Here is the 3rd Luft 46 build contoured out of aluminum:

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He4.jpg

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He5.jpg

ALUMINUM?!?

You're amazing. I can barely get styrene to behave.

How the heck do you even do that? How do you shape aluminum like that?

THanks John..
I used a pneumatic sander and files to shape the aluminum. The wings are .060" thk and I bent them with a metal brake. The fuselage is in 2 sections and I milled the landing gear bays.

Stop! You're making me feel inadequite!! Looks like I'm gonna have to go out and get some Viagra! seriously though,You rock! keep up the good work!!!!

My father was a machineist, and could probably have done that kinda thing. But I always had this vague inadequacy thing - I can draw plans for anything you want, but I can't operate any kind of metal fabrication device with any kind of ability at all.

John, you can do this! 90% of this is done by hand and mostly by using files and sandpaper. Im sure your dad could do this many more times better than me...Im a jackleg machinist at best!

Latest work...turned down aluminum wheels, made landing gear out of .060" dia brass, milled out the cockpit, finished contouring the fuselage, horizontal made from .020" aluminum, and made gear doors out of .010" aluminum.

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He55.jpg

Thanks again, The Nightsky, but as I stated to John, this is much easier than you would think! Once the shapes are roughed in, the rest is just filing and using sandpaper to take out the scratches.

Regards, Dan

Dan,

Great work so far on your Heinkel! :thumbsup:

I built the Special Hobby kit of this aircraft and I remember doing much filling and sanding on it, it was one of their early kits and was a bit crude compared to what they produce now.

agentsmith

I haven't noticed Special Hobby improving all that much. But here's my build of their kit:

http://www.inpayne.com/models/hep1078.html

:)

I would like to try something like that. I really would but i wouldnt know where to start.You really should be making kit masters.You have an incredible talent.Did you ever think of scratch building an Amt Leif Ericsson or as its also known the interplanetary ufo.I think if you created a master for a resin kit of this subject that you would find there is a market for it.All Hail Budho! your work blows me away!

Thanks Agentsmith, and THe Night-sky!

John, your 1078 looks excellent! Ive seen pictures of this kit and it looks like you have to do alot of work to get it to look good.

John, your 1078 looks excellent! Ive seen pictures of this kit and it looks like you have to do alot of work to get it to look good.

Compared to carving it from scratch!? No, not realy! :lol:

QUESTION: How do you join the pieces of aluminum?

Brent, the wings are held on by 1/16" dia. dowel pins. The horizontal was slotted and basically press fit into the vertical. Everything will be CA'd for final assembly.

Latest...started working in control surface and scribing panel lines:

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/Mvc-006f.jpg

*weeps in inadequacy*
*shoots self in head*


;)

Hey.. what do you use for a nose weight in that thing? :)

He inserts a ball of styrene in the tail :freak:

He inserts a ball of styrene in the tail

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Latest: Finished cutting control surfaces, panel scribing and panel sanding. Installed the gear doors, console/instrument panel, stick, seat, harnesses, and fwd. and aft canopy sections.

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/Mvc-011f (http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/Mvc-011f.jpg)

That looks killer in the natural metal!!!!! Almost be a shame to paint it.Great Job!!!

Hey, check out the HobbyTalk News that Hank just posted. He has a new Metal Working Forum!

I have some metal working equipment and I've done some small projects but my stuff is extremely minor league compared to the work here.

that thing looks cnc'd to me...nice!
William

Thank you!

I worked on the missiles tonight...

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/miss1.jpg

I work in a machine shop, that is excellant work. Am I the only one feeling just a teensy bit inferior?

A teensy bit.

Teensy bit? Inferior? What exactly are you talking about? :freak:

This model sets my all my neuroses and complexes to the Homeland Security department's "red" coding level...

:cool:

ok so this model was CNC machined then ????? obvious the landing gear was

ok so this model was CNC machined then ????? obvious the landing gear was

There was no CNC work on this one. The landing gear was made in a drill chuck, and a milling machine was used for the gear bays and inlet/exhaust areas. I dont know how to run CNC machines!!! All contouring was done by hand-grinder, files and sand paper.

Regards, Dan

Well, it's good to know you don't know how to do SOMEthing! ;)

Geeez....thannnnnnnnks alot!!!!! :p

Put some paint on it....the cockpit, tires and camo....what do ya think?

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/he77.jpg

It's good you didn't hide the bare metal, it looks too good.
End of the war, supplies are scarce, it makes sense for the Luftwaffe to skip the paint job and rush the plane into serive - it's just gonna get shot down by a P-80 anyway ;).

We're not worthy! We're not worthy! :thumbsup:

Wiped off the paint...didnt seem right to add it on to this bare metal beast...I dunno!

with work like this, can you show earlier pics of the build process . the very first pics you show are of the thing all but assembled, how bout pics of when it was in the rough stages in the beginning. how lonmg did it take you to get to the assembly stage???
William

Heres some , WBnemo1.
http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He2.jpg
http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He4.jpg
http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He5.jpg

The first photo shows the fuselage in a rough cut stage after a date with the bandsaw.
THe LH wing is contoured and you can see the untouched RH wing.

Regards, Dan

After 4 weeks of hard labour, this one is complete:

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He100.jpg

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He200.jpg

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He300.jpg

http://www.the-lem.com/CGI-BIN/Member_Galleries/Boybuddho/upload/MainFolder/sbstuff/He400.jpg

Thank you each and everyone of you who took time to watch this one unfold!
Regards, Dan

very cool

Man, if that's not a contest winner, I don't know what is!

That profile shot sure reminds me of an F-3H Demon....great work!!!!