Hi all,
Just an update on this build.
The fuselage is closed up now and prepared as far as it can go at this stage.
Being a 'Special Hobby' kit there was some work to do as expected.
The machine gun location required modification so the replacement 'GasPatch' weapon can be fitted.
All of the rigging points needed to be drilled using either a 0.3 or 0.4 mm diameter drill.
The rudder and elevator control cable ports in the fuselage needed drilling out and oval shaped.
Holes were drilled into the fuselage sides for what appears to have been transportation posts, used to secure the wings to the fuselage.
These posts were also fitted to the lower wings.
The lower wing 'spar' is very flimsy causing the wings to flap like a demented chicken every time the wing was handled.
To reinforce the wing to fuselage joint, I added a styrene block into the wing locating slot and onto the underside of the cockpit assembly.
This should make the wing to fuselage joint stronger.
There is also a flight control lever and cable on the underside of the fuselage which is not included.
This is similar to that of the Fokker Eindeckers and I believe is part of the elevator control run.
I've created slots for both the lever and cable.
I've also drilled and pinned the landing gear struts as originally they were intended to be 'butt' joints (never a good thing).
The strangest change was needed to align the engine cowl to the two fuselage side panels.
The kit instructions tell you how this can be done, which raises the question as to why the parts were not molded to align in the first place?
Anyway I ignored their instructions and as Frank would have said 'I did it my way'.
Mike
