Not sure if this is the right place to post this but we don't have a section for useful tools.
Anyway, My Roden 1/32 SE5 conversion hit a bit of (another) brick wall when I started to consider mounting the top wing as the Roden cabane struts are pretty useless. They are moulded with locating pins top and bottom but there are no corresponding dimples on the fuselage, also the lower pins project vertically downwards where an angled locating matrix is required. (WNW does this so well on their SE model.)
Don't get me wrong, the interplane strut pins and locating holes are excellent so it's not all bad, but my usual technique is to install cabanes securely (replacing with wire or brass if necessary), mount top wing, then pop in the outboard struts. However since there is no accurate cabane length to use I decided I would need to mount the out wing struts first, then measure, make and install the fuselage ones.
In 50 years of modelling I have never used a jig - but never too old to learn, I perused the internet only to find most jigs are long out of production or quite expensive. I don't mind expensive if I'm going to use a tool often, but I wasn't sure if I'd need it again.
Anyway one model appeared - the LMG BB-01 jig with BB-02 biplane accessory. From the UK, Amazon wanted 53.51GBP for BB01 and an ebay seller wanted 46.79 for BB01 and 21.59GBP for BB02 - which seemed a lot for a plywood jig.
A bit more searching found me a supplier in the Ukraine (where the jig is made), called Plastic Model Store who advertised the items for 21.40 and 8.22GBP respectively - less than 30GBP for both. OK, postage is almost 17GBP but much more affordable (and under the UK customs tax threshold).
I paid the necessary and a week later my jigs arrived, well and safely packed: the postage label exhorting us all to assist them fight the Russian invader, which I happily do.
The jigs are accurately laser cut, with a slight burnt smell, in 3 or 4mm plywood and assemble fairly easily with the bags of nuts and bolts supplied. A little sanding takes off any edges from the press-out pieces. One caveat: the kits include sticky pads to cover the edges that will touch the model but installing these was a mistake as it made measuring the same settings on port and starboard less easy to gauge. Removal left a sticky deposit (which lifted some decal from my troublesome SE5 roundels - so think first if you need these strips!)
Anyway, I'm now ready to progress with Billy Bishop's blue-nose so we'll see how it works in practice.
Attached pics from Amazon (with the 262) and me (with the SE5 and also the extra optional fittings)
If you have been, thanks for staying this far!
Sandy
PS I see from Aviattic's latest email that this supplier - Plastic Model Store, in Kyiv - will be stocking their decals etc, so perhaps useful for our EU friends. Their service was helpful, friendly and efficient: I'd certainly use them again FWIW.
