--Originally Posted 6/12/15--

Well, as expected, in fairly short order I did finish the engine nacelles - however, not in exactly the way expected:


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---FULL RES--FULL RES--FULL RES-----The earlier, large brass tubes for the intakes didn't pan out so well: too difficult to work (no doubt my tools are inadequate), and also their thin walls did not leave any margin for sculpting/adjusting (see below). Instead, plastic tubing (left, white) provided both the (much) softer workability, and far thicker walls required. The brass centerline tube, small enough also to be worked easily, was retained - and its additional benefit, due to its precision-fit over some brass rod (left), of providing a great aid to alignment during installation. Each prefabbed brace of tubes "fished-in", amid a welter of CA-putty (off-white), the latter both adhering and filling all gaps, after hardening and with the rod withdrawn, the entire putty-encased mass of tubing could then simply be sculpted to the nacelle contours (center). Notice I had (luckily) also remembered to first install radiator backings - though it immediately became apparent they were set too far up forward. Some clever painting would provide a visual "fix" for this (see below).

The thick walls of the plastic tubing were then carefully shaved, uniformly flaring the inlets wider all around (right), until each pair was nearly in contact on the centerline - as well as rising up to bracket the small, centerline inlet more (though still not completely) accurately. Likewise, the final contours of these nacelles are actually a bit too rounded to be perfectly accurate for the Slick Lightnings - but already I certainly liked their look, and would keep 'em: chalk it up to Artistic License.

And, speaking of "artistic":


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FULL RESPainting would provide the solution (see below) to the one glaring problem, remaining above: the too-visible radiator gratings - now rendered yet more prominent, by the flared-open inlets,. Blackening the entire inlet-interiors (left), of course helps to hide the grilles - but only at the expense of an unrealistic look for the inlets, particularly from underneath (bottom).

However, we can finish out much better, by further employing some "Trompe L'Oil" (in French: "Trick the Eye") painting:


Click on Image for FULL-RESThe exterior (silver) color was feathered back-in, over the flat-black (or, alternatively, the black could have been partially washed back off), so as to grade completely back to black, at the depth of the radiators. Yielding both a plausible look for the inlets while also visually "pushing" the radiator grilles further back down the inlet throats - where they now produce just an occasional glimpse, and no longer shine out, like headlights.

Again as anticipated, at this point in the build a quick finish had emerged clearly into view, dead ahead. Until, that was, my eyes settled upon MiniCraft's fuselage nose cap: a part Sucking So head-and-shoulders over everything else - in the kit repidly and increasingly proving to Suck Mightily overall, in its own right - particularly compared to the Revell kit - such that I didn't even stop to photograph it for you, before (literally) chopping the offending nose cap to pieces. This to begin accommodating replacement with the just beautiful Revell nose cap, leftover as unneeded by my other, Pathfinder build.

Even in this Revell Rescue, however, such unexpected redirection is Frought with Risk: chiefly that of Advanced Scratch-basher Syndrome - "ASS", in the common vernacular - in which I was, in the event, Bitten Squarely - and Hard - yet Once Again:


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FULL RESBecause, among the other Revell spares, offered up as unnecessary to my other build, was a very nice cluster of MGs with their ammo drums and belt-feeds (bottom). So - as I was already chopping away at- and reassembling the MiniCraft nose (top) anyway - it was really a No-Brainer (which is exactly how much I used) to decide also to open up the nose access doors. And of course these will be hinged, to display eithe closed up or showing off the contents - seen here dry-fitted, while the right-side is being built-out/detailed (bottom, right), compatible with Revell's details already on its left.

In short order you can see how this all SnowBalls - "The Leg-Bone-connected-to-the-Thigh-Bone" - to instantly double the effort/complexity of the entire build. Including (at least) some minimal detailing on the insides of the access doors, now to become highly visible:


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---FULL RES----FULL RES--Ribbed-unibody patterns (left, top-left) corresponding to those on the insides of the Revell doors (absent the windows, in the fighter build), were laid down in (white) plastic strip - though they could not be made to match exactly, as corresponding dimensions differed noticeably. Still, a very similar "look-and-feel" (left, top-right) was achieved through the combination of filletting alongside all the bases with superglue, and rounding down the relief.

The above views of the nose, as but crudely taped-together, belie the actually quite good fit of the doors - though their edges will still need some more thinning - whereas, on the other hand, gaps around the nose cap indicate significant mis-fit: a still-persisting legacy of the Thoroughly Malignant MiniCraft nose. Yet another bit of work to do - with yet another tidbit, left over from the Revell kit.

Meanwhile, the apparent pitch-up of the nacelles/booms, relative to the fuselage pod, is not meaningful but due simply to the former not yet being fitted to the wings. This does, however, raise a true upcoming issue - for both these kits: they are both serious Tail-Sitters (the MiniCraft slightly more so than the Revell). For both cases, I decided the solutions for adequately weighting the noses are going to involve first molding the above nose contents - gun-cluster for this fighter build, and for the other a bank of aerial cameras with film magazines - and then try yet another First, and Matty's Models Experimental Development: casting both in solid lead.

So, it looks to be getting pretty Hot, pretty soon, around here - and you'll want to stay tuned, for that...


Cheers,

- Matty