Hi all,
The basic fuselage is now complete, apart from the windscreen and flying wire anchor points.
The final display will be the aircraft undergoing engine maintenance, so the engine front twin cowl panel will be removed.
I’ve added the coolant/vent pipe from the rear of the radiator header tank, made from 0.5 mm tube.
Two bracing lines were fitted between the forward fuselage cabane struts and an inverted tubular ‘V’ frame, which was attached to the insides of the fuselage and over the top of the engine camshaft.
This was made from formed 0.8 mm diameter tube with ’GasPatch’ resin 1:48th anchor points.
A tubular retaining frame was fitted over the inverted ‘V’ frame and attached to the inside of the fuselage sides.
This was made from annealed 0.375 mm diameter copper wire.
I’ve changed the aircraft serial number by replacing the number 3 with the number 5.
The supplied decal for the particular aircraft is 16538.
However is seems the only ‘Balilla’ aircraft serial numbers recorded for No:70a Squadriglia were 16550, 16555, 16556 and 16558.
Therefore my assumption is that this aircraft serial number was probably 16558, not 16538.
Also this aircraft had two light coloured bar markings on the left of the turtle decal, just behind the cockpit.
The exact colour of these bands is not known or if they were repeated on the other side of the turtle deck.
Now onto the undercarriage before starting on the wings and rigging preparation,
Mike
