Wolf Buddee

Thanks Matt, So far so good but as you can see from the last photo the bottom of the fuselage was a bit rough. Not near as nice as the top but better the bottom than the other way around eh? Cheers, Wolf

Wow, what a lot of work! I agree with Dennis wholeheartedly. Your modified seat is a huge improvement over the kit offering. Well done indeed. Cheers, Wolf

That looks awesome Duke! I would try and temporarily fit the exhaust, at least the front and rear ones, and see how everything aligns from there before doing any major reconstruction. If the exhaust lines up then I’d fit the upper cowl piece, directly behind the propellor spinner, and see how that looks. Just a suggestion. Cheers, Wolf

Ganz ausgezeichnet Ernest! Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better. Eduard stepped up their game, IMHO, with regards to this instrument panel. Lately it seems that their instrument faces are very generic looking but those look very nice. The rest of your work looks fantastic as well Ernest. Cheers, Wolf

Thanks Don, Just take a couple of LSP tablets and check again in the morning. Your pain should be gone by then……… Cheers, Wolf

The cockpit assembly was press fit in to the left side fuselage half. Then the two fuselage halves were glued together trapping the cockpit assembly within. I glued the top seam first making sure I had aligned everything perfectly to ensure I had very little filling or sanding to deal with. Once that was completely set I fit the center strip with stitching detail in to the recess in the bottom of the fuselage and ran Tamiya extra thin glue along both edges. It took a bit of fettling to get the center strip to sit level as I could get it but it became obvious that filler was going to be needed to get a nice clean finish. The fuselage bottom, towards the rear, also had some rough depressions right between where the ground handling loops protrude which required filling and a good bit of sanding to eliminate. So far this was the only real rough spot on the kit and if I was to do it again I would sand the whole thing completely flat and use Archer’s fabric stitching decals to finish it off. The engine firewall was press fit in place to make sure the front of the fuselage was aligned properly. It won’t be glued until the landing gear and upper cabane struts are rigged and tensioned. This will make sense later on. I also added a thin strip of styrene to the fuselage where the horizontal stabilizer fits as the gap between it and the fuselage was too big. There is supposed to be a small gap there but not as big as what dry fitting showed. Cheers, Wolf I

Thanks Jim, much appreciated! Cheers, Wolf

Ok, Peter,…so I’m not trying to be a smart ass here……..but where’s the photos of the model? Cheers, Wolf

Jay, Do you have Dana Bell’s book(s) on the Corsair? There may be something in there that has good photos of the radio equipment on the right side of the cockpit. On second thought I’m guessing you do as the photo above looks like one out of his book…….. Cheers, Wolf

Very nicely done Ernest, I’m looking forward to continued progress and what you’ve already done is awesome! Cheers, Wolf

Hi Jay, The majority of the radio equipment is behind a fold down plate that can’t be accessed unless the pilot’s seat is removed. 100% accuracy is not going to be necessary or even noticed by anyone if the seat and harness are in place. That should take some of the self imposed pressure off. However I don’t imagine that makes much difference to you based on what you’ve already done so far! Amazing! Cheers, Wolf

Many thanks Craig, As I’ve said before my friend, you don’t need to do a thing to up your game! Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’ and when you’re finished your B-17 it will be an absolute masterpiece! …….and that’s the truth. Cheers, Wolf

Maru! Thank-you for looking in my dear friend. Yes, Mrs. B is recovering well but not as quickly as she’d like. She was told by her neuro surgeon that that would likely be the case as this was her second go ‘round to alleviate the pinched nerves in her lower back. This time the results have been much more promising though. Certainly much better than the first surgery. Thanks for your kind words and I sincerely hope that Phoenix was not the last time we see each other. I still have the video of you doing your Charlie Chaplin walk. Absolutely hilarious! Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you Sir, You’re too kind my friend! That’s quite a compliment…… Cheers, Wolf

Many Thanks Tom, Michael, and Ernest! Your checkin’ in and compliments are always greatly appreciated. Cheers, Wolf

Fantastic footage Martin. Thanks for sharing! The wear and tear shown is most interesting as is the transition from early external armoured glass to the later internal armoured glass windscreen styles. The cockpit heater pipes from the exhaust on almost all of the Spitfires have had their elbows where they enter the fuselages removed and some of them had the hole covered while many can be seen with the hole simply left open. This really needs subtitles though as it would be even more interesting knowing what was being said. It also goes to show that WW II was not fought in black and white! Cheers, Wolf

Fabulous work Mike! This is one of those kits I wish I’d bought. Especially seeing how amazing a job you’re doing with it. Inspiring to say the least! Cheers, Wolf

Yup, I think that sums it up rather nicely Pete! Right to the point…….. Cheers, Wolf

The cockpit assembly has been glued together and the seat installed with RB Productions WW I German seatbelts added. As mentioned in another thread I find Radu’s seatbelts the very best. Luckily I’ve finally managed a accumulate enough of his WW I German seatbelts to equip the rest of my German WnWs kits. The diagonal bracing wires were done with Gas Patch turnbuckles and EZ Line. I initially tried using monofilament line but when attempting to tension it it pulled through the fragile lower attachment point. After repairs the EZ Line worked perfectly as no real strength is required there. The ammunition and was painted with Mr. Metal Polished Brass and the belt was done using a thin strip of Aviattic linen decal. The ammo belt itself has incredibly fine moulded detail including the grommets between each bullet. They don’t become visible (at least to my eyes and then with magnification) until the first thin coat of Tamiya’s white lacquer primer is applied. I thought “ holy crap, will you look at that!” when I first saw the detail! The magneto switch key had a fine safety chain added using extra chain provided by Eduard in the nose gun set for Tamiya’s Mosquito kit. I also scratch built an altimeter for the right cockpit sidewall which wound up being a last minute add on. I used a round piece of styrene, a brass bezel, instrument face, and clear acetate from Airscale. The altimeter is suspended in place by three springs. The three mounting points on the altimeter body are photo etch pieces from an HGW set for the WnWs Albatross and the springs are represented with brass tube from Bob’s Buckles. Cheers, Wolf

Thanks Mark, So far, with the exception of the few extra details I’ve mentioned, it’s all glorious WnWs! I’m so thankful this kit made it to market regardless of who’s name is on the box. Cheers, Wolf

Thanks Mike, I appreciate you looking in. The kit definitely has WnWs written all over it and so far it’s been a pleasure to build. Cheers, Wolf

Thank-you Ernest, My wife is continuing to heal and feeling better. So far this last surgery seems to have made a big difference thankfully. I’m glad you like the wood grain. It’s all decal so far so I can’t take too much credit but it doesn’t look too bad eh? Cheers, Wolf

Thanks Chris, That’s very kind of you. When looking at your current Fw-190 S build I have to say the feelings are mutual. Cheers, Wolf

Beautifully done! What’s not to like? It’s a beautiful build, sharp looking markings, and colour scheme. Cheers, Wolf

Nice work Ernest, The new seat and other resin details look great. So do your scratch built pieces. The green colour on the seat cushions and arm rests looks very vivid. I have no idea as to whether it’s right or not but what is your source for the colour call out for the cushions? If they were leather I’d brush some semi gloss clear on them to give a bit of shine as opposed to dead flat. Just a suggestion so please don’t take my comments as any kind of criticism. Cheers, Wolf