airscale

evening folks Thank you for your kind words - very much appreciated So, P40 progress... ..it was time to try skinning the undercarriage fairings - these are the attractive bulges at the leading edge - made of three parts, they may look nice but were probably among the most challenging metalwork I have ever done.. ..first up was getting a nice smooth surface and blending in any existing skinning as the surface must be absolutely smooth or any undulations will transfer to the surface.. ..so a spot of filler here & there, a quick prime to check.. ..in order to get the panel shape, the outline needs to be set out in tape so that the border can be seen as the litho is burnished onto it.. to do this, I punched a couple of tape discs so I could set them out equally.. ..soon had them both laid out... ..it's asking a lot of the metal to conform to these double curvatures so I started to make the middle panel first - usual tools, hardwood blocks and a ball pein hammer to start beating to shape.. after beating & fixing, the other panels were added both sides - no pics, but by this point the panels are down and need finishing - some creasing was inevitable and I am hoping they sand out.. ..then the panels were sanded, polished, wire woolled etc, there are still some scratches and creases visible here and there but this is as good as I can get it.. ..I also skinned the fairing behind the cowl flaps - more details need adding, but again more compound curves.... ..more skin panels were added at the lower wing root, fastnings along the fairings and the lower area is coming together.. ..upper wing fairings next.. TTFN Peter

evening ladies I am still in skinning mode - all the lower rear fusealge has been done - to do this meant I needed to sort out the tailwheel well.. No in progress pics, but essentially the mount was set in the fuselage on day one of the build and then bulkheads and inner skins added. I used very thin lead sheet for the canvas boot in the same way as the main gear wells... ..also made up the doors but will fit these much later.. ..then it was up the other end to finish the nose - all of this is so I can get the wing fillets done as I need them on top of all the panelwork that surrounds them.. ..this is less a sequence of work, but some random pics taken throughout the process, so sorry it's not very co-ordinated.. ..first a tape template and markers for the double row rivet lines where the internal formers are.. these must be positioned to match the upper cowl ones.. ..I use the same thin blue tape to set out the lower boundaries of the panel under the tape template so I can just get the border marks on the template when its down.. ..these are then transferred to litho.. ..another important step here - I also scan this sheet so I can import it into coreldraw and draw out all the rivet patterns as they are on 'my' panel, rather than as they appear on plans or drawings.. ..here the rivets from that scan originated drawing have been made with an awl on the sheet - so much so it has started to curl, but that is sorted out by burnishing when its finished... ..the same process for this tricky nose panel - it's asking a bit much of the tape to do compound curves like this and the panel itself will need a bit of fettling to fit... ..same process, different panel.. a tape hinge keeps its position so I can add the contact cement to both surfaces.. ..and again - this one is being beaten into shape with a small ball pein hammer.. once it's fixed all the wrinkles are beaten / sanded out and the rivets re-instated.. ..and then after cleanup, sanding, wire wooling and polishing.. ..the cowl panels stop just short of the cowl flaps as there is a dark (green?) strip then the flaps on the real one.. ..and with the spinner on it starts to look the part.. ..still loads to do, but glad the nose is complete now - though the chin intake fairing casting needs cleaning up and painting again.. TTFN Peter

Thank you all Pleased to say the set is out today and all pre-orders have been shipped TTFN Peter

Hi PR Yes I did, I was very lucky to win best aircraft for the P51 and we were so busy on our stand we did better just on the Saturday than any other full weekend in all the 11 years we have been trading so the show is definately back! Take care Peter

Happy New Year all Finally got a bit of time and mojo to get back after a hectic few months... Been busy making the new Airfix Spitfire set and also adding some RB Productions tools to our website in addition to Telford, birthdays, Christmas, work and a bunch of other distractions... anyways, enough nonsense, what has actually been going on.. For starters my Santa son-in-law surprised me with this 3D printer for Christmas.. so that opens up a load of opportunities - it's the PLA one so good for structural stuff rather than details but is a fine bit of kit and simple enough even I can work it out... ..I wanted to try it on a part for the P40 so went for the spinner as this is a relatively simple thing to design & print.. ..saying that, the first try failed as the pla spool got stuck for some reason so after an hour I was stuck with no tip and a squiggly mess.. ..changed out the pla for a spool designed for this machine and after a bit of sanding had a good, solid, smooth structure to work with. The real spinner has the tip as one big spun cone which goes back nearly to the blade outlets and after much trying this was impossible to do with litho, so I went with just doing the tip to start with where the most demands are made on the metal.. ..started by rough shaping a disc.. ..then stuck this and started to beat / sand it into shape.. in doing so, a bit fell off so that determined how big the tip cone would be... ..I cut away the waste and used masking tape to get a template for the remainder of the upper cone.. ..used tape again to get the lower section and the all important shape and position of the blade outlets.. ..put that on a fresh bit of litho.. ..cut it out and added some rivets while it was flat & easy - even under sanding some witness marks are left so always worth doing this if I can as I can always go over them again.. ..and this layer was added and the final scribing & detailing added.. ..i also printed a hub / blade holder so I could test fit it on the airframe.. ..the important shark side profile ...it will all look better when properly fitted and the rest of the skinning is done and in fact this one was just a bit of a test with some things that could be improved so I may redo it if I can be bottomed.. TTFN & hope everyone has a great New Year Peter

