Building APA-168's 1:32 Regulus Missile

[HMCS]

Hello Everyone
I will be slowly documenting the build of APA-168's Regulus cruise missile. I bought it last week for $4.00 at ECardmodels.com Shop its a excellent site which i visit frequently.

I have been interested in the regulus since i seen it a the USS Intrepid in New York when I was doing some design work for them, so finding a cardmodel of it was very cool!

The challenge for me though, is that I want to use this build as a test bed of techniques I have seen on various threads on this site, by some builders I admire. So, to make it easier on myself, I decided to enlarge and build this missile at 1/16th scale

my sources of inspiration are:

Leif Ohlsson's chipmunk
for enlarging an existing plan /photoshop work / skinning wings technique
DHC-1 Chipmunk WAK model enlarged to 1:16

cdavenport's
Seamless Paper Model construction thread
for that info as well as using foam with the frame to counteract the starved horse look and provide a more realistic curved look:
Seamless Paper Model construction

And last but not least

dessy's
A-10 Cutaway model that features the Gun Assembly,.. not only is it an impressive model but the use of spray filler primer was a very cool idea:
A10 see through-cannon

I will try to implement 3 of these various techniques in my build,.. my slow build,.. I cant crank it out as fast as I would like so there will have to be some patience with me,.. my job is getting into a crazy part of the year where i will get busy and probably drop off for a while,..

I have nothing to post tonight I just wanted to do this to get it started

I hope you enjoy it...
See you soon

[whulsey]

Will be watching this one. Build the old plastic (Revell or Renwall?) kit when I was kid, have thought about getting Avery's. But don't think I will be ambitious enough to consider 1/16.

[HMCS]

I thought that too but I figured that it would be easier (hopefully),..

I got scared when I purchased the plan and realized there was only bulkheads and skins ,. no vertical or horizontal keels (is that what you call them?),.. at the 32nd scale I suppose it would be easier and a lot of guys on here can do it,.. I don't think I am one of them LOL,..

SO I contacted avery to ask if I could add some pieces to his kit for my use to help me not stress too much,..

over the past few days I have drawn and added stuff to the drawings to help me build a solid internal structure that the skins can attach to,.. i will post a screen capture later today of my over kill markups,..

I suppose this can be a useful beginners tutorial because i am approaching it like a beginner with no 3D Experience,.. Just Adobe illustrator and depron RC plane experience

[cdavenport]

I bought the model, too, but I am going to watch your build with interest. It sure is ambitious, so take your time! You cited dessy's build as an inspiration. Are you going to do a cutaway of the Regulus?

When you get to the part of the model where the fuselage skins need to conform to a curve, use these references to help with curving the paper: CSS Hunley (scroll to the bottom of the first page) I posted two related videos on Youtube so you can see the process...tdizzo123's Channel - YouTube

Since I was not using a printed paper for the parts I was rolling, I would not recommend that you soak your printed parts in dope. Just work the paper slowly and it will curve. Here is a photo of a commercially printed FJ-1 Fury I built using the process, but without soaking the paper. You can see the curvature of the fuselage and the tight seams.

Hope this helps! Looking forward to watching your build!

[HMCS]

Oh man that fury is gorgeous!!! I going to check out those links in a few seconds

I actually thought of doing a cutaway ( i have a tendency to take on a project and try to expand on it,.. then realize oh crap I should have just well enough alone!)
I did find a great internet graphic of a cutaway drawing of the regulus but since its only one bit of info I fear I would just be speculating,.. maybe another trip to the intrepid is needed!,.. but for this build NO phew! I have spent at least 10-15 hours just researching images on the internet alone.

Avery's model is awesome as it is,.. the artwork is sharp accurate,.. the panel lines are the perfect thickness (which is a pet peeve of mine on some others) my printer at work however printed the blue really dark (my printer tends to do that regardless) so that being said I am going to delete the coloring in illustrator and just use Avery's regulus skins/templates blank,.. and build this model white,

I want to use dessys spray filler primer technique to coat my build after I think this will help hide any imperfections in my seam work,.. I also purchase some "insignia blue" model paint which i will airbrush after seems to be the perfect compromise of blue for the regulus (you cant trust photographs on the internet because of different processing techniques or exposures of cameras (check out different pics of the blue angels and youll see what I mean) if anyone knows the FS color of the regulus let me know but as for now its either gonna be "insignia blue" or "dark sea blue" from testors.

side note:
there is a gentleman from france who builds amazing depron RC planes and he has a great technique for making curved skins from scratch just using the frame,.. I will also show that as a side bar on this thread for some of us, that dont have "3D software or unfolding abilities" this may be an alternative for you to try

one more experiment I want to try is for the intake,.. I want to use leifs wheel making tutorial and dremel drill spin sanding technique BUT to use it for the rounded intake lip
I bought 3/32 thick type of cardboard (its exactly like cereal box material) and 3/64 thick card as well to build the entire frame ,.. I think if i laminate this material I can spin sand it to a good looking intake ring,..

stay tuned!

[HMCS]

here is the link to leifs wheels and dremel technique,.. its on page 6, this is what i want to do with the intake rings of the regulus instead of the tapered paper that is edge glued to form the curved nose intake,.. I think at a smaller scale its great but then it starts getting too "edgy" when bigger,.. not unless I build it with thicker card stock then sand it down smooth.
like some of Gil's cowls or wheel experiments

Build: Up-Scale 1:20, Republic P-47D-25, Halinski 3/06

[cdavenport]

You are off to a good start: research!

As for the cutaway, speculate away! None of us has ever seen the innards of a Regulus (hint, most of it was gas tank and nuclear warhead).

If you printed your model on cardstock, if you tightly fit your foam between the bulkheads, any imperfections in the foam will be more than disguised by the card. I should also mention that the only place I actually glue the skins to the foam is at the seams or where there is a reverse contour.

[cdavenport]

Reread your post. I would not get wrapped around the axle about the color of the Regulus. REmember that it was on sea duty and the color changed as it was exposed to the elements.

BTW, Regulus missiles were the very first nuclear tipped missiles to go on alert against the Soviets. They were carried aboard converted Balao class subs. The sub you see at the Intrepid museum was one of a class to be purposefully retrofitted to carry the missile internally!

I have a DVD on the Regulus and highly recommend it: http://www.amazon.com/Regulus-First-.../dp/B000071XAU

[charleswlkr54]

Didn't somebody just post a cut-away of a Regulus 1 recently? Seems to me I saw it not too long ago. Somebody had posted a thred on the Regulus and somebody put one on it.

[HMCS]

very cool info! I think I might just have to attempt a cutaway after I get this one done

here is the online pic i found of the cutaway,.. I also found the RegulusII missile,.. and man, that one is awesome. it is very sexy! bigger that an F-104 and looks almost like it

here is the cutaway drawing