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Old 03-18-2010, 06:58 PM
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cjwalas cjwalas is offline
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Made some progress on this one. The bubble canopy was a big concern for me because it's larger than any I've been able to pull with just heated plastic pulled over a form. So I figured I'd better make sure I could get the canopy to work.
Formed the paper canopy.
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3550.jpg
It's a bit odd in shape, bigger in the bubble than it should be, but good enough to form a Sculpey plug with.
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3551.jpg
My first attempt at this didn't go well. Not only did I not get a good canopy, I broke the plug in half! After fixing that, I made sure I heated the plastic thoroughly for the next attempt and I was pleasantly surprised when I got a good one on the very next try!
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3568.jpg
It took a good number of passes to slowly trim it down to size. The canopy is far from perfect; there as some uneven areas, but it should look OK. I attached the frame, double checked the fit and , satisfied, set it aside for later attachment.
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3569.jpg
Tail wings went on fine. The frame for the main wing is rather complex and I simplified it some. It's still plenty strong;
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3572.jpg
The main wings and fairings went on easily.
MM Aviation Contest P-47-img_3574.jpg
So far the fit on this kit has been really nice, the paper canopy being the only questionable piece.
That's it for now. More ASAP!
Chris
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