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1/32 Trumpeter Me 262A-1a "Yellow 3"


Thunnus

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The repair of the sink marks around the front edge of the engine nacelles was done using an initial globbing of Mr Surfacer 500, followed up by some touch ups with Mr Surfacer 1000.

 

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Here are the engine nacelles after a finishing coat of primer.

 

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I've decided to cut off the molded trim tab actuators on the rudder and horizontal stabilizers and replace them with brass tubing.  Not 100% accurate but they look better than the solid blobs that were there.

 

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I've not yet glued the nose panels into place but the wing halves have been attached with Tamiya Extra Thin.  I did a dry-fit of the wings to the fuselage... I think I'm going to have to add shims at the wing root to address the gaps there.  Boo!

 

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Wow, great work on the nacelles!

 

Thank you Brian!  There's still a subtle hint of the depression around the front of the nacelles but I think I'm going to move on. 

 

 

Those nacelles turned out great, well done John. Typically, how long do you let the Mr Surfacer set up before you start working the repair?

 

Regards,

 

Ideally, I like to let Mr Surfacer dry for a full day before sanding.  It's great stuff but it has a tendency to shrink.  The initial application of Mr Surfacer 500 was allowed to dry overnight before I attacked it with the sanding board.  I then filled in the edges of the repair areas with Mr Surfacer 1000, and let that dry for about six hours before feathering it in with finer sandpaper and Micromesh.  If you are in a hurry, you can sand thin applications of Mr Surfacer after a couple of hours but be prepared for that shrinkage.  I also use Mr Dissolved Putty, which shrinks less but I don't like the lighter color... it's harder to see your work.

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Hi John, really nice addition of details - just one observation - if you look at the elevator trims they are molded with small blocks on each end - these are actually control surface blocks that ground crews would have installed to prevent gusts from moving the control surfaces during prolonged parking - they were inadvertently molded on and should be removed - similar to how you removed the gun bay bulges. I'm being *picky* because this one damn fine piece of work!! Keep up the great work - she's gonna be a beauty!

Cheers

Alan

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Hi John, really nice addition of details - just one observation - if you look at the elevator trims they are molded with small blocks on each end - these are actually control surface blocks that ground crews would have installed to prevent gusts from moving the control surfaces during prolonged parking - they were inadvertently molded on and should be removed - similar to how you removed the gun bay bulges. I'm being *picky* because this one damn fine piece of work!! Keep up the great work - she's gonna be a beauty!

Cheers

Alan

 

Is this what it is supposed to look like?  When I saw these pics of restored aircraft, I was assuming that maybe the actuating rods for the elevator trim tabs were removed and connected the two raised features with brass tube.

 

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Hi John, really nice addition of details - just one observation - if you look at the elevator trims they are molded with small blocks on each end - these are actually control surface blocks that ground crews would have installed to prevent gusts from moving the control surfaces during prolonged parking - they were inadvertently molded on and should be removed - similar to how you removed the gun bay bulges. I'm being *picky* because this one damn fine piece of work!! Keep up the great work - she's gonna be a beauty!

Cheers

Alan

 

 

Sorry for being so dense, Alan.  But after reading your comment a couple of times and looking at the kit parts, I think I misunderstood you.  Were you referring to the small squares on the ends of the trim tabs as pointed out in the photo below?

 

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I'm in the process of a similar modification to the wing ailerons.  Again, not 100% accurate as I am unable to replicate the delicate linkages featured on the real actuators but an improvement over the solidly molded details.

 

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Yes John, remove the little square pieces of plastic on the trim tabs - the trim tabs move in the opposite direction of the control surfaces so if you plan on possing then control surfaces you should pose the trim tabs slightly in the opposite direction - the connecting rods on the ailerons look good - what you have done so far! Those little square pieces are actually two pieces of plywood that have a threaded bolt going through them that when tightened hold the trim tab static and do not allow movement - and in reality so would all the control surfaces have such a “control surface lock” ... but such devices were only used during long term storage or shipment of the a/c.

So just to confirm, remove little square tabs, rescribe the line or better yet take your thinnest razor saw and cut both ends open. Trim tabs have a small gap on each end - and with a thin kerf razor saw you can replicate this nicely.

Cheers

Alan

Edited by alaninaustria
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Hi Guys,

 

Not sure about Alan's  claim that the trim tab should be positioned opposite to the direction of the control surface.  That would be correct for a FLYING Tab where the pilot input moves the tab and the aerodynamic forces on that are used to move the floating hinged control surface.  However if these are TRIM Tabs where the pilot moves the control surface directly and the tab fine tunes the attitude, with neutral dialled in on the control knob the tab will be aligned with the main control surface, dialling pos or neg will change the tab up or down (left or right if it's the rudder trim).

 

If I remember correctly the KC-135 has Flying Tabs except for the rudder where they fitted an airspeed sensitive PFCU (powered flying control unit) to maintain rudder authority at low landing speed. C-130's on the other hand had everything fully powered from day one, hence that terrific field performance. Tactical Take Off and Landing, bloody scary!

 

Regards,

 

Bruce Crosby

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