--Originally Posted 3/1/08--

Didn't get a chance to post this progress before having to go on the road all last week, but I did manage to get in some important licks beforehand:


Click on Image to EnlargeIncluding painting all of the augmented interior panels with which I must admit to having become pretty much obsessed. Although it did improve their appearance (sorry for the poor [low-light] photography), it did also highlight the outright misalignment of several of them.

Still, I am happy with the overall composition and effect when the fuselage halves come together:

Click on Image to EnlargeYou can see the crew seats will block much of the view - even more so, once the crew figures are installed - so all the added instruments should not be overpowering.

Indeed, yet another item which will block some of the view - a cool feature in itself - is the pilot's little heads-up panel:


Click on Image to EnlargeNote also the twin (red) throttle levers, in this view. I don't feel particularly bad about showing these now, as visibility will no doubt fall off greatly once the canopies (despite their remarkable clarity) are installed.

The two best views through the nose glazing will probably be from these angles:


Click on Image to EnlargeAgain, sorry for some of the goofy exposures (right); it was late, dark and I was tired!

I don't know about you, but my technique for the above type of painting is pretty darn time consuming:

1- Spray black (for instrument dials)
2- Drybrush white inside instrument dials
3- Mask (w/latex rubber) instrument dials
4- Spray general interior color (here also black)
5- Drybrush silver scuffing
6- Drybrush white and red, etc., buttons and switches
7- Remove instrument masking
8- Brush/flood gloss into instrument dials
9- Touchup general interior color (black) where needed

Oiy!

Meantime, in between the above steps I started work on a very interesting assembly, beginning with this:


Click on Image to EnlargeAny idea(s) what this could be a start on? Anybody...Beuller...Beuller? I'll tell you what it was - the green, oval thing - it was the cap/end of a muffler from a 1/35 scale army truck! Now any guesses?

How about with this clue:


Click on Image to EnlargeThat's right, it's a weapon - 'Da Bomb!

Specifically, and for anyone(s) still in the dark, the Fritz-X guided bomb:


Click on Image to EnlargeHere two are depicted; one each mounted under the wing roots of a Do217k2. HMS Warspite was savaged by three of these - two in very damaging near misses and one in a direct hit, amidships - thus, a minimum of two attacking aircraft must have been involved.

The above drawing does not show the oblate form of the bomb's tailfin assembly, for which the above muffler cap provided an ideal supporting armature:


Click on Image to EnlargeWith (white) plasticard building up the tail over this form, you can start to see how the pieces are going to look and come together (later to be accompanied by the wings, of course). If the warhead looks a little too narrow, while the cone-shaped fairing around its base too short, don't worry; the plan is to cast these parts in solid resin, after which it will become very easy to sculpt/adjust them to the precise, final contours desired. Then to be cast in perfect copies; for this build and others (including, maybe,yours…?)

So, that's pretty cool - in a vicious, Fascist sort of a way - huh?

Seriously though, this build really does include some rather remarkable and interesting shapes and appearances, which AFAIK were never exactly repeated, either before or since.

Cheers,

-Matty