I tried something new too -- and it worked!

Hi all,

I'm still working on my MB-2. I suffered a bit of a setback when I realized that I had glued the cabane struts together the wrong way! I had glued the two fronts together, and (naturally) the two backs together. This is the second time I've glued the wrong parts together on this kit, and I'm a compulsive dry-fitter. However, the parts aren't numbered on the sprues, so I have a little bit of an excuse.

If you want to see what parts I'm talking about, go to this page: http://www.crossandcockade.com/WNW/MB2.htm and look at the struts around the engines in the last three photos.

Fixing this mess required me to clip off the two struts that connect the front and rear pieces on each assembly. I bought some round styrene stock of the right diameter and tried to butt join the whole assembly back together. It didn't work very well.

Then inspriation hit me. I'd read about drilling holes in struts and inserting wire to strengthen a joint, but I'd never tried it. So I tried it, and it worked!

I have a pin vice and a set of small drill bits that I bought to drill holes for rigging. I drilled holes in the ends of the round stock and corresponding holes in the cabane struts. I stripped the insulation off a spare electrical wire that I had in my basement. The "wire" was actually a whole bunch of much smaller wires in a bundle. I clipped some, and put two to three of these in the holes I drilled in the struts.

Everything fit togehter perfectly after that.

I've repairt one cabane strut assembly. I hope to finish the other one tonight, then I'll be back on track.

Regards,