Cessna T50 1/48 Squadron "Encore"

[speedgraflex]

Resin dust is not what you want to spread: you want to trap the dust and prevent it from getting into your lungs. Two things I do—I use a single sheet of unfolded newspaper underneath my cutting board that is spritzed with water to catch the resin particles and I use a separate small cutting board. I have a cutting board just for resin cuts. The resin is effectively trapped and not blown into vents. I also would not cut resin with a fan blowing because that will circulate the resin dust in the air. Most of the work is keeping yourself and the tools clean in my opinion.

Resin cutting tools I have used:

Tamiya craft saw. Quickly attach and release blades by a twist lock. However the blades are flimsy and prone to bend. Not recommended by me.

CMK Razor Saw



CMK razor saw. I like this one. It’s like having your grandfather’s Gillette Blue Blade screwed to either a plastic or wood handle. I have the cheaper plastic handle which is sandwiched around the blade. Blade removal is not a simple process but by effectively trapping the dual edged blade between the halves of the handle, the blade flex is minimal. My opinion is this is great for fine cutting and could be the best option (value and effectiveness) for the majority of cutting jobs.

Zona razor saw. It’s bigger but it’s my favorite. Not gonna lie—in my opinion this is the best cutting tool here. Thin, sharp blade and a nice wood handle. It’s also a great value, too. I have to write this because so many products are imports for our hobby but this is made in the U.S.A. I did not take a picture yesterday but you can tell from the links I posted earlier that the Zona is the largest saw here. It’s wonderful for 1/32 and most of the 1/48 sized cuts, but the big blade (4 inches approximately) may be a drawback for small jobs. You have to be careful. If you start buying Aires cockpits with big pour stubs, the Zona is the best option. From the looks of your resin parts, it will work too.

[jkim]

Big saws would come in handy when dealing with big pour stubs. I have the RB saw so it will bottom out on the bigger stubs without cutting all the way through. So I have to attack if from the other side. Starting cuts on the opposite side of a piece will not match exactly when they meet. If you're careful, it's usually not a problem but it'd be easier with a saw that is deep enough without having to do this.

[speedgraflex]

That’s a great point, John. I have never used your saw, but I have Radu’s scribing tools which are inserted in the handles of a modeling knife. Ceros also makes a formidable looking resin saw which is a folding design. I think about that sometimes, too.

[jkim]

I also have some of those small photoetch Tamiya saws. They are awfully flimsy but have their uses. One of which is to saw very small/delicate parts from sprues that might otherwise break using cutters.

[Floki]

I'm waiting on a JLC saw from umm right now it looks a lot like the Cmk Bruce posted. That RB production saw looks to be exactly what I want in a saw.

[Medicman71]

Big saws would come in handy when dealing with big pour stubs. I have the RB saw so it will bottom out on the bigger stubs without cutting all the way through. So I have to attack if from the other side. Starting cuts on the opposite side of a piece will not match exactly when they meet. If you're careful, it's usually not a problem but it'd be easier with a saw that is deep enough without having to do this.

I have these.

[LyleW]

I'll be checking on these items, once I can process all this information. Old and slow with a head-cold or severe allergies...who knows. Now, to what I've experienced on this guy to date.

I have never build a Czech Model kit, nor anything from Squadron Products. I was/am surprised that there are no locating pins on the fuselage halves. The pieces are also quite warped. That was mentioned on a couple of reviews read.





A number of HUGE ejector pins. They look as if they were even bigger and someone actually clipped them back with nippers. The first picture is the inside of a wing. All four pieces have them and they will interfere with assembly. The cabin floor and bulkhead (2nd pic) had the same on the bottom and back of the bulkhead. I had clipped them a bit, and they should be fine.





My old nemesis, no help positioning parts is back. The control wheels simply area a butt-joint on a quite small shaft end. The yellow circle is what you have to work with. We are moving ever so slowly and test fitting everything multiple times. So far no disasters. I even managed to glue some levers to the throttle quadrant.

[Medicman71]

Why they gotta do that???? I'd just drill a small hole to add them to the instrument panel.

[LyleW]

That was an option, but me and sharp objects were not playing well together this morning!

[speedgraflex]

Great progress. Please feel better! Steam your face, keep drinking water... I have allergies as well.

Short run—no locating pins.

I would “train the plastic” of the fuse to come together with hot water or steam....