Hi all, Quick update on progress... ..the decals have arrived so did a test for the instructions to be developed... no kit decals are illustrated, but some are still used - happy with how the set is shaping up ..the only problem is the etch folks at PPD are breaking for Xmas and my production order will be mid January for a limited number and end of January for the rest, so I do encourage pre-orders if you have the kit and are waiting on the set. I will turn off pre-orders if we hit the total in the first batch and none will go to retailers until the full production order has been met ..this is all a frustrating by-product of not getting access to the kit prior to release anyways, thats it for now Peter

Hey everyone I have been getting a lot of requests for updates on when we will release a set for the new Airfix Spitfire IX Well, the test shot PE arrived today so I did a test fit I thought I would share... The decals are in production, so sadly I don't have those to show yet, but now I know the PE is all good i can place the production order for them. I am being told the PE will be late December / early January but will see if I can get them to run a very small batch before Christmas it's a sad fact Airfix wouldn't supply anyone with test sprues so we are all scrabbling round trying to design & produce from the kits we received when you did ..anyways on with the preview.. ..here is the fret.. first up the seat gets some improved mounting brackets.. ..the seat bulkhead has an improved finish and is detailed for those not using Armour Plate.. ..and with Armour Plate and the correct seatbelt roller (tube not included..) ..rudder pedal treads.. ..corrected and upgraded undercarriage selector.. ..compass frame and missing fuel select lever.. ..and what it really needs - a new IP and Blind Flying panel.. ..how things look in place.. ..there are a number of other bits & bobs too.. will update again when I have decals - I need to pull all this apart to install them It's a fabulous kit and has been a pleasure to put something together to help if folks feel it needs it Pre order available here TTFN Peter

Hi everyone Hi Antonis what a pleasure to hear from you, how are you my friend? Good advice indeed - I do try primers, I have Mr Hobby and car etch primers and I find they are all pretty much the same - useless.. I will have to try VMS - I do have a good one from precision paints but its a faff to decant it and thin it, plus it needs about a week to cure / etch properly (and even that isn't bulletproof...) Anyways, not much of an update today, more just proof of life really ..still trying to get all the panels around the wing fillets done so I can start them, so I added the fuselage sides and upper wing skins.. no in progress pics, just a few to see where I am up to.. ..the port fuselage side has a hand hold and a hatch - this fuel filler hatch is only applicable for the very early versions before the B/C which my subject is. It also does not have the formation light each side that later ones have either.. ..the other side was also done.. ..and as can be seen in some of the pics above, the upper wing skins were also added.. ...and that means about 70% is skinned now.. ..still some very complex areas to go around the U/C fairings, wing fillets and windshield... See you at Telford hopefully - our airscale stand is in Hall 2 so please drop by and say hello TTFN Peter

evening folks in order for me to work on all the fairings under the fuselage, I need to skin the lower wings like the real one and the fairings sit over these. To finish skinning the wings I needed to make up the canvas wheelbay liners - for these I used very thin lead foil which was shaped over a small pot.. ..there is a small, box like bit of the cover that was made seperately and blended in with foil tape.. I took a pic with the label in case anyone wants to get some, it's great for this sort of thing.. ..these were primed with mr surfacer, but the adhesion is very weak.. ..I painted the canvas colour out of the model because I thought it would be eaiser to get in all the nooks & crannies, but a lot of paint flaked off when it came to getting them into the wheel bays so I had to mask up and paint them again.. ..after painting the many press lock tabs were added into the well and the wing skin panel added. This panel has double layers in places so no need to rivet it. Also this panel has a lip all the way around the aperture which was added before sticking it down.. ..they need blowing out as in the pics they still have lots of dust & wire wool bits from panel clean up.. ..then the doubler panels were added.. ..I am not especially happy about the painting - I see these figure modellers who make canvas and clothes look so realistic, but I just don't know how to do that anyways, it's done and it means I can carry on skinning... TTFN Peter

