Landrotten Highlander

Keep working at your own pace, don't pressure yourself.  Depression is hard enough to fight on its own, no need to add more battles to it.

Work has been continuing on the engine bays as and when I have time, and now both intakes with the spinners are installed. The rear fuselage is now assembled, and waiting for the glue to cure.
 

 

 

 
However, during the dry fitting for the side sections for the rear fuselage, I noticed another fit issue. This time it is both at the area just behind the main bay:
 

 
and around the countermeasure buckets (which will hopefully be covered with Wolfpack's CM dispensers)
 

 
I will of course defer guidance to the bug master himself, @chuck540z3 or anyone else that has used the Aires bays on this kit with success. In any case, thanks for stopping by the hangar!

Cheers, Gentlemen!  
 
Just a quick comparison between the fuselage as it looked after assembly and after a year and a half of work. Seems I'm a bit slow, but there is more than a few coats of primer and a bit of sanding between the two photos... 
 

Bugger, they only ship to US adresses

Control panel is underway, go figure that it's has next to nothing in common with the Snipe panel.  Only the compass in the top center and the dome-looking switches in the lower left remain in the same spot between the two aircraft. The details are all sized to the Snipe kit details and decal dimensions.
 
Luckily there's a photo in the IWM archives that helps with  the placement of the dials.  The only other photo I know of is in Volume 2 of Colin Owers' Experimental Fighters Part 2 book which hints at some other details.  Neither photo shows the whole panel and a fair bit is still open to interpretation - not necessarily a bad thing as no-one should be able to prove me wrong
 
 
 

 
 
Here's what we're ultimately going for...

Brian,
 
HEY!! Something I noticed when I got Ali's canopies and I just verified now.  Ali's canopies are very wide;  they are somewhat flexible, but still, very wide.  But there is a bigger problem afoot if you want to try and use the Tamiya canopy on the Revell kit.  Or the Revell canopy with the Revell kit:  neither one fits!! 
 
I have three Revell canopies from 3 different kits, 3 Tamiya canopies from two different kits.  The Revell canopies and Tamiya canopies are exactly the same size.  All six are 2mm too narrow for Desert Rat.  Oh, and the Revell windscreen is also 2mm too narrow to fit the fuselage.
 
BUT, The Aerocraft canopy is wider (maybe a bit too wide but at least it is flexible).
 
Here is Aerocraft canopy with the Tamiya canopy INSIDE:

 
Revell canopy inside the Aerocraft canopy:

 
If you look back at my Lou IV build, I have the Tamiya canopy on it and it fits just fine - perfectly actually.  I JUST pulled the Tamiya canopy off Lou IV and put it on my dry-fitted Desert Rat fuselage.  I don't know what has happened to the Revell kit, but the Tamiya canopy that fits perfectly on Lou IV is now a full 2mm too narrow for the Desert Rat.  ALL three of the Tamiya canopies I have are 2 mm too narrow for Desert Rat.  Worse, all three of the Revell canopies (including the one that came in the Desert Rat box) are also too narrow for Desert Rat (he windscreens too.), but fit Lou IV perfectly.    I'm flabbergasted. 
 
The Desert Rat fuselage is fully closed up, the wing fits (had to do a little adjusting) but right now I don't have a canopy that fits Desert Rat until I work on the Aerocraft canopies.  WTH??
 
I'm sure the Aerocraft canopy will fit as it is very flexible - just not sure how to make it keep its shape, but one problem at a time and I trust that Ali has sorted that out. 
 
I do plan on doing a comparison/review of the three options: Aerocraft, Revell, Tamiya.
 
Pictured below L-R: Tamiya (2 canopies), Aerocraft (2 canopies), Revell (three Revell canopies from three different Revell kits)

 
A quick note is one of my Revell canopies has a swirl in the side of the canopy (see picture above, on the #11 line, at the top), but the other set has almost perfectly clear windscreens and canopies .  Luck of the draw what you get out of Revell I guess.  The canopy from the last Mustang kit I bought has the clearest canopy and windscreen.  FWIW.
 
