Proteus CV-440 34SQN

[RayS]

Another build for the 34SQN display in November, The Proteus CV440 with some nice Hawkeye decals.

Started with the bulkheads and cockpit, though the floor was a bit thin/weak so it was replaced with plastic card, which helped to secure it into the fuselage side.


Installed into the fuselage half


Cockpit roof removed to fit clear section, cuts were not so perfect, some filling required when the parts are finally glued.


Reinforcing strips added for the canopy section, where I could fit them that is!


Some white metal parts


Since these pictures were taken I have installed the seating and painted the cockpit and started to add a lot of nose weight. The tail and horizontal stabs are solid resin so I need to counter their weight.

[RayS]

Taped up sub-assemblies to see how much nose weight is required...



This much plus a little more already in the LHS nose cone.

[RayS]

Fuselage together and seams puttied (round 1)



The opening for the wing is a tad large ( resin shrinkage causing some of this?)



Some packing applied



Most of packing applied and tidied up, this also gives a larger glueing surface. Lots of putty work and sanding on the way

[tor lives]

Really interesting and intriguing stuff Ray.....I am finding this build absolutely fascinating. As I have this kit planned for this colour scheme myself, I am watching and learning.
TOR

[Graeme H]

Ahh the pleasures of fettling resin and Vacform combo kits

[Ansett A330]

Ahh the pleasures of fettling resin and Vacform combo kits

Another Medal for Ray? The "Fettling Resin and Vacform Combo Kits" Medal?

Ray must have a chest full of Medals by now.

[RayS]

Only medals I have are my Ronnie RAAF 'been there done that' and 'long service medals'....

So I have the wing/fuselage join almost sorted





and the cockpit section dipped in Future and drying



I might have to give the upper fuselage seam a bit of attention, there seems to be a small step on it, Something that may show up with a metallic finish.

[RayS]

So I have updated the previously posted pictures and have made some progress.

The cockpit glazing was glued in.



I managed to misalign it, so out with the putty ( the story of my life)



It stayed in that state for a while until I was bothered to mask it up.



Today I have fitted the vertical and horizontal stabs and engine nacelles, In my usual haste I attempted to but join them with epoxy, but I came to my senses and drilled and pinned the stabs.





I also finally got the sh*ts with the warped wings. I had attempted to straighten them with the hot/cold water trick. Once I thought they were OK I would come back a couple of days later and find the warps had reappeared.

So out with the razor saw and some slots were cut into the wings, these were then filled with super glue and flexed into the correct position. I then hit the glued sections with an accelerant. There are better now I that will be all I do with them.



Some more putty was applied

[hrtpaul]

Wow man. Love the effort involved mate

[Graeme H]

I'm sort of glad to see that I'm not the only one that can't get that hot / cold water trick to work with warped resin, to my mind it seems to develop a memory and will return to that warp sometime in the future, I still prefer vacform to resin.

Another load of .... that doesn't work is to put decals on a window to bleach out the yellow, that will always come back as well, and putting decals on a window in the tropics is a complete waste of time anyway, because you have to scrape them off.