Hey guys!
Sorry for lack of progress here so far, as usual modelling time is very limited!
I have filled the wings and fuselage, but spent ALOT of time trying to resolve a few detail issues. These include:
1. Props - need replacing altogether. The props from the Frog/Novo Airspeed Oxford kit are perfect in size and shape, but you need to scratchbuild a spinner. The best match for that shape seems to be the unusual noses of some 1:48 drop tanks I bought in an E-Bay job-lot once, if I can just blend the two nicely...
The best solution was a surprise discovery though - checking an Eastern Express (Frog) Miles Magister for it's wheels, and finding the one-piece prop and spinner are an almost perfect match! Some slight thinning and reshaping to the blade profile and a backplate for the spinner should make a very passable Dominie prop. To get the second prop, I bidded on E-Bay for a Novo Magister (also ex-Frog), which luckily I won tonight. (The kits will not be wasted of course - the kids will get one each, with the Heller Dominie props
)
2. Wheels - position in spats is a little too high/ deep. Working out if it's better to a) remove the pin (moulded into one half of the spat) and reposition it (would need to be a stong joint), b) remove the pin and scratchbuild the u/c legs like the real thing to get the right depth (attachment into the curved upper nacelle poses it's own problems), or c) go for optical illusion and keep the pins in place, replacing the wheels with some with a slightly larger hub which shows more outside the spat. Regarding the last option, using the kit photo sheet as a guide, I discovered the Italeri F-51D Mustang wheels were almost ideal, right down to the tread pattern - till I read the caption comment that the wheels of the subject aircraft (ZK-AKY, which I have personally flown in!) are not standard. Bugger!
So still playing with options there.
3. Cockpit floor and seats - the cockpit floor is fine, but the legs of the seats are very thick. This probably isn't an issue unless you've opened the bloody door like I have. This means the seat legs need replacing and extra leg bracing scratchbuilt, and the big holes in the cockpit floor filled.
Trying to be sneaky, I thought I could just glue an extremely thin sheet of styrene over the floor to cover the holes, and drill them out smaller for the new thinner legs by turning it over and using the unfilled holes a a guide. In theory, great. In practice, the sheet styrene is too thin to handle the glue and buckles. 3 attempts and 3 different glues (including PVA) produced the same effect. May have to just fill them after all, but I am suss on drilling into the filler. Another option is to just fill the holes, glue the seats in place, and hope like hell they don't come loose. Don't trust that though...
So those are my main little dilemmas at moment with the kit. If anyone has any brainwaves on how to solve them, I am all ears!
Cheers, and apologies for keeping yas all waiting again!
Evan