Hi, guys...
Hope you're all well. My apologies for a prolonged absence lately; I had hoped to finish this one about three weeks ago, but didn't quite make it... my holidays held me back! It was nice to get some time away, so myself and a friend headed up to the north west coast of Scotland, to Ullapool, and had a wonderful time driving about and seeing some great scenery, including some Carribean-esque beaches and beautiful, clear turqoise water... there are some real gems of such beaches in this part of the world. We also managed, at last, to get to the Russian Arctic Convoy museum, in Aultbea, and learned more about how the convoys would assemble in the area during the war before heading up to the Arctic Circle and down into Murmansk and Archangel. Compared to many museums, it's about the size of a thimble - small and compact but with some great model boats, wartime memorabilia and documents... strange to think of that part of the world being such a hub of activity all those years ago, and not without it coming to the attention of the Luftwaffe from time to time. The museum happened to be re-opening after Covid restrictions were eased here recently, so good timing on our part... :-).
Anyway, back to the model... some additional photos showing the progress of the build; all the control surfaces, other than the ailerons, were removed, tidied up and re-attached; engine nacelles attached and blended in with the wing and then onto the painting and application of markings, all of which came from the spares box, except the national markings, and the unit emblem which was homemade.
Since these photos were taken, the kit has been blackwashed and the main canopy section and windshield have been painted and attached; my intention is to open the rear of the canopy also to add some additional interest to the overall finish.
Hope you like the pics... more to follow in due course.
Regards,
Paul
13 attached images. Click to enlarge.