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Studio27 PC4 and other DFV cars 1/20


Stickframe

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Fun fact about the Wolf, it was the most advanced use of carbon fibre when it raced with the whole rear wing assembly being constructed from it, no centre mounting pillar made of an alloy.  This was a leap of faith, as carbon composites had only been used for end plates and the like up to that point.

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@silver911, Yes, Ron, it's an illness....

 

50880483122_b4f4cbca9f_h.jpg

 

😄😄, it's a sad, sad situation! haha - and, yes, I'm planning to try your two layer painting technique, then oils on this!  Adding to the challenge - looking at the images (plus many others) - some raw aluminum, others treated in black...others, mixed - I'll opt for the latter - lower in aluminum, upper, black.  I like that look. 

 

@Mumbly - well...what to do with that info....🤔....maybe show the wing partially painted, but sanded back to reveal the carbon fiber?  sitting next to the car or on a workbench or shelf? not sure yet - but the info is cool to hear!  Also a bit surprising, as this car also has the "older" swing arm suspension, rather than the newer trans supported, central, asymmetrical "A" arms (well, not really traditional "A"s, but, like them) - interesting how advances occur in race cars....

 

@Sabrejet - not a bad idea at all - just for kicks I looked the car up, but couldn't find any in 1/24, but several in 1/43!  too bad - at this point, I might have tried it!

 

Cheers and thanks for having a look

Nick    

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well guys, progress has been a bit slow - jumping between work, real life and model building, but, I have kept at it.  Spending some time with the rear suspension and the cabin.  First up, the rear end.  As this model will be shown, under repair, with the end of the block and clutch exposed, it will reflect a higher level of detail in these areas than commonly represented.  As such, the same goes for the rest of what will still be evident on the rear end.  Starting with a prototype photo:

 

50911787298_e475ebf8d7_c.jpg

 

For this build, I will keep the Tamiya outer (cast) housing, then replace or modify the various connecting arms, which will tie back to the firewall.  Above - notice the heim joints (eye bolts) - one is vertical, the other horizontal, each having a different connection.  So, that is what I'm trying to replicate.  

 

Firs though, the control arms, running back to the firewall.  In my last post you can see that I reworked the connecting locations, and have since made new arms with aluminum tubing.  This on one hand seems fairly straight forward, but as is often the case, not really.  First, the eye bolts are really small.  I've used the nice brass ones, but they are a bit big for this - better for a larger scale, but, RB Motion makes some really nice small ones, but they're a bit pricey, as I need 8 of them.  So, I opted to buy four from RB, which will be seen - and then, scratched my own for where they will be harder, if not impossible to see.  

 

Here we go:

 

50912604652_c73d5d61ea_b.jpg

 

After a fair amount of head scratching, I came up with this method of making eye bolts.   This is .032" alu sheet, with a pattern marked on it, then filed to the shape of an eye bolt, then:

 

50912604627_c50660fd50_h.jpg

 

Above, four made and strung together on a piece of piano wire.  By grouping them I could file them further, into generally similar size and shape.  While a bit tedious, it worked ok.  These will be used to connect the tubing to the firewall.

 

Then on to the other side:

 

50911787218_00a7041dfc_b.jpg

 

 

This task did feel as though it was slipping a bit in the world of ridiculous, but I stuck with it.  Above, you can see, on the work top, an RB eye bolt- very nice, very small.  It's stem though it smaller  in diameter than the 1/16" alu tube I am using,  So, ordered some Albion Alloy tube to insert into the 1/16" tube then slip in the eye.  No, just not that easy - - what you may or may not be able to see in this picture, is a portion of the Albion tube had to be filed down, to fit into the 1/16" tube...perfect, so there is now a shoulder in the tube.

 

Of, course, the Albion needed to be drilled out to accept the RB eye:

 

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Again, not all that hard to do, but, there was a lot of slow going here - and a need to keep a steady hand - no coffee for me!

