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Marc Barris
97 articles

Mirage F1 AZ 1/32 Scale, Scratch Build. Part 9

September 9, 2019 · in Aviation · · 15 · 1.9K

Well, its time for another update,
I spent 2 weekends getting the undercarriage built, doesn't sound difficult, but this has been the most challenging part of the build, the undercarriage on the F1 has always been the focal point of the aircraft, with the complex way it retracts into the fuselage, and this will be what people will look at first when they see the completed model, so, I had to get it to look right, but I will let you all be the judge of that.
So, the majority of the material was aluminum tubing, and brass tubing, cut and glued together, with masking tape used to simulate the clamps for the hydraulic lines and electrical wiring.
The last picture is a dry test fit of the main landing gear to the fuselage.
Hope you like the progress so far,

I have also started a web site to do commission builds for collectors, have a look and tell me what you think. http://www.barrismodels.co.za

Cheers
Marc

Reader reactions:
4  Awesome

10 additional images. Click to enlarge.


15 responses

  1. You are a Phenom Marc! Beautiful work - the details really come through.

    The link to your website didn't work though...

  2. Marc,

    Your work is amazing and inspiring.

  3. 🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
    That Headline picture really shows the beautiful lines of the F-1.
    Marc, I am having a way too good time just watching these pictures, very good skill exhibit.

  4. Phenomenal construction. Thanks for posting. I have this 1:32 F105 in the stash but the plastic U/C will break under the weight so I will need a solution like this one. How did you glue the Alu tubing? Is there a steel wire inside across the entire length?

    • Hi Michel, I have added thick wire into the tubing, and filled it with super glue to make it rigid, with the 105, i suggest you dill a hole into the undercarriage and install some rigid wire to give additional support, that should help, thanks for the comment .

  5. Being that it's a larger scale and the undercarriage is metal tubing you could've gotten the oleos to work with some springs like the larger Tamiya cars. (Except the springs would be hidden inside the tubes.) Not that anyone at a show would notice while it was sitting, but seeing them droop when the model is picked up would be epic! (I just like cantilever landing gear anyway, my favorite being the setup on the MiG-23.) The finished struts look amazing in any case. The bay they reside in looks pretty well kitted out too!

    • Hey Josh, great Idea, maybe next time, this has been such a demanding build that adding springs to the undercarriage didn't even cross my mind, but I will remember for the next build. Thanks for the comment.

  6. MASTERCLASS Marc! I can't wait to see the final reveal.

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