Thanks so much, All! And Mark...thanks to you especially. I didn't fully appreciate what you said about there being lots that go into that cockpit area and the sequence of events. I'll need to go back and re-read your log since I made it all fit, but man...it was a struggle!
Here is the basic frame with my simple rigging using EZ-line. Does the job for me!
And here it is all together...most of it!
And a mock up with the fuselage together but not glued!
All I can say is that the magazine/gun parts are almost impossible to get in. There are large lugs (you can see those just in front of the cabanes in the first pic) that fit into slots under the gun mounts and it seems that even the tiniest amount of paint will make them very difficult to slip in. Added to that, there are two small pipes that are supposed to go into holes on either side of this assembly and I could not make the geometry work until I actually cut those little nibs off. Those are the copper tubes you see in the first shot running from the cockpit and on the inside of the cabanes. Then, I could slide the structure straight down, gently spread the cabanes and locate another two pegs on either side. Those last two holes needed to be enlarged a hair (again due to paint?). Not an easy job!
Then...I didn't really understand why Mark said that it's good to start with the engine first...until I tried putting it in for real! It is very tough to get the mags under/between the ammo assemblies. It all fits, but it takes some gentle persuasion which is rather nerve wracking as all that fine PE and delicate plastic parts can't really take the stress. I was really worried I'd botch the whole thing. In the end, it looks fantastic and is really the show piece of the model with that open upper wing so WNW has certainly delivered! I just wonder if the computer engineers may have made the tolerances a bit too tight for an actual modeler to build! Of course, this could all be modeler-induced and Des and Rick will slap it together with absolutely no issues!
All is well, and I can't wait to continue on her some more...
Thanks for looking,
Dan
P.S. I just went back and looked at Mark's notes...great minds think alike as he cut off the tubing nubs to get the magazine assembly in too. I'm not crazy!!!!
