[tazdevil]

mmmm nice post, Like to see it finished

[Keyrigger]

Thanks. It will be a slow process as I have been doing nothing but drawing the lines for the rivets a bit at a time. There is a simple process to it but they need to be done before panel doublers and triplers can be added. Once those are on, then the body can be primed and the lines put back on again. Crazy slow way of getting it right. Even if I posted new pictures as of last nights work, you would not really see what has changed. I find that once I get into it, lines that I thought were good had to be moved or entirely removed and that is with looking right at the pictures of the original. I should post at least a couple of the underside which is one area that is overlooked by many. The big vent hole is still on the underside until I get the new floor in and the chassis anchors in place. Take care.

Don

[Keyrigger]

After many months on the back burner, it is time to resume the build. I began with double checking the door outlines and after a number of false starts, I cut into the standard 500D cockpit. I am removing what will be the openings but not the doors, themselves. They are going to come from the Tow Defender canopy that came with this kit in the first place. I cut out the new openings for the windows and the windows from the donor Heli-Baby canopy as a result of a couple of crashes. The canopies were trimmed to see how they would fit, overall. The cut out of the 500D canopy became a mask so I could layout the copper door support that will keep the shape of the canopy and allow me to tweak the doors slightly to reshape them perfectly to the canopy.

The pictures show the first copper wire that will surround the window and a second piece will fill in the lower section once the first is set and worked into shape. Hysol will be what holds the copper wire in place and it will be shaped so that it becomes the interior panels. The first door windows are only to get the overall shape right and as usual, they will be slightly small so I have another set of door panels from another ruined canopy that will be the final set, 1mm larger, overall. the last picture clearly shows the shape of the window that flat plastic can't hope to duplicate. I had bought a whole bunch of various sheet plastic to make those windows but once I saw the shape and size of the Heli-Baby canopy, I knew I had more "stuff" to fill up my room, sigh. Take care.

Don

[bensidus197217]

Looks a wee bit crowded in that room Don. In this hobby it's not called hoarding it's called building up my stock. Looking good so far Don and the copper wire trick looks like a very useful one.

[RomeoOscar]

Great job, always interesting to follow your posts Don!

[Keyrigger]

Thanks guys. Jim, you have no idea just how crowded two hobbies makes this room, lol.

Don

[Keyrigger]

I revisited the way I was going about installing the wire framework around the door. I felt that the wire around the window opening was not where it was needed the most and changed course slightly. I keep the lower support and reformed the window frame so it now goes right around the outer edge of the inner door panel. The panelling does not go to the edge of the door but leaves an overlap. Having the wire too far away would mean that tweaking a small warp in the future might not have the results required. The wire is tacked into position awaiting the Hysol that will bond it to the door. Take care.

Don

[Keyrigger]

I put the doors aside for a bit and had at the windscreens. They are a lot of work to get them cut for a standard kit let alone one that needs the most out of the pulls. The rear upper window is almost an inch longer than standard and the chin windows are reshaped where they meet the chin of the cockpit area. I messed two top windscreens up so thankfully, I had spares, but I might just give the last try at getting it right. It is very close as it is and worse case, I can split the window into two sections. The upper section is going to be redone, anyway, as the brace is in the wrong spot in the first place.

There will be a lot of work to install these windows as the original had caulking all around the window panels. The job was not pretty on the original and utilitarian would be the describing word for the military work to seal the windows but this would not have been very well received by an owner out in the corporate world. I have checked a couple of commercial 500's and the sealing is way nicer in overall finish. Oh well, it's getting there a bit at a time. Take care.

Don

[bensidus197217]

Holy smokes Don that looks like my finished work!

[Keyrigger]

Thank you.

Don