**** DONE: GB-36 1/48 FW190A-5 - Axis Manufactured Aircraft of WWII

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That came out Really Nice Andy!! if I thought about the cooling doors I try just CA it 's not much needed ?

I see Kirby is working on being the new master of the double post Matt's old job
 
Thanks guys. I just dabbed some Tamiya primer on the corners of the exit louvres. I have some in a bottle that's nearly empty and it thickened up really nicely to almost a toothpaste consistency so it's ideal for this purpose. A little filing after it cures should do the trick.
 
nice work fixing the fit issues Andy. I struggle even with basic fit problems. this is altogether another league. Is the kit just poorly manufactured?
 
Thanks Michael. Yeah the model had an odd design for the parts breakdown around the nose cowl, making things hard to fit properly. On top of that, I don't think the parts were accurately made and these two factors result in the alignment problems. The worst part is this:



.....versus how Eduard does it below . This provides a much more positive alignment of the parts around the nose.

 
in some ways though, and perhaps as the sole consolation, fixing a sows ear like this kit has its own perverse rewards.


I probably should go now.....
 
Thanks guys.

Michael, I'd not go so far as to call this kit a sow's ear. The fit issues are average (we can't expect everything to fit like a Tamiya kit) and can be overcome with patience. Those less anal than me would have let them go and the model would likely still be presentable. The surface details are quite nice and the cockpit and wheel wells are pretty well-stocked.

Things should go quicker now. The horizontal stabs are now in place (fit well with a small need for filing the opening for the elevator connectors) and I can get on with the landing gear, wind screen, and gunnery, which I will replicate in brass.
 
Gun sight scratched and then the windscreen added. Pretty good fit but the detail at the base was all wrong so I filed off the ridge that was there and added two bits of rod to represent the gun cowl hinges. The windscreen was dipped in Future a couple of days ago. The one louvre that needed a bit more work got some treatment but I didn't bother to prime it again as it should be good now.

 
Thanks Geo.

Worked on the landing gear and canopy parts today for a bit. The gear legs had incorrect details that were an easy fix: the attachment points for the covers are simply a tube welded to the strut with a bolt running through. The kit mould looks as though the bolts extend equally long on either side which is incorrect so I cut the extensions off (compare before, left, with after modification at right below). The struts had been previously painted 02 with left over paint from the wheel well work.



With the bolts modified, I added the brake lines using lead wire as well as the attachment straps which are aluminum tape. The flexible portions to the wheel hubs will be added once the covers are glued on. It's unfortunate that the oleos were moulded bare as they would normally be covered with protective bellows but I didn't feel like trying to replicate the effect so the oleos were painted silver.



Another issue. The kit provides PE details including the one at left for the head armour. Unfortunately the round hole for the padding is bogus as this would be correct for the later fixed armour plate. The proper pad is provided in the kit and the instructions show a different armour plate so maybe I got the wrong PE fret with the kit. No matter. I used the PE part as a template to cut a new piece out of styrene card. I then attached the kit head pad and added a couple of bolts for the linkages that connected the armour to the canopy frame. These are tiny pieces of stretched sprue cut to length and manipulated with the applicator brush from my Tamaiya Extra Thin cement.




Thanks for peeking in. That's all for now.
 

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