evening folks Hi Dana, thank you so much for dropping in and your continued contribution to our understanding of aircraft & their history. I would love to know more - do you mean the leading edge root fairing? I have no drawings and am struggling a bit to interpret photo's - plan views would be especially helpful as I think I know what you mean - i have had another go at it.. but likely still needs work.. it was time to sort out the under wing area - quite a lot to do here.. the wing join needed filling, the flap housing in the fuselage needed doing, the lower keel parts needed making etc etc .. I started by filling and fairing the wing join - I also added some false flaps so I could fill and sand over them and leave a perfect outline for the recess.. ..here mased up for a shot of primer so I can see whats what.. ..you can also see the big hole at the front - thats where I ripped off the fairing I had made before as it was wrong.. ..the false flaps doing their job well - these were just bits of litho exactly the shape of the recessed flaps bordered in tamiya tape.... ..once it was primed I added the ribs right at the end where the flap meets the fuselage.. moving forward, there are no drawings I can find of the forward fairing - I just have to go off photo's and in fact this whole area has been really hard to interpret in terms of the fairings & LE wing root fairings.. ..you can see behind the cowl flaps is a ducted fairing from the back of the radiators (the dull ali fairing on the right..)- this I made ages ago and now I find it's not quite deep enough, or long enough ..I remade the fairing to meet that ducted fairing and used the cowl flaps to understand and set out the geometry of the fuselage edge... ..I did my best to interpret it and compensate for the earlier error - you can see the fairing below the cowl flaps - this should be as long as the cowl flaps are... ..these pictures belie the amout of making, re-making, measuring, re-measuring etc that has gone on in this area and I am still not entirely happy.. ..I reshaped the cowl flap borders, the leading edge fairing area and still think there is more to do.. ..I also need to cut the slots in the forward fairing for the big ammo ejection chutes and do a lot more finessing here.. ..once I get all the keel parts made, the shapes & fairings right I can start skinning it all, though there is a lot going on under here so it will take a while.. TTFN Peter

howdy folks This is what I love about posting what I am doing - I get to set my standards higher because I know people will see it, and even when that slips, I have good folks like you Sabrejet pushing me on to achieve more I don't think I can remake the panels, but I have a few options to make corrections - will have a go at that for next time so, just a small update today, but a pretty big step forward as the wings have been added... ..the model was laid on plans and levelled in all axis - the right dihedral was already fixed from the slide tubes added on day one of this build.. then they was epoxied into position and left to set.. ..with the wings added, it was time to understand and set out the fillet structures.. seen here on the real one, they are quite substantial.. ..I used drawings to create templates and then mark out the borders using lining tape, bulked out with tamiya tape.. ..also added a brass definition shape at the back of the fillet to define the scalloped outline, and a little card section at the leading edge.. ..then P38 filler was added and shaped - I thought I had done things in the right order by skinning some of the wings & fuselage, but actually it made for a harder task in doing some pretty agressive sanding & shaping right next to a buch of finished panels.. ..you can see a missing panel by the access door - that was victim of a slipped dremel and will need to be remade... ..then a first coat of high build primer was shot to see how it looked.. ..it's certainly close - a bit of fettling needed and then it will be fine to carry on skinning.. TTFN Peter

hi everyone - thanks for dropping in & your kind comments I moved onto start skinning the upper nose - this is aa complicaated little area with the big caarb intake and two gun fairings meaning it's not a simple task. one plus is that the anti-glare panel is painted over this so I had decided to not try and skin the gun covers but see if I could get away with fairing them into other sheeted areas.. ..first step was get a tape template of the central skin panel covering the carb intake & mark the rivet lines in situ so they are right vertically & horizontally.. ..the template is removed and put on a sheet where the borders are scored, rivets added and in this case a Prestone access paanel cut out.. ..with that panel laid down it sets the borders of the main upper cowling panels.. ..same process repeated.. ..both sides done at the same time so the rivet patterns carry over both sides & line up.. ..those panels were made up - it took a few tries to get them right and good neat panel lines where they meet top and bottom.. ..the black dyno tape is where I need to add material next time i try, and the top panel was perfect but I laid it down in the wrong position and it got stress wrinkles on removal so a hours work became scrap pretty quickly.. ..when they were right they were fitted.. you can see where the gun covers have just been cut around and a small nose panel added & faired into the Carb intake casting at the front.... ..then the skins were masked up ready to fill the gaps around the gun covers.. ..filled and primed with mr surfacer but sanded back.. ..and then a template used to score the panel line for the gun cover fairing.. ..and the nose cap of the fairing scribed & the whole lot cleaned up - I aalso went over any rivets that needed it.. ..not happy with how the raised rivets at the front of the main panel came out, but it is what it is... ..the panel behind this has two piano hinges, so I made up the full set and added the top one first, bordered by the hinges... ..then the side panels were added using the same masking & thin contact cement process.. ...both side panels added.. ..and the area is about as complete as I can get it before adding the wings & fillets as these need to be there for subsequent panels.. ..I guess its wings on soon and working up the considerable wing fillets.. TTFN Peter

