My jigs

This is what came in the mail. 

I started with the little knobs under the base plate. Easy first, right? 

Let's sort all those parts before continuing.
The thing is, the instructions are not as clear as they could be. I really needed a few read through's and a bit of reflection before I finally understood all of it. But that may be just me being a bit simple... 

On the parts, their quality and the fact that everything was present, only one little problem: one "clamp" marked "R" (for "rear") was missing, but was replaced with a perfectly similar "F" (for, you guessed it, "front") piece.
All acrylic parts are perfectly cut, no problems there. Just the protective film... Hate it! 

These are the wing holders. A little problem here: I'll need to add some washers between the parts, as the screw is a tad too long (three times out of eight) and the nut won't tighten the pieces together. 

First brace glued. I didn't use any epoxy or ca glue, as mentioned in the instructions. No, not I! I use something special... 😉 

The four braces are glued and the holding pieces prepared. 

Actually, for acrylics (or "plexiglas" as we call it here), I use MEK as glue. It acts a bit like TETC on kit plastic, slightly melting it and so effectively welding the pieces together.
But it's some very nasty stuff: Irritant, highly flammable and... carcinogenic! I use it very sparingly and only in a well ventilated room. 

Ahhh! Whatta mistake to make! See the two slight lines between the butterfly nut and the vertical brace? That's where the high vertical part should have been. Only saw the difference AFTER gluing and believe me, once MEK has taken hold, there's no way to separate the parts without breaking them. I'll manage, the problem isn't very big. 

The four braces are in place. (the front one is the one with the "problem" and is currently mounted facing the wrong end) 

The wing support holders are in place. 

Here we are, finished jig. 

Did I mention I hate the protective film on those things? I clipped my nails yesterday!!!  

Oh! And some very nice thingies for the spares box!!! 

I really hope that it'll be as useful as I read on the web... 

But wait, there's more! Acrylic can be quite abrasive to painted plastic, so it needs to be softened by some red rubber foam. 

 

The (finally and really) finished product. Again... 

This is the
Montage set without base
Vertigo Miniatures
VMP023 (Montage set without base (Vertigo Miniatures VMP023, No)) 

I'm using the base from the bi-plane jig. 

Next in line was the "Track Loader" from the same manufacturer. (you can guess that I like them) 

In the box. 

All of the content of the box. 

And my favored little pieces I'm sure I'll be able to reuse in a scratch-project. 

First step: the center piece.  

As always, I use MEK to glue the acrylic. 

Then the two external graduated pieces are placed and screwed down. 

Finally, the rulers are placed in the middle rail.