Fly Ar234

[stevegallacci]

Just picked it up on a clearance sale (otherwise a bit too much for my budget) and it looks "okay". Right off the bat, noticed the too short engine intakes, look like copies of the Trumpeter Me262 Jumos, using my corrected centerbodies to fix that. A quick comparison to the Aero Details walkaround book shows there is all manner of panels and shapes that are going to be added or altered. I'm not going to go too crazy on it, but there is a lot of potential fiddly-bit work that the kit could use. Will include some snaps as I progress.  Any insight into why the  -presumed-  generator cooling scoops on the engines are on the opposite side from the Me262's?

[Chris Wimmer]

Sounds quite good! I have one in the stash too, but not taken a closer look at it yet. Will follow your build with interest!    

 

And a happy new year, by the way...   

 

Cheers  

Chris

[stevegallacci]

Here is the kit versus my replacement intake/centerbody for the jumo. The brass tube extension fits to the cut-off intake section of the kit.

Edited January 17, 2016 by stevegallacci

[Wegener]

Good to see the starter engine exhaust ports in there - none of the drawings I've found of an 004 show how either far back or how big they are and I need to include them on my 262. Could you possibly advise some dimensions? It's always trick to estimate these things from photos, for me at least. While you're at it, how far back from the tip is the first stage of the turbine? Trumpeter moulds it rather far forward.

[Wurzacher]

Here is the kit versus my replacement intake/centerbody for the jumo. The brass tube extension fits to the cut-off intake section of the kit.

 

Now I wonder how things will look once assembled. Steve, your replacements look great!

[stevegallacci]

Good to see the starter engine exhaust ports in there - none of the drawings I've found of an 004 show how either far back or how big they are and I need to include them on my 262. Could you possibly advise some dimensions? It's always trick to estimate these things from photos, for me at least. While you're at it, how far back from the tip is the first stage of the turbine? Trumpeter moulds it rather far forward.

The compressor face is 27.3 mm from the tip of the centerbody on my casts. The exhaust ports are 7mm from the tip. I do have copies of the parts and cut tube sections I could sell. The intake ought to be a taper all the way to the support spider, but the straight tube section looks okay when installed in the kit intake.

[stevegallacci]

 

Here is the kit versus my replacement intake/centerbody for the jumo. The brass tube extension fits to the cut-off intake section of the kit.

 

Now I wonder how things will look once assembled. Steve, your replacements look great!

 

And here is one installed. I did it in hast so didn't build up a bit of a fill and fillet between the spider and the ducting, easily done with a bit of Mr Surfacer or other goopy stuff.

Edited January 17, 2016 by stevegallacci

[Guest Peterpools]

Nice start and will be following with great interest

Keep 'em coming

Peter

[D Bellis]

Thanks for showing the shallow engine intakes, and yur correction for that problem. Never did quite understand the statement that they were "too short" since these (and the Trumpeter kit's) measured out right on the money length wise. 

 

Merely a suggestion, but take a close look at the flap and aileron outlines on the wings - and do not compare them to drawings since most of the drawings for this bird are incorrect. The Fly kit's outlines depict the flaps and ailerons as much smaller in both chord and span than they actually were on the real thing. Nailing down the correct measurements is difficult without good drawings, but rescribing them using photographs should at least get them in the ballpark. 

 

Looking forward to watching you progress with this one.

 

D

Edited January 17, 2016 by D Bellis

[stevegallacci]

Thanks for showing the shallow engine intakes, and yur correction for that problem. Never did quite understand the statement that they were "too short" since these (and the Trumpeter kit's) measured out right on the money length wise. 

 

Merely a suggestion, but take a close look at the flap and aileron outlines on the wings - and do not compare them to drawings since most of the drawings for this bird are incorrect. The Fly kit's outlines depict the flaps and ailerons as much smaller in both chord and span than they actually were on the real thing. Nailing down the correct measurements is difficult without good drawings, but rescribing them using photographs should at least get them in the ballpark. 

 

Looking forward to watching you progress with this one.

 

D

Thanks for the heads up on that aspect. Radu had mentioned the lack of good data regarding the '234 while he was doing his kit and that the Fly kit had issues. I had noticed the detail and contour bugs but had not looked at those more basic problems.

[stevegallacci]

EEEK! check out my just corrected wing, using the photo of the NASM's Ar234 wings on an handling fixture in the Aero Details book.

[Radub]

Hi Steve, 

The Famous Aeroplanes of the World book on the Arado has a useable set of scale drawings by Shigeru Nohara. 

HTH 

Radu 

Edited January 17, 2016 by Radub

[stevegallacci]

Hi Steve, 

The Famous Aeroplanes of the World book on the Arado has a useable set of scale drawings by Shigeru Nohara. 

HTH 

Radu 

Thanks for the tip. I'll likely only go as far as eyeball accuracy on this one, as I can't seem to find the enthusiasm to invest too much into it. I've only ever been lukewarm to the '234B to start with and this -meh- kit is engendering no love. Not an awful kit, but disappointing, that in this day and age, that basic research was not done on a product that otherwise showed such effort.

[Wegener]

Thanks Steve, that's very helpful. Looks as though I have quite a lengthy extension to add to the centre body.

[LSP_Kevin]

Very impressive work so far, Steve.

 

Kev