Thanks for the Contactable nozzle suggestions, chaps, I'd given up on them for ever clogging up.

I was going to fit the gun barrels today but looking at them I decided to root out my eduard Spitfire spares. Not enough of the type I wanted so I started to adapt what there was only to decide that was too much hassle and some of the barrels would be extremely likely to brake, like 99% likely to brake. Five minutes on the Hannants website and I have two sets of brass Spitfire gun barrels ordered. I will split the different cannon barrels between the two aircraft I am building, shorter barrels on one, longer on the other. Looks like I will have to work on another part of the P-53 this evening then 

Gondor

The replacement gun barrels arrived today. I decided that I could hide any excess barrel length inside the wings to make them the same length as the kit's parts but also so that I could make them level with each other.



A little more PSR was needed on the under-fuselage intake join as well.

Gondor

 

A good idea. And less chance of them being broken off.
This is looking better all the time.

 

I thought it might be a good idea to take a comparison photograph, to show the differences between the original gun barrels and the nice new shiny brass ones.



I vast improvement I think.

Gondor

You can't beat nice new shiny brass. 

Quote from: Gondor on September 22, 2024, 10:20:37 AMI was going to fit the gun barrels today but looking at them I decided to root out my eduard Spitfire spares. Not enough of the type I wanted so I started to adapt what there was only to decide that was too much hassle and some of the barrels would be extremely likely to brake, like 99% likely to brake. Five minutes on the Hannants website and I have two sets of brass Spitfire gun barrels ordered. I will split the different cannon barrels between the two aircraft I am building, shorter barrels on one, longer on the other. Looks like I will have to work on another part of the P-53 this evening then 

Gondor

Steal the barrels from an Eduard kit or three and I'll add some extras into that growing box of bits.  I have a lot of spares thanks to a bag or three bought on eBay a while back and I'll never be able to use them all.

Quote from: The Wooksta! on September 27, 2024, 02:27:03 PM

Quote from: Gondor on September 22, 2024, 10:20:37 AMI was going to fit the gun barrels today but looking at them I decided to root out my eduard Spitfire spares. Not enough of the type I wanted so I started to adapt what there was only to decide that was too much hassle and some of the barrels would be extremely likely to brake, like 99% likely to brake. Five minutes on the Hannants website and I have two sets of brass Spitfire gun barrels ordered. I will split the different cannon barrels between the two aircraft I am building, shorter barrels on one, longer on the other. Looks like I will have to work on another part of the P-53 this evening then 

Gondor

Steal the barrels from an Eduard kit or three and I'll add some extras into that growing box of bits.  I have a lot of spares thanks to a bag or three bought on eBay a while back and I'll never be able to use them all.

No need Lee, see above.

Gondor

Started work on the main undercarriage but needed to find out what the angle of rake was for it. So I went online and found a better drawing than I had already in my reference library and then printed out a copy on a sheet of A4.



I have a ruler and protractor with which I came to the conclusion that the forward rake is 72^o. I have also decided to replace the kit's main wheels with ones pinched from a PK Hawker Tempest.

Gondor

I realised afterwards that I could use the drawing to help get the angle correct for the door on the undercarriage leg.



My attempt from earlier today was not as good as it could have been. No matter, flood the joint with Liquid Polly^* and remove then fit at the correct angle.



Now that looks much better. The same was done to the other leg only when fitting back together I held the door against the previously glued door, then fitted the leg to match the one I was holding 

Gondor

^* No parrots were harmed in the production of this or any other post.

And now you'll see why you have to hack about with the wing end of the lags, or they won't fit into their sockets at the correct angle.

Quote from: PR19_Kit on September 28, 2024, 12:35:26 PMAnd now you'll see why you have to hack about with the wing end of the lags, or they won't fit into their sockets at the correct angle.

I never doubted you on that point Kit as I had looked at several photographs and a couple of other builds. The real thing will be fitting them correctly as you say. I think a few paper templates and some two-part epoxy will be called for once I open up the sockets a bit.

I am going to try to fit a gunsight and the canopy this evening before bed or early tomorrow. Hope the get the main legs on tomorrow.

Gondor

Later: Well that was only a partial success 

The gun sight was fitted with no problem but the canopy! Let's just say that it fitted where it touched, which was at the front and rear. Absolutely nowhere else. Gaps big enough to get a bus through along the sides. So what I have done is paint more of the area surrounding the cockpit in black tp try and hide any work that I do to get the canopy to fit. So far I have three options.

1) Fill the gaps with glue
2) Add a shim to the fuselage and carefully file away until the canopy fits
3) Add shims to the canopy and file away until the shim matches the fuselage.
4) Fit a windscreen and canopy in the open position, The parts will not need to come from the kit, they just have to look as if they do.

Options 2 & 3 are probably the hardest to do as I can easily damage or lose parts although Option 2 can use filler on the fuselage to fill up the gap. Option 4 is the easiest if I can find close-fitting parts, which is also the problem.

I think I will try option 2 with option 4 as a back-up.

In the end, I did a variation of Option 1. I carefully filed away parts of the inside of the canopy as it was not contoured to match the fuselage. This vastly improved things.



I use ZAP Canopy Glue. Formula '560'. Once I had made sure the edge of the canopy was well-coated with glue, I selected a paintbrush and moved into the kitchen where I made the glue smooth with a little tap water on the brush. Quite pleased with the result. 

It's fighting me, but I fight back!

Gondor