spacewolf Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 I was looking at the scanned-in original photo to determine what if anything is left of the rack for the external tank.Looks like the mountings have been ripped off as this is the area that would have taken most of the damage. He made a bloody good landing as the counterweights are still on the ailerons. Its difficult to tell if what can be seen is in the area of the rack or background but one thing I did notice is that the wing fairing is gone! Trouble is everytime I start zooming around I notice something new! It looks very neat in that there is no apparent torn skin. I'm wondering if this has been removed by RAF blokes having a look round? I cannot see how the "impact" would have neatly removed the upper fairing. Hmmm... I am also wondering what the "Box" on the ground with all the wiring is. Trouble is we don't know when this photo was taken ie how long after the landing and how much the RAF fellas had removed or dismantled stuff. Thanks for the kind words and advice. Phil Hey Phil Great work, love the way you are getting things done. One thing to remember is that if an aircraft is set down 'gingerly' how little damage there can be. I've seen light aircraft that just needed to be jacked up, the gear dropped and after an alignment check a few panes replaced was back flying in no time. Grass and shrubs can be very 'cushioning' Those panels would have had to have been removed by the techs...too clean and no way a landing like that would have ripped those off.... which would mean the landing gear trunnions would be exposed....gonna build that detail too ? Ya, I know about every time you look you see something new... more detail to put in !!! The box on the ground could be the radio ?.. also, is the dark outline we see in the pic just the back side of a larger box that is partly in the sunlight.. if you look at some of the lines it looks like it's a bigger box with the one side shaded... Can't wait to see what you do next ! Cheers Vaughn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 Those panels would have had to have been removed by the techs...too clean and no way a landing like that would have ripped those off.... which would mean the landing gear trunnions would be exposed....gonna build that detail too ? The box on the ground could be the radio ?.. also, is the dark outline we see in the pic just the back side of a larger box that is partly in the sunlight.. if you look at some of the lines it looks like it's a bigger box with the one side shaded... Thanks Vaughn for the kind words. Firstly I think you are right about the fairing so I am going to claim a bit of Kevin's(Typhoonattack) artistic licence. So in answer to your question, and I wasn't going to be polite ( ) No!!!!!!! But I think you may well be right about the box being the radio. Luckily the Aires set has a complete radio bay for the rear fuse: That would explain the wiring and it appears pretty similar. Size wise it appears about right too. Thinking about it this would probably be one of the things you would want to look at from an intelligence point of view. Interesting......... Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 Here's another view of the Aires radio equipment: Looking at the original photo there appears to be a slimmer box alongside the "radio" if that is what it is. I'm wondering if this could be the small box above the radio next to the terminal block (transformer perhaps as it has the lightning mark). If I was going to remove the radio I would try and remove as much ancillary stuff leaving it still connected as I could. Just a thought here but it would be nice to remove this stuff from the bulkhead and lay it out on the ground as part of the diorama or am I just pi**ing in the wind here?? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 After going off at a bit of a tangent this morning with the mystery box under the wing saga, I thought I'd better rectify a couple of issues that Mark (dodgem37) kindly pointed out. So here you are Mark! Squared off wheelbays. And I won't be filling the visible pins from the overwing bulges as they will be hidden by the wheel. Scribed and riveted strips on the wing fairing. I haven't counted the number of rivets as I have no idea how many there should be! Am currently working to get all the flaps at the angles I want them. More soon. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeroenpeters Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Hi Phill, Don't count the rivets! Don't count the rivets! Don't count the rivets! You're doing a great job!! Some really nice stuff you have there. I'm about to start a dual build: bf109k-4 and g-14. Will be following your progress! Cheers, Jeroen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big matt Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Mmmmmmmm, resin goodies...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewolf Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Thanks Vaughn for the kind words.Firstly I think you are right about the fairing so I am going to claim a bit of Kevin's(Typhoonattack) artistic licence. So in answer to your question, and I wasn't going to be polite ( ) No!!!!!!! But I think you may well be right about the box being the radio. Luckily the Aires set has a complete radio bay for the rear fuse: That would explain the wiring and it appears pretty similar. Size wise it appears about right too. Thinking about it this would probably be one of the things you would want to look at from an intelligence point of view. Interesting......... Phil Hey Phil.... thanks for being polite Ya, one of the first things they'd go after would be the radio and the freq. that the Germans were using.... having the radio and some of the associated wiring on the ground makes sense... The first thing they'd have done was 'safe' it by checking for explosive devices and removing the ammo....it would also mean that this pic was taken shortly after they got the plane to a place the felt secure enough to start looking it over in depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Whew! I can sleep at night now that you have changed the wells and put in those structural strips. But not having the correct number of rivets gave me nightmares! You're a good man for listening to my rabble, Phil. