Hey Everyone,
So as requested I am going to document my steps for the Valkyrie / Vendetta tail fin conversion. As I have never seen this done before I am kinda winging it. Dad jokes aside, here is what I have done so far.
Lets hope this doesn't end in an epic fail.
Vendetta / Valkyrie Dynamic Flap Tutorial
Supply List:
Tools
- Hobby / X-acto Knife
- Sandpaper
- Glue (crazy and / or plastic)
- Pin Drill
- Pliers
Building Materials
- Half Round Plastic Rod ( Evergreen Scale Models - .080" (2.0mm) Half Round. )
- Thin Plastic strips / sheet ( Evergreen Scale Models - .010 x .125 (0.25mm x 3.2mmm) Strips )
- Pinning wire (paperclips)
- Green Stuff / Putty
Step 1: CuttingAs you can see in the photo below, the tail actually has a bit of room to cut around which is nice. What I did was slowly score the inner line and then carefully pass the knife again and again until I was able to get all the way through.
On the first few I decided to cut through the hinge, but found it easier to carefully shave off the hinges before cutting, then give it a sand until flat. This made it easier to get the line straight.
I then sanded it, and cleaned it up the best I could.
Notes: Because of the thickness of the plastic it was difficult to keep the cut clean, I ended up going from the opposite side as well to try and keep it nice, but in the end it came down to sand paper and files.
Step 2: Half RoundThe first thing you notice when you cut off the flap is how unnaturally ugly it looks when angled up or down. If you look at the flaps / elevators of an actual plane they are not flat.
To help sell the idea I have opted to add in a .080" (2mm) Half Round plastic rod to help fill the gap and give it a nicer pivot point.
As you can see this has resulted in the flap being slightly longer (about 1mm), so I think I'll glue that on and give it a sand so it's flush with the tail fin.
Notes: The plastic rod I am using is: Evergreen Scale Models - .080" (2.0mm) Half Round.
Step 3: Closing the GapsOnce I glued the half round tube i realized there was quite a gap on the sides of the flaps. Taking plastic strips I carefully glued and cut them to fit the thickness and length of the flap.
Not only did this fill in the gap, but it cleaned up the inside edge giving it a much more refined look.
To get the strip of plastic to match the rounded part (half round), I simply sanded it until it had the same curve.
Notes: I recommend using plastic glue to connect these strips because once they "bonded / melted" together it created a nice seamless edge.
The plastic rod I am using is: Evergreen Scale Models - .010 x .125 (0.25mm x 3.2mmm) Strips.
Step 3: PinsTaking the pin drill and a few paper clips I then pinned the flaps to the wing. I used the existing hinge position (and some reassurance from a ruler) to determine the exact position for the pins.
Notes: One of the things I found difficult with this step was making sure the pins lined up. First, the rounded edge of the plasticard tube made the drill susceptible to "wandering" even with a pilot hole.
As well, making sure the two holes line up (always a problem in pinning) meant that there were a few instances in which the flap would sit slightly higher than the wing.
This required a bit of finagling by expanding, or drilling the hole again. The fortunate thing is that because it will be covered with a hinge, you have a bit of wiggle room.
Step 4: Flap PositioningOnce the flaps had been aligned and pinned it was time to position them at the angle I wanted. To do this I carefully bent the pins using the pliers.
Once they were in the position I wanted, I put a dab of superglue on the ends of the pins and glued it in place.
Notes: Never bend the flaps on the wing. If you try and position it this way you run the risk of having the pins break through the plastic and ruin your day. If you like taking risks in life, like eating strange plants or picking up women at funerals, then go ahead and try it, but I don't recommend it.
Step 5: HingesOnce I had my flaps where I wanted them and glued, I then took strips of half round plasticard (same as used above) and measured out the length of the hinges.
I came up with 3 mm for the main wing, and 2 mm for the side ones. I also used the existing hinge positions to line up the new hinges, but in the end I believe it was about 4mm from the outside edge.
I simply glued them in place using plastic glue.
When the glue was dry, I mixed up a little bit of putty / Green stuff and filled the gaps under the hinges. You will notice it does not sit flush because of the rounded edge, but if you take a bit of putty, jam it in there and then carefully level it off with a small tool or pin, then it will fill it in nicely and give the impression the hinge is actually attached.
Notes: On the original model the top and side wings have different size hinges (the side wings being slightly smaller). Because the hobby shop is a three hour round trip for me, I decided to just go with the same size on all the wings.
To compensate the length of the hinges on the top wing are 3mm whereas the side ones are only 2mm. I thought this was a nice compromise, but if you're going for 100% authentic to the original model, then I suggest picking up a slightly smaller diameter half round tube.
Step 6: Fly it around your house making shooting noises at the catOnce everything was dry, I took a bit of sandpaper and cleaned up any edges and excess glue, then attached the wings.
So that's how I did my Vendettas / Valkyrie flaps. I hope it works for you as well and if you have any suggestions or improvements please post them here.
CLM
