ipmsusa2 Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) They say it's all in the details, so let's get down to the nitty gritty: Last installment I told you the photoetched tailwheel doors were folded along a center line to provide interior detail. What I didn't include was a photo of a tool that makes the job very easy. That tool? A little item called the "Bug" that is produced from The Small Shop. It takes a lot of the pain out of working with photoetch. One of the obvious features of the C-46 nose is a large opening that leads to the lower fuselage interior. I have no idea what it's true purpose is, but if anyone knows I'd appreciate being enlightened. In any event, there is a recessed structure evident from head on photos. I cut a short length of .190" (3/16") diameter brass tubing and inserted it into the hole, recessing it enough to match the appearance of my reference photo. The RDF housing mounts on the bottom centerline about even with the canopy frame that separates the two bottom side cockpit windows. To make sure it doesn't come loose, I drilled a .016" hole into the housing's mount. Then installed a short piece of .015" music wire. By the way, the best tool for cutting music wire all the way up to .040" is a Hard Wire Cutter made by Xuron. The wire was installed using BSI IC-2000 black rubber toughened CA. A matching .016" hole was drilled in the C-46 centerline and the RDF housing installed with more IC-2000. Four masks from the Eduard mask set actually proved to be useful. The discs that masked the main wheel photoetch details will make painting the tires absolute simplicity. Incidentally, if you're looking at the tires and wondering why I didn't flat them, it's because my client didn't want that feature. Getting ready for painting, the props are given a shot of primer. If you use a Nitrile glove and hold the prop by the shaft, you do a very nice job of masking the shaft without having to use tape. Edited January 26, 2018 by ipmsusa2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johneaton Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 Richard, I am pretty certain the hole on the nose is a cabin ventilation air intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipmsusa2 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 Appreciate the info. It does look a little strange, considering that the aircraft is pressurized. It isn't a configuration you'd expect to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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