Scale Aviation Modeller International — November 2017

rather vague, so again I taped it in

place while the glue set. Once the

Glue ‘n’ Glaze had set, I reinforced

it with a few drops of CA glue. This

meant that I would then be able to

glue the engine cowling parts to

the bulkhead with normal glue. 

While the fuselage was setting,

I started work on the wings, which

I felt really did need improvement.

As moulded, they have flat ribs

running lengthwise across the

upper surface, while they are

completely flat on the undersides.

On the topside I merely added a

couple of pieces of plastic strip to

simulate ribbing on the ends of the

ailerons, while underneath I added

more plastic strip to represent the

ribs corresponding to those on

the upper surface. Once set, these

were rubbed down with wet-or-

dry paper to make them subtler.

The wing surfaces were then

covered in self-adhesive plastic

film (sometimes called parafilm) to

replicate the smooth doped finish

of the prototype. This proved a

bit tricky to finish near the wing

tips, where it tended to crease

over the complex curves of the

surface. I cut these wrinkles out

and used a smear of filler to blend

in the surface to a smooth finish.

With this all done the wings

were fitted to the fuselage, again

using Glue ‘n’ Glaze, but first I

masked the side windows with

more Bare-Metal Foil while I

could still get to them easily. The

struts were fixed with CA glue.

I also fitted the horizontal tail

surfaces at this stage, having

first drilled them and the fin to

take rigging wire. To ensure that

the hole was in the same place

on both tailplanes, and since the

location for the hole is not marked,

I held the taiplanes together and

drilled right through them.

Turning now to the front of

the fuselage, I fitted one side of

the cowling, then made the engine

fit into it; it needed some work

With the bulkhead fixed firmly in place, the

starboard nose half was glued to the bulkhead

using normal polystyrene cement. Some

careful filing and sanding was then required to

fit the engine.

Apart from a bit

more filler to

shape up under

the nose, the

model is ready

for paint

The model with just the port nose half, radiator

grille and exhaust pipe to be added prior to

painting.

84 • NOVEMBER 2017 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

PIPER J3 CUB

082-87-FEAT-ClarksField-1117.indd 84 16/10/2017 16:03