With the destruction virtually complete, the construction has commenced!
Before starting on the cockpit and other kit parts, I wanted to ensure that the wing was protected from possible damage, warping or splitting, as it has lost a lot of its rigidity due to chopping off so much plastic! I also needed to test-fit the fuselage to the wing properly, in order to construct a rigid firewall, some internal bracing, and the support for the lower cowling and supercharger intake. Consequently, the numerous holes have been 'plated over' with plastic card on the inner surfaces of the wing, and the main work around the gun bays taken care of.
PIC 1. Shows the starboard cannon and ammunition bays cut out around the hole left by the remobval of the 'B' wing blister, and a plastic card insert cut to shape and glued into place, forming the new shape. This bay will be displayed open on the finished model, and will be boxed in, and the gun, ammo and other scratch-built details added when the main construction is finished.
PIC 2. The port gun bay has been cut to the correct shape, again around the hole left from the 'B' wing blister, and is ready for sanding and 'plating'.
PIC 3. The inboard cannon cover from the Mk.22 kit will be used, and here the twin - blister covers have been sawn in half, ready to fit the longer of the two.
PIC 4. With the cover glued in place, the underside has been backed with plastic card, and an insert cut roughly to shape to fill the remaining depression.
PIC 5. Shows the resulting 'step' in the aperture, caused by the thickness of the plastic of the wing, which will be covered by the insert, then filled and sanded smooth.
PIC 6. With the insert cemented in place, the outline for the ammunition bay hatch has been lightly scrided. The scrathes and cuts from the previous 'surgery' will be covered by the filler, or by sanding and polishing later.
PIC 7. The large holes on the bottom wing, left by the removal of the cannon blister, the oil cooler and the large radiator, have been blanked-off on the inside, once again using plastic card, then backed-up with more card on the outer surface. These areas will be filled and sanded as required, before adding the deeper radiators from the Mk.22, and the small cannon blisters, which I have yet to mould from thin plastic sheet.
The top of the wings were cemented onto the lower wing section, taped, and put aside to set properly, whilst some work was commenced on cleaning-up the kit's cockpit parts, ready for painting and detailing. When the wing had fully set, it was carefully taped onto the fuselage, which itself was taped together for the exercise, in order to check alignment, and take accurate measurements for the parts required for the forward end of the model.
PIC 8. Shows the wing and fuselage together, and it was noticed that the wing is still somewhat 'floppy', having lost a lot of its integrity due to the relatively large amount of surgery, particularly in the area around the large underwing radiator, which, of course, no longer exists!
PIC 9. Shows the area at the front, where most of the next stage of work will take place. A substantial fire wall will need to be constructed, in two sections, to fit into the open front of the vertical and angled cowlings. This will need to be braced, and be absolutley rigid, in order to take the weight of the engine and large engine mounts. These items must be properly aligned, and perfectly solid, in order for the cowlings to fit properly, and for the large 5- blade prop and spinner to locate and align squarley. Once these and the other engine bay detail parts have been successfully fitted, then the lower cowling can be cemented in place, squared up, and blended in with filler, before fitting the forward section of the supercharger intake. I suspect this is going to be the most difficult part of the whole conversion.
PIC 10. Shows the portion of the lower fin which has been removed. The inner faces of both fin halves will be thinned down, and a plastic card fillet fitted, to join with the upper rear fuselage. Once the fuselage halves have been cemented together, and are fully set, the fillet will be coated with Milliput epoxy putty, blended into the fuselage and fin and, when set, sanded to the correct shape of the broader chord Mk.XIV fin. The modified Mk.22 rudder will be matched to the new fin, then fitted later.
So, that's the main cutting and butchering done, and it's now time to get creative!
Hopefully, I'll get a bit more done in the next day or so, in between finishing the Avenger for the GB, doing more work on the Spit 22, tackling still more stencil decals on the Hunter, and writing some bits and pieces for various people.
Good 'ere, innit?!!