 

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These turned out pretty well - if you look carefully you can see the step down and taper in the tubing, which is like the original part, even a tiny lock nut.  Next, on the mounting points:

 

50912476456_b7685d3de7_b.jpg

 

If you look back at the actual assembly photo, you'll note the lower attachment point is horizontal, and bolted on to the cast part.  I considered several options for this, and eventually went back to the junkbox for some old etch. These are 1/35 scale AFV running lights - which worked out just fine:

 

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You'll see I added four holes to the etch.  The opposing two on the outside for attaching the eye bolt, once folded.  The two inside, receive small rivets, that attach to the Tamiya part with CA.  The rivets are a bit more work, but, I can say with some confidence, that if they were just held in place with CA, I'd knock them off - more than once!! 😁  You can also see, my little, home made eye on the left side of the rod in the lower picture - it's "about" the right shape, and sturdy.

 

On to the cabin area, which received a variety of mods - lots of rivets, some detailing on the steering and pedals, and a rework of the steering/instrument cluster column, which didn't look much like the "real" part:

 

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A bit more to add - the reservoirs, and structure etc for the forward radiator.

 

Thanks for having a look - 

 

Cheers and stay well 

Nick 

 

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Well mate...that is a real masterclass in ingenuity...the results speak for themselves...and I particularly like the use of the PE for the mounting brackets...genius idea 👍

 

If I may offer this...being a fan of 'eye' bolts myself...and having come across the need for smaller ones than are generally available...with specialist ones in tiny sizes being very costly as you point out...I found a suitable option in the form of 'banjo's'...such as these...

 

https://www.hiroboy.com/112_Banjo_Fitting_Set_A--product--15406.html

 

Certainly...for the scale your working in (1/20) they would offer you some other options...and will pair nicely with using slide fit tubes etc.

Just a thought :)

 

Ron

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HI Ron, thanks - yes, eye bolts are certainly a fun piece of hardware to fool around with.  Thanks for the tip on using the banjo fitting - that's a really good idea.  You might see it pop up on this build!  I ordered some top studio fittings a while back, but from a source I'm not familiar with - I hope they send the parts! 

 

Hi Chris, thanks -  I came across RB Motion a while ago, but veered away because the parts seemed most well suited for 1/12 scale.  Recently tho, I carefully looked at the dimensions, and realized some parts would work well for 1/20.  As to the pricing, it's not unreasonable at all, considering the size and quality.  That said, it is not inexpensive either, so I want to be careful about how much I buy and how it gets used.  Prime-Miniatures makes some really nice brass eyebolts (and many other parts), but they are just a bit too big for this application - reworking the banjo fittings is something I'll try.  Or, I in desperate times, I can always go back to making my own.

 

Cheers

Nick

 

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Hi guys, 

 

I'm still in the world of small fabrication - on the same parts, the rear hubs.  Take a look:

 

50927356156_23fd575c40_b.jpg

 

This is the receiver for the upper control/four link set up.  I got the idea looking at Ron's build - though he was using nice metal parts.  You can see on the left, I tried alu tubing, then alu sheet metal, and now, styrene.  Not beautiful, but getting close.  Next, I'll try alu rod.  Who knows though? this might be it.  And for some context:

 

50927356131_bc6971785a_b.jpg

 

Above, you can see them in use.

 

50927356106_8d30f032a8_b.jpg

 

And some small rods- call me compulsive, but I needed to add the bushings in the "open" end - haha

And back to the housing:

 

50927483357_0152fd488f_b.jpg

 

 

50927483372_6df80ba775_b.jpg

 

More from the odds and ends/junk box - on the out side, needs the threaded road for the wheel knock off, and still need to add bolt studs for the inner spacer.  Then on the inside, which will likely never be seen, half a u-joint/yoke and the tiny bolts that hold them in place.

 

Next will be more brackets, this time for shock absorbers, and one more set of control arms.  It will be a headache to paint, but I'm hoping it looks the part when done.   Then, back to the cabin.  So, making progress on this. 

 

Cheers and stay well - 

Nick 

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Absolutely stunning work mate...even more so because it's 1/20 and not 1/12 !

