swimmer25k

Justin, Hang in there and keep up the good work. You're not alone in your attempt to slay a beast of the kit; I'm in the same boat as you are! I'll gladly trade places. Chris

The splitting idea was given to me by a top-shelf modeler, and my position was "who am I to judge his opinion". With that said, I'm watching your build with extreme interest to see how you approach each building challenge. The splitting idea was born out of ease of cockpit construction and side window installation. Not to mention ease of handling. The ballet of twists and turns outlined in the instructions of how to install the cockpit initially looked ridiculous and impractical. I haven't decided on anything yet, and I'm fortunate to see what you're doing before I get on my kit. (Currently fighting with the Modelsvit Tu-144.) In your opinion, how difficult of a build has it been so far? Your pictures make it look like it's been pretty straight forward except for the nose. Chris

Eric, Again, great work. It looks like you're going to light up the cockpit. Just general lighting so you can see what's going on? I mentioned earlier that I had considered cutting off the forward fuselage and splitting it to install the cockpit as well as getting better access to epoxy the nose well. I would reinforce the joint with brass and epoxy when reattaching the forward section. I'm looking to have the nose up at this point. Leaving and fixing the fiberglass nose would make it easier to work with as well as not having to attach the resin nose. Long story short; how does the resin replacement fit so far? Like a glove along that complex union, or will it take some effort? Thanks, Chris

Eric, I have this kit as well and hope to be starting it in a few months. With regards to the cockpit, I've settled on cutting the forward fuselage behind the entry door at the circumferential panel-line. The next step would be to split it in half to install the cockpit. Did you consider this option and why did you choose against it if you had? I'm looking ot keep the nose up on mine. With that said, would you keep the fiberglass nose attached to the model and skip using the resin part? I'm enjoying your build and have been learning a lot from the decisions you've made. Thanks, Chris