Saro London - 1:72

[Siwi]

I am getting fed up with Google photos not displaying. There seems to be no reason why images all in the same albums, which have full public viewing permissions, will randomly fail to display one day to the next, whilst others stay fine for ever. Is it the file size or dimensions? In the meantime, if you are part of the Facebook group for this forum you can see build pictures in my updates.

[Draco]

Try to upload them from your computer, there shouldn't be any problem.

[Draco]

Siwi, about the placement of the inner struts, they go attached to the engine and not to wing. I'll put a drawing in the instructions to clarify this point. There is a line where the part I3 is attached to the engine, but you are right, if you assume a standard biplane you'll be confused.

[Siwi]

Thanks Draco. I immediately recognise Cowes, IoW, in the second photo. The big crane is still there. Osbourne House, Queen Victoria's summer residence, is visible at the top of the hill. Saunders-Roe had a factory just out of shot to the left, which is still used for building passenger ferries.

[Siwi]

Here are some construction photos of the upper wing, which was completed today. I made the mistake of not seeing that the centre section, which was a fuel tank, had side pieces and should be taller than the wings themselves. When I went to glue the centre skin piece, it stuck out the rear of the wing, which I then asked Draco about. So surgery had to be done to cut away part of this piece, insert the reinforced side pieces on 1.5mm mount board, and wrap the correct outer skin around the centre. It is almost not noticible...


I cut away and reattached the ailerons too, not sure how much difference it makes but there is a bit of extra relief and it did help with attaching the formers properly. I will have to adjust the wings to get the correct dihedral during final assembly so the centre piece is only lightly glued. The whole surface needs going over with the silver as well.



The other thing I did today is cut and score floor pieces for inside the fuselage.

[Draco]

Siwi, the wing towers or wathever is called in english (I haven't taken my midday coffe yet) have the lower cut designed to hold the right dihedral of the upper wings before gluying the engines.
It's designed specially for this stage were you are

[Siwi]

Yeah, we will be using those to align the wings when it comes to engines assembly. There is enough 'give' in the joints that they can be made to go in the correct angle, and should stay there with cotton thread bracing wires joining the two wings.

[Siwi]

This weekend I assembled the tail - or empennage, to use the correct aeronautical term. The London has a substantial horizontal stabiliser with a single large elevator, and twin vertical stabilisers and rudders, in order to accomodate what looks a very confined and 'well ventilated' tail gunner station.



These parts all come in the kit with internal formers, but in fact I didn't use any of these, mostly due to not seeing them in the instructions but also because they hold their shape quite satisfactorily when several 'edge' pieces are glued and bubble wrap is stuffed inside. I annoyingly forget to a) define the ribs with a ballpoint pen and b) colour the silver around the sqaudron marking before glueing the two fins to the horizontal stab. They are also slightly misaligned lengthways due to a warp - will try to correct this when the support struts are added next. I did however cut a nice neat hole in each side for the gunner position and line the whole thing up nicely with the fuselage. The elastic from a corona mask is just right to hold in place whilst the glue sets without putting too much pressure on the parts.



Draco, can you indicate which strut goes where? There is no diagram in the instruction sheet of exactly which position pieces T1, 2, 3 and 4 are to be fitted. (I also noticed that hull former E2 isn't shown either, although it's kind of obvious where it goes)

[Draco]

Uffff!!!! Not only I didn't included them in the instructions, the name of the part is duplicated.
While I fix the instructions: T1 down ahead, T2 down back, T3 inside ahead, T4 inside back.
The reinforcements of the empennage are just up the E2 former, and ressemble a bit a hair comb.
Thanks for seen the details!

[gomidefilho]

Nice advances! I watch with attention and great interest!