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F14A Tomcat - PART ONE

Construction
I have read many kit construction articles over the years where the author states he/she used some resin cockpit in the model being discussed. But, they don't often elaborate on that point. When they do mention some of the construction involved with the resin cockpit, it is usually buried in the rest of the text and hard to find. I wanted to write something more about just the construction and usage of the resin, itself. For a complete review of the construction of my Tomcat(s), look to future postings dedicated to them where I only mention their resin cockpits in passing.

The first trick to any resin set is to remove the resin parts from their sprue, also known as slag. I use one of four ways to accomplish this task.

1. Sand Paper and Elbow Grease - Lay sand paper on a flat surface (gritty side up) and rub the resin part on the paper to sand off the slag. A friend of mine uses a belt sander to accomplish this task. Where I might spend twenty minutes on a part using sandpaper, he spends twenty seconds. Beware, though, the belt sander is so fast that overdoing the sanding is real easy. Make sure you are in control of the part and constantly check to see when you have removed enough slag from the part. Dust control is also a big concern using the belt sander.
2. Scribe, Bend, and Break - With a "scribing tool" or an X-acto knife, score a line along the edge of the detail part. Then, gently bend back on the slag. Resin is usually rather brittle and the scored line acts as a weak point in the resin. The part snaps free along the scribed line. Depending on the thickness of the slag, you may need to run the "scribing tool" or X-acto knife along the part several times to make a deep enough score line to insure the slag breaks off cleanly.
3. Saw Blade - Using one of several styles of saw, cut the parts free of the slag. I make use of all the following at different times for different tasks -- an X-acto razor saw, a Dremel radial saw, and a jeweler's saw.
4. Carving - Each of the previous three methods assumes there is a straight edge for the slag to be removed along. Occasionally, a detail set will have a piece that is not straight on any side and therefore can not be attached to the slag with a straight edge. When this happens, your only real choice is to get out your trusty X-acto knife with a #11 blade and start carving off the slag along the needed line.

Each of these ways is tailored to a specific type of slag removal. I used all of the first three ways of slag removal to work on this cockpit set. None of the pieces in this Black Box set required the fourth style. Each of these ways is a bit tedious and prone to trouble, so I will try to elaborate more about them as I go.