Progress completely stalled over the last week due to a bout of man flu. Still not 100% yet so concentrated mainly on my new vinyl cutter, but did get out to the cave for an hour today.
I'm going to commit what some may see as herecy with this build. I'm going to skip detailing and painting as much of the engine as I can get away with. For those OCD modellers (inc me!), please forgive me

From the outset, I wanted to fit the winter cowling as it gives the plane such a cool 'steam punk' look and thought I'd bend the rules but not wasting time on what won't be seen on this occasion. As I don't really know what can and can't be seen, I mocked up the cowl with the aid of masking tape to give me an idea of what needs attention...


The intake side of the motor is completely hidden but the exhaust side will need some work such as leads and rods, but nothing too major. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, but may throw a little paint at the Benz Bz.IV tomorrow....
Gary