1:72 Maquette Ilya Muromets

[IanB]

Thanks Stephen, Des.
I got the aluminium done over the last couple of days and I'm pleased with how it's turned out. I wasn't sure exactly where the demarcation line was between the  panels and the fabric, so I took a best guess based on the 2 or 3 pics in the datafile special that show what look like rivet lines.

Unfortunately, after all the trouble I had getting the woodwork right, the masking removed a couple of edges on one wing so I've had to carefully touch those in. They still need a coat of clear orange which should help to hide them, and if they're still too visible, a little dirt may come in handy!

So here are the lower wings, engine bearers, and cockpit section with just a little touching up to do.....







 The mechanics access panels may also need a little tidying up with a scriber. I think I should have just scribed them instead of trying to cut them out and fit panels separately.

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[RAGIII]

Another excellent update! Looking terrific.
RAGIII

[xmald]

Ilya is taking shape - I`m glad that you haven`t abandoned this project cause it`s a joy to follow your work!

[uncletony]

Coming along very smartly Ian

[Des]

Looking really good Ian, I like the 'drivers' compartment.

Des.

[lone modeller]

Really looking good Ian. This will be truly impressive when finished.

Stephen.

[stevehed]

Keep plodding on Ian. Really looking the part.

Regards, Steve

[Juan]

Great looking build, looking forward to your next update.

[IanB]

Thanks for the positive comments everyone, this is going to be a long slog, and they help remind me it's all worth it!

 It seems that most of the time I spend at the bench on this one is spent trying to figure what the best order of construction is. I'll decide to do a particular area next, then look again next time I sit down, and decide it would be better to do something else! The result this time is that the windows have been fitted. They were cut from 0.010" clear sheet using a scalpel and sharp scissors. The pairs of windows next to the pilot are one piece, scored with the scalpel, then bent to the correct angle to fit. Once I'd got them the right size and made sure they fitted ok, I added ordinary glue to the window opening with a toothpick and dropped them into place. Once the glue dried, I sealed any small gaps with Mr Dissolved Putty. I also decided I liked the look of it with the front windows open, so they'll be left off for now and installed near the end.









 The round roof windows have also been added since the pics. I now have to decide how to do the frames on the side windows. I'm leaning towards printing up decals and using those as I don't think I could cut .005" sheet accurately enough 4 times for it to look right, and I'm not sure I could get it stuck cleanly and firmly in place even if I could!  Oh, and don't worry about the ugly double scribing at the bottom of the engineers access panel - they were rescribed using the wing as a guide, so the bottom part won't show as it's hidden by the wing when fitted!

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[Des]

Looks great with the windows fitted Ian, you did an excellent job.

Des.

[IanB]

Thanks Des,

 The side window frames have now been masked and painted, and the nose frames added with strips of painted decal paper. I think they're a little thick, but they're about as thin as I can get them so they'll have to do.









 I have also now painted the national insignia as I wanted them done before adding the wings and making everything much more fragile!





The blue is Tamiya Sky Blue, I think it works quite well! I should have masked the red areas on the roundels when I srayed the blue though, as the red is now much darker than the fuselage, which was all masked off and had a white base coat instead of blue overspray as was the case on the wings. Lesson learned!
 There's a little touching up needed on the wing roundels, and some clean up of a little overspray (more careless spraying on my part), but I'm very happy with how the fuselage pennants have turned out. I used clear plastic masking sheet for the roundels and I won't use it again. It's very stiff and won't conform to the surface well, or stick down properly. Next time I'll just use basic masking tape.

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[RAGIII]

The windows turned out great! Lovely work on the markings!
RAGIII

[IanB]

Thanks Rick!
 I wasn't quite sure whether or not they were up to standard and were centred properly, but after a little careful touching up today I think they'll be ok...tomorrow I think I'll start on adding a little wear and tear to the the fuselage....


Ian

[Borsos]

That giant still deeply impresses me. It looks very well with the window frames on (I can't see any too thick). And the national insignias really look great as well.
Borsos

[IanB]

Thanks Borsos!

I have added a little texture to the fuselage with pastels, just enough to break up the single colour without being obvious, and give it a faint dirty look. I'm happy with it.





 That marks the end of the "easy" stuff.........

I decided to do the fuel tanks next. I will build them, attach them to the cabane strut side panels, then fit them as a unit to the fuselage. Then I'll rig them and the centre section before moving on to the next step. I started off by marking the positions then making a template to drill holes for mounting pins. I'll pin the tanks to the panels with .010" brass rod to give them a little more strength and ensure they are positioned correctly.

Here they are on a dry fit. I think the rear may be a tad too low to allow for the cross bracing, so I'll check that tomorrow.





 If they need adjusting I'll do that then start on the detailing. Fillers have already been added, I need to add mounting straps and braces, vents, and some rudimentary fuel level guages (at least that's what I think they are!)

Thanks for looking in!

Ian