Another Dart

I've been messing with this Hasegawa kit for awhile. I've always got an F-106 of some description in the works. Can't seem to help myself.

This one is different from any of the 72nd jobs that have come before in that I've cut the wings free of the belly center section and will attach them separately. Why? On both their '106 and '102, Hasegawa's way leads to slightly drooping wings. (As seen below on another Dart model that's been with me a long, long time.)

Go ahead and lay a straightedge on that trailing edge and see where the tips end up. (Below the horizon, folks.) It's a flaw in the kit (not one of those fatal flaws) and not dramatic, but enough for a Delta Dart purist like me to want to fix.

Eventually she'll be on a stand in-flight, so that means closing up holes on the bottom. I've got one of those Aeroclub closed missile bay door pieces created to fill the hole here. I did some trimming and test-fitting and decided to cut my own piece of thick styrene. I didn't think this would take any more time than making the Aeroclub piece work to my satisfaction. (Don't ever let someone tell you aftermarket items are quick-fix time savers. Pure bullhooey.)

As has become my habit in this scale, I've sanded off all the raised surface detail and don't plan on replacing any of it. I may suggest some panel lines with paint way up the road. Oh and the numbers you may have noticed? Those are my time notes. I keep track of the time that goes into these jobs. Unlike those happy, carefree hobbyists, I'm always working against the clock. However, in the case of this one, I stopped tracking after the brass rod into wing effort was done. I realized there was a faster way, and I'll attempt that on the next one of these that I do. There will be another.

Comments

[Douglas]

Sadly, I never got a chance to see a F-106 in flight.There would always be one on static display at my local base in Texas at airshows in the 70's/80's. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[plumbing]

Hasegawa has been a leader in scale plastic models since 1961, delivering the quality and historical accuracy that discriminating hobbyists demand. The attention to fine detail — demonstrated in the airplane models by expertly reproduced cockpits, interiors, engines, weapon bays and even wheel bays — explains why many Hasegawa models are professionally built and used by museums for displays.