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Revell 1/32 Bf109G-10 Erla


Thunnus

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As I just stated, the fit of the Aires cockpit is going to be complicated by the addition of the Reaver cowling.  So I started looking at the Reaver resin next.  The casting block of the big cowling piece is on the nose so this has to be removed and cleaned up.

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Yes, I am planning to go full Reaver and use the Reaver prop on this build.  Just a quick check to make sure the spinner and the cowling are a  good fit.  Unlike HD's prop, which supplies EVERYTHING needed, the Reaver prop is going to need a 1/8" dowel or rod to serve as the prop shaft.

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Checking to see how the kit guns fit into the Reaver gun troughs.  Of course, I've hollowed out the ends of the gun barrels.

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The supercharger intake is a very nice fit and shouldn't need any filler.

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Problem with the Barracuda exhausts.  They are meant to be a drop-in replacements for the Revell exhausts on the Revell kit.  Meaning they tab in from the INSIDE of the fuselage, which I hate because that means you have to install the exhausts before gluing the fuselage halves together.  Seeing that the exhaust openings of the Reaver cowling were blocked off, I thought cool, I can simply glue in the exhausts from the outside at any time.  Wrongo!  After cutting the Barracuda exhausts to fit the skinny exhaust openings, I found that they stick out way too much.  Those opening aren't meant to be blocked off, the resin is just flashed over the opening.  I think the flash is meant to be cut away and the exhausts to be installed from the inside, just like the Revell kit.  I've pretty much botched the Barracuda exhausts from being installed this way.  Time to put on the thinking cap. Good place to stop.

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Edited by Thunnus
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Hello

When I was building the Revell G-6, to fit exhausts from outside, I just glued two plastic tabs inside the cowling as a base for exhaust stacks on proper depth.

 

Yes, that is the sort of solution that I was headed toward.  A backing or  maybe a box for the exhaust so that I can mount them from the outside.  I've cut the flashing that covered the exhaust openings away but I need to think about ihis a bit more.

 

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Performed the simple task of thinning the Reaver prop blades, especially the trailing edge.  I tried to photograph the difference in edges but it was too hard to make out.  Here's what the assembled prop looks like mounted on the cowling.

 

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For whatever reason, I felt a rush of inertia to do something MAJOR and so I went about cutting the fuselage apart to start making room for the Reaver cowling.  I wish I would've thought about this a little more cuz I could've gotten a photo of the kit fuselage + gun cowling as a comparison to the Reaver cowling.  Oh well...

 

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With the fuselage surgery done, I wanted to see how this puzzle of kit fuselage + AMUR Reaver cowling + Aires cockpit was going to go together.  Here is the cut I made to the bottom of the resin cockpit floor to accommodate the wing spar.

 

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I kept the first dry fit simple... resin cockpit floor into the fuselage with wing spar... no cockpit sidewalls.

 

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Roadblock!  The forward bulkhead of the Aires cockpit is in the way of  Reaver gun breech cover.

 

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I disassembled the parts to cut off the top part of the Aires bulkhead.  I left off the wing spar on this test fit... I'm pretty sure I've taken care of this piece of the puzzle at least.  It was more important to add the resin cockpit sidewalls this time.

 

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Dry-fitting is so frustratingly vague and imprecise at this stage.  It is hard to make any concrete assessments of what the REAL fit is.  I think we are ok here but I there may be an issue with the thickness of that forward bulkhead not letting this Reaver part to slide all the way back to the fuselage join.  

 

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I've stuck the Reaver breech cover and cowling pieces together with Blu-Tack to see how the complete cowling looks in place. Again, it's hard to judge since there are no positive tabs or keys... the Reaver cowling is just sitting on the fuselage by gravity, no tape.  Looks workable.  I want to be very careful with this join but I can't really do much more about it until things start getting locked down with glue.

 

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Edited by Thunnus
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A quick check to see how the windscreen fits onto the breech part... no problems here.

 

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A minor issue:  sanding the casting block area of the cowling revealed some air bubbles.  Most of these will be covered by the spinner but I am going to fill them in with putty just to be sure.

 

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I'll end this update with one of many little things that should be done on this Revell kit.  For whatever reason, Revell chose to put these exaggerated circle things on the fabric control surfaces.  I thought the easiest way to get rid of them was using a power tool.

 

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But I found it easier to slice them off carefully using a curved x-acto blade.  Tedious work but at least I don't have to fork out for aftermarket replacements.

 

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Edited by Thunnus
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Thanks for checking in!  Does anyone have any detailed drawings/photos of the Erla cowling?  I am planning to put rivets on this G-10 but lack drawings for this part of the aircraft. 

 

 

I was wondering about those round thingies on another build.  I hate to seem unknowledgeable about my favorite plane, so I didn't say anything.

 

Gaz

 

Based on photos of restored aircraft, I think those circles are present on the fabric control surfaces but are very subtle.  They are much too prominent on the kit molding IMO so I shaved them off.

 

 

 

Awesome project, I would hate to see the bill on all that AM

 

Modeling gear is cheap.  You should see the bill from my new camera purchase.  :)  But seriously, I hear what you are saying about the aftermarket add-ons.  I tend to get excited about including at least some AM on my builds but I don't think it is a prerequisite for good results.  It's a choice and one that I often make because I like playing with the stuff.

 

 

 

Let's hope the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

 

That would be great but you and I know that perfection isn't gonna happen!  I just want to be able to establish a strong butt joint between the resin and the kit plastic.

 

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Wow, you are really going in 100% on this build.   Best of luck with the Aires cockpit.  I used one for my Revell G-6.  Fantastic detail but despite hours of test fitting, cutting, sanding and then repeating, it still threw off the geometry of the entire nose section and windshield.  I was able to finally get it to an acceptable standard but it still wasn't perfect.  It was a huge improvement over the pretty basic kit cockpit but it really put a damper on the entire project. 

 

What are you going to use for markings?   So many very cool late war schemes to choose from.

 

Good luck,

 

John

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