airscale

Hi folks
 
been a bit quiet as my camera has had it so not many in progress pics but I have been busy
 
..the battery dies in 30 secs, none of the menu's come up or if they do commands aren't accepted so I have a replacement on order (it's only a cheap Sony cybershot)..I did manage to coax it into life today (albeit on the wrong picture setting) to take a few shots of what I have been up to..
 
..the bulkhead that goes below the IP was finished with some details..
 

 
..then I painted & attatched it - I also made the compass mount and painted the compass so this main bulkhead with IP is nearly done..
 

 

 

 
..then more painting (or what I like to call great opportunities to screw up all my work...), by painting the rear bulkhead frame, the fuel tank and the seat & frame...
 
..the seat was a challenge as not only is the colour quite hard to mix, but the tonal variations in the bakelite and wear on it, so I tried some shade & highlights and actually am pretty chuffed with how it turned out...
 

 

 

 
..I also test fitted it all in the cockpit plug, and made sure that all fits into the airframe..
 

 

 
..no small matter of the port sidewall to start now - made complicated by the cockpit hatch - if I cut this out of the plug it will not only weaken it disasterously, but also lead to it losing it's form.. I may need to partial cut it or something, or cut it but add external braces like they do when they strip cars of their body panels..
 
..back soon, hopefully with a new camera
 
TTFN
Peter

Hi folks
 
been a bit quiet as my camera has had it so not many in progress pics but I have been busy
 
..the battery dies in 30 secs, none of the menu's come up or if they do commands aren't accepted so I have a replacement on order (it's only a cheap Sony cybershot)..I did manage to coax it into life today (albeit on the wrong picture setting) to take a few shots of what I have been up to..
 
..the bulkhead that goes below the IP was finished with some details..
 

 
..then I painted & attatched it - I also made the compass mount and painted the compass so this main bulkhead with IP is nearly done..
 

 

 

 
..then more painting (or what I like to call great opportunities to screw up all my work...), by painting the rear bulkhead frame, the fuel tank and the seat & frame...
 
..the seat was a challenge as not only is the colour quite hard to mix, but the tonal variations in the bakelite and wear on it, so I tried some shade & highlights and actually am pretty chuffed with how it turned out...
 

 

 

 
..I also test fitted it all in the cockpit plug, and made sure that all fits into the airframe..
 

 

 
..no small matter of the port sidewall to start now - made complicated by the cockpit hatch - if I cut this out of the plug it will not only weaken it disasterously, but also lead to it losing it's form.. I may need to partial cut it or something, or cut it but add external braces like they do when they strip cars of their body panels..
 
..back soon, hopefully with a new camera
 
TTFN
Peter

So here we have the bomb bay as it is at the moment...........
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
So I think so far so good!
 
So now I have to scratch build the bomb racks....make a frame work for the rear bulk head and then fix the life raft assembly on the top!......and that's just half of the work to finish this section!
 
On wards and upwards!
 
Cheers
 
Fozzy

When I watch you skinning the fuselage I forget how incredibly awesome the cockpit is ... just falling off my seat here ...
 
Jim

speachless, you make it look sooooooooooo easy

I shall express my opinion in the medium of "opposites":
 
"That has to be the worst piece of modelling I have ever seen."
 
There, I've got that off my chest now.
 
More appropriately, for today:
 

Nice rivet patterns  Embossed, indented.  Super stuff, Peter.
 
Sincerely,
Mark

un-be-lie-va-ble
 
You keep amazing us, Peter. Once again I can't really comment on what you are doing. I can only say WOW...
 
Cheers
Rainer

Wow! The indents came out great! 

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

afternoon folks
 
 

   
thanks for tuning in Craig - can't wait to see what you do with the B17. I am learning about overlapping the panels - things like really thinning the edges, bevelling the run-off of the lower panel (making them oversize in the first place), marking the panel line of the panel that will sit over it etc..
 
 

  Hi Chek - thanks again for the info - on the overlaps, the science was taken out of it as monforton actually details the overlap situation for every single panel! As I said, the best $29 I ever spent All I did was look at the overlaps and work backwards to the first panel that must have gone down..
 
..as for the hinge, I just did another one so will explain how it is done..
 
 

   
Hi again Barney your pictures certainly do help, this one is really useful for seeing the size of the port as a proportion of the door - I could not get this right without this cool stuff so thanks again
 
 

   
Hi Jens - what you can see in the pic is not a bulkhead, but the back of the fuel tank - this sits in the upper fuselage between the seat and the door - as you say I suspect a high altitude version would be fully sealed (I know the front bulkhead in front of the instrument panel was added in that version, so it follows there must have been a rear one to seal it all up..
 
 
..the start point today is the fin fillet panel - a horrible one-piece form that curves in many directions not least of which a concave one as it follows the fuselage up into the fin.
 
..as I would have to form the panel over the model I needed a smooth surface as otherwise it will deform and follow any ridges or panels so I tried to fill where I could to support it..
 
the top fuselage panel seen here (with the wonky rivets) ended up getting damaged during later forming as I had annealed it so it went all soft and disfigured..
 

 
..this is the first of three attempts, they kept splitting on the leading edge, or had too many creases to knock out - eventually I used a thicker material (thanks to LSP member Dicas - I think it was tin sheet from Portugal) and a balsa block with a deep vee cut into it to work both sides of the sheet downwards over the leading edge at the same time, then it was a matter of tapping out the creases..
 

 
..after a LOT of work I ended up with a basic form from which to trim the fillet shape..
 

 
..after a LOT MORE work, I finished shaping and applying the fillet - then it was a case of adding the fasteners. A neat trick to get equal spacing across an odd length is to have a sheet of lines and cut to an angle that matches the number of spaces you need, between the start and end points - then just tick off the marks..
 