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Don't count the rivets! Don't count the rivets! Don't count the rivets! You're doing a great job!! Some really nice stuff you have there. I'm about to start a dual build: bf109k-4 and g-14. Thanks Jeroen! Good luck with your 109 pair! Mmmmmmmm, resin goodies...... Yep, bit like Homer says "Mmmmmm pork chops"! Hey Phil.... thanks for being polite Ya, one of the first things they'd go after would be the radio and the freq. that the Germans were using.... having the radio and some of the associated wiring on the ground makes sense... The first thing they'd have done was 'safe' it by checking for explosive devices and removing the ammo....it would also mean that this pic was taken shortly after they got the plane to a place the felt secure enough to start looking it over in depth. Yes Vaughn I think the radio idea is a "must do" until some bright spark comes along and says no its actually a battery or something!! It would be "logical" as Spock would say for it to be the radio and associated bits and pieces. Whew! I can sleep at night now that you have changed the wells and put in those structural strips. But not having the correct number of rivets gave me nightmares!You're a good man for listening to my rabble, Phil. Hmm rivets. I just spaced them out the same as the strip moulded on the lower wing! Its not rabble Mark, there are several things I would have missed unless someone told me. Its what makes these forums soooper! Whadya think about the rack for the tank being missing. You being the nominated expert for this after seeing your build. I posted the enlarged photo. Can't really see much left. Presumably the bolts holding it in have been ripped out??? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Whilst waiting for glue to dry I finally grit my teeth and decided to start on the prop. I used the Eagle Parts propellor hub which is a nice soft resin. You have to drill out 3mm holes to accept the kit blades after removing the side pins and adjust the pitch yourself. After drilling a 1mm pilot hole I managed to get the holes about right. On the boss there are raised collars which meet the start of the blade proper. The pitch of these blades is going to be exteremly feathered and I have to thank Keith(Allok) for noticing it in the photos. First dry fit: Note the carefully drawn guide on the blade. As you can see, this blade is not happy. He is sitting far to high out of the boss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 So I then removed the "collar" from the boss by careful use of my wonderful mission models chisel and cut a couple of mm from the locating pin on the blade to allow it to sink into the boss a bit more: He's much happier now and is set very much like the original photo. He's not quite the same shape so we might have to feed him up to make him a bit fatter! More soon. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Phil, I did a little research and have come up with this. This is what is given. You'll notice that aft of the 2 dangling elements is a 'D' shaped ring with a hole in it. This is probably the rear starboard side attachment ring. I summize the rear left is behind the piping, which are the fuel/air relief lines. The next 'D' shaped shadow, after the tubing, is probably the front starboard attachment point, and the front port is before the square shadow. I think the square shadow is a background object as it is in alignment with other background shadows. Courtesy of the 109 Lair. This is what I interpret as remaining from the belly in. The 4 'D' attachment rings (although only 3 are shown here) and the fuel/air relief lines. Although hardly noticeable here, there are 4 small rectangles onto which the 'D' rings would be set. The fuel/air relief line locations are more noticeable. If I may, the 2 dimples to either side of the rectangular cut-out are relief tubes. They can either have a hole drilled into them or be drilled out and have wire insulation, or some other tubing, stuck into them. The holes for the fairing can be filled. I would not be offended if others post what they consider alternative theories. I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Phil, I did a little research and have come up with this. This is what is given. You'll notice that aft of the 2 dangling elements is a 'D' shaped ring with a hole in it. This is probably the rear starboard side attachment ring. I summize the rear left is behind the piping, which are the fuel/air relief lines. The next 'D' shaped shadow, after the tubing, is probably the front starboard attachment point, and the front port is before the square shadow. I think the square shadow is a background object as it is in alignment with other background shadows. Courtesy of the 109 Lair. This is what I interpret as remaining from the belly in. The 4 'D' attachment rings (although only 3 are shown here) and the fuel/air relief lines. Although hardly noticeable here, there are 4 small rectangles onto which the 'D' rings would be set. The fuel/air relief line locations are more noticeable. If I may, the 2 dimples to either side of the rectangular cut-out are relief tubes. They can either have a hole drilled into them or be drilled out and have wire insulation, or some other tubing, stuck into them. The holes for the fairing can be filled. I would not be offended if others post what they consider alternative theories. I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Ooooh. Sorry for the double post. My internet connection bombed as I struck Reply and I didn't think it went thru, so after I fixed it I hit 'Reply' again. Sorry about that! Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted August 5, 2010 Author Share Posted August 5, 2010 Thanks Mark, Its amazing how producing a photo of "real" one can unlock the mystery of the Malta photo. Its pretty clear that the four attachment rings are in place with the relief tubes hanging down albeit a bit bent!. Looking carefully at the square shadow it appears to be part of the bottom row of petrol cans in the background that they filled with earth/sand to make the blast pens. On the full photo it lines up with part of the wall that can be seen under the prop. Presumably the fuel /air pipes are made of an alloy as opposed to rubber otherwise they would have sprung back into place? Its all starting to make sense. Thanks very much again Mark! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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