Wolf Buddee

Let me show you my progress.  The main near term goal here is to complete the cockpit (except the seat and armor plate).  Recall the sequencing is of critical importance due to access issues. 
 
First, this thing has been sporting one rudder pedal for months on end, sticking up like an antenna, protected by a specially made guard.  No longer - we now have both rudder pedals:
 
 
 
Man - that lower hold has really gotten dusty and dirty.  I might just leave it that way.  Or dirty it up some more. 
 
Also, one of the steps I have on my list is to recheck all applicable drawings to see if I forgot something - and I did!  Look:
 
    
 
I already had a fluorescent light on the LH side - now I have one on the RH side.  Later, after I install the windshield, two more will be fabricated and installed (they attach to the windshield post).  Just simple tube and strip stock, and .022 solder for the wire. 
 
Next on the list was to (drum roll please) join the LH and RH center fuselage halves.  Finally!  Here:
 

 

 

 
No more dry fitting - they are glued and epoxied.  Too late to go back.  You will note on that last shot I have spliced the seat mount beam on the aft cockpit bulkhead.  You may recall that many months ago I sawed it in half.  Also note the rudder cables flying all over the place...
 
I had planned on doing the belly door - but I have now decided to delay it.  I think it is better sequenced later.
 
Next on the list (and I have a written living list) is as follows:
 
1.  The fire wall (this will be a big and tricky project)
2.  The instrument panel shroud, or hood (another tricky project) - this includes the gun sight and front bullet proof glass.
3.  The instrument panel - I have an Airscale special that Peter did for me about a year ago.  He should be pleased this work is coming up finally.
 
I may reverse the order some - we'll see how it goes.  This all will ultimately support joining the center fuselage to the center wing.  At that time, I can complete the cockpit 100% (except the seat, unless I can figure out how to install it without the aft fuselage in place....)
 
Take care, and have a happy safe covid-free New Year!  

Thanks for that, Jay. Lovely image. I have the first designer rendering of the Bearcat on my wall. 
 
I don't know where I thought your's worked, but they look so good, I just got caught up in the magic! You are killing it! 
 
Working landing gear is  "A cut above"......one day...maybe. Here's as far as I got in 3D land. Working was clearly a priority over accuracy! (toy vs model is a blurry line!). 
 
 
 

Awesome film!
 
Hey, if they're just going to scrap 'em, can I have the Fiesler Storch? I'm pretty sure, with the wings folded and some air taken out o' the tires, I can get 'er into my garage!
 
Did I say "PLEASE"?
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Dec 24/21
 
 
 
 
One last update before Santa arrives!  This step of adding the exhausts (Steps 172- 186) looks fairly simple, but it’s actually very hard.  As with the intake pipes, the exhausts are absolutely full of big seam lines and along tightly curved surfaces, fairly hard to remove cleanly.  There’s also a few big gaps when exhaust parts are glued together, but with lots of sanding and CA glue, you can get them looking fairly smooth.  Here they are after a coat of Alclad Steel and a hint of Alclad Copper, along with the big engine frame, Part J22, that is painted interior green after all the pin marks were removed.
 
 

 
 
Then installed, with not much to see from the front.
 
 

 
 
But a lot going on at the back, which is crowded enough already, but with spark plug wires, the installation is very tricky, so you need to take your time and go slowly, triple checking the instructions so that you don’t make any gluing errors.  Thankfully no two exhausts are even close to the same shape, so it’s probably hard to make a big mistake unless you force something.
 
 

 
 
The exhaust tips were drilled out before painting, but I found that they didn’t fit the pipes very well without leaving big gaps, so I used liberal amounts of CA glue and repainted them.
 
 

 
 
This angle shows why placing spark plugs on the back of the front cylinder bank is useless, because you can’t see any of it with all this spaghetti hanging out the back.  In order to not touch the engine more than I have to, some of the paint on the spinner and rear has eroded off as I handled it instead, which I will repair later when I’m not grabbing the engine any more.
 
 
 

 
 
 
Bottom view
 
 
 

 
 
 
With the wiring and piping finally done, I’ll be adding several parts to the back of the engine which sadly, will hide most of the rear of the engine and much of the extra work to make it look good.  Oh well, at least I’ll know it’s there.
 
