armor fiend

So, that was a lie. I'll get back on it soon. I just got distracted by other models.

Iain, given how much work it's been to force the wings into compliance, might it not be easier to 3d print new wings?

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is ... I think Hobby Boss has the wing too low. I think the whole main wing needs to be about 4mm higher up on the plane. As if reshaping the wing wasn't enough of a headache. And that explains why the bomb bay is too short vertically.

Well, between my brother picking a fight with gravity and me getting covid, I lost about two months build time (we went back again to help out). I plan to start again this week. Gonna be hard pressed to finish by July, but I'm not gonna trade time for quality. If I make it on time, great. If not, I'll just tell Dad something is in the works.

Of course, I had cemented together the tails previously, so, needed to see if I could crack them apart without damaging them. Fortunately, limonene cement welding isn't as thorough as mek or other solvents. So, after running more around the seams, I was able to insert a knife and slowly pop it open. I did break one of the tabs for the control surface, but I'd damaged it earlier. Got some 60 grit sandpaper at the hardware store and ran into a new problem. I couldn't move the dang things across the surface of the sandpaper, it had so much friction. Not while putting even pressure on it, anyway. Eventually figured it out, and much sanding later, removed approximately half a millimeter from each side. I think it looks much better and more properly scaled compared to the non-sanded tail. I'll need to putty it up, but that's for another day.

Hopefully that's better. I put the pictures in a new folder, and then forgot to make it shareable.

Let's talk tail. Not the kind you see in nose-art, but the less interesting kind. Notice how thin the trailing edges are for the control surfaces. Now look at the same surfaces in the HB kit. VERY thick. Now, I like thick in a tail, but not this kind of tail. Also note the lightening holes in the tail and stabilizer main sections. Note also that these are visible, even if the control surfaces aren't turned. Ignore the anti-pigeon defenses. Finally, noticed where the rivet holes are located in the ring of outer panels on the HB tail. They are under the panel line. But this is not where the rivets go! The go above the panels. And there appear to be quite a few more panels. Fun times! A lot of this would be easier if I had a mounted belt sander.

So, my brother decided to pick an argument with gravity. You can guess how that went down. So, had to go and help out and visit for a month. Stayed with Dad. Got new pics of Little Eddie.

Merde ... not the work, but having to lengthen the nose.

Anyway, if it weren't obvious from before, I'm definitely a rivet counter ("booooooo"). Well, not exactly a counter, but the rivets on this model are definitely wrong. Forget the fact that they're sunken, not raised, they're just wrong. I've been trying to reconcile pictures with the model, so I can add in more rivets (cuz I'm an idiot), get the windows right, etc., and as I look closer, not only do I very, very slowly (after days) realize that the panels are largely, but not completely, wrong, the rivets are totally wrong. They have rivets on both sides of the panel lines, instead of just one (though they kinda get this right on the tail), and they're spaced much to far apart. Not sure what I was expecting. It is Hobby Boss, after all. And this isn't just a case of different manufacturers and variants. If you look on a walk around of "Witchcraft," it's a Consolidated B-24J and the panels and rivets are still wrong. Yes, the black lines below aren't nice and straight for rivets, but that's because at this stage, it's for stressed skin, and it doesn't need to be exact. Oh, I want to do stressed skin. Did I mention I'm an idiot? Interestingly enough, they basically get it right inside the plane, where you don't see it as easily. Sooooo, yeah.

Shots of all (technically most, as some are still on the way) the aftermarket goodies. It's a lot. It will make me insane. But yer dad only turns 80 once, and I missed his 70th birthday being all the way on the other side of the continent.

Three different companies made them, so my guess would be there was variation between factories.

55 minutes

I haven't fully marked up my fuselage yet, but the parts in red need to be removed to make a Ford nose. The fairing for the turret needs to be rebuilt. Instead of that curve, it should go straight up and over, with a notch for the gun mounts and at the top for the top of the turret. There's a few more changes that need to be made just up front, like some recessed air intakes, much different panel lines, etc. Apparently, the differences between the manufacturers made something of a nightmare for the air force, as they had to have spares for all different kinds of planes, when the point was to try and standardize. Take a close look at 6000th's nose that you posted. Oh, an that red line around the bottom of the turret, it shouldn't be removed, but beveled inwards. You can get more of an idea here: http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/Liberator_ID/B24Noses2.htm

And here's Little Eddie