Anigrand Craftswork C-141 - how to build an NC-141A - Part 3 by Ted Bayliss

The 4 engines are assembled now. As I posted shots of one, I shalln't do any more on that.

Today I added details to the instrument coaming.  First I cut out a recess where the cables go.Then I got some sprue, heated it and bent and squashed it into rough shape.  It was then carved and shaped into the initial shape seen here.

Next a box was added and a bit more stretched sprue was used to represent a plug and cable.

This was then shaped and put into place with the other cable made earlier.

Some paint was then splashed around a bit, some even going where its supposed to.  Additionally, I used some spare etched metal from a Phantom Eduard set to dress up the side panels.

Main undercarriage and sponson time is here now.  The first 2 shots are of the upper main undercarriage door. I decided the original resin doors were much too thick My first attempt at thinning them was a disaster, so plan B - I got a couple of slices of thin plastic card, cut to size, then heated and bent to shape, using the resin as a former. Once I was satisfied, I cut the notches.

Next stage was to add some more plastic card, and cut and chip until I had something resembling what I saw in the photos I'm using.  The triangular bit that sticks out is where the pistons that open and close the doors attach.  I have actually attached them now, using a trick Haydn demo'd at South Shields, which is to put some accelerator on one part, then glue on the other part, bring together, and hey presto. Instant join. (Cheers mate saved some frustration).

The next 3 shots give some idea of how it all fits together.  The retraction struts will take a fair bit of work later on and both upper and lower doors appear connected. More on that later.

The last 2 shots show the start of the work on the main gear struts.  First I extended the height with a bit of sprue, filed and trimmed to shape.
After that I decided to work on one leg, leaving the other as vanilla for comparison purposes.  The first of the shots show the lower scissors having some lightening holes added.  The second shot shows the work on the upper scissors link, which needs tidying up and repositioning.

I'm not happy with the way the main U/C legs are going, so I'm going to have a rethink. I've also got the problem of sorting out how to attach the legs to the airframe. It has to be tough to withstand Haydn's display setting up technique (I think he throws them and where they land thats sorted ). The way Anigrand do it has no basis in reality, so a redesign is called for.  While thinking about the legs, I decided to sort out the main gear doors. The first shot shows how I built the links that join the 2 door halves, but after 3 or 4 attempts I came up with this. Unfortunately, I hadn't accounted for size so they've been binned, but at least I know where to go from here.

Next I built 4 of the same shaped things but a lot smallerand without the detailing. I'm hoping some paint shading will give the effect I'm after.
The photos below show the type of thing, though the links are not cut to size yet, as they can't be fitted until the gear is fitted.  On the photos I've seen, there appears to be a shaft running across the length of the sponson to which these are joined as well as some hooks that go along the door (to be added later).

I've sort of worked out what to do about the main gear. In order to have a go, I had to remove the sponsons again. That'll teach me to get too far ahead.  First I removed the inaccurate mounting point in the sponson (cut my thumb doing it as usual).  The first two photos show the idea.

The real aircraft has a strut attached to the leg, which I have added. This attaches to the top of the sponson. By drilling holes, I can add some pins which should provide enough strength to support the model.  The first joint is the top of the sponson. I also drilled a hole in the upper scissor link, at the joint for another pin into the back of the sponson.  This can be seen in the first picture.

In addition, I have added a beefy strut between the leg and the fuselage wall, which can be seen clearly in the fourt picture.  The last 3 pictures show how it will go together eventually.

The next stage is to start adding piping and wiring to the legs. There does seem to be quite a bit of piping around, so it may take a while to do. Then it'll be onto the other side.

Model, article and photographs by Ted Bayliss