My 'personal' CMC Leopard - FINISHED

[PR19_Kit]

As you can see, the build is going apace. At this rate I'll have it finished before the 2nd coat of LAG on the Atlas dries!

Eat your heart out Dizzy.  Ah no, Thomas would have FINISHED a Leopard by now. 

The wings don't fit, what a surprise..... 

In the pic below the red arrow shows where the port wing root is too curved to fit the fuselage side. The fairing sticking out of the trailing edge can be bent to fix this, and I've done that on the starboard wing (green arrow) With a bit of hefty pressure and some good glue it'll be good.

The wings have a small amount of anhedral in reality, but the 'pin and hole' attachment method will give you any amount that you like so best have a look at a plan to get it right. I've posted one at the bottom of here, for those doing similar builds.

[PR19_Kit]

If anyone sees Leopard ventral fin passing by, please catch it for me, it's about 17 mm long and 3.5 mm deep.......

It's tapered top to bottom so gripping it in the tweezers isn't easy, and mine suddenly took off at high speed and vanished from sight. I'll have to cut another from styrene.

On which subject, that plan above has the ventral the wrong shape, it's far too curved, so I've replaced it with a modified version.

I've found what may be another problem, the relatively vast cockpit canopy is too wide, and overhangs both sides of the fuselage. 

With careful positioning it may be possible to file the sides down to the correct width after the glue has dried, so I think I'll use styrene glue rather than PVA for that job.

[JayBee]

the first shot points to a very small 'canard' strake on the nose. AFAIK neither Leopard had those so I'll be sanding them off, should take at least two strokes of the file, one per side. 

Could not agree more, from looking at photos on the internet, especially one from the Midland Air Museum, it looks like on the right hand side (starboard) there is in that position a pitot tube which looks rather like that is what has been interpreted as that little strake. There is no evidence for anything on the port side.

I think was an anti-spin parachute on the prototype. My thoughts entirely, Kit.

[PR19_Kit]

the first shot points to a very small 'canard' strake on the nose. AFAIK neither Leopard had those so I'll be sanding them off, should take at least two strokes of the file, one per side. 

Could not agree more, from looking at photos on the internet, especially one from the Midland Air Museum, it looks like on the right hand side (starboard) there is in that position a pitot tube which looks rather like that is what has been interpreted as that little strake. There is no evidence for anything on the port side.

I think was an anti-spin parachute on the prototype.
them off, should take at least two strokes of the file, one per side. 

My thoughts entirely, Kit.

[I edited it for you Jim  ]

It occurred to me that I've seen G-BRNM numerous times, because it's always there when we do the Coventry Show, so I must have a pic or two.



And here it is, complete with pitot tube just where you said it was. 

And it has a nose probe too, which appears on the box lid as well, but I'm not sure I'll fit either of them to my model, they'd be far too fragile.

[PR19_Kit]

That's all the main assembly done, just about 12 hrs since the first 'tape up'.  But then it is a VERY small kit with a low parts count.

I cut a new ventral strake and added a small dorsal fin, which is shown in many of the drawings but neither of the two aircraft had one, and while I was going to extend the wings  the aspect ratio is already very high, so at JayBee's suggestion I added a couple of winglets, thank you Jim. 

Now to do a little bit of PSR on the wing joints and then to paint the cockpit interior before I do some colour matching for the blue paint and the blue on the decals.

[TheChronicOne]

Lovin' every aspect of this!

[CammNut]

It really is a flying Bond Bug.

But I can't want to see the beaching trolley for this one...

[PR19_Kit]

It really is a flying Bond Bug.

But I can't want to see the beaching trolley for this one...

Hehehe, I should get another one and paint it orange with black stripes. 

But a flying boat Leopard, perhaps with Sea Dart-like water skis, AND a beaching trolley of course, would suit the next GB a treat. 

[PR19_Kit]

After A small amount of PSR (well it would be small as it's such a small model  ) I got some primer on it last night.

This morning it's obvious that a bit more PSR will be needed as there are some significant sink marks on the upper surface of the wings, right above the moulded-in main gear bays. 

[Thorvic]

How big is the canopy overhang Kit ?

Just thinking as possible fix for future builders that they widen the fuselage by adding plastic strip to the fuselage halves and to plug the cockpit  ?

[PR19_Kit]

It's about the thickness of the canopy moulding at the widest part, maybe 0.75 mm each side? It fits better toward the nose and is a little better at the rear.

I'm thinking that I may be able to squish it in a tad while it's drying, we'll see.............

Widening the fuselage would be good anyway, as the seats fit between the fuselage walls and the centre console, and both of the front seats needed filing to fit in the gap.

[JayBee]

The overhang on mine is not quite as big but it is certainly there. I think a slight squishing in (technical term) might work.
Mine has not progressed for the last couple of days as I am getting ready for to-morrows Glasgow show.

Jim

[PR19_Kit]

We need to open a thread on 'squishing' techniques obviously, there being many and varied versions of the art in use at present.

[PR19_Kit]

The trouble with showing build pics of a grey model is that they don't look all that different between the last of the assembly pics and the primered ones..........

Anyway, here's the Leopard PSR'd and primered within an inch of its life, the underside this time just for the hell of it.

Painting the cockpit interior next, then gluing the canopy (with added 'Squish'..) then a bit of masking and painting the colour coat.



On my laptop screen that pic is maybe 1.5 times the size of the real thing. 

[TheChronicOne]

Looks good...  these are such neat lil airplanes. 

All the best for a successful squishing!