Radub

Last one, no flash. Some weathering is visible. Radu Brinzan

Another angle.

These are some shots of the painted wheel well. These were taken with a flash, and much of the weathering is not visible.

And another angle. Radu

Here are a couple of shots of the cockpit shoehorned inside the fuselage. Radu

This is the completed fuselage. This shows where the shape of the nose and spine was improved. I am working on the wings/landing gear bay now. Radu Brinzan

Hi Derek, Come on, there is no need to be modest - your excellent master-pattern work should qualify you as a master model builder. To add to what Derek said, one needs a lot of preseverence to scratchbuild. Keep at it until you get results. Things will break, some will go horribly wrong, but when you get it right, it is such a joy. Radu

Thanks again everyone for your kind words. Chris, I do not even know where to start teaching. It is impossible for me to explain everything in those pictures. The best thing is to ask specific questions and I will answer all. Guy, I intend to leave the cockpit like that. I personally do not like a cockpit (or a plane) that looks as if Yoda "forced" it from a swamp. In my opinion, this is a weapon of war, the sharp end of the sword and it is in the interest of the flying and maintenace crew that their pride and joy is well oiled, cleaned, polished and generally in tip-top shape, without any indications of catastrophic leaks, muck, dust, poor bowel control or anything else. There is wear and tear in the places where that usually occurs in a cockpit, but that is all. There is some discrete shadowing in places to bring out the detail. Mike, the chain on the port side (also used on the control yoke) is a kind of solder manufactured in Russia. I got that years ago during my travels abroad and I am quickly running out of it. I have no idea where to get more. It comes on a small reel and has no label or indication of source. It is very brittle, a pain to bend without breaking, and does not really hold shape very well. I was told that fly-tying shops have something similar but I could not find any such thing in the local fishing shop. HTH Radu

Thank you everyone for the kind words, that was quick. Hi Matt, The rivets on the strips are indeed raised. They are extremely easy to make. They were made with a pounce wheel on the reverse side - a dimple on one side has a corresponding bump on the other side. Takes some practice to get it right. The bolts and rivets all over the cockpit were made with a Waldron subminiature punch and die. I use 0.2 grey styrene card for them, which makes them easier to see. The grey styrene card is Plastruct and designed for scale railways (I haven't seen any in many years though). White styrene should work just as well. Hope this helps, Radu Brinzan

Right sidewall. This is the last picture for today. Radu Brinzan

Left sidewall.

Another angle.

Another angle.

Another angle.

Another angle.

Another angle.

Another angle.

Thank you all again for the kind words. This is the complete cockpit with all wiring and pipes in place (well, not actually, some piping was left out because it would not be visible on the finished model anyway). The colours look much better in daylight. The fuselage will be joined later today. Radu Brinzan

Hi Slartibartfast, Although I am sure you meant it as a compliment, I would honestly hate that. I like a fair competition and I always had nothing but utmost respect for any of the model builders I ever competed against. I have been competing since 1997 and I was awarded all kinds of medals and trophies. I am not a "trophy hunter" but I find contentment in my fellow modellers' appreciation. This is just a hobby for me yet I had the chance to come across people that took this pastime too seriously (recently, one of my competition entries was interfered with by another competitor to the point that I had to ask the officials to move my model.) This model will probably be entered in competitions and I will accept whatever award with a smile on my face, I will have no grumblings about judges or judging standards and most importantly, I will not look down on the runners-up. I know I did my best. Thanks again everyone for your kind words, I greatly appreciate them. Radu Brinzan

Hi Jay, we'll definitely meet for a jar or two. Rick, the tubular framework was made from evergreen 1.2mm round rod stock straight from the pack. The ends were drilled and a pin was inserted as a "peg". A corresponding hole was drilled in the connection point, and the peg went in there. The whole thing becomes quite sturdy when everything is connected without any glue. The cockpit is now glued together. Please ask as many questions as you wish. I will answer all. I use a Ricoh Caplio RR30 which I bought especially for the macro facility. The pictures are actually quite poor because I used the flash which affected the colours a bit and caused some glare in places. I usually take my pictures in daylight but the weather has been atrocious lately. I will post some more photos soon which will hopefully be better. Radu Brinzan

Hi Alan, I am based in Ireland. Thanks for the invitation, but unfortunately I will not be able to come to Friedrichshaffen. In November I am going to the IPMS UK Modelworld (so I would rather save my money). Radu

Last picture for the moment. I will post more after the week-end. Radu Brinzan

Another angle.

Another angle.

Another angle.