 

 
 
 
 
Cheers and Merry Christmas to everyone,
 
 
Chuck

Nicely done Ernest,
 
I’m sure the crew will appreciate the irony of the escape hatch’s “Nicht Betraten” warning, LOL!
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hi Chuck,
 
 
This wheel and tire combo are post WW II items.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hi Chuck,
 
 
This wheel and tire combo are post WW II items.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hi Chuck,
 
 
This wheel and tire combo are post WW II items.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hi Chuck,
 
 
This wheel and tire combo are post WW II items.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Gents,
 
I am conflicted..
 
Look at this...
 
Notice the fine bezel work and the realistic neat fit of the IP into the coaming.... this is how the kit provides for the cockpit - as built... I have not ballsed this up...
 

 
I was asked when I started doing a Fw190 V18 and made my own PE for it if I would make a set to sort this horror show out, and was asked again at Telford - I can see why now
 
..I got as far as a PE printed mockup...
 

 
..and this is where I am conflicted...
 
..to make the lower panel fit, about six scale inches needs to be chopped off the bottom and the fixtures like oxygen dials compressed, the side consoles which would also need PE covers are the wrong shape & too narrow so the conflict is twofold..
 
one, I don't like the idea of putting out stuff that is not true scale (I want to but it would need a whole new cockpit), two I don't know how the rest of the kit holds up in terms of accuracy - I mean it looks like a 190 but is this a semi silk purse on a sow?...
 
not sure where to take it, it's like walking past a house fire - I feel compelled to do something, but why put myself at risk...
 
anyone got this kit and give a $hit?
 
Peter

Fantastic news!
 
Now to try and wait patiently………..
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Geezzz Martin, isn't this thing finished yet?
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Beautifully done Woody!
 
Are you sure you want to permanently glue the canopy closed? Is there no provision to have it slide? It would be a shame to obscure all that beautiful detail.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Brilliant start Sophie!
 
I have both the ZM and HK kits as well. IIRC the ZM kit has clear fuselage parts. I’ve read that the clear parts are quite brittle so if you’re intending to rivet them with the MDC tool then be very careful. You may wind up with a lot more puzzle pieces.
 
Cheers,
Wolf.  

Now the Corsair is finished, it’s time to pull a kit out I’ve been excited to do and gathering parts for. This is the Zoukei Mura Do-335 A-0, but I will be modifying it to a B-2 heavy fighter-bomber version. This will be a Luft ‘46 build, with a heavy dose of inspiration from @Out2gtcha’s excellent Do-335 build.
I have a wealth of aftermarket for this one, including (but not limited to);
HGW seatbelts
Sprues from the HK Do-335 B-2
CMK Bombs
Zoukei Mura Photoetch upgrade sets
Eduard Photoetch upgrade sets
Master brass barrels
MDC resin guns and oxygen hoses
And much more!
 
This will be a long and intricate build with much modification of the kit. I am going to rivet the whole plane with the MDC rivet tool, one rivet at a time. I am contemplating trying a stressed skin effect on it too (not decided on that one yet!). We shall see how this goes!
Here are some shots of my build so far;
 


 
For those interested here’s some ‘history’ of the Do-335 from an alternate history concept I am working on;
 