evening ladies Hi CJP - thank you yes, I expect it will one day - I don't consider it permanently shelved anyway.. Ah - funny you should say that, I am wwatching a Gauntlet being built and got all tingly for pre-war biplanes again so, to skin the nose area the anchorpoint is the exhaust panels so these absoloutely need to be in the right spot. I had made a PE panel for the stainless steeel panel that surrounds the exhaust outlets and used it to mark out the correct position of the aperture. I had made one earlier but it turned out it was in the wrong spot so I just filled in the hole and did it again.. ..the panel is taped down and the corresponding one on the other side put in exacty the same position.. ..the panel outline was scored so I could position it later... ..the exhaust pipes were made up from brass tube and filler to make a master to cast copies in resin - the actual outlet is an oval so it was compressed with pliers.. ..and as each side is different (they curve upwards on the V1710) two had to be made ..and with refining two masters were finished and put in rubber.. ..casting 12... ..the ports themselves were ground out with a dremel so the pipes are more hollowed and deeper and the whole lot primed.. ..used the panel positions to fix the exhausts after a base paint coat.. ..added the small rods between each one - there is a metal fairing in here too on the real one, but so little can be seen I skipped it... ..and then fixed the panels in position.. ..now that is done I can start on the nose area..:) TTFN Peter

thank you chaps so, onto more progress.. I wanted to get the rear fuselage skinned so I could take care of the tailplane / fin fillets, so started making up panels - this one is one of two that surround the fuselage access door.. here all masked up ready for contact cement.. ..then completed the upper panel and the door - also added the panels behind the clear vision panels at the rear of the cockpit as these needed to replace the ones I made previously to represent the early version.. ..you can also see the foam pipe lagging I use to protect the litho trailing edges of the fin & tailplane and a tape template for the shorter top fuselage panel with edges & rivet lines marked out.. ..the door will have a piano hinge added later.. ..with the skin all around the tailfeathers completed it was time for the fillets - these are in 3 parts - an upper and two lower with a nice set of compound curves to work into the metal... ..here you can see how the skin panels have been recessed into the filler fillet I made a while back when I fitted the tailplane.. all this needs filling as all these edges and ridges would show through soft annealed metal if it was burnished over it.. ..you can also see the fillet outlines defined by tamiya tape.. ..P38 filler used to close the gaps.. ..sanded and used the curved blade in a scalpel to scrape away the filler to the tape edges so I knew where to feather into.. ..filling any little holes or divots.. ..shot of primer to check the surface is as smooth as I can get it.. ..masking removed and now I have a good clear surface to burnish the fillet parts onto.. ..the borders are then set out again with 2mm tape to give a demarcation ridge into the metal when burnished to determine the shape of the fillets.. ..the top part starts out as a sheet with a slot cut in it for the fin - then it is worked using hardwood or balsa blocks and where the curves are acute a tiny ball pein hammer, taping it to hold position as I go... ..here the shape is forming and some of the edges being defined by pressing into the tape borders.. ..initially, the metal looks creased and kinks, but normally it can be worked enough to get a good finish - this is why its so important to have a solid smooth substrate beneath it.. ..now the part has been cut and glued down.. ..the same process for the two lower fillets.. ..and after wire wooling and adding the rivets the job is done.. ..enjoyed that think I might move to the nose upper cowl as that has about the scariest metalwork coming in this model and I can get all the top p[arts done before I attatch the wings and get the lower panels sorted.. TTFN Peter

