Peterpools

Thanks Dennis, much appreciated. To be honest, if it wasn't for Kai, most likely I would have noticed something was wrong way after the Whirlwind crossed the line.

Mark You're speeding through the HEMTT M1147 and it's looking so good. What was the holdup point on the Viggen?

WELL, I DID IT AGAIN Don’t know how but I did it again. Now I know why I had so much trouble with the fit and shape of the nose … I had it on upside down. Kai sent a PM the other day pointing out my mistake and at first, I couldn’t believe it but he was a 100% correct. I went back and looked at the same photographs I’ve used all along and the instructions and sure enough, I blew it. Bad enough I had it wrong but this was already the second time I removed the nose; first time was to correct the cannon angle and try and remedy the nose profile. Thank goodness Kai saw my mistake as any later in the build and it would have been impossible to correct it without stripping the entire model back to bare plastic and there was no way I would have had the energy or desire to do it. At that point, the Whirlwind would have become a permanent resident of the SOD. Looking for an excuse, there is none, the blunder was mine. The Repair: First step was to remove all the Tamiya Putty from the first repair so I could see the actual nose seam line in at least a few spots and tape the cut line. With a CMK Fine Razer Saw Blade, I ever so gingerly cut the nose off. The first time I removed the nose and cleaned up the mess, there was not much of the fuselage wall left and I needed to build up the glue faces with Evergreen styrene. It worked well and now doing it all over again, I had to cut through and then remove all the styrene bracing and start over. I prepared the nose and fuselage as best I could, added new internal styrene bracing for some much needed strength and carefully glued the nose back on, which didn’t fit at all. What I was able to accomplish at this point was to get the cannons square to the Whirlwind center line and play with the nose cone until I had the right profile. There were large, ugly gaps nearly completely around the nose but I just let the Extra Thin do its job and dry thoroughly overnight. The mega gaps were filled with sheet styrene and when dry, I went to work sanding and shaping. CCA was used to fill any remaining gaps, holes and ultra thin seam cracks. From here, a lot more sanding with the worst of the repair over. It’s done and I’m ready to rejuvenate my mojo, get the juices flowing and get back on course. With this build, I’m never going to say; the worst is behind and it looks like smooth sailing. The only time it will be smooth sailing is when I cross the finish line. Please excuse the photos as I wanted to document the work as I progressed and there was no time to do my normal setup One ugly repair up to this point, with adjusting the alignment and profile as best as I could. Starting to fill in the gaps with Evergreen Styrene Done and moving on.

Scott, some mighty nice progress on the Texan and you are handling the KH fit issues one after another, like a hot knife through butter. Just seems that a majority of manufacturer's run into fit issues when the decision is made to use removable panels - almost never fit. I rarely leave them open and as with the case with the Texan, need to spend lots of time correcting the fit. Why in the world can't they just mold it closed and leave cut lines on the inside for those that want the panels open?

Mike Very nice progress and all the small details are certainly adding up in a big way! Right with you about the fit and instructions ... just requires so much extra time to figure things out before getting on with the work at hand.

Mark Absolutely the best way to avoid frustration when a situation isn't going well on the Viggen, just put it aside and think things through with a fresh mind and perspective. Nice choice for your fill in/alternate build - will be following all the way.

Bill Nice work on the gears - looks perfect and so good on the Big Cat.

Kev Right with Rob, beautiful work.

Ernie Perfect work on the wing attachment butt joint - your system solved any and all problems and looks spot on the money.

Thanks Rob I do the same but with a sharp needle in a pin vise but I still struggle finding the center. The more I think about it, I was always had issues with drilling out gun barrels - never understood why.

Ernie Agreed and I need to look at it a different way. One area that they should have improved was the instructions - same as with the Whirlwind. Poor, vague instructions just lead to a lot of frustrations and redo's, which I'm knee deep in now.

John Tri color paint scheme is looking so good and has your magical touch all over it

Chris Looking forward to your Me 262 photographs and build thread. Glad you're on board, as LSM is a wonderful forum and a great place to hang out.

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. I'm getting there and making progress.

Thanks Phil, very much appreciated

Welcome aboard Scott and look forward to following your work.

Ernie Your perseverance is amazing and shame on them. I just never understood why some companies that produce AM sets and details have fit issues. Afterall, they have the actual kit to work fit and surely with their talent for creating detail parts, fit should be as important as detail. ❗

Carl Nice progress on the Starfighter's fuselage work and completely stand on your side of the fence on having all the panels and speed brakes closed.

Thanks Carl Got ya but once it's done, the worst is behind. For me the least liked stage of any build: filling, sanding and scribing, of which scribing is number one on that list. One super plus for the Starfighter, with its thin and small wings, a huge plus in my book.

Thanks John Getting close but I'm still a bit away as there is a lot to still do before I reach the turn for the home stretch. Hoping to be there after priming is done and all the redos are finished and I'm sure the Whirlwind will have more than its share.

Agreed for sure

Martin, thanks for the video - pretty cool how they pack the kits. Any videos on how Infinity actually produces the kits?

John Nice progress and a Brewster Corsair for the collection - now something. painting is my favorite part of any build and once there, you're officially in the homestretch.

Thanks John Making progress and with some luck, I should be priming and painting by next week.

Thanks martin, much appreciated. Those ugly seam lines are actually seam I filled with CCA and then checked with a Sharpie and then followed up with more CCA. They are sealed and hopefully gone for good.