‘Following many discussions in the Luftwaffe High Command, a push was made in 1942 to accelerate the Me-262 program as a counter to the increasing bombing raids the Allies were raining down on Germany. Hitler wanted the jet to become a fast fighter-bomber, but he was talked out of this by pointing out the Do-335 would make a superior schnell bomber with its increased bomb load and excellent flight characteristics. This led to funds and resources being diverted from other wonder weapon programs to boost the Do-335 production capabilities.
The decreasing effectiveness of Allied bombing as the jet interceptors came online and started to take down bombers in large numbers, combined with resources gained from various areas in the Middle East and the Caucasus region allowed the Luftwaffe numbers to swell to sizes only seen in 1939. During the lull in heavy bombing as the Allied air forces reassessed their strategies, German factories began relocation into underground facilities that had been under construction for several months at that point.
Dornier was able to significantly increase their output with heavy focus put into Do-335 production and modification. By late autumn 1945 the plant was turning out 9 planes a shift, 3 shifts a day, and numbers were only to increase.
The Do-335 underwent significant modifications over its lifetime, later to become a fantastic heavy night fighter, often competing with Heinkel’s 219 as the preferred aircraft for that role. It is largely remembered for its role as a fighter-bomber and the damage it inflicted in rapid bombing campaigns during several key moments in the late war. The almost continual bombing of the Normandy beach head delayed the Allies gaining their foothold on the continent by several days, enough to bring panzer forces up to slow the advance further. Bombing of Allied positions during the Ardennes Offensive allowed German forces to reach Antwerp, cutting British and American lines leading to chaos among Allied top brass and a strategic withdrawal, if temporarily, back past the French border.
The most famous operation the Do-335 was involved in was the ‘sealing’ of the Suez Canal during the rapid push into Egypt by Rommel’s Afrika Korps in early 1944. 15 Do-335 B-1’s go 3/JG.55 were tasked with destroying any facilities and shipping in the canal to prevent British reinforcement and resupply of their beleaguered forces in Egypt. After several runs hitting port facilities and merchant ships they came across a Royal Navy force trying to exit the canal headed by HMS King George V. The ships were steaming at an excessive speed for the canal hoping to exit the canal before being spotted and were bunched too close together in the tight confines. 
Hauptmann Martin Huber spotted the ships and led his flight down to bomb such tempting targets. The flak coming up from the ships and land based guns was intense, but the Dornier’s speed held them in good stead as they came down. Huber had given targets to each plane but the focus was the battleship. Performing a dive bomb the Do-335 hadn’t been designed for Huber’s flight dropped their bombs as low as they felt the could and pulled up and away fast. Fearing flak and enemy fighters, the Do-335’s sped away rapidly. Little did Huber know his run had dealt a fatal blow. A 500Kg bomb from his plane had penetrated the King George V’s main forward magazine and detonated. The resulting explosion blew the bow end of the battleship clean off killing 800 of the crew outright. The explosion was so powerful, and the proximity of the other ships in the flotilla so close, the two destroyers (HMS Nubian & Māori) were destroyed outright. The HMS Suffolk unable to stop in time plowed straight into the wreck of the King George V and led to a naval pileup which blocked the canal. Damage from the explosion obliterated ground forces in the area tasked with defending the canal entrance. No more British traffic was able to make it through, and would have to travel the long way around and into a South Atlantic heavily populated with U-Boats. The Afrika Korps were able to seize on the chance and several days later take the canal and push on into the Sinai.’
                              The Longest War: The Air War Over Europe & The North African Theatre 1939-1948

Thank-you Sir!
 
I very much appreciate your compliment. 
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Perfection Chuck!
 
Beautiful job on the wing roots. Doesn’t get much better ‘n that Chuck.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Wonderful work so far Chuck!
 
I’m following along with keen interest as I’d like to make the Hellcat my next build once my current project is done. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the Aerocraft cast landing gear set. I have just about everything I need for my build now but haven’t decided whether the kit gear is good enough or if the Aerocraft gear warrants the extra cost. 
 
Cheers,
Wolf
 

Perfection Chuck!
 
Beautiful job on the wing roots. Doesn’t get much better ‘n that Chuck.
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Wonderful work so far Chuck!
 
I’m following along with keen interest as I’d like to make the Hellcat my next build once my current project is done. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the Aerocraft cast landing gear set. I have just about everything I need for my build now but haven’t decided whether the kit gear is good enough or if the Aerocraft gear warrants the extra cost. 
 
Cheers,
Wolf
 

Fantastic Pete!
 
I can’t imagine a more well deserved award. Just freakin’ awesome!
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hey all-
The old girl took gold and best aircraft today at ValleyCon 21- 


cheers
P

..that IP looks a bit weak for a WNW effort - good job someone makes a fine scale PE replacement 
 
Peter

Beautifully done Matt!
 
There’s something special about these wood and wire machines eh? You’ve done a fantastic job on this build Matt!
 
Absolutely love it!
 
Cheers,
Wolf

Hey Chuck,
 
Good to see you back on the Hellcat and wonderful work on fitting the forward windscreen. I’m taking mental notes on what to watch for when I start in on my own kit.
 
Congratulations on the awards you earned at the RMMC show. Well deserved!
 
Cheers,
Wolf