Evening All,
Thank you Richie, Dave, Zac and Fredrik for your kind comments: as always I very much appreciate them.
I used thin strips of marquetry wood for the ribs behind the pilot's cockpit: I varnished them first to make them slightly more rigid. I also lightly sanded the cut edges to remove any small pieces which had not cut cleanly. The ribs were applied with superglue - centre first and then one side followed by the other:
The tail skid was next. I had already made the pillar and supports so all I had to do was carve a skid from wood and make a spring from thin copper wire wrapped around another thin piece of wire, and superglue the parts into place:
I also fixed the wing skids while the model was inverted.
The elevators were straightforward to fit - some small holes and thin wire in the solid one to help hold it in place. The open structure was simply cemented in place. On both I had added wood horns before fixing to the model. The rigging was completed - the control wires to the elevators and the remaining anti-drag wires to the front and rear: that was a relief as it removed all but two of those dangling threads which seem to invariably get in the way. I was just thinking about adding the wheels and propellor when I noticed a major omission..... I had completely forgotten to add the leading edge riblets to the exposed wing structures!! This was a consequence of the fug which affected me when I was making the wings - I had lost concentration and was so relieved to be back working on the model at the time that these were overlooked. Fortunately they were easy to put into place and paint, but it could have been a much more serious an oh dear moment. They were made from 10 x 30 thou strip which had been curved by running them through the tip of a pair of tweezers:
I drilled the tyres on the wheels to insert two small pieces of rod: these will be inserted into holes in the base on which the model will stand and stop it from moving about when the model is in transit around the house or on longer journeys. The wheels and propellor were put into place and now the model is finally finished......
This one has been nearly 17 months in the making - a record for me when a model has not become a shelf queen, which this one so nearly did. Thanks to all who helped to keep up my spirits when I was making this and giving me the motivation to keep going.
There will be more photos and information on the type in the completed models gallery shortly.
Stephen.