The Aerocraft canopies need to be polished, but I have a feeling they will be crystal clear once I do through that.
 
But what happened to Revell that their own windscreen and canopy doesn't fit?  I used a completely OOB interior except for the seat (which doesn't have any bearing on the fuselage width).  The fuselage closes up at the nose just fine - a bit of a gap at the rear about .1mm - so the canopy/windscreen issue has me puzzled.  

Just for reference, here are the cross-sections of the D-13 that indicate that the bulge was only evident along the top edge and not the bottom as depicted in the GM resin conversion...

 
I thinned the edges of the cowling flaps.  Again, the D-13 is slightly different than the D-9 in that ALL of the cowling flaps are extendable.  On the D-9, there is a fixed cowling flap on the starboard side.

 
I cut the fixed flap off and replaced it with a piece of brass sheet.


 
I COULD replace ALL of the flaps with brass sheeting but I elected not to.  As long as the trailing edges are thinned, I think the plastic flaps look fine.



 
On my past D-9 builds, I erroneously assumed that the outline of the wing insert piece were along panel lines but this is incorrect.

 
So after I glued the insert pieces into place, I filled the non-panel line joints with black CA glue.

Thanks people!  The more I think about the bulge, the less I'm inclined to change it.  I'm thinking that it is probably more in line with what the actual aircraft designers did when trying to accommodate the larger engine bearers and is supported by the profile drawings.  It just doesn't jump out at first glance.
 
A few minor adjustments were performed per my references.  The fuel port on the starboard side is slightly LOWER on the D-13 than the D-9...

 
And the primer fuel port on the port sides is slightly HIGHER on the D-13 than the D-9...

 
After some slight touch-up putty was applied, the fuselage was set aside and took out the Eagle Editions tail gear.

 
The parts go together rather well but I'm going to strengthen the connection between the parts using brass tubing.

 
I made an axle for the tail wheel.


 
A larger diameter brass tube was used for the connection between the wheel yoke and gear strut.

 
The "sit" of the tail gear can be adjusted by shortening the strut.  Without modification, you can see that the gear sticks out a little too much, based on reference photos.

 
So I cut down the strut for a more naturally weighted position of an aircraft in service.

It's not the ideal photo(s), but the top one shows the later gunsight mounted on what looks like a shelf affair.
The photo was captioned 'unrestored cockpit interior'.
 

Not sure how helpful this is Iain, hopefully a little bit at least.
Those vortex generators look like they're all over the place.
 

OK - back to that empennage...
 
A start made on sanding - and panel lines sealed with EMS Plastic Weld ready for filler:
 

 

 
Section at the base of the rudder that I filled with casting resin has been sanded flat with my trusty 'T' Bar - which I'll show you in the next update.
 
This is quite a chunky component - which actually makes working on it easier.
 
Iain
 
 

OK - first update we're back at the front end, with some spot filling needed, and removal of the gear doors performed:
 

 

 

 

 

 
Material is a lot like wood - cutting with the 'grain' (moulded layers) easier than cutting across - and surfaces need different clear-up depending on the 'run of the grain'.
 
Material is quite tough here and can take a lot of abuse - but also needs a bit of work with the scalpel to separate the gear doors - even though they are printed with a gap along either side.
 
More shortly - just grabbing a wee dram...
 
Slàinte!
 
Iain

OK - I am very pleased that the aft inter-ear deflectors and the support ring are done.  My fixture did a great job ensuring proper location.  Here is what it looks like:
 

 
The gaps between deflectors (where the unpainted white ring is visible) of course will be occupied later by the forward inter-ear deflectors.
 
Next on the docket is the reduction gear case for the front of the engine, which starts out as a tricky lathe turning, and then gets treated badly cutting big grooves and drilling big holes for all the mounting bosses for accessories - prop governor, Magneto, distributors, and oil sump pump.  My layout:
 

 
I have had to do alot of research to develop the right shape of this very visible part.  I made two of them for the P-47 engine and still didn't get it quite right.  Anyway you will see it next post.  Take care.  

