Bf110G4 NJG4 1944/45 FINISHED!!!!! YIPPEE.

[mozart]

1 minute ago, monthebiff said:

Feeling your pain with that little job Max, have you masked each pane inside as well as it's well worth the extra effort with all the hatches open.

 

Regards.Andy 

No inside masking Andy, I'm doing the same as I did on my Bf110E and putting thin painted strips of tape on the frame.  Works well and looks convincing......and though fiddly it's easier than masking!! 

[mozart]

All the glass work primed, painted and masks now removed, I'm delighted with the way it's all turned out!

[mozart]

The glass house, just one little area to touch up where a rogue piece of tape managed to get in the way, unnoticed by me!  I'll be adding the grab handles and the red-painted locking mechanism to the forward windscreen tomorrow:

 

[mozart]

So, a new "skill" that I've picked up from a post on Facebook, how to securely fix the FuG220 antennae: soldering.  This is using a flux paste, a blow torch and heat resistant Kapton tape to hold all in place.  Once the three elements are lined up (I scribed the positions on the metal bed plate) and taped in place, they are not touched again.  Using a syringe supplied with the flux paste, small amounts are squeezed in place, the blow torch fired up and applied directly to the paste, and within seconds a clean secure joint!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm also experimenting with doing the retraction linkages for the u/c doors from 0.6mm brass rod:

Edited December 19, 2018 by mozart

[Wouter]

That's a great tip Max, and well executed! Taking notes here.

[mozart]

It's fool proof Wouter, and I need to develop my soldering skills ready for my Anson build in the next GB! 

[j ferguson]

Hi Max,

Your work is exquisite.  That certainly is a slick way to solder very small components.  I can use it for some of the things I've found near impossible in the past.

I wondered about the purpose of the two flaps atop the panel which don't white meet at the gunsight mount.  Might they be light shields to prevent lights from the panel from being visible outside the plane?

[mozart]

4 hours ago, j ferguson said:

Hi Max,

Your work is exquisite.  That certainly is a slick way to solder very small components.  I can use it for some of the things I've found near impossible in the past.

I wondered about the purpose of the two flaps atop the panel which don't white meet at the gunsight mount.  Might they be light shields to prevent lights from the panel from being visible outside the plane?

Thank you, it's my first "serious" foray into soldering but early success will spur me on to more "ambitious" projects, like scratch building an Anson's undercarriage legs and radius arm!!

I'm with you on the possible purpose for the flappy things, I imagine they help the pilot to read the instruments when there is a lot of light outside, searchlights, landing lights etc.

[Alain Gadbois]

Max, Very interesting soldering tip! I will keep this in mind for future projects!

 

I might guess that the 2 flaps are to reduce the amount of light the pilot receives from the cockpit lights. Sharp eyesight at night being important...

 

Alain

[Shawn M]

they are glare shields to keep sun/moon light off the instrument faces

[mozart]

FuG220 array soldered and painted, just the somewhat worrying job of drilling the array supports a bit deeper than moulded to accept the brass tongue, should have thought about it and done this before fitting them to the nose!! 

 

[j ferguson]

2 hours ago, Shawn M said:

they are glare shields to keep sun/moon light off the instrument faces

You seem pretty positive. How can you be so sure?  

 

This never seemed a problem to me, although I would concede that the things I flew didn't have panels quite as exposed as this one, but the 109s have  similar exposure and no shields.  

Edited December 20, 2018 by j ferguson

[monthebiff]

Ahh yes, I had that little problem and decided to snip the brass back a little rather than risk damage to the finished array supports!! Worked just fine for me. 

 

Regards. Andy

 

[mozart]

23 minutes ago, monthebiff said:

Ahh yes, I had that little problem and decided to snip the brass back a little rather than risk damage to the finished array supports!! Worked just fine for me. 

 

Regards. Andy

 

My thoughts exactly Andy, glad to hear it worked for you.....

[Shawn M]

2 hours ago, j ferguson said:

You seem pretty positive. How can you be so sure?  

 

This never seemed a problem to me, although I would concede that the things I flew didn't have panels quite as exposed as this one, but the 109s have  similar exposure and no shields.  

 

mentioned in the books i have on the subject