I've finally got the internal detail for the nose compartment more or less finished, apart from some re-touching, and masking and painting the inside frames of the nose canopy.
I started work late tonight and, as I knew I had to make the Mk.XIV bomb sight from scratch, involving making and assembling ten, very small, separate parts, using plastic tube, rod and strip, plus a couple of wires, using lead wire, I decided I'd better first administer some Modelling Enhancement Fluids, which seemed to do the trick !
PIC 1. Said M.E.L.
PIC2. Wiring from the computer to the sighting head, and from the computer to the main circuits has been added, using 0.4mm lead wire, and the bomb-aimer's kneeling pad was added from shaped, scrap plastic, and painted the normal dark bluish-green.
PICS 3 and 4. The sight in position and painted. Not very good pics, as it was a b*gger to try to focus without getting the shadow of the camera in the way, but no doubt it gives the general impression of how the nose compartment now looks.
The bomb sight could have been better, but the separate components are so small, it was very difficult physically holding them and assembling them, even with the use of various sizes of tweezers and other tools.
Now that I've made one (and the computer), I think I can find a slightly easier way to construct both, and then mould some in resin - something I initially thought would not work for the sight itself.
With this lot complete, next step is to finish off cleaning and polishing the canopy, paint those areas of the internal frames which can be reached, then mask the external canopy panels and fit the canopy to the nose. When set, and after adding the World's supply of lead to the void in the forward fuselage, the nose compartment can be fitted to the fuselage, and the joints eliminated with the use of thinned 'Milliput', to ensure a clean, seam-free joint, particularly around the canopy joints.
I hope to get this done over the weekend, and then turn my attention to the engine cowling modifications, although I might have limited time at the bench due to other commitments.
Thanks once again for your continued interest and kind comments, and I'll be back soon - if I don't get lost when trying out my new Sat Nav !!!