Wings unlevel Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 19 hours ago, Graham Boak said: But tiny levers to be mounted on tiny folded boxes to be placed deep inside a dark cockpit - life's too short to waste like that. I wasn’t that brave! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Good you’re back on track! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 So I mentioned the fit earlier… The fit of the forward fuselage is, umm, challenging… I’ve been test fitting and sanding and fettling but I think I’m going to have to fill a 2-3mm gap forward of the cockpit. Initially thought I had to keep sanding down the bulkhead and cockpit floor to close up the gap but then dry fitted the canopy and nose and it I think how the kit is engineered means I need to fill the gap rather than force it up so the nose and canopy fit relatively flush. So this kit is a challenge. I’ve started assembling one of the engine cowls and it’s proving tricky too. Small guide pins, poor alignment, ambiguous instructions. Guess I’ll do my best with major assemblies on the weekend and see if I can make a respectable job of it. This might be beyond my current abilities but even if it is I’ll treat it as a learning/skill development opportunity, and see where I end up with it. Gerard 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Glad to hear you're planning to make the most of a bad situation. I think it's best to use it as a learning opportunity. Even if it doesn't turn out perfect or how you envisaged it, you only get the skills by trying to do them. In any case I'm sure you'll make good work out of it Gerard! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Was about to ask how the clear parts fitted in relation to the fuselage width but that is bad news. Or, as you say, a learning opportunity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 8 hours ago, Wings unlevel said: The fit of the forward fuselage is, umm, challenging… I’ve been test fitting and sanding and fettling but I think I’m going to have to fill a 2-3mm gap forward of the cockpit. Initially thought I had to keep sanding down the bulkhead and cockpit floor to close up the gap but then dry fitted the canopy and nose and it I think how the kit is engineered means I need to fill the gap rather than force it up so the nose and canopy fit relatively flush. So are you saying the fuselage is actually missing 2-3 mm of plastic ? Wow if thats the issue my hat is off sir its not an easy fix to get it smooth. Good thing you opted for a camouflaged bird. 8 hours ago, Wings unlevel said: This might be beyond my current abilities but even if it is I’ll treat it as a learning/skill development opportunity, and see where I end up with it. Good attitude … not too mention you can always revisit this again in the future and build it again. Good way to compare skill sets over time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.T.Dolby Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 I built the RAF Boston III boxing over the winter and had the same problems with the fuselage… I just filled the 2-3mm gap with plasticard and everything else then (more or less) fit around it. Hard work, but was ultimately well worth it as it ends up a lovely looking kit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 20 hours ago, arfa1983 said: Even if it doesn't turn out perfect or how you envisaged it, you only get the skills by trying to do them. Definitely going to build something from Tamiya or maybe Fine Molds next! 🤣 But I’ve got nothing to lose with this build, I can be braver trying to correct it rather than worrying if I try something new that doesn’t work out that I’d be ruining an otherwise good model. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 17 hours ago, Col. said: Or, as you say, a learning opportunity. A variation on ‘what doesn’t kill you mkes you stronger! 🙃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 16 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Wow if thats the issue my hat is off sir its not an easy fix to get it smooth. Yes I’m eyeing it off with some trepidation! I will be very frustrated if I make a hash of it and end up putting it aside, but I remind myself to be grateful that I have the luxury of getting upset at the triviality of trying to glue a few bits of plastic together! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 17 hours ago, Col. said: Was about to ask how the clear parts fitted in relation to the fuselage width It’s going to take some fettling! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 16 hours ago, M.T.Dolby said: I built the RAF Boston III boxing over the winter and had the same problems with the fuselage… I just filled the 2-3mm gap with plasticard and everything else then (more or less) fit around it. Hard work, but was ultimately well worth it as it ends up a lovely looking kit! Thanks MT. Very encouraging to hear this wasn’t a problem entirely of my own making. I really do love the Havoc/Boston so keen to do it some kind of justice! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Goodness! That's a bit extreme. Looks like plasticard is the G.O. for a nice fix. Give it a crack... I mean a fill 🤓 Visited the little shop yesterday. Wow! It's fantastic and the two lads love a quality chat. They've got all the gear to tackle the fit issue. Found a gem of a kit and some supplies. And the ladies at Juliette Coffee & Bread round the corner do the best coffee I've had in ages. Thanks for the heads up. Good luck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 I like your attitude towards this one Gerard. These things are always worth trying rather than pushing to one side. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 Strip plastic is your friend here. Comes in varying widths and thickness, found in model railroad sections of shops mostly. Measure your gap front, middle, and back then find the strip thats closest to the widest part. Once you have that its easy enough to cut and file it to shape. Use a couple of pieces as cross members inside to support it and fill any bits left. Apologies if you knew all this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyOD Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 17 hours ago, Col. said: These things are always worth trying rather than pushing to one side. My new motto for life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 So I splashed some cement around today. Tried to get the best alignment of the nose and forward fuselage as I could, both vertically and horizontally. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 16 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Strip plastic is your friend here. Comes in varying widths and thickness, found in model railroad sections of shops mostly. Measure your gap front, middle, and back then find the strip thats closest to the widest part. Once you have that its easy enough to cut and file it to shape. Use a couple of pieces as cross members inside to support it and fill any bits left. Apologies if you knew all this. Advice was very much appreciated (with acknowledgment to @Maginot as well) and acted upon! Thank you! Turns out the gap was ‘only’ 1mm wide and 10mm long. I now have more strips of 1mm wide Evergreen brand polystyrene than I’ll get through in quite some time, but the gap is bridged. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 Much more confident I can make a fist of this now after some good progress today. Wings and horizontal tails now assembled too and dry fitted - much better fit than the fuselage so that’s encouraging. If I can now do a decent job of the engines and cowlings I think I may finish up with a half respectable model - with lots of good skill development on the way through! 🤞 Very much appreciate the support, encouragement and tips so far. Thanks to that she may yet be apples! Gerard 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Oh, that fuselage is looking OK now. Good job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Good progress Gerard Our faith in you was clearly well placed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) You’ll find that plastic is good for all sorts of gap filling. Wings, fuselage you name it, cut a piece ever slightly larger and slide it into a gap. Flood said gap with liquid glue (I use Tamiya extra thin myself) and it will soften and fill the gap. Then a very light dab of filler will finish it off. Edited March 13, 2022 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 A great example of test fitting and forward thinking , this would have been confined to the bin I'm sure in many others hands, a fine save 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Very nice work Gerard 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 13, 2022 Author Share Posted March 13, 2022 23 hours ago, Col. said: Good progress Gerard Our faith in you was clearly well placed. I have the wisdom of the (BM) crowd to thank! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now