Grunt work

 

Yes, this project is going sloooowww.  That’s because I am working other models also – I am about to finish a Tamiya BF-109E-3 that has been sitting around for about a year.

 

I was able to put the fuselage together without any real issues.  Be careful that you line both sides up correctly as there are no locating pins.  Most importantly remember to put the tail skid in before you glue the two halves together (I almost forgot).  I really like the way Roden made the tail skid and that it is supported inside the model itself.  It won’t constantly be breaking off.

 

After the glue dried and the seams sanded, I inserted the support bar, 2 ammo boxes and fuel tank.  I had to cut off the tabs off the ammo boxes and the fuel tank.  I believe these parts were supposed to be placed beneath the frame, but I thought that they set too low.  So I cut the tabs so that I place them inside the frame inside below.   

 

Now comes the bad news – on the bottom of the fuselage there are two huge sinks (not as bad as the ones in the prop, but that is another story).  The bottom wing insert sits a little lower that than the fuselage.  Also the front insert (part 5) sits a little lower and creates a minor step.  I filled all the areas with super glue and sanded like crazy until the sink marks were gone.  I also sanded the front and wing area until I was happy that it was smooth. 

 

Lastly I pulled out the Dymo tape and rescribed the two lines where the wing was inserted into the fuselage.