Scale aviation modeller international

part assembly, so I will say this:

take your time over each step,

and allow each to dry thoroughly

before moving to the next stage.

In particular pay attention to

accurate fit, even down to removing

paint where parts go together, as

the tolerances are so fine that even

a coat of paint can throw things

out. And the complexity of the

mouldings means a very small

misalignment at an early stage

risks throwing the whole thing

out when it all comes together.

My apologies if that’s stating the

obvious – after all, isn’t paying

attention to good fit what modellers

do anyway? But I cannot stress

how much good alignment in the

early stages will be rewarded later.

The caution to let everything

dry thoroughly may cause you to

think “This will take forever!”

But while waiting for each stage

to dry, you could of course go and

do something else entirely – no

doubt, for example, you’ll want

to read the other articles in this

magazine. But the modular design

of the kit means that you could be

getting on with other assemblies.

So I’ve structured this article

slightly differently to the norm; I’ve

described all the sub-assemblies

below, then how they go together.

In reality, you can start

building up the airframe once

you have a couple of sub-

assemblies to add. Just take

care not to add the fuselage side

panels before the undercarriage,

or you’ll never fit them later!

COCKPIT MODULE

The area forward of the large air

intakes is built up conventionally.

This is done in two sections, the

cockpit/nose wheel module and the

reconnaissance nose, and the build

starts completely conventionally

with the former. The cockpit

detail is very good out of the box,

although there are some tiny parts

to deal with. I built up the port and

starboard sides of the cockpit and

nose wheel bay separately, leaving

the instrument panel out at this

stage. I then added thin strips of

masking tape to mating surfaces

(where possible) before painting

what I had assembled so far.

Port cockpit sidewall showing detail.

Nose wheel bay part assembled, fixed, and

masked for painting.

Cockpit sidewalls painted.

Port cockpit sidewall in place.

Floor, seat, and instrument panel assembly.

As above from

another angle.

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