I couldn't resist delving deeper into the Dora build. I wanted to check the fit of the Eagle Parts gun cowling. Once this is resolved, I promise that I'll get back on the Ta 152. The kit gun cowling fits like a dream. Note the Ta 152 patiently awaiting attention in the background!
The Eagle Parts resin piece... not so good.
Several issues here. One is shrinkage. The part is a wee bit small based on comparison to the kit part. This is most apparent in the insufficient width of the part.
There is also a funky little warpage going on that corkscrews the front of the cowling down and to the right looking forward.
Time for a hot water bath! I was hoping that some bending and coaxing would be sufficient to get a decent fit out of this part. I widened the rearward gun hatch portion to match the fuselage and coaxed the warpage out. The fit still sucks. I'm not going to fight this one so it'll go into the spares box unused. Maybe I should swear off on these large resin pieces... more frustration than their worth.
But before I put the resin piece away, I'm going to use it as a model to modify the kit part. As you can see, the humps over the gun bulges are flatter and more subtle on the accurate (but ill-fitting) Eagle Parts cowling.
I used a couple pieces of thin sheet styrene to serve as a foundation for the built up area.
White milliput is gooped on. For some peculiar reason, the first application did not react with water and I had to remove it with iso alcohol and start over. This is the second application.
Using water, wet fingers and a damp paper towel to remove the excess, I roughly shaped the valley between the gun bulges. I'll let this dry and then further refine the shape with sandpaper and Mr Surfacer putty. If all goes well, I can rescribe any lost panel lines. I have an idea of how to restore the small circular opening.