As I set the wings off to the side and not really paying attention just attaching the engine cowls with a pressure fit. I noticed how they seem to sit to far out on the engine nacelles.

They should look like this.

Flipping one of them over, I studied the back side wondering if somehow I missed something or maybe assembled it wrong? I marked in red what may be the problems.

I believe that ring with the notch in it is supposed to be even with the cowling ring. And somehow it extends way too far out that it causes the engine to stick out too far away from the engine nacelle.

Well there was no way to disassemble the cowls, the glue has set and the bond is to good to try to take them apart. So I took the one engine and trimmed the ring marked in red, and after about 30 minutes of trimming this is the result.

The bottom wing shows the trimmed out engine cowl as I test fit it on the nacelle. The top wing has not been worked on yet. And you can tell this will not do. What I have should have done in hindsight is attach the cowl ring first to the nacelle, then the engine face, then the engine cowling itself. I think this would solve the problem. The instructions have you build the engine cowlings and then attach them to the wings. Live and learn. More to follow as I trim some more. I will get back to this issue later.

Now time to start on the cockpit, which is normally the first I would do. Sub-assy's I would normally do along the building process.

With the main interior/cockpit bits and pieces mostly painted in Tamiya IJN Green. The first piece is the cockpit floor. Then the center pedestal/console with the moulded control levers. Finally the 1st piece is attached to the floor.

The navigators table is then installed behind the 3rd seat area.

Then rudder pedals are next up, not painted yet, but will be in the interior green as well with some silver pencil to show wear. These are installed on either side of the pedestal.

Next up is the control wheel, This piece is located just in front of the pedestal and offset to the RH side between the seats. The wheel is painted Gloss Black.

Tamiya provides a decal for the instrument panel, but it is really inaccurate. Having it all black with white dials and faces.

Doing a quick research search, I found what it should really look like.

The Ip provided by the kit is pretty close to being the actual IP in layout compared to the photo.

So out of my usual practice of using PE, I did what I used to do in my younger days. Painted it. Using the Int Green on the overall panel. Then Black for the center section. And carefully picked out the dials in black with drybrushing some white and silver to bring out some of the details. Old school, and well it looks ok, not perfect but much better than the decal. Then I dropped some Testor Canopy clear on the dial faces.

Finally the control yokes are painted and installed. And then last is installing the Instrument panel. Then with a silver pencil went around certain areas around the floor to show wear in high traffic areas and edges. I left the seats off for now. Will install them later into the build.

That wraps up step 1. More to follow.

Chuck, I’m also learning the vices of this kit based on your WIP. Gotta admit that the engine nacelles issue you found was unexpected from a Tamiya kit. Good work with that IP, painting plastic sometimes is the only way to go under circumstances. Keep it up!

I plan on building one of these in the very near future. I will be going to this journal as an excellent reference. Thanks for taking the extra steps to show us what you encountered along the way. I'm interested to see just how big this monster will be once you get it assembled...

Looks great Chuck !

Jeff this is the earlier edition of the Betty. The other kit is the Betty that was transporting General Yamamoto and was shot down. Basically the same kit with the extras for the Yamamoto features, decals etc.

Getting back to the Betty, I have been lax in updating the WIP, though the build is actually farther along in real time. We left off with the flight deck. Next up I will work on the main cabin and interior components. Looks like a lot but really a fun part of the build.

Next up is the main cabin floor and decking. Starting with the flight deck bulkhead and communication set. The fit here is critical as the flight deck will sit on this part and will serve as the base, anything off here will create some misalignment when trying to mate both halves of the fuselage.

Next the navigators table is cleaned up and attached to the floor.   Then the seat is placed in it's location just aft of the table.  

Next the comm's operator chair is place just behind the bulkhead.

Now what I am going to assume is some sort of bomb aimer's device which is mounted on a post will be attached to the forward bombardiers compartment, as this time I attached the flight deck as well.

Next is too start to assemble the center decking, bulkheads and wing spars. I have also run a wash of dirty thinner with a splash of Burnt Sienna enamel, also with silver pencil for wear areas showing foot traffic and grabbing parts of the bulkhead edges.

One of the highlights of this kit is Tamiya's incorporating certain parts to help alignment of the wings such as this little number that attaches under the floor between the wing spars. I will show you what this does when it comes time to attach the wings.

So far everything is really going together as the directions show so far on this kit. Good fit, no issues. Only thing is that there a lot of open spaces with in the interior of the Betty as we get close to getting everything assembled to this point. Unlike let say a Monogram Bomber, as all kinds of details through out the interior, most unseen yet it is there. The Betty not so much so. The forward bulkhead is attached behind the flight deck and then attach the center decking assy. Which will complete this part of the build.

A quick test fit into the RH fuselage half, everything is perfect, snaps right in, no fuss no muss. Cockpit view and the observer/gunner view.

More to follow. As we start the rear part of the interior/tail gunner section next.

I somehow missed this update Chuck. Wow !
Those seat belts are a great investment and really add to the interior.

I'm definitely going to use this build journal as a reference when I'm building up mine.

Thanks my friend for posting this.