IainM

@Scale32 it would, but it's nigh impossible getting our hands on any Future down here in NZ, even the rebranded stuff.....I've tried many other options including branded clear dips for modelling, but have had less than stellar results from all of them.... @dodgem37 Thank you! I actually used my wire bending jig from UMM-USA to help me Luckily, one of the steps on the jig was just wide enough to fit into the openings in the fairings, so it was a matter of opening it up to the correct width, jamming them on, sliding them in, then just doing small adjustments while the epoxy was setting! The vac-form canopy is from Fly themselves. Ordered it when I ordered the kit, had read beforehand in reviews the canopy was dodgy and vac-form was the way to go...

I feel your anguish @LSP_Kevin

Made some major progress on the build. Taking me far longer than I thought it would, as it seems every step I take has to be preceded by a few others just to get it looking right, and trying to get it to fit/blend properly. I've used filler on some areas I thought wouldn't need it, and none on some I would!! But....she's starting to look like a Hurricane at least! The aerial mast has been drilled into and a piece of .3mm brass wire added for strengthening - it's just press-fitted into it's corresponding drilled hole in the fuselage. I have to SB an a/coll light just forward of it, no such luck that was provided with the kit.... The cannon fairings have been epoxied into the wings - quite a feat trying to get them all lined up correctly. Not perfect, but good enough. The barrels are just press fitted into the fairings, I'll sort those out at the final step stage. The business end. Quite happy in the end as to how my gluing sequence worked out to alleviate any wonky dihedral issues that might have reared their head. The rudder and elevators are just held in place by brass pins I popped in. There were no locating tabs whatsoever!!! Antenna post is SB from brass. Quite a bit of work involved in getting the spinner to fit into the spinner plate area. You can see where I had to remove plastic to make the plate area deep enough, plus sanding the spinner/backing plate. The ring around the forward section was thinned out quite considerably as well. Popped in some magnets. The blades are not permanently attached yet. I like that Fly supplied etched brass strengthening strips for the undersides Less filling! Hides the underside wing join perfectly! And lastly for this update....my nemesis.....vac-formed canopy parts. It took me ages just to pick up the courage to make the first cut . LOTS of sanding, cutting, sanding.......but in the end, I managed to get it done. The supplied canopy/windscreen were just way too thick to be even feasible, unless building a closed cockpit. I've ended up polishing the vac-form bits 3 times already, but unfortunately can't seem to get rid of all the micro-scratches. However once the framing is painted, they should look OK. There is a very small inclusion in the front windscreen (made during manufacture I think) that I can't polish out. It is what it is I suppose! Cheers Iain

That great work on those support braces! Def WAY better than the brass offerings!!! Looks a treat!

@nmayhew Yes, it's a pity that John Vasco isn't on these forums! He'd help to sort his out! I do remember that when I was doing my Dragon C-7 to C-3 conversion, I posted that on either the FB Night Fighters or 1/32 scale a/c pages - and he chipped in! And then he helped me along with the main and more obscure changes that I needed to make...veritable rabbit hole! Anyway, on page 139 of his book, he has a picture of an E-3 with the dual aerial leads - but that was changed to single at the C-1 to C-2 variant, when they changed from the FuG 111 U to the FuG X .....more questions that perhaps only the guys who flew that a/c would have been able to answer... @mozart In my VERY limited knowledge I'd put that as an F, with some other field-fitted radio equipment that required that extra lead. Reason for that is I'm looking at the canopy glazing - as far as I'm aware the G's had the fixed rear canopy over the rear armament, with the opening portion just behind that. F's IMO were the last of the line to have the rear cockpit opening where the rear MG's were. So as far as I'm aware, if it was a G, there would be no way that crewman could have been standing there?

That was my understanding as well @mozart I've seen images of in-flight D's, E's and F's with 3-man crews - even not in the NF role. The Dackelbauch equipped recce birds had 3 man crews as well (extra pair of eyes). Just had a look through John Vasco's book, some of his images back up your statement. I suppose it did come down to being role-dependent. @nmayhew DML got the seats right I believe - up to the D variant. The E's and onwards all had the webbed tandem seat

Nice! Good to see another C being built!! Your colour plate of looks like 3U+AA a C-4 - I see you've got decals/masks for either a C-2 or C-4 variant - and basically the major difference between a C-2 and C-4 was that the ventral MG-FF cannon (C-2) were replaced with MG-FF/M cannon. The C-2 would probably have a Hulsenwanne installed (spent cartridge fairing below the fuselage to catch brass) So, off the top of my head, the visible differences between the kit D and any of those C's (notwithstanding any aircraft specific differences you find) you'll be building are - 1. Fill in the fuselage aerial location point on the port side. C-2/4's were usually upgraded to the Fug X radios, which usually did away with the dual aerial leads. But check references....but usually starboard lead only. 2. Fill in the square fresh air ventilation hatch located starboard fuselage just behind the Bordfunker position. Only found on E's onwards. 3. Make sure you use the smaller T shaped pitot tube. E's onwards had the larger pitot tube 4. Check if your specific aircraft had the armoured windscreen. 5. The upper trim tab adjustment arms for the horizontal stab were not present on the C's or D's. Don't install them, and fill in the location points on the stab - you'll have to fill and rescribe those panel lines as well. 6. Your C-4 will probably have the faired-over Bordfunker gun position (dragon give you 3 options). Again, check references, but either the solid insert or the insert with the fairing present should be good. The C-2 would probably have the opening in the insert for the MG to sit in. 7. The MLG differs between variants with strengthening being applied from D's onwards I believe. But don't worry too much about that, the kit MLG as-is, are just fine. 8. Your C-2 would have most likely had an RLM02 interior, and your C-4 might have had a RLM66 cockpit (or RLM66/02 mix) I would much prefer to use a well-dressed kit IP over the Eduard offering. The Eduard stuff looks "flat" IMO. Lovely kit...just don't pay much attention the the instructions....

Brilliant work!!!!!

Absolute madness! Love it

Thanks @monthebiff I've just found it, I will deffo be taking a much more detailed look through all 27 pages of it!! Brilliant, just brilliant.....!!

Wow, that G4 nose looks awesome!!! I'm going to find that thread!!!!! That must be a magnificent build..... I've just been through John Vasco's book looking at pictures of D's and his commentary on D's and E's - images of D tailplanes show no upper actuators on the horizontal stabs, whilst he makes a comment on one of the E images that the upper actuators were introduced from the E's onwards.

@monthebiff That's looking great!! Yes, with a bit of fettling and pre-planning, you can get that nose to be a drop-fit piece like you've done Couple of things with the D you're probably aware of - but just in case - I think Dragon moulded the fresh air vent in on the starboard side of the fuselage just abeam of the B/F position - it's the square recess - that should be filled in on the D, was only fitted to E variants and onwards. Also, and I might be wrong, I'll have to check my references- I know the C's didn't have the upper actuators on the horizontal stab trim tabs, I don't think the D's had them either?

What do you mean you hate cockpits? That's looking gorgeous so far!!

That's bang on! Yep, if you had to follow the kit instructions, there would be huge steps to deal with. Nice work!

That's lovely! Those Dragon kits have more than enough there to keep the eye busy! Well done!