Trumpeter P-47D Razorback

[crazypoet]

I also finished up the squared-off cowl flaps for the D-5, and I like the way they’re fitting.  Still need to be re-primed and may do a touch-up on the rivets, but I’m happy so far

 

[KevinM]

Nice looking work these Trumpter P-47's build up into a pretty good representation of the crate.

[crazypoet]

6 hours ago, KevinM said:

Nice looking work these Trumpter P-47's build up into a pretty good representation of the crate.

They do!  Add in a bit of aftermarket and it gets even better.

in this case I’m building a specific aircraft, which is why I had to “back-rev” the kit to a D-5

fortunately, it’s pretty straightforward to do this

[crazypoet]

So.  In today’s episode of “why the hell didn’t I think of this *before* glueing something in place…”

Each of the two hydraulic cylinders that raise and lower the main gear needs two fiddly little holes drilled to attach the hydraulic lines.

plus, I need to drill a hole in the side of each gear well to accept one of the lines (the other tucks neatly underneath and out of sight)

this would have been *so* much easier if I’d considered it either before gluing the cylinder in place or before joining the wing halves

7-P process in full display here 😂

at any rate, I’ve figured out the shapes and curves of the lines, I know where I have to drill, and just need to put a finish on the lines themselves.  After much head-scratching and testing of different materials, I decided to go with some brass wire I had laying about to form the lines.

with a small bending brake, I can set the correct angle for the connection to the cylinder, and the way it creates the bend gives me the look of a  proper hydraulic fitting at the point of the bend.  For the lines past the fitting, I’ll dip the wire in some black primer to give the proper OD for the hoses, then add a bit of texture to make them look like braided lines

(yah, I have two sizes of scale braided lines, but the .5mm is too small and the .8mm ended up being a bit large after stretching over the brass wire…)

wheeee!

[FullArmor]

1 hour ago, crazypoet said:

So.  In today’s episode of “why the hell didn’t I think of this *before* glueing something in place…”

Each of the two hydraulic cylinders that raise and lower the main gear needs two fiddly little holes drilled to attach the hydraulic lines.

plus, I need to drill a hole in the side of each gear well to accept one of the lines (the other tucks neatly underneath and out of sight)

this would have been *so* much easier if I’d considered it either before gluing the cylinder in place or before joining the wing halves

7-P process in full display here 😂

at any rate, I’ve figured out the shapes and curves of the lines, I know where I have to drill, and just need to put a finish on the lines themselves.  After much head-scratching and testing of different materials, I decided to go with some brass wire I had laying about to form the lines.

with a small bending brake, I can set the correct angle for the connection to the cylinder, and the way it creates the bend gives me the look of a  proper hydraulic fitting at the point of the bend.  For the lines past the fitting, I’ll dip the wire in some black primer to give the proper OD for the hoses, then add a bit of texture to make them look like braided lines

(yah, I have two sizes of scale braided lines, but the .5mm is too small and the .8mm ended up being a bit large after stretching over the brass wire…)

wheeee!

A little advance planning is always worth it😄

[crazypoet]

So with much cursing, a couple of drinks, and managing to break *both* of the tiny actuator arms for the inner landing gear doors (these things survived two years of storage and handling, only to fall prey to my using a bit of extra force with a pair of needle-nose pliers while fitting these lines.  Gawds 🤦‍♂️  Fortunately, I have the correct size wire stock and drill bits to replace them later)

the first set of lines are in and the glue is drying (micro crystal clear, since I needed it to dry slowly).  I have a bit of cleanup to do, but I’m happy with the results

My version, followed by a photo of a restored original (they used the same materials as the original, excepting the bright blue cap on the fittings 😂)

I stand ready for your ridicule