Hi guys. I finally got the the tail and wing section attached. In fact, I had to do a bit of last minute surgery - especially to deal with the clear access panel window in the fuselage.
I realized that the window would reveal the unpainted structural bulkhead of the model inside
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1. unpainted bulkhead revealed by window - too difficult to paint now
. I decided to avoid this by blocking off the area behind the window with a kind of box structure.
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1. Box had curved wall so that it gives a black hole effect instead of looking like a box.
I painted the inside walls of the box flat black.
It was tricky to get this to fit inside without smearing glue over the transparent window. I also wanted it to be block all light gaps and still have depth (some might simply paint the inside of the window black but I wanted a sense of depth). I guess this might anticipate a judge at a model show shining a penlight in there to make sure I didn't leave anything unpainted.
Anyway, I got the box made and installed. I hope the effect is worth the effort. BTW, as I placed the cockpit tub in the fuselage, I used a handle I made to position the tub more firmly and precisely in place.
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1. Handle to position tub (this was very useful in the end)
The fit of the assembly is very tight, so it is good to have some means to move it around and pull it out, if necessary. Before attaching the wing assembly, I also had to deal with a gap where light would shine through the fuselage around the wheel wells. I blocked this area off on both sides with strips of styrene.
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1. You could see daylight from one wheel well to another through a gap here (blocked with styrene)
Two shots show the overall view of the model with the wings and tail planes now permanently attached.
I also took a few shots of the cockpit installed now in the completely riveted fuselage.
I will do a bit of sanding and underside riveting now before the acrylic metalizer sequence. Hope you like the way it looks so far. Not so dramatic progress but a turning point for me.
