Ok, here's what I've been up to lately.
I ordered some 1.5 mm hexagonal bolt heads from Czech Masters by way of Squadron.com, as well as some other stuff for other builds. Unfortunately, they were out of them, so I had to look elsewhere.
This sent me to HLJ.com. They had 1.5mm hexbolts by a company called Alder's Nest...
http://www.hlj.com/product/ADNANE-0130
...so I ordered those instead. This meant I would have to wait until they could be shipped from Japan, hence my long absence.
While I was waiting, I decided to work on how to mount the model. My idea is to put a brass tube inside the kit, and then to run a sturdy brass mounting rod up into the model. So I picked out a suitable tube and a rod to fit in it (no dirty jokes now...).
I located a spot on the bottom of the model as close to the center of balance as I could. This is where I would drill the hole for the mounting rod. I didn't want to use an electric drill however, for fear it might get away from me somehow, and my pin-vice was way too small for the drillbit I needed to use. My solution was old school:
It still didn't go perfectly. I hit a support structure inside the model that knocked the bit askew and made for an ugly hole. What to do?
Digging around in the spares box, I came up w/ these thingys. I got them off HLJ too, about 6 years ago. I forget what they are called. I drilled a hole in one of them, and mounted it underneath. It was just the trick.
That done, I had to figure out how to keep the model from spinning on its post.
I took a carbide drill bit, and carefully put a hole through the tube. Then I threaded it w/ a brass rod of appropriate diameter. Next, I used a motor tool to cut a notch in the top of the mounting rod, and widened it w/ a triangular file.
I think you can see where I'm going here.
I then inserted the tube into the model, replaced the pin, and fixed it in place w/ copious amounts of superglue. The pin was bent over on the other side to keep it in place. It sure ain't pretty, but it works. Lastly, I sanded the tube on the bottom so that it was flush w/ the greeblie I had added.
At Hobby Lobby, I used the weekly 40% off coupon and bought one of those big Imex display cases to put the model in. I'm not sure this is how I want to display it, but if I wind up going that way, at least I know it will fit. If not, I can always use it for a Tamiya Me-262 I'm building...
The hexbolts finally arrived in the mail, and I could get to work on those. I started by carefully drilling tiny holes to accept them. The hard part was making sure the drill bit was centered correctly. The few times it wasn't perfect, I used the bit to file the hole a little in the right direction.
Then I started on the bolts themselves. These are made of brass, and have to be cut apart individually and filed smooth. They are very tiny. I wound up using all but three of them.
I then attached the sides of the hull to the model. I suspected that the internal structure might interfere w/ the bolts (or vice versa) if I added them before assembly. Turns out I was right; some of the bolts had to be trimmed to half their length before they would fit.
Then, one by one, I glued them in place w/ SG. The end result.
Whew! Now I can start detailing and painting.