Except the OP was born in the 1700's, and isn't as familiar with computer stuff so much as he is with carving models from wood and stone.

I am using the HU 5. Green and white helicopter on the box cover.

Today update.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Bugger, that would have been on me MUST HAVE list (also have a must have list, as well as a 'could be nice' list and a ....
will get me coat now

The only version of an H.34 in 1/32 coming soon.
First test shot.

Started this build over a year ago in the group build but never made it to the deadline. Scratchbuild the interieur and rescribed the whole kit and did some minor work on the engines. It was a lot of fun to do but also quite time consuming.
 
Link to the build
 
Now for the pictures
 
DSCN2026 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2037 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2038 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2039 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2040 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2044 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2045 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2059 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2060 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
DSCN2066 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
I am quite satisfied with the result. Hope you like it too.
 
Rick
 
 
 

Well it's been a while  but here's an update........not a terribly exciting update, but an update nonetheless! 
 
The nose wheelbay/radar bullet is finished and painted, I may do a little weathering on the cone later but it's OK for now.
 



 
At at the rear end  the pipes and exhausts are just about ready to be installed.
 



 
No golf and no gardening tomorrow, I'm having a day off, so more progress with both Lightnings I hope!

Hi all!
 
 
 
The ”power-egg” painted and ready for assembly….
 
 

 
 
The engine assembled….
 
 

 
 
The shutter is movable!
 
 

 
 
The model is primed with Alclad Black Microfiller….
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
I bought a set with exhausts in resin, to the left in the pic….
 
 

 
 
…as You can see there were all those small metal gaskets  (?) included…
 
…But I had already painted everything, inside and out, DOH!
 
Well, I had to scrape and sand the paint off so I could glue all the small parts in place…
 
…and I had to enlarge the holes slightly…
 

 
 
I glued the cowling plates to the engine front, I´ll have to repaint it all anyway….
 
 

 
 
The fit were more then perfect!
 
 

 
 
 
 
More to come soon!
 
Stefan
 

It is ready!!! Almost half a year later than intended but who cares. I will put more pictures in the ready for inspection section.
 
DSCN2038 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
DSCN2045 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
DSCN2066 by Rick Martens, on Flickr
 
Hope you like it.
 
Thank you for all the help and feedback, much appriciated.
 
Rick.

evening folks
 
not had too much bench time strangely, but thought I would drop in with progress - most of my time has been building up a big PE fret of many, many parts..
 
first up, I got a 3D printed console and made up a litho side panel - the details on this will be replaced by PE...
 

 
Also made the sidewalls and added the doubler and the single stringer that runs fore and aft.. (though I made it too long, it stops at the Instrument panel but anyway..
 

 
..now to the PE - I have spent ages trying to find drawings and have a CD off ebay and the few manuals available, but they are mostly illustrations rather than schematics and really to do this properly you need a good dimensioned drawing..
 
anyways - some of the stuff on here:
 
floors
radiators
cockpit panels
canopy panels
canopy details
bulkheads
seat parts
rudder pedals
cowl flaps
prop blade bosses
exhaust parts
 
..basically months and months of parts if I had to make them traditionally.. take a look around
 

 
I always print them so I can check they are sized correctly..
 

 

 

 
..here I can see I used the wrong fuselage template for the sides so these rear fuselage panels wouldn't fit properly.. (though they mount slightly forward of this position on the seat rails)..
 

 
..the radiator parts fit well..
 

 
..so these need to get off to PPD to be etched, but they are still in or recovering from lockdown so there will be a delay in production
 
I also put a walkaround of all the parts and a 'how to' video on Patreon so folks can see how easy this all really is
 
TTFN
Peter
 
 
 

On the fuselage, the metallic turned out to be too contrast.
Corrected.
Also painted identification marks.

little problem













 
further - weathering

Starting assembly...getting everything fit and jig aligned.  Nothing is glued yet here.  
 
After this photo, I set the lower wing.  There is only 1.5° dihedral on lower wing which looks almost flat.  Finally settled on TLAR...that looks about right based on rigging diagram and photos.  Mostly I was concerned each wingtip was same height from surface.