I'd like to make it clear, just for anyone who's wondering, that the cost of producing the masters for these replica parts was 100% printing and shipping. I did not charge Phil 1 dime for making these parts in 3D. I was more than happy to do that in exchange for getting castings. I feel terrible that the original parts were found only *after* spending all this money (not to mention effort) trying to recreate them.
Keep in mind a couple of things. First, the replica parts include the OUTBOARD TUBES and these are NOT part of the LTV Scout kit. The tubes were built from scratch on the original and they are not just a simple, straight cut. If you want your model to look accurate, you will need the cast tubes from Phil.
Second, for those who think the original parts can be cast, I'm not so sure. They are vacuum formed, BRITTLE, extremely thin, and won't do well at all in resin. Even if you can get the special ($$) stuff needed to cast such very thin parts, they are likely to come out warped and deformed.
Bottom line, the replica parts look authentic and they are the correct size and overall shape (albeit a mm or two longer than the originals). Most importantly, they are engineered to be molded and cast in resin. They are quite a bit thicker than the original parts so they will be stable (not to worry, the exposed edges are thinned down so they look the part).
If you prefer to hunt down the original parts, that is certainly understandable. Please just keep in mind these parts have to be MODIFIED quite a bit if you want to match what the builders did on the original. The way they were cut up, you would have only ONE chance to get it perfect the first time. If you screw up you'd have to buy another kit.
To mold the original parts, IMO, they would first have to be perfectly modified to exactly match what was done on the original. Then, they would need to be thickened up quite a bit so they could be cast. It could certainly be done, but it would not be easy (again, IMHO).
So, if I can make a recommendation, it would be that anyone who wants to get these details spot-on needs to get a set of castings of the replica parts -- no matter which way you decide to go. If you want to use original parts, it will be extremely helpful if you have the replica pieces as reference to know exactly how and where to cut the vintage plastic parts.
Keep in mind a couple of things. First, the replica parts include the OUTBOARD TUBES and these are NOT part of the LTV Scout kit. The tubes were built from scratch on the original and they are not just a simple, straight cut. If you want your model to look accurate, you will need the cast tubes from Phil.
Second, for those who think the original parts can be cast, I'm not so sure. They are vacuum formed, BRITTLE, extremely thin, and won't do well at all in resin. Even if you can get the special ($$) stuff needed to cast such very thin parts, they are likely to come out warped and deformed.
Bottom line, the replica parts look authentic and they are the correct size and overall shape (albeit a mm or two longer than the originals). Most importantly, they are engineered to be molded and cast in resin. They are quite a bit thicker than the original parts so they will be stable (not to worry, the exposed edges are thinned down so they look the part).
If you prefer to hunt down the original parts, that is certainly understandable. Please just keep in mind these parts have to be MODIFIED quite a bit if you want to match what the builders did on the original. The way they were cut up, you would have only ONE chance to get it perfect the first time. If you screw up you'd have to buy another kit.
To mold the original parts, IMO, they would first have to be perfectly modified to exactly match what was done on the original. Then, they would need to be thickened up quite a bit so they could be cast. It could certainly be done, but it would not be easy (again, IMHO).
So, if I can make a recommendation, it would be that anyone who wants to get these details spot-on needs to get a set of castings of the replica parts -- no matter which way you decide to go. If you want to use original parts, it will be extremely helpful if you have the replica pieces as reference to know exactly how and where to cut the vintage plastic parts.
Charles Adams | www.StarshipBuilder.com | Follow me on Facebook
Author, MODEL DESIGN & BLUEPRINTING HANDBOOK, Volume 1 SECOND EDITION NOW AVAILABLE
Author, MODEL DESIGN & BLUEPRINTING HANDBOOK, Volume 1 SECOND EDITION NOW AVAILABLE