**** DONE: GB-49 1/48 Mosquito B.XVI - Favourite A/C of WWII

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As a Politician would say " Early indications are that it is not as bad as it seems " !
But it is taking some time, so we'll see !
 
Definitely tricky cutting, and also hard work and slightly painful too !
Three different saws, a scalpel, and nearly two hours work, and I've managed to get the first nacelle separated from the very substantial casting blocks !
After a trial fit, I decided that the huge rod and the remaining casting can stay as they are, as they don't seem to interfere with the fit.
The pics show the separated parts, still requiring a final trim and clean-up, the size and thickness of the casting block inside the lower nacelle, and the parts just loosely placed together. The gap at the lower joint is not a problem, and will attach properly with CA.
I definitely need a rest after that little task, and I'll tackle the other nacelle tomorrow !


 
Thanks chaps.
Just about to start cutting on the second nacelle, and I think I might try using the circular saw on my rotary power tool, although it may be too fast, and perhaps not accurate enough for the "full" cuts.
Might be back a little later ...................
 
Well, that worked !
I very rarely use my rotary power tool for modelling jobs, as, most of the time, it's too "aggressive" for delicate work.
It's a "Rotocraft" tool, similar to a Dremel, and with variable speed, although the slowest speed is still a fairly high 8,000 rpm - a tad high ( and hot ) for most work on plastic, although using it on resin is a little more forgiving.
However, using the circular saw in the tool, I was able to remove the heavier parts of the resin casting blocks fairly easily and quickly, taking it steady to ensure accurate cuts. The remaining work was completed using three different razor saws, and separating the second nacelle from the casting blocks only took a little over half an hour this time, compared to yesterday's nearly two hours !
I also took the opportunity to remove the large, solid resin "rods", as I felt the weight of these could possibly "drag" on the joints, when it's time to fit the nacelles to the kit parts. The remaining resin "spines" were left in place, as it was just too much hassle to try to remove them completely, without the risk of damage to the moulded pieces.
The upper cowling panels have also been removed from the kit parts, a fairly straightforward task just using a razor saw, after first scoring the panel lines with a scalpel blade, in order to create a guide for accurate cutting.
Next step is to remove the front portions of the kit's engine nacelles, which I'll do some time tomorrow.

Pics below show the resin nacelles, along with the bulk of the removed resin casting blocks, the resin "spines" left in place on the lower nacelle sections, and the upper cowlings removed from the kit's wing sections. Final pic shows the tools used to complete this work.

Thanks for your interest in this build, and I hope to be back with another up-date some time tomorrow.


 
Thanks all.
The destruction might not be over yet - looking at the kit nacelles / cowlings, the front bulkhead for the wheel bay is very close to the panel line where the cuts have to be made. I suspect this will mean that I'll have to trim back those spines in the resin lower cowlings, to prevent them fouling the bulkhead.
I should know very soon, when I start work again - and I think it's going to be a tricky job, due to the angles, and access for any of my razor saws.
Hopefully, I'll have something to show later tonight.
 

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