The Little World

Always that moment when you have packed up your clothing at the end of a holiday and are gingerly trying to get the suitcase closed – against the pressure of dirty laundry and souvenirs. Will it creak shut…?

Before I could latch the Heron together I tested the balance – Airfix said 15 gms of weight was needed – and it was a rather small nose in which to pack it. Fortunately there is a space for flat sheet under the cockpit floor as well as forward of the instrument panel and I could beat a musket ball fragment into shape. If more is needed it will have to be dropped in through the front wheel well.

The dry fit closure seemed to go well with a bit of sanding on the seats’ sides. And I was pleased to discover the cross section of the Heron is perfect for clamping with those household tool holders I showed on a previous post. I was able to align and hold everything before I applied any MEK and it all was very civilised.

With a kit of this age one cannot avoid the need for some seam putty – but in the end it has sanded off quite well – There will be some rivet detail lost, but I am not going to weep over that – just disguise it with paint.

In all, pleasing. The wings are in decent dihedral and the tailplanes are keyed tightly to go into alignment. I applaud the Airfix of 1959!

Note I am also filling and fixing the Mystery Hole that appeared on the port side forward of the door. It may have been an ejector pin gone feral.