Hello everyone,
It's been very quiet here in the last few weeks, at least from my side. But I'd like to document the next construction steps. Today's topic would be the radiator or - more precisely - the radiator shutters.
The kit comes with two versions: open shutter or closed shutter. I chose the open version because I want to show the cooler behind it.
And here begins a dead end that I ran into with some effort:
There's a more detailed photo-etched version available from HGW. To be precise, it sonsists of two parts:
These parts need to be glued together. However, I decided to use soldering instead. I practiced a bit with hot-air soldering:
I was satisfied; I tried something new, and it worked
Afterwards I rotated the vanes slightly and evenly to create a uniform pattern. Then I applied metal primer. And since I needed some of the vanes to be white, I also applied Mr. Primer.
White vanes:
I think you can definitely tell the difference between the PE part and the plastic part. Everything is much more delicate.
And then I was at a dead end, because this is what should come out of it afterwards:
Well, if I'd been smart, I would have counted. I need 6 white and 6 red areas of vanes, so 12 areas. But HGW messed up and produced 2 x 20 = 40 vanes. I analyzed some pictures where you can count the blades. It was always 36, never 40. And 12 is not a factor of 40. So it was clear that the desired color scheme couldn't be achieved with the HGW PE part. - no words -
Two options: a different color scheme or continue with the correct Wingnut Wings component? My strategy was to try it with the Wingnut Wings part and see what I can make out of it. So...
Second attempt with WnW part:
The complicated part about the paint job - at least that's my idea - is that the red and white pattern should only be visible on the outside, and I'd like the inside to be aluminum. When opened, however, this means that each of the 36 vanes is aluminum on one side and white (or red) on the other. This can be quite complex. Here's my solution:
I covered half of the component with a piece of paper while spraying. I used the arrow (to make sure I didn't make any mistakes) to indicate the spray direction (in this case, for black, later for aluminum for the back of the vanes). This way, no spray would land on the lower vanes (which would then correspond to the frontside of the vanes).
It's really hard to photograph, but I think you can see that the front and back are different:
The same was of done in white with the front:
Now comes the pattern in red. You have to be especially careful with the color...
And here again, just to be on the safe side, it was only sprayed from one direction:
Unpacking. I think that fits...
But this is exactly where dirt will have accumulated during the flight, and it can't stay that clean. So, apply a gloss varnish.
Black-brown oil-turpentine substitute soup:
In the end, the WnW part isn't as detailed, but I think it's still okay. The propeller will be in front of it later, too. I'll leave it as it is for now because I like the color scheme so much. Here are a few more pictures of what the radiator with the shutter will look like:
Thanks for reading. All pictures as always at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6HJAoo86QpPWBft5ABest Regards
Rafael
