MM Aviation TBD Devastator

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As in the last pics the aft section was added on, heres the early constructs of those parts...

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To tell the truth the kit is 75% done. I started one week before the original contest deadline and when the extension was granted it sat on the bench for weeks. I'm trying to catch up with the pics because my spoiled daughter is taking the camera with her on spring break, so I needed to dump the pics before she did! The cockpit decking and sides were fitted into the fuselage segments while building that part. I made a few redundency errors and ended up with triple laminated pilot control panels...

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I used the kit seats and scratched up some belts. I made up the rudder pedals and the cool gutters that led up into them, the next bulkhead was the pilots headrest and the bombdiers instruments....

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Pic 1 is the repainted and scratch built parts sheet. The next shows the pile of panels and detail parts added to the Maly plain interior. The last of the series shows the pilots compartment the role over bars and the GIB.

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The next series is the entirely scratch built rear gunners compartment. Unfortunately after all the little details the 30 cal "stinger" will be neatly tucked away on the turtle back and closed up. I kinda think that this was the one big historic mistake I made. I think this was the 2nd guy when the aircraft was used as a torpedo plane, as the gunner was also the radioman. I wasn't sure so after all the detail I later closed it up... Oh well now I know for the next time!

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Here is the cockpit/crews compartment ready to be closed up...

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One of my favourite parts is vacuforming the canopies. I have 2 simple boxes, one for single crew and smaller canopies, and one for the big boys, dual seater jets, etc. I had to use the supersized one this time. The first step is to build up the kits canopy but put any connecting strips on the outside! You want a fairly clean interior for the sculpey. Here is the kit part dry fitted to make sure it covers and fits the fuselage openings. The sculpey is kneaded flat no more than 4mm wide, any thicker and it messes with the baking times of the sculpey, and of course the universal mold/canopy mold material SCULPEY!!!!

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After the sculpey mold is baked you remove the paper backing. You have to polish out and seams or unwanted lines dings etc as this will be faithfully reproduced in the vauformed canopy....

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The next part continues to hold me in fascinated glee even after these past 5+ years of doing it. You have to build up a little pedastal to raise the mold above the vacuformer working surface. This is so enough of the plastic can be drawn over the mold and not tent out at the bottom details. I use 2x3s to straddle my wifes stove, ie the heat source. I place the vacuum cleaner accessary nozzle into my vac box, turn it on! palce the palstic holder over the burner wait for it to sag in the middle and quiclky palce the heated plastic over the mold and vac table and whoosh, instant canopy!

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I use this from AC Moore craftshop to glue the paper strips to the plastic. Knock on wood it hasn't let loose yet, it dries clear and holds the plastic to the fuselage also. I cut out the framing sections; heres a tip, either print on the reverse side of the frame the interior colour or paint it before you cut out those little squares, if you do it after you will get interior colour on the exterior strips! The last pic is dry fitting the glass to fuselage. When I make the molds I sqeeze the sculpey a little before baking so the glass is a little narrower than the fuselage it fits to. This allows the natural thinness of the glass to grip the fuselage when you glue it on. Sometimes if you have to squeeze the glass to fit the fuselage it can pry apart in places....