Messerschmitt Bf 110 Sternschnuppe

[zenrat]

Good question Rick.  Despite mounting the nacelle higher on the wing than in the standard Bf 110, even with a really stalky retracting tailwheel (I was thinking Corsair rather than Fw 190 Torpedo Bomber because I forgot about the Focke Wulf) the Bf 109 legs are too short.  This is probably because I put a lot of Dihedral on them.  Because of this though, moving the mountings inboard brings them nearer to the ground which helps.  I've added about 10mm to each leg and will cut that down to the amount I need when I have the sockets for them glued into the wings.

Today I spent most of my time working on my lathe making an aluminium foot to replace the plastic cap from the bottom of an adjustable breakfast bar leg.  This will enable me to locate it into a hole in the kitchen floor so violent vacuum cleaning poses no risk to its security.  I did however get time to glue some more small bits of off cut plastic into various holes and gaps on the Sternschnuppe.

I've also signed up for a bachelors degree in ursine hindsight which when I qualify will leave me with a Bear B.Hind.

Badoom tish.

Thank you, thank you i'll be here all week - try the veal.

[Captain Canada]

Badoom tish is right.....booooo



The lathe ? Aluminium ? Now we're talking ! Your fans should get a glimpse around the shop 

[zenrat]

Not much to see.  It's a Chinese made thread cutting lathe with an approx 2' bed, lots of slop in the adjusters and a bad habit of throwing off it's drive belt which if i'm unlucky then gets caught up in the pulleys and snaps. 
Which reminds me, having snapped my last spare belt yesterday I need to buy a couple of new ones.

I fitted the sockets for the main undercarriage legs to the Sternschnuppe today and trimmed the various pieces of hole filling plastic.  It now needs time for all the glues to harden before I can commence PSR on those parts.  I also started building a scoop for the rear engines air intake and cut the radiators off the original wings in order to re-mount them under the new centre section.

[Captain Canada]

Cheap and China go hand in hand eh ?

I think that's the worst part of model building is waiting for glue/ putty/ paint to dry...especially once a kit starts 'getting there' !

Don't forget to buy the spare belts 

[zenrat]

Chinese made stuff is getting better but my lathe predates that.

I continued building the air scoop and central radiator today.  At some stage I need to build an interior.

[NARSES2]

Chinese made stuff is getting better but my lathe predates that.

Before I retired we were finding that Chinese made steel being sold in Europe was at both ends of the quality spectrum. They made the "cheap and nasty" stuff and then they made top end stuff. Very little in the middle. Now they cover the whole spectrum except the "cheap and nasty". I'll let you guess where that comes from

[Captain Canada]

Chinese made stuff is getting better but my lathe predates that.

I continued building the air scoop and central radiator today.  At some stage I need to build an interior.

Sounds like me and my builds lol. Looking forward to seeing your scoop. I'm doing my second one right now. My first was a half round thing to look more 30s, and this one is a German type to look like that from a Stuka.

[zenrat]

This one looks suspiciously like it came of a drag car.

[Captain Canada]

Probably not a bad idea ! I have a few old car kits about, never really thought at looking what's in the boxes for spare bits and bobs ! Especially if you leave the hood closed eh ?

[JasonW]

Now they cover the whole spectrum except the "cheap and nasty". I'll let you guess where that comes from

Russia and India.

[zenrat]

Chinese made stuff is getting better but my lathe predates that.

Before I retired we were finding that Chinese made steel being sold in Europe was at both ends of the quality spectrum. They made the "cheap and nasty" stuff and then they made top end stuff. Very little in the middle. Now they cover the whole spectrum except the "cheap and nasty". I'll let you guess where that comes from

USA?

Bangladesh is the current source of cheap and nasty clothing made by 4 year olds in indentured servitude.
Cheap manufacturing had shifted to Korea but may now be done in Malaysia or Indonesia.

[NARSES2]

Now they cover the whole spectrum except the "cheap and nasty". I'll let you guess where that comes from

Russia and India.

Russian steel was quite good, some was very good. They had a load of high quality steel making from their armaments industry. India ? Saw very little if any, their capacity wasn't big enough for domestic consumption. Anyway they ended up buying British Steel/Corus. I retired the day before they took over.

[zenrat]

Rear engine scoop (not actually from a drag car but lookalike it might be from a Pro Stock) and central radiator.

[PR19_Kit]

I'm liking this more and more as the build progresses. 

[NARSES2]

Me as well. Lovely surgery