djktrumpet Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 I'm a bit late to the party, but I'd like to pitch in with this 1/48 Accurate Miniatures kit of the Ilyushin IL2-M3 Shturmovik. I bought the kit years ago, and on opening up the box again have found that I had also bought both an Eduard etch set and a CMK resin detail set. Belt and braces, maybe! There'll be some decisions to be made about which bits to use. I've heard that this can be a challenging build, so may be being a bit optimistic for this GB, but we'll see how it goes. Obligatory shot of the boxes: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 An initial look at the CMK resin set (also includes a few photo-etched bits) shows that it's basically replacing most of the kit parts in the cockpit area. I've started cleaning up the resin and on an initial scan it all looks quite nice. Whilst I initially thought about doing a mix and match between this and the Eduard PE set, I'm coming round to the idea of just using the CMK set on this build, and saving the Eduard set unused for if I ever build another IL2. I've not built an Accurate Miniatures kit before, and I'm delighted, if slightly amused, by the level of detail in the instructions. Every step is explained minutely, such as: "Beginning in the pilot's cockpit, glue the control stick (83) to the cockpit floor (13)." Takes me back to my days as a kid building the old Airfix kits with their "locate and cement" style instructions! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Good to see another il-2 coming up The CMK parts look great. Hopefully everything fits together well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 Not much progress as I've been away for a few days, but I have been giving some thought to the resin cockpit. The AM kit has you assemble the main cockpit assembly first; this is then mounted onto the central underwing section , which is then offered up to the otherwise assembled fuselage. I've thrown together the kit cockpit just to test fit that, so I can be sure the resin assembly is going to go in the same way. The kit parts are actually quite nice, but the resin is a bit crisper and has a bit more detail (the resin isn't all there yet!). This is slightly complicated by the fact that the central underwing section has to have two spars glued in place, and the cockpit floor sits on to of these The instructions are very specific about how to fix these spars - glue just the central sections first, then bring up the outer edges of the wing section to meet the spars and glue those joints - which sets the correct dihedral. The only thing is, I have to take an extra 3mm bite out of the rear spar, where there's already a cut-out, to allow for the extra thickness of the resin floor assembly - but this will be more than half the depth of the spar, and I think if I were to cut that piece out first, the spar wouldn't have enough rigidity to hold the dihedral while the glue sets. So, I'm gluing the unmodified spar first, and will then take the extra bite out when it's all glued up. I'm probably over-thinking it, as usual, but I've had some stressful experiences with resin cockpits in the past, and I'm trying to minimise the angst this time! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 On 2/22/2022 at 9:28 PM, djktrumpet said: Takes me back to my days as a kid building the old Airfix kits with their "locate and cement" style instructions! That's where I learned words like fuselage, aileron and pitot. Happy days. Re the spar problem, is it possible to saw a slot in the resin to accommodate the spar, rather than cutting the spar to fit the resin? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 30 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said: Re the spar problem, is it possible to saw a slot in the resin to accommodate the spar, rather than cutting the spar to fit the resin? Yes, possibly - good thought! I’ll get the spars glued up and consider my options... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 The cockpits look like you've been building a couple of airboats ready for a race. I'd also agree with Bertie's suggestion, or a combination of slotting the cockpit underside and trimming the spar depending on which method looks the most practical. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 On 27/02/2022 at 19:27, djktrumpet said: allow for the extra thickness of the resin floor assembly A different approach would be to thin the resin floor. I take resin cockpits for almost all my models and used both methods. To cut the spar is perhaps faster here, though. Great to see another Accurate Miniatures in the ring. They are nice(ly detailed) but have some odd errors sometimes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Well, we're sort of getting there. Cutting a slot in the resin floor to clear the spar was the easiest fix for that bit, so thanks to @Bertie Psmith for that suggestion. The central part of the resin assembly is a good 0.5mm wider overall than the kit parts it's replacing, and I've had to thin the fuselage side walls to a scary degree to fit the resin side panels in, even after thinning those resin parts down as well. I'll probably shave a tiny bit off the edges of the bulkhead to ease the fit a little more. It is all going in now, though, so some progress is being made! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Plenty work involved getting it in place but the result will be worthwhile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted April 30, 2022 Author Share Posted April 30, 2022 Oh gosh, over a month since my last update. I had a couple of weeks away, and then life has rather got in the way! I've managed to get the main airframe parts assembled, and some filler applied. The kit is rather over-engineered in my view, but fit is very good and any imperfections are down to my impatience. There's really no chance I'll get this anywhere near finished by the end of the GB, but I'll post some more updates if I have anything further to report. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 17 hours ago, djktrumpet said: There's really no chance I'll get this anywhere near finished by the end of the GB, but I'll post some more updates if I have anything further to report. Not to worry, there will be a KUTA GB later (this year I think?) where you can finish this and any other “left overs” you might have from other group builds. This is where my own project started in this GB will go to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJJunis Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 David, Your IL2 looks fantastic! You got through the really difficult part so I have confidence you will get done . If not for the GB I am sure shortly after. Well done! All the Best! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Very nice! Maye of help to you that we got a 2 week extension.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Regardless of whether you get this one done withing the extended timescale or outwith it please keep us updated on your progress David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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