I've finally had some time to spend on this project, and the top wing is now mounted and the struts all installed (always a heartpounding adventure for me, but it worked out okay this time), with most of the rigging now completed (I have to replace two lines that didn't work out). Here is where she stands:
The top wing mount was not without its share of adversity. After epoxying the center support beat to the cabane struts with the top wing supported in the assembly jig, I discovered that my bamboo struts were a mm too short!
I made one new one, but the bamboo was still overscale and I didn't like the look, so I decided to try some 1/16 plastic rod. I cut and sanded it to the right lengths for each strut by trial and error (my usual approach to modeling, with emphasis on the error
), and drilled the ends and inserted brass wire locating studs. This all went surprisingly fast and the installation went well from that point. The struts are not perfect airfoil shape, but they look fine to me and do the job. They are much more scale appearance than their bamboo predecessors.
Now that the top wing is supported and rigged, I can flip her over and fix the two lnes that failed (one interstrut line had too much slack, and I pulled one Gaspatch turnbuckle out when I tried to bend it to line up with the direction of the wire).
Final major assembly step: adding the landing gear, always a hair-raising moment in my builds!
Hopefully she'll sit up pretty for me.
After that, put the radiator back in place, add a few minor etch details to the fuselage, and she will be complete at last! Hooray!!! I am skipping the observer's MG because I don't have a commercially available Loser in 1/32 and I have already spent enough blood, sweat, toil and tears on this build.
I declare that she is a training machine (some of the WKF Series 82 aircraft were in fact used as trainers) and thus unarmed.
Next report should be of final completion.
Cheers,
Bob
