Nakajima B6N2 Tenzan (Jill) 1/48th Hasegawa

Started by Chuck A. Villanueva · 89 · 3 years ago
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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 8 months ago:

    Chuck @uscusn, what a great interior! I am speechless!
    As for the compass above statement, this indeed is the compass.
    Let's hope this interior work of art will be most visible upon completion.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Thanks Spiros, the Hase kit provides some very good details in the interior. A vast difference from the recently completed Val.

    Still a bit more work on the interior before we button up the side panels.

    Working on the bombardiers seat, starting with the support brace.

    Then attached to the RH side interior panel.

    The center top deck panel is now attached to the RH side panel.

    Once the seat braces set, the seats are attached and the RH side wall is checked for alignment.

    The rear gun mount is attached to the rear bulkhead.

    The rear bulkhead and RH side panel is attached to the flight deck. And again checked for alignment.

    Then the LH side wall is attached and set with the front and rear bulkheads.

    The PE pilots seat is far much better than the kit seat. As like the seat provided for the Airfix Hurricane from Eduards, the scale thickness of the seat enhanced with the seatbelts looks just perfect in the Jill.

    After the belts are set, the seat is placed into the cockpit.

    But wait, there is more interior left to do. Next up more to follow

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    There is more to come?!

    Very good basic detail in the box, and your PE additions just brings it way over the top!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    This is top class work, Chuck @uscusn! I strongly echo our friend's @airbum above comment!

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Yes Eric, there is more before buttoning up the fuselage...
    Thanks Spiros, very busy interior on this one.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Now to finish up the rear compartment.

    The rear defensive guns are stored in this compartment which includes a stinger that fires from below just aft of the trailing edge of the wings.

    Since I will display this with wings folded on the flight deck, the guns will be placed in their stowage locations on each side of rear compartment.

    The tail wheel polycap is then set in place in the tail.

    The completed interior is now placed into the RH side of the fuselage.

    Next the rear gun compartment doors are placed in the closed position, these can be cut open if you wish to display the gun in the firing position.

    Carefully place the LH side of the fuselage together while keeping that insert level. This is the only part so far that the fit is not the greatest. Some gaps need to be worked on once the glue sets.

    More to follow

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Great progress, Chuck!
    I do the same, regarding tiny windows: leave them off and use Clearfix or similar product, like your Testors, to replicate them.
    The Tenzan looks great!

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Thanks Spiros, reading several build reports regarding them, I figure might as well go that route as well. Besides nothing new especially for 72nd scale which have windows that can be fussy on the fuselage.

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    George R Blair Jr said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Interior looks great, Chuck (@uscusn). Ditto for me on the small windows. Can't see anything through them, anyway. Hopefully you have some pre-made canopy masks to help out.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Hi George, yes I have the masking set for the multi panel windows for this baby. Lot's of glass!

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 7 months ago:

    Yet another great progress here. Sounds like a good choice to make the small windows later.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 6 months ago:

    Erik, on most aircraft unless they are really crystal clear and fit well when installed, I use the Testor's clear cement for windows. Works very well. And never fails when you put too much pressure when masking glass it falls in. That eliminates that issue with small windows.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 3 years, 6 months ago:

    With the fuselage all buttoned up, now to start working on the flying surfaces.


    1st to build the outer wing panels. I will have this configured with folded wings on the flight deck.

    The upper wing panels are well detailed, fine engraved panel lines, and the lower panel has an excellent fit when assembled.

    The wing fold inner panel will have a polycap inserted behind it. I am going to assume at this point that the wings will simply push into the folding mechanism on the inner wings.

    Insert the clear poly cap into the panel, a cap is then cement over in place.

    Then insert into the outer wing panels and now the outer wings are completed for now.

    Next up the forward fuselage and engine. More to follow.

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    Colin Gomez said 3 years, 6 months ago:

    Hey Chuck - just catching up on your "Jill". Beautiful work on the cockpit and etch detail. I really enjoy the documentation of your craftsmanship in getting everything pragmatically "right," balancing photo-etch and kit detail. The kit cockpit is clearly really nice by itself. Your close-up photography shows what a great finish you get on the cockpit painting by careful airbrushing at key stages. I find airbrushing really pays off when viewed without the aid of a lens as well as in the photographed final model. You are now at the really gratifying stage of finally getting to button up the fuselage. Will you mask off the cockpit to keep dust out when sanding the exterior? I get worried at this stage about getting stuff inside and start attaching masked clear parts before sanding fuselage seams, etc. Anyway, great work so far. I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished Jill - it is one of the sleekest and aggressive looking IJN aircraft to see service.

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 6 months ago:

    That polycap holdfast would appear to be a nice and simple solution to locating the folded wing later. Nice detail they made there.