Ryan Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 yes #2 is no big deal. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 Cockpit PE is proceeding... veeeery sloooowly i need more than a few minutes at a time to do this - hoping for some solid blocks of time over an extended weekend up in the mountains... with just the slightest amount of luck, i’ll have this all at least assembled and primered by the time I head back to the office next Wednesday 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 Almost all of the base cockpit PE done and took a stab at wiring the IP - all while hanging at the lake house. there are far worse workbenches than this... priming tomorrow - but now, it’s time for a drink and a sunset 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 That is a great view for a workbench. The wiring on the IP looks fantastic as well. Carl 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 Last of the plain PE installed, primed, swore at, touched up, primed again... layer of Tamiya flat aluminum for wear and light chipping, then a slightly darkened cockpit green (matching some surviving examples from before they shifted to a darker internal green) and a slight start to some fading and detail. when I get home, it will be time for the seatbelts, Eduard colored PE, details, washes and general internal mayhem to bang things up a bit and make it look appropriately lived-in Meanwhile, it’s time to stop and watch the sunset, with a nice gin-n-tonic... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 Perfect workbench view... now I need to find a way to retire! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 So I’m continuing to take a hard look at the cockpit, trying to match photos of various vintages against the kit version, including the Eduard PE set. Two things i’ve noticed, regardless of the series within the P-47D family, are the rudder cables and pulleys, along with what looks like a support cable that connects from behind the IP to a point just forward of the stick. Since these are plainly visible in every photo i’ve seen, i’m going to see if I can scratch up a way to replicate them. Ditto for the connections between the throttle and engine. Last, i’ve seen two different throttle versions - I *suspect* that the correct version for my early series bird is a rounded knob, instead of the hand-sized grip provided in the PE set... more to come as I dig a bit deeper! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 Research is kinda fun! I found documentation that the 56th Fighter Group switched from the factory props to paddle-bladed spinners in January ‘44 - life is good 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Hey fellow Trumpeter warrior. Take a look at this 360 pit, its a bubble top, but you might be able to see some more detail. http://www.nmusafvirtualtour.com/cockpits/WWII_tour/WWII-23.html 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 5, 2019 Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 25 minutes ago, Ryan said: Hey fellow Trumpeter warrior. Take a look at this 360 pit, its a bubble top, but you might be able to see some more detail. http://www.nmusafvirtualtour.com/cockpits/WWII_tour/WWII-23.html Awesome and thank you! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Test fit of the cockpit wiring, and glass on the gunsight most of the wiring will be invisible, but i’m not sure which bits will be visible from where, so I went a bit overboard 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 That pit looks great! Love the wiring behind the IP! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 I’ve not had a ton of bench time this week, but still made a bit of progress. Most of the cockpit color PE is done and i’m working on the throttle quadrant and the mechanical links between the quadrant and controls. Once those are done, i’ll turn to cluttering up the floor - the pulleys for the rudder cables, control lock bar (this build will be displayed as during mission prep, so the control lock will be in place) and other suchlike bits Everything is all a bit bright with that lovely clean color PE - it will tone down considerably with some washes applied 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanReed Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 Looks great! Drinking looks fun too! LOL Cant wait to start on my Jug now! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 14, 2019 Author Share Posted September 14, 2019 Dry fit of the office, to see how much room I have for clutter... Not a ton of space in here! the stick is waaaay too tall - by something close to half an inch. It does at least have part of the connector for the control lock, which makes that a bit easier. There’s also *just* enough room for the rudder cables and pulleys and a bit of odd wiring along the floor. I’ll add throttle quadrant knoblies later - too much handling just now and i’ve Already lost one bit of PE to the carpet monster i also have to redo the seat - had an unfortunate incident with some thinner, and it needs a whole new coat. Fortunately it’s *supposed* to look a bit used! I’m debating whether I want to do the corrugated front bulkhead. There are a few angles from which it will be visible, but it’s also a right royal PITA - jury still out on that! This is something where trumpeter just flat dropped the ball on something simple... Once