TimHepplestone

Optivisor and toothpicks. Never needed the optivisor until I turned 45

Optivisor and toothpicks. Never needed the optivisor until I turned 45

11  The bottom is trickier to do, because there should only be a single lines of rivets, which are on the starboard kit part only, and therefore offset slightly from center.  This offset is quite small and “good enoughâ€, because punching rivet detail along a gap line is asking for trouble, which could re-open the gap.
 
 

 
 
12  At the front are two small circular depressions behind the fuel cap that should actually be holes in the panel that covers the fuel tank.  To replicate something similar without drilling through thick plastic, I used a drill bit to deepen both and I will add a dark wash to them after painting to set them apart.  The curved trim detail in front of the windscreen had to be replaced after sanding.  Note how well the windscreen fits the fuselage.  It is literally a drop-in, but I will need to add black to the bottom of the clear plastic to remove the “coke bottle†look of the bottom.
 
 
 

 

 
 
13  The rudder control arm doesn't really fit anything if the rudder is tilted left or right, so I cut it off and replaced it with electrical wire insulation stripped off a wire, then placed it into a hole I drilled into the fuselage receptacle.  The soft plastic will flex without snapping off the anchor, which I drilled out a bit with a #80 drill bit and added a small piece of wire to secure it into place.  The rudder arm is quite thick on the real deal, so this replacement is very close to scale, especially after painting.
 
 
Rudder pushed to the right
 
 

 
And now left
 

 
 
14  As noted by many modelers, the wing root is absolutely perfect and needs no filler.  This is just dry fitted.
 
 

 
 
 
15  The bottom is not as tight, but still better than most kits.  Closing this gap will be relatively easy.
 
Some might remember that I have the Eduard landing flap PE set, which I was going to install.  I found that it is a TON of work for something I won't be able to see very well, so I punted and left the flaps up.  Besides, finding a Spitfire with the flaps down is hard to find, so it must be a relatively rare occurrence anyway.
 
 

 
 
16  I thought I would show the bottom of the aileron to point out a “pin markâ€, which I notice many other modelers have filled.  It is real and as a matter of fact, should be a hole in the aileron with no metal cover like the other holes.  This hole is sometimes covered with dope fabric, so if you want to fill it, you should try and replicate same.
 
 

 
 
With all this done, I'm only about 1/3 finished, because the front and Merlin engine will be super-detailed, just like so many other builds.
 
 
 

 
 
 
Now another tip, or as my wife would say, “Retail Opportunityâ€.  Ever place a bunch of copper wires into a gear well or engine compartment and then try and paint them?  Not easy or fun, is it?  One way of getting around this for fine wiring is to use pre-colored fly tying wire, which comes in almost every color imaginable and it's CHEAP if you buy it in bulk.  I used to buy the odd small spool from sporting goods stores which can be quite expensive, but I found this set on Amazon for $21 Cdn ($16.80 US) with FREE shipping to my door, even without Prime (which I have anyway).  Each spool has at least 3-4 feet on it, so this set should last me forever.  Yes, many of the colors are too bright and shiny, but with a little dull coat, they will look just fine.
 
Note.  The wire is very smooth, but with shrinking this pic down to fit on your computer screen, it has pixilated a bit and the wire may look a bit braided.  It's not at all.
 
 
 

 
 
 
That's it for now boys.  I have a LOT of engine work in front of me!
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Small update from this evening. Finished painting up bomb bay side walls and hatches (also trying out a new photo background)
 

 
And installed the internal bombs. This one will also have two wing mounted 500lbers.
 

 
Loaded for bear! (Or, you know, whatever - Nazi prison guards)
 

 
I think I'm going to install the sidewalls, leaving the armatures for closing the doors off for now. Less stuff to snap off while handling the whole plane. I'll mask the bays for painting, and install open doors at the end along with wheels and their bay doors. Does this process make sense to anyone who's done this kit?

While I was at it I added a bit of detail to the cockpit. Some airscale placards and some extra wiring to the control column and rudder pedals.


 
Actually looking at the pics I need to tidy up the wire on the control column a little. I'm sure the Germans arranged their wiring a lot neater than that...

Thanks. Good name suggestion. Normally my models go through lots of name changes though. Names such as “Where's the hobby knife OUCH†or “ Damn this airbrush†or “useless piece of plastic s**t†seem to predominate. 
I just looked at the pro modelers kit online. Looks like exactly the same sprues?

While I was at it I added a bit of detail to the cockpit. Some airscale placards and some extra wiring to the control column and rudder pedals.


 
Actually looking at the pics I need to tidy up the wire on the control column a little. I'm sure the Germans arranged their wiring a lot neater than that...

Thanks Zac Appreciate the kind words.

Looking like a stunner. Glancing at my shelves I can see quite a few FICE seams.....

While I was at it I added a bit of detail to the cockpit. Some airscale placards and some extra wiring to the control column and rudder pedals.


 
Actually looking at the pics I need to tidy up the wire on the control column a little. I'm sure the Germans arranged their wiring a lot neater than that...

Great work mate. Really like the weathering. Did you do a WIP thread.? Would love to see some detail on how that weathering was achieved.

Lovely job and beautifully photographed. Personally have never built a chopper. Might have to give one a go now

While I was at it I added a bit of detail to the cockpit. Some airscale placards and some extra wiring to the control column and rudder pedals.


 
Actually looking at the pics I need to tidy up the wire on the control column a little. I'm sure the Germans arranged their wiring a lot neater than that...

Looks like a fine rescue there.

