I got the engine assembled today. The resin engine comes from the 3D printing process and is a really nice casting which features very fine detail. The crankcase is hollow, just like the real thing. I discovered the cylinders were a very tight fit, so opened the holes a little bit, and then glued the cylinders into the crankcase using CA. I had to remove a little of each cylinder so it would fit in the cowling, but not enough to cause irreparable damage to the engine. I added some very fine plastic to depict the spark plug wires, then went to work on the push rods. This was a very tedious process, since each push rod had to be fitted individually into position. I used Gator Glue to attach the push rods and spark plug wire. After this dries overnight, I will start painting. Cheers everyone.

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Engine looks good. A big improvement George. I keep reading about Gator Glue. It works on resin? What about PE? Do I need to add this to the tool box?

Great job on the engine, my friend @gblair! Looking forward to see it painted!

Thanks for the kind words, John (@j-healy), Eric (@eb801), John (@johnb), Spiros (@fiveten), and Gary (@gwskat). I got the engine done and installed in the cowling. I plan to let the glue dry for a while, and then install the cowling tomorrow, do the last weathering, and call it done.

I have a love/hate relation with superglue. It can be very unforgiving. I made the mistake of using it to assemble my last engine, which made it impossible to replace the pushrods. I usually use a couple of white glues for canopies, PE, and smaller resin parts. The two I use are Ultraglue from Ammo by Mig, and Gator Grip. These are very strong white glues that work particularly well on canopies and PE. Ultraglue is very thick, almost like gradeschool paste, dries clear, and will bond to almost anything. I like using it on canopies as a gap filler. Gator Grip is thinner, but just as strong. I use it on PE and canopies. You can use either on resin. I used Gary's technique to attach the pushrods to my engine. I used a toothpick to place a smidge of glue where the pushrod would attach to the engine, then let it dry. I did the same to one end of the pushrod. I let them dry a minute, then when you bring them together, they stick to each other. I pushed the top end into position, then added a little glue to the base and the top, and let them dry. They are very solid. If you want remove them at some point, I suspect you could soak them in water and the bond would loosen. It is unaffected by paint, thinners, etc. I really like them for PE. You get a little working time to move them into position, and it is thick enough to hold those tiny PE parts in place while it dries. I don't use superglue nearly as much as I used to.

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George R Blair Jr (@gblair)
INCREDIBLE ! This engine is like icing on the cake... I always somehow manage to get super glue on my fingers... and parts stuck to my fingers too. But for some things, CA glue is a necessary evil.

Thanks, John (@j-healy), Louis (@lgardner), and John (@johnb). I found a photo of the engine in a restored Kingfisher at the National Air and Space Museum, and the spark plug wires were very noticeable. I figured that since I was pulling my hair out with the pushrods that a few more wires wouldn't matter. I usually realize I have superglue on my fingers right after I touch a canopy. Another good reason to use some form of white glue.

George @gblair - thanks for mentioning that video Skinner and his gang did. I will check it out. I am a long time subscriber of FSM and worry that the magazine will go the way of our once local hobby shops.

That resin engine looks terrific. So much better than the kit version. Don't you agree it was worth all the hair pulling? Now go stick it in the cowl and let's have a look.

Model is done. Yeah! I finished up with a little work with some artist's oil colors to do some fading on the wings and fuselage. That's about it. Everything went very smoothly after I got past the canopy. I have been trying to model a specific plane from a specific photo in Sullivan's books, and I am pleased with the 2 models I have built for the group. I need to hurry and jump right into my T-6 for the group while my Karma is still good. Thanks for following along everyone.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.