Those styrene bits look bloody good...and compliment the PE nicely.

Trust me...if you did venture into 1/12...you would find it so easy compared to 1/20 :)

Your certainly pushing the bar way up on this build mate...keep it coming.

 

Respect

 

Ron

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well guys, I'm still moving on this, albeit at a ridiculously slow pace.  Malc and Ron, thanks - despite the pace, I really enjoy this type of work.  Seeing what you both are doing has certainly set a high bar for what modifications/scratch on race cars can be!  So, here we go - first, one more shot of the rear hubs:

 

50987205052_ae286a6253_b.jpg

 

 

I know - It seems I'm showing the same thing over and over, but no - it keeps getting modified.  The two additions above include the brass "U" shape bracket on the interior, which is where the shocks will mount.  Next, the aluminum triangle shapes, with the bolt heads.  The lower suspension control arms, and anti-roll bar drop-arms will attach.  What you can't see is that on the opposite side, there are two similar, but rectangular brackets, for the lower suspension mounts on the other side.  I eventually cut out the small plastic loops inside of the inner side, and inserted a continuous aluminum tube (Ron, similar to what you just showed).  

 

Next up a few pics of these bits and pieces generally together:

 

50987205002_95e123edf6_b.jpg

 

Above, most of the parts to be used.  You can see the control arms, dryfit in the firewall.  The black styrene hubs (for lack of a better term) will plug into to the control arms, with the upper arms pinned into the two white styrene connectors.  The styrene connectors will go into the top side of each hub and hold the two short control arms.  The four longer control arms will pin into the previously described lower aluminum brackets.  The two really thin control arms with the alu eyebolts, will connect just above the lower brackets for the anti roll bar.   

 

I added the two tabs to the lower side of the firewall to make for a stronger connection to the engine.  The plan is to attach all the suspension parts first, then plug in the engine.  I suppose in real life, you'd do the opposite, but at this scale, there just isn't enough room to do it that way - on we go, a couple more views:

 

50986390163_d253650260_b.jpg

 

 

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I'm using this as a bit of test case for the next build on this project, which will be a Wolf Models kit, that features lots of white metal, but the quality seems to be just OK (and some chunky resin parts), and I think I'll be using some of these steps to make it work, not just for a fun design challenge! 

 

I'm using RB Motion shocks for this - which I won't assemble until they get some paint.  In the meantime, I need to finish the cabin!!  I'm driving myself crazy going back and forth, between this and that.  I've already added lots of rivet heads, but of course, there are other odds and ends to add.  Then - on to a painting extravaganza! Body, engine, and suspension - good times - 😁

 

OK gents - stay well and happy model building - 

Nick 

 

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Hello guys,

 

Still going at it, but with some dryfit progress to report on the rear end.  I've got to say, this has crossed the threshold of nerve wracking!  As you look below - you'll see bolts and nuts!  The nuts, are pretty darned small!!  The good news is I only lost 1, and in an effort to ream one, destroyed it, so, not bad.  Yes, I ordered more!

 

51006142993_f36f44caed_b.jpg

 

 

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The good news is that yes, all of this has gone together as planned - but, relative to the overall project, I'm not sure if it's really a victory or not!  While the photos make these pieces look relatively giant, and they're not, and my sense is after this photo, not much of this will ever be noticed again!  It took some real effort not to destroy this while assembling it - ahh, the joys of model building! 😁   The little white dots you can see are mostly shavings of metal or plastic, as I redrilled all the holes after paint, so I'll brush them off.    Oh - the shocks are from RB Motion and are pretty nice!  only downside, the springs needed to be painted, which was fine,  but, try as I might, there a few evident chips.  I'll live with them.  

