm thick screw which will be embedded into the end of the acrylic rod.





Holes were drilled into this block, then it was glued to the bottom fuselage




Spot of touch up required


Because the mounting points are so far back, the rear will need a fair bit of ballast to balance the model on the single rod.



wing opening mechanism



Also made this to sit the model on while doing the delicate stuff. Handling such a big plane is very tricky. Fortunately I've recently has experience with two giant models - 1/4 Ducati and 1/8 F40 Ferrari - and this gives me a bit of confidence working on this monster.











The window where it will end up. The stand will be about 45cm high to get it away from the models underneath.

[Stokesy44]

You couldn't call it little!

[digger303]

I might get to Hobbyco mid next year if I'm lucky or can avoid going to the wife's sister in QLD and be able to catch a glimpse of this craft in person. Looks like a lot of good models in the window and last time I was there I walked out with a Long Tom.... as you do

[Stokesy44]

I might get to Hobbyco mid next year if I'm lucky or can avoid going to the wife's sister in QLD and be able to catch a glimpse of this craft in person. Looks like a lot of good models in the window and last time I was there I walked out with a Long Tom.... as you do

Absolutely. When you go to a physical actual store you HAVE to buy something. Its hobby lore, failure to buy incurs the wrath of the modelling Gods.

[cor]

I might get to Hobbyco mid next year if I'm lucky or can avoid going to the wife's sister in QLD and be able to catch a glimpse of this craft in person. Looks like a lot of good models in the window and last time I was there I walked out with a Long Tom.... as you do

The main store in the Queen Vic building CBD is a well stocked shop.
This store is at Rhodes. It's only little but gives me a fix as it's near my home, so I've gotten to know the staff quite well. They benefit from my models in their window, I like to have them on display and sell the occasional one.
I think there are 5 stores in Sydney all up.

[cor]

You couldn't call it little!

60cm long. The finished thing will have a lot of presence.

[digger303]

I might get to Hobbyco mid next year if I'm lucky or can avoid going to the wife's sister in QLD and be able to catch a glimpse of this craft in person. Looks like a lot of good models in the window and last time I was there I walked out with a Long Tom.... as you do

The main store in the Queen Vic building CBD is a well stocked shop.
This store is at Rhodes. It's only little but gives me a fix as it's near my home, so I've gotten to know the staff quite well. They benefit from my models in their window, I like to have them on display and sell the occasional one.
I think there are 5 stores in Sydney all up.

Didn't realise there was 2 , I've only been to the QV building one with the Scottie dog out the front.

[cor]

Repairing the damage from the stand installation with milliput. Dries rock hard.
Some screws were inserted into the plastic block to hold it tight. These were then filed flat as I could get them.


The aluminium tubes


The front screw was removed as it was too visible







Lots of Mr surfacer 500 to cover the mess made from the file



The bolt which will be in the end of the clear acrylic rod
The mounting points for the stand should be practically invisible.

[Stokesy44]

The surgery continues, the patient is in good hands...

[cor]

The surgery continues, the patient is in good hands...

[digger303]

[cor]

Thanks for following along.


Stand is coming together ...

Drilled a hole in the end of the acrylic rod and screwed in a 4mm bolt, then cut the head of with a dremmel cutter
The rod need a bit more smoothing down so it sits better when the plane is on an angle in the forward hole.



Did a lot of work filling and rescribing the wonky lines on the underside. Also working on fixing up the area around the holes.
The milliput did not go rock hard and crumbled a bit, so filled it up with super glue. Hope it holds up.

However, it is looking sweet.







Level position, front up a tad - rear hole





Front well up and leaning left - forward hole








And layed down the first of the black. Plenty more of that to come later...

[digger303]

Will you have to add a reinforcing block or washer to the inside so it doesn't flex for such a big aircraft ?

[bfrd]

Can you hang it upside down? Because he was inverted...



I know it's a different plane, sue me.

[cor]

Will you have to add a reinforcing block or washer to the inside so it doesn't flex for such a big aircraft ?

I will dry fit it to see how much ballast will be needed. That may show if any flexing will occur.
There's not much room inside to add reinforcement because the wing mechanism takes up a lot of space.
Just got the fingers crossed that the plastic, when all glued together, will be rigid enough.

Actually I thick with all the vertically oriented plastic, such as the intakes, it should be ok.

[cor]

Can you hang it upside down? Because he was inverted...



I know it's a different plane, sue me.

I'll have the Rio flipping the bird

[cor]

Clamped the air intakes on and glued with super glue and Tamiya extra thin cement.

A two part job - the rear of the intakes glued overnight, then the front aligned properly and glued the next day.










Big gap here filled with super glue






With most of the big parts attached, it sits on the stand no problem. The nose is actually very light. There is no hint of flex. Not even much need to weight the rear, however I will, to alleviate stress on the mounting points. So all good so far with the stand.

No base on the stand yet, so have to hold it.




Temp base...

[digger303]