The Little World

I take particular care with my scale models to ensure that the aircraft sit on their wheels properly. The tail-sitters like the Lancaster and Whitley, the B-17’s and B-18’s are no problem. Something can nearly always be done to beef up even the scaliest of landing gear to take the weight of plastic.  The something nearly always involves either PVA or epoxy glue deep in the wheel wells. I am no fuss-budget when it comes to beefing up the gear. Indeed, there are a few aircraft in the collection that show spindly cage landing gear legs for show but really rest upon wooden blocks between the top of the wheels and the underside of the wing.

So, too, can the tricycle ships be correctly weighted. I mash up old musket balls to fill the noses and eventually they all teeter forward to rest on their nose wheels. So I would have done for the Catalina, except I fear a failure. I just don’t think the main gear struts and axles would bear the additional weight of the ounce and a half of lead needed to balance things. They sit too far out on legs that are at 45º from their attachement points on the hull.

I shall compromise. When 3402 is displayed on the final hardpan at Schmatterim AFB I will have a wooden back stand under the hull. It would not be out of place with some of the relics of an Air Force Museum, considering the fact that many planes are gutted shells once they reach that stage. At least 3402 has her guns and engines in place…as does the real 3401 at Hatzerim.

For the time being, Nanoblocks will have to help out in the photo studio.