Another small update today, but first an apology to @Colin @ Freightdog Models for not showing the replacement decals he so generously sent me.
I shall right that wrong now!
A huge improvement, as mentioned earlier, and many thanks once again Colin!
More work had been done on the cockpit repositioning and here is the current state of play
Since that pic I have added some PPP and smoothed it all off, however on further checking it is apparent that sides need to be lowered a little more, so that will be taken care of next session.
I have also added the new nose to the right fuselage side. The other half will be added when the fuselage is joined to ensure the best possible join.
In addition to lowering the cockpit sides, I also need to add some more depth under the mid/forward fuselage. That will be done after the halves are joined.
I also took a quick look at the wings
The incorrect shape of the rear cutout was easily corrected with a file. The thickness is another matter. Although the detail is actually very nicely done compared to many other kits, it will be removed on account of the fact that the wings are too thick. That is one area that always looks wrong if left unattended and in my opinion makes the model look toy-like. The wings will therefore be thinned and the detail replaced afterwards.
On the 9, I have started adding interior detail.
The first problem I needed to solve was how to get the inner panels at the correct level. There was a strip of wood added over the join on the outside of these aircraft and the inner horizontal panels lined up with that. I used a high tech solution here: tweezers!
With the end positioned on the ridge on the outside of the fuselage, I simply turned it over and made a small dot under the end of the tweezers on the inside. I am assuming the ends are the same length of course, but it seems to have worked!
That gave me the reference I needed
The easiest way, as I saw it, was to add the instrument panel and cockpit divider, then join the two. As long as they were the correct size the rest would fall into place.
That seems to have worked OK so far, now I need to do the rear. That could be a little more tricky as the observer's cockpit had semi-circular fore and aft edges instead of the angled ones in the pilot's
I think I'm going to cut a blank to fit, then cut or drill the centre out. Probably a combination of the two. That's the next job on the list....
The last item I tackled this weekend was sanding the wings to shape.
All they need now is to be cut and pinned with the correct dihedral.
It sounds simple if I say it quickly!
So that's where I am as of now. More to follow soon, I hope.
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