 
..and the finished fillet - there are a few marks I can't seem to shift so we will just have to put that down to 'hangar rash..'
 
..the best part of two days bechtime went into it..
 

 
,,after that it was the lower fuselage panel that has a cutout for a hatch - this needed a piano hinge so for those I score a sheet of litho with closely spaced lines (mid-left), a strip is then cut and folded (bottom) and a slot is cut in the fuselage to hold the strip (top)...
 

 
..then the door and hinge were added, but straight after adding those, I made the lower panel itself.. I left the door cut-out scored, but in place until I had rolled the sheet to take a curved form..
 

 
..and all of it fitted in place.. I have to be acreful not to remove the scoring on the hinge when I clean up the surfaces with wet n dry and wire wool..
 

 
..after clean up, I pretty much can't go any further forward as I get into panels that go over where I cut out a section to get to the cockpit..
 

 

 
..looks like I am back in the cockpit next and that will take some time to get sorted
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

afternoon folks
 
 

   
thanks for tuning in Craig - can't wait to see what you do with the B17. I am learning about overlapping the panels - things like really thinning the edges, bevelling the run-off of the lower panel (making them oversize in the first place), marking the panel line of the panel that will sit over it etc..
 
 

  Hi Chek - thanks again for the info - on the overlaps, the science was taken out of it as monforton actually details the overlap situation for every single panel! As I said, the best $29 I ever spent All I did was look at the overlaps and work backwards to the first panel that must have gone down..
 
..as for the hinge, I just did another one so will explain how it is done..
 
 

   
Hi again Barney your pictures certainly do help, this one is really useful for seeing the size of the port as a proportion of the door - I could not get this right without this cool stuff so thanks again
 
 

   
Hi Jens - what you can see in the pic is not a bulkhead, but the back of the fuel tank - this sits in the upper fuselage between the seat and the door - as you say I suspect a high altitude version would be fully sealed (I know the front bulkhead in front of the instrument panel was added in that version, so it follows there must have been a rear one to seal it all up..
 
 
..the start point today is the fin fillet panel - a horrible one-piece form that curves in many directions not least of which a concave one as it follows the fuselage up into the fin.
 
..as I would have to form the panel over the model I needed a smooth surface as otherwise it will deform and follow any ridges or panels so I tried to fill where I could to support it..
 
the top fuselage panel seen here (with the wonky rivets) ended up getting damaged during later forming as I had annealed it so it went all soft and disfigured..
 

 
..this is the first of three attempts, they kept splitting on the leading edge, or had too many creases to knock out - eventually I used a thicker material (thanks to LSP member Dicas - I think it was tin sheet from Portugal) and a balsa block with a deep vee cut into it to work both sides of the sheet downwards over the leading edge at the same time, then it was a matter of tapping out the creases..
 

 
..after a LOT of work I ended up with a basic form from which to trim the fillet shape..
 

 
..after a LOT MORE work, I finished shaping and applying the fillet - then it was a case of adding the fasteners. A neat trick to get equal spacing across an odd length is to have a sheet of lines and cut to an angle that matches the number of spaces you need, between the start and end points - then just tick off the marks..
 

 
..and the finished fillet - there are a few marks I can't seem to shift so we will just have to put that down to 'hangar rash..'
 
..the best part of two days bechtime went into it..
 

 
,,after that it was the lower fuselage panel that has a cutout for a hatch - this needed a piano hinge so for those I score a sheet of litho with closely spaced lines (mid-left), a strip is then cut and folded (bottom) and a slot is cut in the fuselage to hold the strip (top)...
 

 
..then the door and hinge were added, but straight after adding those, I made the lower panel itself.. I left the door cut-out scored, but in place until I had rolled the sheet to take a curved form..
 

 
..and all of it fitted in place.. I have to be acreful not to remove the scoring on the hinge when I clean up the surfaces with wet n dry and wire wool..
 

 
..after clean up, I pretty much can't go any further forward as I get into panels that go over where I cut out a section to get to the cockpit..
 

 

 
..looks like I am back in the cockpit next and that will take some time to get sorted
 
TTFN
Peter

simply brilliant - I love how you interpret the real airframe in exquisite detail and show how you work the magic that is transforming what looks a great, but ageing kit
 
I have said it before but this is the default thread for an F15..
 
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter

thanks folks
 
so been getting familiar with sorting the cockpit 'pod' - I actually made a bunch of parts back in the mists of time so a quick check where I was had to be done - I have one sidewall which is made as a skin that theoretically will line the fuselage, the IP, seat, control yoke, fuel tank and some little bits..
 
this is the sidewall in it's jig which was made to mirror the contours of the fuselage and the bulkheads I have made..
 

 
..these are the other assorted parts so far..
 

 
..and I made some dummy sidewalls to test the 'pod' theory - though the fuselage skin has had to be thinned to within an inch of it's life to accomodate it..
 
..the floor on the real thing is open so this approach should work...
 

 
..I noticed in a pic I have of TZ138's cockpit that the forward bulkhead under the instrument panel is the same as the pressurised MkXIX so having been sent links to some factory drawings (thanks Nick) I found the one I needed and started to make up the part..
 
..at this point my camera packed up so no in progress pics, but I made the bulkhead from plastic card, laminated it with litho and plunge moulded the two pressings for the indents where the rudder pedals go..
 
primed and sprayed the indents silver after assembly..
 

 
..still lots of detail to add, but the basic structure is now complete..
 

 

 
..it will sit at an angle behind the IP bulkhead..
 

 
thanks for dropping in
 
more soon
 
TTFN
Peter