afternoon chaps recent work on the P40 has focussed on getting the cockpit 'pod' completed and onto the fuselage as this was holding up many other things. I got as far as skinning the tail feathers before I had to move on.. ..the filler fairings were slightly cut into so the skin will sit under the litho fairings that cover this union - I need to refill over the join or it will show through when burnishing down the fillets.. ..To get the cockpit pod oriented, I mocked up where it sat and added braces so I could assemble the instrument panel mounts and all the final components.. ..once that was fixed, I built out the IP mount and installed it.. ..now I knew the area I had to fit the guns into so made up the mounts and ammo bins into one assembly. The guns were little PE kits and the cocking levers (I assume) were ground with my dremel from sheet aluminium - at 6mm tall this was pretty hard ..the guns were then added to the assembly as were the throttle control rods and any final bobbins before the whole thing would be fixed in place on the fuselage.. ..the floor and control column also added - I can add the seat later.. ..I also removed the panels under the rear canopy glass as these are different for the early version I am doing and I had incorrectly added fuel & oil fillers... ..I actually installed the cockpit pod and filled it to blend it in before I realised I had it slightly out of position - very frustrating as I had to carefully remove it without damaging anything which took hours of concentration.. ..with it safely removed I also realised I should have got the windscreen area right before I mounted the pod, so it was a useful quirk of fate I got it wrong. I got the few drawings there are of the early windscreen and built up a 3D structure of templates - filled the bulk with balsa and then P38 filler... ..this was refined and a plastic card blank pulled to help set out the area where the windshield meets the fuselage skin. I will cast the blank in resin so I can polish it to a smooth finish before vacforming the windshield.. ..the card blank was used to add two structural 'ears' that appear on the forward cowling where there are two hatches on the upper surface.. by carefully positioning the blank I could CA where the contact was needed for the ears and know the windshield part will match with these.. ..the cotton is used to assure a true centreline through all components.. you can also see the damage on the forward fuselage where I had to chop out the poorly positioned cockpit pod.. ..the cockpit pod was finally fitted and faired in with the surrounding fuselage structure.. ..starting to look like a P40 now.. TTFN Peter

Thanks chaps Thanks Dennis - that is a really interesting airframe - thanks - will see if I can find more pics of it still adding skins to the wings, so here is where it's at.. along the spar on the upper wing is this long pair of panels which includes two access doors to the guns.. this is then added with a tape hinge & contact cement.. the panel above the aileron has already been added with a cutout for the inspection hatch.. ..hatch added with scored ali tube for a hinge.. ..tape used to derive the shape of the leading edge panel - a pencil is used with tape to determine the rivet lines and once this is removed represents the real world shape that is needed to skin this area.. ..the tape is carefully removed and used to create the wraparound panels.. ..that panel is then added to both wings.. ..more panels & hatches added to the top wings.. ..same for the bottoms, the panel around the U/C fairing is the precursor to the compound panels that will cover it, plus the ammo doors have been added.. ..its getting close to the point where the wings are added to be able to skin the U/C areas so I may move onto fuselage skins at the tail & nose while they are seperate parts as they are easier to handle - the upshot is I want to get as much skin on as I can without putting it in danger areas for filling / sanding etc until next time TTFN Peter

thanks Gents I used a slitting disc to cut free the ailerons - they have a rounded nose and the cutout in the wing is much shorter at the topside vs the bottom. Once cut away a false triling edge was added from cut down brass 'L' stock and the fairing shape carefully rolled from ali - then the hinge & other cutouts added.. ..then the first skin panel was prepared - drawing first, then that is stuck onto litho, any holes for access panels done first, then the edges scored & cut and an awl used to add each rivet.. ..the rear row of rivets are raised, so these are embossed from the backside.. ..the panel is added with contact adhesive both sides, and a tape rubbing used to determine the outline of the access panel.. ..both wings are done simultaneously with about 20 mins work on each panel then rotate to the other until both are complete - avoids fatigue & boredom - I hate repeating a lengthy task having completed it.. ..decided to do the panel above the last one as one long continuous panel (it is two) and added cutouts for gun ejection chute hatches, lending light (one side) and an inspection panel.. ..the landing light was dremelled out and a recess created for some glazing (still with protective wrap).. ..the landing light itself was made from a bit of an old pen, some bobbins, a dome from ali shaped over a ball, and the PE cover plate.. ..the ammo chute panels look like this on the real bird.. ..so these were made up using PE panels etc.. ..same deal, both panels worked on at the same time, so once complete, these were laid down.. ..and the other side.. ..and this is where its at on both wings... ..still about 20,000 rivets to go... probably do topside & leading edge so I can get to the U/C fairings and stop short of the wing/fuselage join. I tried to do the fillet shaping, but it's impossible before the wings are on the fuselage, and for that to happen the cockpit needs to be closed up.. will plod on with skinning the wings and see how the phasing goes... might be a bit dry in terms of variety for a bit TTFN Peter