those are in... washes to dampen things down, a few instrument highlights and on to the next bits 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 Cockpit clutter coming along slowly, and without a huge amount of bench time it’s going to continue this way for at least another week. At least there’s some reportable progress... I worked out the throttle quadrant linkage, built up from some spare plastic and .015” hard wire. Once that was in, I turned to the control lock and rudder cable pulleys. The control lock is a bit of 1/32” brass rod, with a coat of thick CA applied and trimmed to form a sleeve. I need to do a second layer and cut it square before painting and attaching to the stick. The pulleys for the rudder cables seemed to be a bigger challenge than they are turning out to be (at least for the moment!). I punched out four 1/8” disks from .010” sheet, which when glued in pairs make quite passable pulleys. I drilled them and used some small brass pins left over from the Picket Boat as hubs - i’m happy so far with the results. I need to cut and build the mounting brackets from some thin brass, then paint and these will be done. getting the rudder cables rigged will be a bit of a pain, since there’s about zero working room. I figure i’ll connect the rigging line the the rudder pedals before installing them in the cockpit, then route the lines around the pulleys and out through the cockpit sides. I’ve seen a couple different versions of the cable routing - one variation has the cable routed through a thin guide tube from the pulley to the cockpit wall (outside of which is another set of pulleys), while the other simply has cable exposed the whole way. I’ll flip a coin and go with the version that seems closest in time to my bird... lastly, i’m making up the leather boot for the stick out of plain brown masking tape - it has exactly the right grain for this purpose and I have a pattern from an original P-47 parts manual page to use to cut it out. so that’s it for the moment - hoping to tie this all up and move on to the rest of the build after this coming weekend! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share Posted September 18, 2019 I’ve also convinced myself to replicate the metal flange around the base of the stick, as that’s another bit that’s kind of obvious in the middle of the floor. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 Got the rudder cable pulleys finished and installed took a couple of tries to get them looking right. I ended up using resin rivets for the centers, sanded flat. placement is as close as I can get, based on a handful of pics from different aircraft in various states of disarray ideally, they’d be a bit closer to the sides, but the doc case on the right side is a bit over-deep. This forced me to move the pulleys a bit towards the center, but they look good when viewed from above/outside. The paint will be washed/toned back a bit once the glue sets up. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJTX Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Wow! I'm absolutely loving the work put in here. Great research and fantastic build quality. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted September 23, 2019 Administrators Share Posted September 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, TJTX said: Wow! I'm absolutely loving the work put in here. Great research and fantastic build quality. Agreed completely. This is outstanding research coupled with an artist’s eye and a craftsman’s talent 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 Now this is interesting... I have the Eduard PE set for this bird, including seatbelts I’ve heard good things about HGW microfiber seatbelts, so I ordered a set, to do a side by side comparison. insofar as ease of use is concerned, they are both more than a bit fiddly, but the edge goes to the fiber - if only *just* now for the interesting part. Here are the right-side belts from both sets. HGW to the left, Eduard to the right. Both complete, with a light Vallejo wash. Notice anything odd? yeah - me, too... off to the books again to figure out which is correct... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 So based on original tech manual info, it *seems* like the HGW is more correct. But then, these manuals are known to show general shapes rather than precise dimensions for things not the focus of the specific part at-hand still looking - see if I can find some better contemporary photos 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 Gotta love research... found this, which would indicate that perhaps the Eduard set is better... Isn’t it fun when primary, contemporary, and hopefully authoritative sources conflict? soooooo... based on the photo, i’m going with the Eduard PE belts. The HGW set just seems too small - like they put 1/48 parts in their 1/32 package 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted September 25, 2019 Author Share Posted September 25, 2019 Completed belts and seat - using the Eduard set (I sent a query to HGW about their set - it seems like they packed a 1/48 set of belts in the 1/32 set package) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 jumping in here to say this is fantastic stuff! following with much , and of course the odd 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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