Update time! A couple of warnings and call-outs here to be posted;
The first thing NOT to do is to confuse the parts called out in Part 8. These copper ducts are called out as "0.5" and "05.5".
Now, I don't have any background in engineering, so I mistook that as meaning something about their length...
Well of course, THAT was stupid--it's all about their DIAMETER! So after ruining parts B14 and B15 by getting 'em stuck fast in the wrong sized tubes, I had to wind up scratchbuilding two parts. Luckily there was enough of each left to copy them fairly exactly.
Here's the finished piece--the two copper tubes fit inside each other. I have already primed them with some Tamiya gray primer. The piece I had to scratchbuild is on the near end.
PE parts A6 and A7 are glued back-to-back in the slot in piece B28 in part 9. You can see some knockout marks to be filled in the gun truncheon side.
Speaking of the PE parts, check this out--this is cool. Trumpeter encloses the PE frames in an adhesive sleeve! So you can cut the piece out and not have it spring out into space. VERY cool idea!
So here's the hull so far, finished. I decided to cover up the seats--darn, on second thought, I should've taken them out to use as spares before sealing up the hull! You just couldn't really see them and there wasn't much detail in the driver's compartment to be seen.
Well, here's my pathetic attempt to form the gun muzzle -- it's a really thick piece of PE, and I even tried annealing it in flame for a minute and then tried forming it around a wooden dowel, but the problem is that the numerous holes in the piece make that section of the piece much more flexible than the non-holed pieces that lays at 6:00 on the part. ( It looks just as uneven on the opposite side...
) So it was impossible (for me) to bend it evenly, though I gave it hell....I'll just have to use the plastic part and drill out each hole...
Anyone have any ideas on how I could have accomplished this in some presentable fashion?
That's it for now, boys! I'll be working on the gun through the weekend, and should have it ready for paint by...Sunday? Have a great Friday night, guys, and I"ll catch you soon!