 

On we go:

 

51006849396_cf3d039ff4_b.jpg

 

You can see above, the various parts have gone together pretty well, just dryfit in the firewall - so far so good.  Next, to illustrate the bigger plan:

 

51006142918_d1977276a9_h.jpg

 

Above gives you an idea of where this is headed.  I'll put the car on a rack, and let the parts dangle, in the workshop.  I still need to add lower control arms, and the anti-roll bar links, but I am confident, that if I install them now I'd just break them off, so for now, just trying not to lose or scrape them!  I am pleased with color and reasonable cast appearance of the wheel hubs.  I painted them anthracite, then gave them a wash with a blend of barley grey and yellow brown - they look pretty good in real life.  And, yes, I'll patch up the mating face of the trans.....just noticed that tasty scrape!  and! it appears I missed a few stud holes in my haste....perfect - haha

 

51006849351_5dd182c06b_c.jpg

 

Not bad - I'm most surprised that I got the lengths correct on the four control arms coming off the firewall.  The the tops, longer than the bottoms, the taper in tube diameter, and I guessed the off-set for the eye bolts.

 

Now on to the cabin area.  Nothing added up here was that hard to do, but, it did require some patience - be it for the steering rack or the reservoirs:

 

51006849326_ce4b8e88a2_b.jpg

 

 

51006849291_8cb92b61bb_c.jpg

 

The hydraulic reservoirs are pretty obvious above.  They're concentric alu tube, with lead foil caps - I like this solution.  I don't think I'll add tubing below - 

 

51006954667_bcbccfe185_b.jpg

 

 

Or.....maybe I will - let me rephrase, I don't want to add tubing.....😁  You'll also not generous use of wine bottle foil and small rivets.  The real version of this car, like the others in this project has an aluminum monocoque - which is clearly evident, and unpainted in the driver seat, so mine gets a bit more fanciness than the kit provides.

 

Finally, above you can see some fancy wheel spindles - not fancy tho - odds and ends:

 

51006954632_e26b6b3c03_b.jpg

 

 

51006849256_dcbff8a2f8_c.jpg

 

As you can see - in the top image, the basic assembly, from alu tube.  It was filed to a smaller diameter on one side to fit in the hub, and filed to a cone on the other to appear similar to the real part.  The brass threaded rod is remnant from the eyebolts used on the rear suspension control arms, and works really well for this, and installed:

 

51006849201_5cc8494b95_c.jpg

 

 

Next up, paint, assemble and install the engine!  The parts are ready to go 

 

Thanks for having a look - 

 

Cheers and stay well - 

Nick 

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I must say that having only made 1/43 kits(mostly) my eyes have been truly opened recently to some outstanding stuff here Nick. I was unaware of bits and pieces like the RB motion stuff for bigger kits,I might have to start looking as I have only made so far one 1/24 resin F1 car. And one in in the drawer of doom! Very impressed,Chris.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello guys,

 

Sorry about my tediously slow build and response time!  Thanks and glad you like what you're seeing so far.  Yes, @Kitkent, Chris, if you look long enough, you can find quite a variety of small detail parts - that said, you then need to often need to rely on your imagination to figure out what to do with all that you find!  In addition to RB Motion, you might check Pimme-MiniaturesUK, who made the larger diameter brass eyebolts, and have a wide variety of bolts, rivets and so on.    As you're already working at 1/43😲, I suspect you are already familiar with the patience needed when dealing with these parts - they're pretty small!  @silver911, thanks, Ron!  all I'm doing is watching your work and trying to figure out how to do similar at a smaller scale!  As implied with the note to Chris - doing this without: 1) driving myself crazy and 2) destroying the build along the way!  I suppose the two go hand in hand.  @johnlambert, hi John, thanks very much - I've been drifting into and out of your many builds - the quality you're getting is remarkable! yet another high water mark to aim for.  @Toftdale, thanks - yes, I don't have a lathe or mill etc, so, need to use what I have, which I've decided is part of the fun - a bit like that clutch mechanism you made - that still has me asking how you did it!  And, @Malc2, you're not wasting any time with you build! another wow!  So, there are some of us, who just can't help doing more that what the kit provides you with!  

 

Speaking of kits, I've made some headway.  I went ahead and mounted the control arms to the firewall, finished the DFV engine, mounted it - piece of cake! - well, not really. 

