Gave up on some of the shopping - bl**dy mad house in town, don't people realise that the shops are only closed for one day over Christmas !!??!!
Didn't get the paint brushes either, as, very surprisingly, the local art shop didn't have any good quality brushes of the right type and size !
I'll try another source tomorrow.
Anyway, made some progress with the model, with some small areas attended to, and the first stage of joining the fuselage underway.
Pic 1. I almost forgot this, until seeing Wayne's thread. A small slot has been cut for the VHF blade antenna fitted to the Swiss birds, which will be shaped from plastic card and fitted later in the build.
Pics 2 and 3. Not sure of this is supposed to be an antenna, or an anti-collision beacon, but it shouldn't be there on the Swiss aircraft, so off with its head !
Pic 4. The louver-style engine auxiliary doors have been engraved on both sides. Still need a bit more sanding to tidy up, and will be highlighted once the model has been painted.
Pic 5. This is how the underside of the wing fits into the upper side. Test-fitting showed a slight step around the joint edges, so some filing was required.
Pic 6. The inner surface of the wing was filed around all the contact edges, including the LERX , checking for fit until a good, even and flush joint was achieved when test-fitting.
Pic 7. As anticipated, a small 'spreader' was needed to help align the fuselage halves, so this length of sprue was inserted between the fuselage side and the cockpit tub, on the port side. It was
supposed to be inserted with the ends touching the tub and fuselage, but flipped around and wedged itself tight - but it worked, and has stayed there !
Pics 8 and 9. A chunk of lead and some lead air gun pellets were loaded into the lower half of the nose, and secured with 'Plasticine' to ensure the nose wheel stays on the deck.
Pic 10. Stage 1 of joining the fuselage halves. The rear section was a good enough temporary fit without cement, so the wing sections were cemented first, clamped, and allowed to set. Although the joints follow panel lines in most cases, the gaps are very prominent, and will be filled with stretched sprue, and any re-scribing carried out once set.
Next stage is to cement the horizontal joint on the rear fuselage, clamp if required and allow it to set, before moving forward and doing the same thing on the forward joint.
I might get this done, and some pics posted, a little later tonight, if my wrists are up to it (still a bit tender at the moment. ).