evening ladies I had a fantastic day on Sunday, having spent the morning crawling all over The Fighter Collection's P40C G-CIIO. The team were really helpful, taking the covers off, opening the cockpit and even dropping the flaps! I took 300 pictures of every inch of the airframe and cleared up many mysteries in realtion to what a drawing says and what real life looks like.. just a few here.. ..got lots of the cockpit.. ..lots from angles you just don't see unless you have access - see the spine panel layout & rivet patterns.. ..and lots up close and personal in places the internet just doesn't get to.. ..I will have to work out a way of sharing them for other builders.. anyways, when I left you last, I had vacformed the wing gear leg fairings.. ..well, I didn't take any in progress pics (slaps wrist..), but these are now fitted, blended and most of the basic internal structure added... ..clearly, still lots to do but happy enough for now.. ..next up was assembling the PE I made for the wing part of the flap structure - the plan was to drop these into the space left when I skinned the top of the wing ..complex assemblies with a lot of parts, but both were assembled over a couple of days.. ..the torque tube slides along to raise & lower them - something I learned from the Duxford guys.. ..before I could assemble the big panel with holes in it, I had to prime and paint underneath it so everything was given a basecoat... after that the little strips were added which are part of the individual rib pressings on the real one.. ..once finished, these assemblies didn't drop in as expected, well they did, but the trailing edge of the wing skin was a bit wonky and it would have doubled the thickness, so I chopped the skin off and just let the flap structures into the wing.. ..these were then blended in... ..and from underneath.. ..starting to get closer to working on the wing fillets, which is the final major shaping / sanding - then I will cut out the ailerons and start skinning the wings.. TTFN Peter

evening chaps ... some P40 stuff.. ..in trying to get the basic airframe done, it was time to move onto the landing gear housings - unlike most aircraft of the period, the gear is mounted to the wing, only the wheel goes in a well. This means the gear leg is in this bulbous housing full of lovely compound curves... ..I couldn't find the drawings that detailed the shapes and was trying to piece together component cross sections when I contacted Waroff on LSP for help. He literally knows every nut and bolt of a P40 and soon put me onto this drawing... ..it has all the cross sections and in combination with some others, I could scale aand create them all in plastic card to make a master for vacforming.. ..with both of them done, I sprayed them grey so when I slather them in filler and sand it back, I stop when I hit the grey.. ..a quick spin in my little vacformer... ..and I had some copies - I used quite thick card as they need to be skinned so need to take quite a bit of pressure as the metal is worked, this meant the contours are a bit more vague - I might pull a thinner copy and see if I can improve them.. ..also the tops of the nosecaps didnt come out as it's too much of an undercut so these will be done seperately.. ..I was getting all set to add them to the wings when I realised there is still way too much to do to the gear bays while I have open access ..I had just made two big circular openings as the wheel wells will have canvas liners, but as you can see here, there is one visible bit of structure that needed adding.. ..this meant chopping out quite a bit and adding that wall and the upper wing skin & stringers... ..this was all then primed and painted.. I had read that zinc chromate was mixed with green for airframe parts vs the more cockpity green in the interior, so I made a mix with a more yellow hue.. ..the circular opening for the wheels needs defining so a subskin was made, this has a lip going into the well ..I use aluminium plumbers tape on a bit of litho so I can tape the skin down and CA a strip of litho to form the lip, safe in the knowledge it won't stick to the tape.. ..the panel also had slots cut in it for the retraction struts.. ..and the gear housing sort of goes here.. ..still, loads to do, but the important thing is to get the build sequencing right so I don't build myself into a corner.. TTFN Peter

Evening So, looking at the upper gear legs, there is a collar that holds the retraction struts and another arm that goes inwards towards the fuselage.. ...there are also pinion gears which I have done in 3D but not printed yet.. ..the collars are quite hard to make - I started by getting a short length of tube, drilled it to accept the retraction strut mounts and soldered a tube through those holes. Once done, I cut slits and soldered a sheet to represent the jointing plates - here it's about half way through.. ...after working those parts and grinding away the inner parts of the plate & tubes, I added the remaining details & cleaned the parts up.. ..also added a fillet of filler to the lower ring the collar sits on.. ..the retraction struts are laminates of PE and brass, with tube ends.. ..and the assembly dry fitted - it is only held together with wire so lacks all the assembly nuts & bolts.. ..the other wing was finished, the mounting blocks & struts fitted and first pass at the angles looks good enough - there is a little play to get them truly vertical.. ..looks a bit more like an aeroplane now TTFN Peter