Closed up the fuselage today. Fit was overall not bad. Seams will need a bit of work but nothing too demanding. I've seen some brilliant work on super detailing interiors in these forums. Afraid I didn't really bother (hence no photos). Just a basic paint job with a few photoetch details, none of wich is really visible anyway.
 
 

 
What is apparent is this is going to be a big plane though. Next to a 1/48 Hurricane for comparison. By the time this is finished I'm going to need a bigger photo table
 

Life and work means bench time has been a bit haed to come by this week. Still managed to get a few hours in working on the undercarriage. The main wheels consist of lots of rather fragile plastic parts with shallow locating pins. Still it seems sturdy enough when put together. 

 

 
Just added brake lines as per my reference pics. After a coat of paint and weathered it looks like this

 
After market undercarriage would definitley be helpful but as the nearest set is about 7000 mies away I'll just have to make do, Hopefully the undercarriage will hold up.  

Only been active on the forums for a few months despite joining a few years ago. I must say there are some top blokes here. Kudos gentleman,,

Only been active on the forums for a few months despite joining a few years ago. I must say there are some top blokes here. Kudos gentleman,,

Small bit of progress. I've started adding some of the conduit piping to the bomb bay I'm using plastic rod for this. I think it'll show up enough to make it worthwhile.
 

 
My replacement Eduard bomb bay is on the way. So hopefully it will arrive soon and I can continue.
 
Carl

A few hours spent fettling bits of plastic and shes up on her wheels.

 
The little 1/48 Bf 109 has volunteered to test the rather spindly looking undercarriage. So far the mass of spindly plastic seems to be holding

A few hours spent fettling bits of plastic and shes up on her wheels.

 
The little 1/48 Bf 109 has volunteered to test the rather spindly looking undercarriage. So far the mass of spindly plastic seems to be holding

Thanks Martin. Good point. I've seen some period photos where it seems to vary from a dark brown to almost canvas like colour. But it is definitely a pad and not a wooden door . There's also a simile pad in the ventral gondola. I think I might change it to a weathered light leather colour but I want to find some more period photos of it if I can before I decide. Gonna miss that wood thoughWhen ignorance is bliss....

Thanks guys!
 
I've added a few details to the landing gear legs before moving on.
 

 
 
Jumping over to the instrument panel... Aires has provided a resin panel with a blank forward face and instrument housings and wiring on the back. All of the wiring is pressed against the panel so I thought I'd add a few free-hanging wires to give the back of the panel some 3D detail.
 

 
 
 
I'll leave the new wires sticking straight out so that I can paint the other wires more easily. I'll bend them into position when the IP is complete and ready to be installed.
 

 
 
The front of the Aires instrument panel is dressed up with clear acetate with the instrument gauge detail printed in black sandwiched between the resin panel and a couple layers of brass. I prefer this "older" approach to the decals and the pre-painted Eduard stuff. Before spraying the back of the acetate with white paint to bring out the gauge detail, I selectively dabbed some red and blue onto the dials for some color.
 

 
 
The instrument panel parts are given a coat of RLM 66. I've picked out the instrument bezels in black.
 

 
 
 
The painting is not quite finished but here's what the instrument panel face looks like.
 

After the resin tub and rear bulkhead were glued together, I tried another round of dry-fitting. The main resin tub components seemed to fit without too much trouble. I had to cut the ends off of the forward resin spar so that it would fit within the fuselage extension at the wing but other than that, it seemed to be a preliminary thumbs-up. The view into the wheel wells represents the main attraction of this Aires set with lots of fine detail along all of the walls. There are a bunch of other small parts... spars, braces and even resin wiring runs and I'll have to figure out the construction order (What do I paint first? What do I glue in place first?).
 

 

 

 

 
 
The cockpit tub doesn't contact the fuselage sides except at the sill so no thinning of the fuselage sides is necessary.
 

 

 
 
 
That was a major effort so I breathed a sigh of relief and occupied myself with a smaller detail. I'm going to cut the main landing gear legs down a few millimeters. I haven't gone through the effort of gauging the actual stance of my 262 but I've read enough builds to trust this step will be ok. If not, I always have the metal legs to fall back on.
 

 
 
 
To give the legs some strength, I'm using brass tubing to reinforce the joint.
 

 
 
 
Here are the cut-down plastic legs compared to the full length metal legs.
 

Here are the Montex Masks that I've picked up for this build.  I really like using masks instead of decals whenever I can and at a minimum, I'll be using these masks for the numerals, crosses and swastikas.  They also have the yellow/black skull badge as a mask but it looks a bit fiddly to use.  I can use the Trumpeter decals for badge as a back-up. 
 

 
 
In lieu of the PE belts that Trumpeter supplies, I've purchased a s et of HGW fabric belts.  I have a hard time getting PE belts to look natural and fabric belts, whether they are from HGW or RB, are my preferred choice, especially for open canopy builds.  And no, I didn't make a purchasing mistake... I saw that the 262B set was about the same price as the 262A... a great cost-cutting move to pick up two harness sets for the price of one, no?
 

 
 
Nest is the Barracuda 262 resin wheel set, plain-hub version.  The plain hub refers to the nose wheel, which looks like a 109G/K wheel.  Barracuda also offers the nose wheel with a ribbed hub.  That thick black dog hair is actually a piece of wire that Barracuda includes to model the brake line... very thoughtful!
 

 
 
Molding on these is exquisite!
 

 

 
 
I love the treads.
 

 
 
A very detailed and comprehensive set of instructions from Barracuda... bravo.