Cutting down an emery board with scissors
enabled me to smooth the wing joint between
the flap hinge blisters.
Afterward, I restored the recessed flap hinge
line with a knife-edge file. With the outer
panels attached, I addressed the lack of
machinegun blast tubes.21
I marked the the firing port locations in pencil
on the leading edges, made small impressions
using the sharp point of a compass, and bored
out holes with a drill bit in a pin vise.22 FineScale Modeler October 2019
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The elevator hinge line was misaligned because
Monogram keyed the stabilizer tabs to interlock.
I filled the hinge recess with stretched sprue,
sanded it flush, then re-scribed it with a knife-
edge file, using Dymo label tape as a guide.
Then I added details to the elevator hinge and
control tabs with scrap plastic. I also added the
rear towing and tail hook bracket under the tail
cone. Finished with construction, I now gave it a
thorough wet-sanding to start with a clean slate.Go online to see how I painted this Wildcat.
After, I had to re-apply all the panel lines lost in
construction, so I drew them on with pencil.
Starting on top of the wings, I traced along
narrow strips of carefully-placed drafting tape.Next, I squeezed tube cement into the openings and filled them with
sprue. Using a dental probe, I pushed the plugs in far enough to give them
a recessed look. Liquid cement secured them. When dry, I drilled with a
fine bit to simulate the bores of the machine gun barrels.
It was time to make it airborne. I drilled holes in the end of a ¼-inch
diameter Lucite rod for a pin and 1⁄16-inch brass tubing. Corresponding
holes were drilled through the fuselage into the hardwood inside (see
sidebar). Sections of 3⁄32-inch and 1⁄16-inch brass tubing were inserted.