 

Before I get into this, I have an ask of you guys, which is how you work with braided line and connectors/joints?  You'll see below, I used Top Studio connectors, which are pretty nice, but, I also used two different types of braided line, the fabric kind from Top Studio, and some wire mesh from Detail Master (I think?).  Anyway, they both cause me some grief.   I find the Top Studio braided line to be a PITA to work with - do any of you have a relatively straight forward way of using this product?   I find the ends fray easily, and then, fixing them (adding a small spot of CA), while saving an opening for the connector to be harder to do than I suppose it should be!  I cut a length of the hose, then insert a thin metal rod (BTW, the instructions say there should be an internal guide wire -  but mine doesn't have that), then hit the ends with a tiny amount of CA (which of course, glues the braided line to the metal rod), then cutting the rod out, then inserting the fitting!  It's an awful process - which I'm sure I'm doing wrong. 

 

For the actual wire braided line, a different problem.  This product has a thin wire embedded, which easy enough to clean up, leaving two stripped "tails" of wire on the ends, but, this requires me to drill out each of the Top Studio joints - which is not easy.  I think I'm using a #78 drill bit, to make a small receiving hole in each connector, to plug the braided line into.  This can be a fast and efficient way to break resin connectors!   So, if you have thoughts on how to do this more efficiently I'm glad to hear them!

 

OK, on with the update.  First two, pics comparing the new engine with the engine on the stand:

 

51040607692_3ca8cdb317_h.jpg

 

 

51039784118_956cd414d8_h.jpg

 

 

I've got to say, I like the looks of the new engine - it's a brute!  The version I'm copying keeps the cam covers all black - the Ford logos aren't silver, which I thought was a nice change - in fact, much of the top of the engine is black.  I painted the block silver, then added a layer of a blend of barley grey and yellow earth, to get the look of the cast metal.  I left the machined surface next to the clutch silver.

 

You'll also see, I scratch built the injector base, funnels and "deck" atop the funnels.   Not a bad look, though to @Toftdale's point - yes, they are scratch built, but the limitations of my "tools" becomes apparent.  The base material is brass, filed down to allow scracthbuilt alu funnels to sit atop, but I couldn't achieve a uniform production quality! so, they're each a bit similar and a bit different!  I just couldn't justify spending more money, on more after market parts!  The deck on top, below the mesh, is thin alu sheet, cut and filed into the correct shape, then drilled out to accept the funnels.  I do like the look of lots of real metal, vs painted plastic, so not bad.  

 

On we go:

 

51040607647_99f4021cb5_b.jpg

 

The tube connecting the radiators - well, it was cut up, reassembled, and then cut up and reassembled a few times (and I still didn't sand off all of the seam line!) - I also added metal mounting brackets - yeah...not great.  This came as a result of using parts from different kits.  I probably should have tried to scratch build a new one.  I'm doubtful anyone but us will ever notice.

 

51039784093_08b1589e1a_b.jpg

 

 

I left all the dangling parts and hoses because, remember, this car will also be in the shop, but with the rear end torn out.  That nice clutch pack helps!

 

51039784083_7ef799c4c8_b.jpg

 

 

51040607622_35fdf0d4b9_b.jpg

 

In the pics above, you can see the base for the throttle linkage.  For this I used a base Hasegawa part from a Type 79 engine, then drilled it out, inserting a thin metal rod, then adding a PE bracket and washer, which I'll eventually add a linkage to.

 

51040514466_0bea67f4f9_b.jpg

 

 

51040607582_a946e2db0f_b.jpg

 

I included the pic above so you can see the base for the mesh, but can also see the alu tube and sleeve used to help hold this to the firewall.  Many kits provide a screw for this,  but I either lost this one, or by mixing parts it didn't work out that way.