Good evening todays fun and games is making this... ..a couple of oleo struts for the gear - as is normally the case, there are a number of diameters and features to be allowed for. I started with drawings and was going to try to turn them on my mini lathe, but in the end opted for brass tube.. ..here the main legs have had one minor profile change put in them, there are some ali tube inserts to reduce the diameter to take the oleo strut and I cut a number of rings that are seen which also bracket a collar with the retracting struts.. ..also seen are the lower legs which were assembled from turned bits and include the axle & tie down ring... ...I later realised there are two kinds of torsion links & I had modelled the later one so the attachment bracket was remade.. ..the rings were glued square on the tube by using another telescopic bit of tube to level them, plus the ali tube insert has been fitted.. ..the early torsion links were made using my proxxon mini mill and grinding to shape - they still need some casting features adding. The strut is stainess steel rod.. ..the close up doesn't do my lathe skills any favours but this is the lower leg & axle which is quite a complicated little assembly with many shapes - unfortunately solder over ran into some of the edges, but it is what it is.. ..the kit of parts.. ..and a completed strut dry fitted so all the bolts & assembly are loose so it can be disassembled for painting.. ..times two... ..and they will sit on a brass spigot & mounting plate that makes the correct rake and inward cant to allow for dihedral - there is no leg wheel well to speak of, the legs have a complex gear assembly to twist them that sits on the wing surface - still got all that to make... ..thats it for a while - off to Tuscany tomorrow (if my flight is not cancelled..) to give away my daughter at her wedding on Friday TTFN Peter

evening all I got the rest of the cockpit decals which this time Ray at Fantasy just did as a one off on his new digital printer - they worked out well - not as good as silk screen, but in this case I don't have to pay for 80 sets as they are not part of an airscale restock order.. added to the throttle & some placards.. ..manufacturer plate and canopy wind instruction placard.. ..finished IP with the exception of a couple of switches.. ..then it was on to the wings.. I added a litho sheet for the flap upper skin and cut a tip shape template for the quirky uptick in the tip profile (at bottom left), also bulked out the tips with sheets of 2mm card.. ..on the underside the flap web with all the holes - I cut away the wing core so there was space behind the holes - the wheel well aperture was made by building around a mini ketchup pot which was the right diameter - this is oriented to the vertical leg, not perpendicular to the wing skin.. ...started blocking out the shape with hard foam stuff and the tip template has been let into the wingtip ..mucho sanding later the basic wing profile is found.. ..this is then covered with a thin layer of P38 filler and sanded back.. ..primed, filled, sanded & repeat until right.. ..the white bit on the lower leg is where the brass U/C mount plate will go - I didnt mount it as I learned before that having the stub sticking out makes block sanding the profile much harder.. ..the plate will be mounted to the core about here - it allows for the rake and dihedral but is just a spigot soldered into a plate.. ..one down, one to go.. just needs the foam sanded etc.. TTFN Peter

evening so a little more done - I was messing about in the cockpit still & made up the landing gear / hydraulic thingummy with a handle that is on the left of the seat and generally got the left sidewall nearly finished.. ..the zipped pocket was a little trick - i tried making it in PE as the frame and mount and then made the centre pocket in PE too with a zipper image I nicked off the internet.. apart from being flat, when I would like it a bit more lifelike, I think it just about works.. ..also finished the seat frame, mounted the seat and added seatbelts - only lapstraps as this is pre-1942.. ..next was the support beam that holds the instrument panel.. ..it's just a bit of square brass tube with some fittings added - the lower centre bit is folded PE and filler and is part of the gun controls.. I made up the control handles from brass rod soldered together as these were about 4mm and plastic would be too week a joint to shape properly... ..there are still decals to go on these bits and the main panel.. ..the intention was to get all the inside done and get the sidewalls, floor in fact everything all buttoned up before starting the wings, but then I thought there will be so much handlind and filling & sanding in making the wings fit and especially the big wing fillets that I thought really I should rethink the approach and get all the big chunky work done before the model id filled with fragile detail.. so.... ..I spent some time making factory drawings into my own drawings that work on the principle of a 2mm plactic card keel.. ..these were then printed and the blanks cut out... there are about 6 ribs I had the aerofoil of so these were drawn with a 2mm area in their middles that need cutting out for the wing blank. It meand you lose the rounded tip, and some of the fine point at the back, but this can be shaped later.. ...here the two blanks are clamped together to get uniform shape.. ..the slots are for square brass spars that slot into the brass square stub spars in the fuselage.. ..these were defined long ago when I used a centre rib to randomly place two spar locations.. ..the ribs had these marked and the wings were assembled with top & bottom ribs, slots for the spars and a carbon rod spar for stiffness.. ..the random placement of two spars, bit me on the ar$e as one is where the wheel well is (I didn't expect the U/C track to be as narrow as it is) so the stub spar is very short.. the flap area is also removed as only the upper skin is there on the real one so the ribs also make an allowance for that and once I add a sub skin in brass sheet the bits sticking out are scored ready to break off.. ..there was quite a bit of chopping about to get it to fit in the right position and it won't win any engineering precision prizes, but it does work.. ..the rear stub spars are about 0.5mm out, but it is enough to stop them sliding in until I modify the mounts ..this is all a dry fit with the spars until I am happy.. ..and on a good day for Red Bull, we also have wings... TTFN Peter

