Hobbycraft
Bell XP-59A Airacomet
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Basic assembly complete. Masks for the canopy were drawn in Autocad based on photos, imported into theSilhouette Cameo software, and cut from Oramask 810 vinyl.
The
eyebrow and front windscreen were masked with Tamiya tape, it was
easier than trying to develop the shapes in the computer. Fits were pretty food
during
major assembly, with a few hiccups. There area around the jet
exhausts needed some Perfect Plastic Putty to fill some gaps in the
corners, and some
nacelle joints on the belly needed a little fettling. ONe thing
to be careful of is the dihedral of the wings, they want to be a little
too flat. First, the wing tips were test fitted,
and it was found that the thickness at the wing tip was more than the
tip parts, and the allowance for the tabs on the tips was not quite in
the correct place. The inside
of
the wing tips was sanded, and the fit for the tabs loosened up to allow
the correct alignment.The upper wing panels were assembled to the lower
one piece wing
and
the tips were installed, and when solid a little sanding was needed to
fair in the tips to the wings. Material was removed from the
upper wing panel roots,
test
fitting the wing to the fuselage until the dihedral looked right,
The wing flexes enough to allow test fitting over the enlarged inlet
fairings. The wing was
then final assembled to the fuselage, and then the lower aft engine nacelle and belly part was fitted and glued in. The tailplanes needed no adjustment or filler.
The control surfaces except the rudder are all separate. I
placed them all in the neutral position as I didn't find photos to
support any other
position on the ground, other than some with the flaps extended.
Hobbycraft 1/48 XP-59A
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