Gee Bee R2 - WIP

I am adding internal ribs from stretched sprue 

Interior pieces before paint. Seat cushions are scratch made. Seat belts are from photo-etch parts. 

Propeller pitch actuators need to be trimmed a little 

Interior pieces painted and ready for assemble. 

Using a wooden template for the wooden grain, it produces good results, I think I will use it on an upcoming Albatros 

Assembling is better done on one half of a fuselage. Closing was tricky, needed to increase the fuselage fits and trim down the cockpit rings 

All ready for final assembly. Wheels are loose, but I don't recommend - it scratches paint, and it's harder to mask 

Riveting made by hand with a broken 0.35mm drill 

Fuselage ribs smoothered with cotton swabs in acetone 

Tamiya fine surface primer, stretched cotton swabs for exhaust pipes 

Using 7 pipes for 9 cylinders following some schematics and pictures found around 

Making landing light bulbs from a plastic box spiked with a blunt toothpick 

Vallejo white 

Dora wing masks are very good, but still need one or another correction 

I always hate peeling off. Risk of damaging something is always high, and you are just finding all errors in the meantime 

Alwaws something wrong no matter how meticulous you are with masking. Left wheel got a bad bleeding, that one needs a fix.  

For the open door, we have to cut this decal (plus the little 7 tip at the bottom) - make sure you put the door decal first, to align the others 

Decals are good quality, no stress on putting them, although I always am terrified or ruining an irreplaceable decal.  

Left to do: small paint fixes, light bulbs, and the rigging (which I am still not sure how to do it)  

Although the original Gee Bee cables look flat, I prefer stretched sprue as they will glue better, hold the paint better, and will withstand some bending without being deformed and looking terrible. Also, the cable guides don't look good in 2 dimensions only 

Rigging with stretched sprue. Original cables are flat, correct, but the cable guides are cylindrical, so it's a tough choice. I went for sprues as they are easier to glue, and more resistant to bending. In the end, it was a good choice, as they look straight and nice.