Hi, guys... the next group of photos are below, showing the progress to date.
I managed to get the fuselage halves together reasonably easily although given the significant gap all round the seam, it required some additional filler and some degree of sanding with wet and dry paper to get things to a presentable outcome.
The underside was reasonably easy, as there is little inherent detail to risk destroying. There is stitching detail but Lukgraph have anticipated the damage to this if it had been moulded as part of the fuselage as it sits right on the centre line; this detail has instead been replicated in PE, so that can be added after tidying up the seam. The uppersurface join was a bit more tricky, particularly the section behind the gunner's position, as there is subtle framing detail in this area either side of the join and care has to be taken not to erase that detail. There is a raised edge immediately behind the gunner's position running from one side of the upper fuselage to the other which was compromised a little with the necessary sanding down of filler, so I applied a very thin strip of plastic card over that raised edge and once the adhesive had dried, I carefully sanded it a little thinner to keep it looking in proportion. I use a very helpful technique when applying filler, putting a strip of Tamiya tape either side of the join prior to application. Before it starts to dry out, usually a couple of minutes later, I remove the tape, leaving the filler more or less exactly where it needs to be, and minimises the possibility of getting it onto detail you would prefer it didn't reach. You can see the 'before-and-after' images below.
This kit is the only one of my WW1 subjects so far that has not had the major control surfaces provided as separate parts, with the exception of the rudder. So, I carefully removed the ailerons and elevators which will be reattached later in the build. The shape of the horizontal tailplane differs from the pieces supplied in the kit and there are good images of the altered shape available online, so the tailplane was adjusted accordingly prior to the removal of the elevators.
Finally, for now, I applied a thin coat of white paint, partly as an initial undercoat but also to highlight any major areas around the fuselage seam that may still require attention, but I like the look of things so far.
The floats have also had a bit of work done on them today, initially just tidying up a few rough areas, but additional ribbing will be required on their undersides. Next up will be to get the fuselage painted, shaded and gloss varnished to the point of being able to think about applying the Aviattic transfers which I received in the post yesterday. They look good and I'm eager to see how they are once applied to the model.
As always, thanks for looking in - I hope you like the progress.
Regards,
Paul
6 attached images. Click to enlarge.