evening ladies ..well it seems I was wrong - I saw what I wanted to see with the gun covers, but it was pointed out by keener eyes than mine that there are indeed gun covers on this bird.. I had already asked Tim Perry to print the gun cover parts before I thought there were no guns on my subject, so now i know there are, these were up next.. I had only 3D modelled the basic shape and knew they would need a lot of work to get in the right place and faired in on the model.. ..first, a lot of careful measurement & marking out.. ..then chopped out the upper cowl so the parts fitted and made up a jig with carbon rods to hold them at least parallel in one dimension - in the end the whole model was laid out over datum lines to make sure the covers were level in all 3 axis... ..CA'd in place and filler added... ..more fettling.. ..and done... fortunately these are painted black as they are in the anti glare panel, but I haven't figured out how all this area will be skinned with all the many panels, fasteners & rivets (some raised) in this area... ..with that done, it was time to get back in the cockpit - starting with adding some components to this sidewall... I hope to get both sidewalls finished and I might join them where they meet above the instrument panel (all done in a jig) so I can add the panel and cross bracing and then drop all that onto the fuselage floor / seat bulkhead.. ..with some components added, including the canopy winder and other bobbins.. ..then the seat frame which is quite recognisable.. ..started by drilling and filing some ali tubes to get the mount points that meet the bulkhead, and adding some micro rivets as seen in the photo.. ..the bend was added by ensuring the rods were parallel, taping together and clamping against a rounded block of card - I also fed fuse wire into the tubes so they didn't kink when bent.. ..then they were made to fit the mounts on Sta #5 and the floor.. ..to make sure I could add the rest of the structure, but at the same time ensure it still fitted where it should, I CA'd a block of card jig to hold everything exacty where it was while I added the remaining frames.. ..then the remaining framework was bent up and added and the jig carefully removed.. ..and a test fit of the seat to see how it all looks.. ..still a ton to do, but getting there slowly TTFN Peter

evening folks & thank you got a bit more done, like finishing off the carb intake... ..this needs to be ever so slightly proud so that metal skins around it will sit flush with it - it will ultimately be painted as i can't really make it from metal and polish it (I did try..) ..this is done by marking the boundary with dyno tape and adding a very thin skim of P38 filler which is sanded down to the tape - hey presto, a great, proud edge to skin to.. ..the gun covers either side of this intake are being 3D printed, so in an idle moment I started on the gun breeches... ..these are PE and stock and are the Browning M2.. ..thankfully, very early in the build of the guns, I looked at my subject... ..now I did a couple of double takes, but there are no gun covers on that aircraft - just the central carb intake right? this is with the covers.. ..so that was news, and good news as skinning around all the humps & bumps would have been tricky.. it also meant I didn't need to make guns... ..as I wanted to get all the big ugly building on the fuselage done before I can start on the cockpit, I wanted to start the stabiliser.. ..I used plans to make my own drawing which was stuck to 2mm plastic card.. ..hopefully you can see the slots I need to cut in the leading edge to slide ribs onto.. ..the ribs were cut from thinner card and slotted into place and all the borders done in black sharpie so I can see where to sand to.. ..first gob of P38 filler.. ..after the first rough sand down to the rib outlines.. they are really only a guide.. ..final sand before final prime.. ..and the finished stabiliser - the intention being to cut away the front and some of the fuselage so they slot together.. ..working out the alignment... ..after dremelling away most of the 5 min epoxy in the joints.. ..and just in case you sit there thinking I don't regularly screw things up, this is the second time I had to chop it all apart, this time after filling & blending it, I noticed I just had it in entirely the wrong place - as you can see above, the elevator hingline should be a couple of mm behind the rudder hingeline - I had it waaay behind.. ..also notice the damaged tailwheel well walls where the CA impregnated foam is just too weak for handling.. ..finally in place and blended in - the filler acts as a base for the complicated one-piece metal fairing that goes around the joint.. ..also chopped away all the lower rear and rebuilt the tailwheel aperture with a sheet of formed plastic card.. ..the next thing to do before starting getting the cockpit together is the scalloped panels behind the rear cockpit glass... these were made from drawings interpreted from photo's and tape templates from the model itself.. ..I had read that these panels are NOT cockpit green, but olive drab (or camoflage colour if camo is used), so I painted them OD and added the pipe bases... ..and in place.. ..a dry fit of some components, the next stage of the build is figuring out how to detail the cockpit in a sequence that will work - a particular problem being the instrument panel, rudder pedals etc will need to be a free standing assembly coming off the floor I think as it's gonna be tricky to mount a crossmember to the sidewall carrying it all.. ..until next time.. TTFN Peter