sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 So, here's my recommendation on how to avoid the dihedral problem, and it might aid in any engine problems. 1. Let the Fuselage do what it wants to. Simply put, my opinion here is that this kit would have few fit problems between the major sub-assemblies if there were no interior. Mate the fuselage halves together before installing any bulkheads. Omit the rear bulkhead at the tail wheel. It won't be seen anyway due to how the tail wheel has been engineered (it appears to be made to accept parts for another version of the ship) You can choose to fill the somewhat open seam at the forward end shown below, or remove a bit of material from the area where the arrow points. The slight problem at the aft end looks like an easy fix once the fuse is dry, too. I'm going to go with a "free range" fuselage and fill the seam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 After the fuse is dry, install the bulkheads. You can see here just exactly where the distortio of the aft cockpit portion of the fuse can be distorted. I really don;t think this will affect the dihedral or fit much, but to be sure I'm still going to leave it out until the fuse halves have cured. You going to end up with a lot of plastic dust before this build is done. You're going to have to carefully remove material from the areas where the arrow points so that the bulkhead will fit into the circled areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Here is wher the big problem is, and it's pretty obvious. While you might get away with installing the rear cockpit bulkhead, you're going to have a bad fit problem id you install this one. The problem is that this bulkhead provides the proper spacing between the belly of the ship and the forward wing root. The way to fix this, I believe is to assemble the fuse, wings, and cowl before even trying to fit this part. I'm going to see if I can locate some plastic stock to the underside of the upper wing to properly locate the wing/fuse elevation and join the wing to the fuse before even trhing to fit this bulkhead. It is almost certainly the culprit in the zero dihedral problem and will also likley contribute to cowl/fuse problems as well. All of the interior components of the fuselage can be installed from beneath, except maybe the seat which probably can be installed from above to get it centered and at the proper angle. Even the instrument panel can be installed this way. The cowl should also probably be fit together and then the engine bulkhead inserted from the rear. This is not how the instructions show the plane being assembled. They show the bulkheads being installed into the right half and then the left half mated to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 looking good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 To get thing right here, the assembly sequence should be to mate the fuse wsides first, then install the interior bulkhead after sanding to fit, then finish the wings and mate them to the fuse, and then assemble the engine compartment, after which you fit that forward bulkhead so that they all go together. Right now it looks like it's that forward bulkhead that is giving everybody problems. OK, so there won't be any exciting pictures of an assembled fuselage today. I'm simply going to mate it the way that it is and let it cure overnight. I should do a bit more work on the cockpit floor, the instrument panel, and the engine, but it's an absolutely gorgeious day here in this part of Texas so I'm going off on a hike (I'm starting to like the Global Warming stuff). My modeling excuse will be that I don't want to finish any of those other sub assemblies until the major ones are complete so that nothing gets broken off. But I could be working on completing the wing, as that going to have to be completed before installing that forward bulkhead....don't tell the Modeling Police I'm playin hooky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Before I go traipsing off into the Texas Cosatal Plain I want to say that none of these problems means that this is in anyway a bad kit. It has all of the problems one can expect from a Limited Run kit. Infact it has many less than one might expect. In many ways it is superior to the Trumpeter kit, which is supposed to fit well and be more accurate. Special Hobby has addressed many small details not present on the Trumpeter kit. The cockpit and gunsite are especially good. Bothe kits have their plusses and minuses. My suggestion would be that if you want to make either kit a better one, buy both and do some kitbashing. The cockpit glass, sidewalls, and floor will do the Trumpeter kit better than any of the aftermarket stuff I've seen so far, and the photo-etch that comes with this kit will do wonders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 One more pic before I go. I've clamped the spine near the cockpit opening and at the vertical stab. I've applied liquid glue from the inside and at the rear of the tail to let capillary action and gravity bring it between the mating surfaces. But the pic is provided to show just how well the fuse fits together without any interior bulkheads. Even the area forward of the cockpit looks to be a natural fit. After all this is cured, I'll work the forward cockpit area and then do the belly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 Back from a long hike and will do the last thing for the day. Glued the fuse forward of the cockpit, again from the inside using capillary action. Nothing to clamp here, so tape is being used. The two piece under the top piece hold the tape away from the seam so that the liquid glue does not capillary up under it and glue the tape to the fuse. Tomorrow morning we'll take the tape and clamps off and see what we've done. I think I'll join the cowl halves together tonite too so that the fit there can be checked against the front of the fuse before any bulkheads are added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 And on the morn, comes the fit problems. Pics below show how the bulkheads fit in the now glued fuselage. First, the rear cockpit bulkhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 The forward bulkhead. Both of these have been placed in until friction held them in place, and no farther. I had at first attempted to push the rear bulkhead all the way in and in the process separated about a half inch of the glued joint right at the cockpit end of the spine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 The cowl tapers from front to back, so it will be impossible to glue the halves together and then put the engine and bulkhead in from the rear. Test fitting of these is going to have to take place. For the time being, I taped the cowl halves together to test fit to the front of the fuse, sans bulhead. It's not perfect, but not tremedously bad either. A minor criticism here is that the cowl does not end at the cooling flaps but at a panle line about a half inch past the forward edge of the wing root. This is probably to accomodate different cowls for more verions of the Hawk 75, but I would have preffered the join been made at the cooling flaps to make it easier to cut out and display open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 This shows the biggest culprit is the forward fuselage bulkhead even better than the previous. Here it sits on top of the taped cowl. The bulkhead should fit inside both the cowl and the fuselage in the same manner. We now fold our tents and head to the Hobby store for a supply of sandpaper, but will first use a wre brush to clean out the grooves in all the files on the workbench...they will be needed. In the meantime, the wings need to be assembled as any further attempt at fit of forward area of the fuselage will also largely depend on them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 A day of sanding and fitting, and some progress, as well as more evidence that this is the way to go to insure fit at the cowl and wings. One problem remains. Below is the forward bulkhead , sanded to a point where the machine guns foul the fuselage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 Quick fit to see if this has gone far enough to solve things. Looks like the MGs will need to be removed and repositioned. You can see here how the bulkhead will negatively affect both cowl and dihedral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargevining Posted January 15, 2006 Author Share Posted January 15, 2006 The rear bulkhead no fits nicely. Material had to be removed from the sides and the curved areas at the rear windows. What remains can be filled with cyano snd lightly sanded, although this will require repainting. but the cowl fits OK even though the forward bulkhead keeps the wings from mating at the proper elevation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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