Crash!

Tonight around midnight I was installing some accessories underneath the fuselage when I decided to take the model to my computer desk located just a few feet away from my modelling table to view some reference photos and I am guessing due to the late hour and some fatigue I dropped the plane a few inches at an angle onto the desk instead of depositing it. A couple of curse words later I  started to examine the damage as calmly as possible. While a minor setback I honestly though the destruction was much worse based on the crunch noise it made, only the right tail stabilizer was damaged. I took some time to lick my wounds and clean up the unrecoverable parts to prepare it for a quick repair in the morning.

 

Belly Covered

With the glue dry from last nights wood work I proceeded in covering up the belly with tissue. The next step will be to add the accessories attached underneath the fuselage.

Belly Frame

It's come time to close up the last parts of the aircraft where all that remained was the belly of the fuselage. Tonight I installed the supporting structure in preparation of applying tissue to cover it up.

10 Years of Scale Model Blogging!

It's been exactly 10 years since I posted my first scale model blog and time has sure gone by! With over 330 posts, 14 scale models completed and another 3 on the workbench I am very satisfied with what I have accomplished.

Statistics wise I am also surprised at over 17 thousand page views of my blog from all over the world and over 9700 views of the 6 scale model related videos on YouTube. I think one of the special moments I had was when my blog was mentioned in the April 2012 edition of the magazine "FineScale Modeller" which is the magazine that got me into the hobby back in 1995. While my objective has never been to get the most number of views or make money with my blog (which I don't) I take great pride in being able to share my experience with the hobby with everyone and hope to encourage others to try out one of my favorite past times.

While I have nothing specific planned for the next 10 years one item I do hope to look into is the ever maturing technology of 3D printers which I believe would make a tremendous difference in not only solving issues but also permitting more creativity. Just waiting for the prices to be reasonable at this point as I have witnessed recently the high quality of the printed parts it is that are now feasible.

Well enough rambling and now time to get back to the workbench!

Filling in some wing gaps...

Been busy times as the holidays approach but I managed to find a few minutes to fill in some gaps between the wings and the fuselage. Initially I wanted to glue tissue but the location was so tight and the area so small that it was not practical... After trying a few different techniques I ended up gluing wood on the interior to make a barrier than covered it with white putty. I'll let it dry than sand it off gently to avoid damaging the wing tissue. Once done I will apply some white glue to make the surface as smooth and rounded as possible.

Horizontal Stabilizer Installation

With last night installation of the inverted gull wing I couldn't wait to get the horizontal stabilizer installed.

Wings Installed!

Tonight I installed the infamous inverted gull wings which is what makes this aircraft so iconic. It's really starting to become a massive scale model!

Engine Cover

I finished installing the engine cover today, have been working on it for the past few days as it was difficult to install. I suspect the issue was caused by a slight deformation of the plastic due to the white putty I used. This made the outer edge not match the outline of the fuselage. With some patience and lots of glue I managed to make it fit.

Installing the Engine

Tonight I finally glued in place the radial engine and despite the challenges it presented to make it functional and detailed it sure turned out nicely!

Propeller Shaft

After painting the center piece of the propeller shaft aluminum color I attached it to the wooden rod with super glue and inserted it into the metal shaft of the radial engine. Finally I super glued a metal thumb tack so that the propeller would stay in place but still allow it to spin freely.