 

51040607557_3ac6aa6850_b.jpg

 

 

And above, despite my whining the braided lines seem to look pretty good - and to my delight, you can actually see some of the nuts and bolts that hold the rear end parts together!  And, yes, I include all the pics - that damned camera! it doesn't lie!  😁 though, it does make a few of these parts look like the paint is a bit muddy, but, in real life (with an optivisor nonetheless) they look good!  maybe slightly out of focus?  I don't know.  

 

OK, thanks for having a look - next will be last minute details in the monocoque and paint.

 

Cheers, and stay well 

 

Nick 

Edited by Stickframe
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From where I am sitting those hoses and joints look bloody good to me Nick....as does the whole update...superb...as I have come to expect from you.

 

Regards braided hoses...a trick to prevent them splaying at the ends...and something I always do straight after cutting...apply a very small amount of extra thin CA around the end on the outside.

When it comes to using hose joints...whenever possible/practical...I will always use metal ones that are pre-drilled...then use a pin or thin rod through the...this acts as a mounting pin and hose connecting pin.

Perhaps the most common error is in matching the diameter of the hose to the throat of the fitting...ideally...the hose or braided line should fit into the hose joint...and not butt up to it...this is obviously more difficult to achieve with solid resin fittings...which...as you quite rightly say is a recipe for both broken fittings...and drill bits.

A trick I use when forced to drill out resin hose joints or fittings is to use my homemade centre point...which is a needle clamped in a pin vise...I use needles because they are a stronger steel than normal dressmaking pins...using this you get a much clearer view of the centre...then simply push and twist to create a small depression to hold the tip of the drill to prevent it wandering.

 

Hope this helps :)

 

Ron

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Hello guys, 

 

Thanks for having a look - Ron, yes, using metal joints - that's a goods idea - all of what you see here is resin - nice quality, but, you really need to keep a steady hand as you go about using/attaching/fitting/drilling.  Regarding the two types of braided line, the dangling lines, in the rear are metal (and look a-ok to me!) - but, those in the front of the engine, along the firewall are fabric, and I have a hard time keeping fraying to a minimum (via CA) and attaching them to the joints.  The good news, I'm done with them for a while!

 

For today, a small update.  As this is a dio, various parts of a normal build, will be displayed differently.  I'd already modified a couple of trans/rearends for this project, but decided they needed a bit more of something. So I went ahead made up the parts used to hold the upper shock mounts , control arms, and anti-roll bar out of .32"thick alu sheet (which "feels" monstrously thicker than the .16") and then, added a few more really tiny nuts, and some larger NBWs.  Take a look:

 

51050005696_544748a8be_b.jpg

 

 

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51050005626_605913892e_b.jpg

 

It "looks" like the .32" thick alu was the right choice - enough to appear convincing.  It's harder to shape than the .16" - which must sound obvious enough!  😁 but the point is, the transition is significant enough that you need to rethink the steps of fabricating the part - the measure drill or cut first sequence and so on.  While the two horizontal brackets look fairly straight forward, I'll admit each took two tries.  For the front, I didn't pay close enough attention to the location of the mounting holes!! so they were off....good job....then, for the rear, you can see the central portion is narrower than on the front, so on the first try I completely drilled out the three big central holes, then went about cutting the piece into shape - bad idea - snapped it along one of the holes almost immediately - just like car suspension control arms in corners, side cutter result in torsional force!  If you don't believe me, give it a try! 😁  This is always a challenge when using alu, but as the .16 is thinner, it seems easier to gently cut - rather than the more macho shear! 😁 needed for the .32"! haha 

 

Building this made me wonder if I could redo all of this, and actually make all of it go together?  I'm not sure - it all seems close, but hard to say.  I think if I, or someone else, decided to try, you might need to build two complete kits - one essentially OOB as a test/scaling platform, and then using the "desired" replacement parts kit.  I'd go this route primarily because of the somewhat rudimentary construction/measuring tools I have, and to compensate for the "eyeball" factor - that is, no matter how close I might get, this is still a project informed by photos and judgement, rather than a CAD file etc.

 

OK gents, stay well, happy model building and thanks for having a look - 

 

Nick 

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