DH-88 Comet

 

after one week of cleaning parts

I am trying to test one advice of very experienced car modeller to clean all parts before next operation.
Hmmm....to clean more than 200 pcs in one row is quite boring, but looks that it make sence. I had time to think about detail, building etc. 

landing gear structure subassembly

It is nicely designed and injected. All parts fits quite well and final geometry looks surprisely suffitiently.
There is only one comment, casting tree spouts shall be better designed to easier recognition where to cut these small part. Due to this, I cut out half of hinges. I am quite surprise, how I will correct it.

Some details still needs to be cleared. 

Pieces of plastick are glued in to fill cuted out half hinges. These needs to be cleaned. 

Vent slots and exhaust tube passes will look more realistic if nacell will be weakened. 

I think, that it looks realy fine 

......and from internal side 

Small plastic pieces added and brushed out.
Surfacer or primer will show how awfull the repair is in reality. I will use epoxy putty at next time. 

 

Small plastic pieces added and brushed out.
Surfacer or primer will show how awfull the repair is in reality. I will use epoxy putty at next time. 

 

New exhaust stubs and their fixation in nacells. 

Dry assembly of exhaust stubs looks pretty well. 

Dry assembly of exhaust stubs looks pretty well. 

Preparation for paint brush. 

Cocpit in color is slightly preshaded 

Cocpit in color is slightly preshaded 

Cocpit in color is slightly preshaded. Now, seats needs to be also shaded and some dry brush will be added. 

Dry assembly, just to oversee situation. 

Dry assembly, just to oversee situation. 

Dry assembly, just to oversee situation. 

 

 

 

 

Landing gear looks much better than I expected. Most probably, I will keep it in this look. 

Nacells in black and engines block representation in cooling channel also. 

The real wing is build and colored as separate subassembly before its installation at body and equipment by engine rod system and landing gears. So, wing bottom side inside necell colored in red. 

Engine necell front part wiht collored engine cooling intake. The engine blcock representaiton is also colored and glued in its possition.

Clear Prop came will nice solution of the blind holes/channels. It is blind but realistically deep. 

Engine necell front part wiht collored engine cooling intake. The engine blcock representaiton is also colored and glued in its possition. 

Plastic instrument panel includes one indicator installed above body shape. It is quite thick and unrealistic. It is cutted of and will be replaced by cylinder glued at photo edged instrument panel.
The plastick one fully fills real gap between instrument panel and body as is visible at pictures. This is detail which I am lazy to solve. There will not be gap between panel and body fromntop view. It will be colored by black. 

Instrumentation panels prepared for installation into body. 

 

 

 

"Spartan" cocpit is getting to be improved by engine command rods and routing to second instrument panel. There is nothing more. 

"Spartan" cocpit is getting to be improved by engine command rods and routing to second instrument panel. There is nothing more. 

 

 

Fuselage halfs are fixed together. 

Fuselage halfs are fixed together. 

Fuselage halfs are fixed together. 

Fuselage halfs are fixed together. 

Routings are "connected" into instrument panel. Floor subassembly is on place and wings are also glued. 

Routings are "connected" into instrument panel. Floor subassembly is on place and wings are also glued. 

Routings are "connected" into instrument panel. Floor subassembly is on place and wings are also glued. 

Routings are "connected" into instrument panel. Floor subassembly is on place and wings are also glued. 

So, basic frame is done after 34 days.
Everything fits well although some putty will be needed. 

So, basic frame is done after 34 days.
Everything fits well although some putty will be needed. 

1st kit.
Although that I tryed to make wing parts thic as much as possible to brush future steps out, the effort missed the goal. The steps between trailing edge and main bottom wing part are still there. Right, smaller than foriginal. So there will be more putty needed as is visible. 

1st kit - Starboard wing, bottom side

I think, that it is the weakest detail of this kit - the gap line at bottom wing surface together with indistinct fabric coating sug.
The gap leads across fabric coated wing area. It will be laborious to make it correctly - to brush fabric coating sug properly.

I do not think, that engineers wanted to torture modelers. It just compromise between technology and thin trailing edge which is realy thin and very fine. 

1st kit - Board wing, bottom side

It is same as previous picture and comment. 

1st kit - Starboard wing, bottom side

Some small amount of putty corrects it. 

1st kit - Board wing, bottom side

It is same as previous picture and comment. 

1st kit - front fuselage - wing transition

Looks fine without any special effort. 

1st kit - rear fuselage - wing transition

Looks fine without any special effort. 

Whole nacele subassembly is, again, retavely precise and coherent.
Only front part is slightly smaller, but some putty is going to easily corect it.

One nacele is already brushed. 

 

 

Fabrik cover is the painful detail of this model.
Maybe, I am doing is deeper than needed, but we will see. It is realy time consuming. 

 

 

One half wing from four done and its comparison with wing top.