DocRob

Thanks FA and Carl, the radiators are indeed protruding far out, but they are relatively robust. The process of getting the complete front section glued to the monocoque needed some hefty handling and they hold up. Cheers Rob

The front section was really difficult to build together due to many intersecting parts. Finally, I got the coolers glued to the framework and let dry for a while. The next difficulty was to add the front section to the monocoque. You had to plan ahead and follow the instructions to the number, to get it done. Finally, I got the four connection points glued in, while fiddling all the other ducts, hoses and wires. I´m lucky that this part of the build is behind me now and I can look forward to marry the monocoque to the engine section soon. Cheers Rob

Great result, FA. Detailing, painting and weathering are spot on. Most modern tanks have little interest to me, but yours looks fantastic. Cheers Rob

Nice work overall, and also well photographed. I like your cockpit with all the details. PE flaps can be fiddly at times, but they improve the look a lot. Cheers Rob

Here the belts are 4 mm wide with applications being 3 mm wide. I have some 1/20 sets as well and they are less wide, but I didn´t measure them. Cheers Rob

Today, I finished the front office. Before installation, I glued all the tubing and wiring to the backside with CA and let dry. Then I fiddled the steering column with the instrument panel in place and laid the wires in their correct places, a delicate affair. After adding the x-bar to the instrument panel, I made the final installments to the front side, namely the fire extinguisher pull ring and the steering wheel. Cheers Rob

Nice job on the rigging Mike. I thought about a simplified method of rigging, when I start mine, but I don´t know, if it will satisfy me. If not, I have a tutorial now . Cheers Rob

Today I finished the steering wheel, which was first airbrushed gloss black for decaling, then received the rivets, followed by a coat of semi matte clear. After drying, I masked the inner part and applied a coat of Tamiya LP flat black and dabbed in some black StreetBlister textile flocks for texture with a brush. I was not satisfied with the matte look and added a coat of Tamiya LP flat clear, again not flat enough. Finally, I used good old Tamiya XF-1 flat black. The fibers were finger dabbed into the fresh point and there are still some of them waiting for a shave. It looks a bit coarse in the pic, but this is heavy macroed. The instrument front panel, made from PE was also sprayed gloss black, followed by decaling the switches and dials, followed by a semi matte clear coat as a finish. I then added some brackets to the instruments, before gluing and riveting everything to the front roll bar, which was polished beforehand. The bezels are supplied as clear acetate circles, which I glued using Future. Last were the white metal switches, with only the fire extinguisher pull ring missing, because it´s to fragile Cheers Rob

Who´s normal here, we nuts try to reproduce the reality in scale and I often wonder why . Cheers Rob

Thanks Carl, I first used the MFH seat belts with my Tamiya 1/12 Renault Turbo build and liked them better than the ones Tamiya supplied and bought them for all my F1 1/12 kits and even some 1/20 kits. Cheers Rob

Sorry, no hit, I checked my pix from a P47-D from Chino, but non showed it clearly. Problem is, the wheel well cover sits so tight around the axle and brake line, that it is barely visible at all. You should check, if it would be visible with your kit LG. Have you checked technical drawings? Cheers Rob

Looking very good. I don´t know, if you are aware of ION Models 1/200 figures and deck furniture sets. IONION MODEL Titanic furniture set 1/200 ION20th CENT. CIVIL SHIP PASSENGERS & CREW 1/350 Cheers Rob

The copper of the braking lines was supplied with the kit and actually is a tube with a very tiny bore. The copper from the exhaust coil springs was wire from the leftover box. Cheers Rob

One subject out of an earlier phase of the build was still aggravating me, the coil springs, which hold the exhausts in place. There are eight and I couldn´t add a single one, despite trying really hard. Then I had an idea. What if I insert a copper wire into the coil spring, to bend it easily into the needed curve. I tried and it worked. Half an hour later, this issue was fixed and I have an open issue less on my schedule. Cheers Rob

Beautiful plane and a great kit, denders. I built it some years ago and absolutely loved the experience. I can´t remember any real issues with the kit, in fact engineering and fit were near perfect. I wanted to try something new with the build and brush painted it with oil colors, which worked better than thought. If you are interested, here is a link to my build, where we had some interesting discussions about the original and especially about the paint scheme Cheers Rob