Uh-oh! Warped cover door!
Dip in hot water to let resin relax to its original in mold state, works every time!
Still, if the cover is open, the locks should be as well. They are flush with the cover so they need to be opened up.
Two runners are given to the second wire strap (which is broken) isn't an issue.
Wait, doesn't the Tamiya kit have an avionics bay? Yes, it does.
Compare to the aftermarket.
Instructions are included to show wiring.
Yet, ALWAYS better if you can't get your hands on the wiring diagram from the manuals:
Starting the cuts. I took nearly an hour simply because it is not my model and I don't want to mess up a kit which costs over $100USD.
This shelf has to be removed as well:
Here's hoping that the resin update doesn't interfere with the radar installation as the plastic seems to have a defined shape.
The "instructions" are an extremely weak point. None of them mention the changes needed to the donor kit to get the products to fit.
In order to achieve this result (note that the angle of attack sensor was damaged - see circled spike in photos):
Lots of removal had to be done at the rear. No idea how Part D9 (fuselage bulkhead where the radar mounts) will fit.
The strip, marked in green, snapped off but easy to repair as it is a clean cut and rests on the resin insert.
At this point, I am looking over the resin insert to see if anything needs drilling prior to epoxying in place. Why not superglue? I want time to adjust the fit as this kit belongs to John Eaton.
Solder for the wires have been found and the cable and conduit holders are drilled with a number 78 (0.41mm - 0.016 inch) bit. Sorry for the horrendous macro images!
The open door also needs to have the latches replaced for the unlocked appearance seen here (see circle):
I noticed some rather deep undercuts with flash in them. Luckily, I have the flexible blade to try out and it worked beautifully. Also, note the exquisite riveting on the walls.
Undercut flash needs to be removed from these Baker's Dozen spots:
My thanks to Kopecky Scale Models for giving me the chance to review the products and John Eaton for sending the relevant Tamiya parts so it can be a build review.
You can buy directly from Jan.
Regards,
Saúl García, II
