So I’m building a pair of Haws. Hurricanes in flight and have discovered the landing gear doors just weren’t ment to be in the retracted position and I figure it’s going to be easier and look better to make some from scratch and I’m just trying to think what the best way to get the shape of the gear bay without a ton of messing about. I was thinking about trying a pencil rubbing type idea to give me something I can trace out on plastic but thought maybe folks on here have some techniques that have never crossed my mind. Thanks.
Here’s some pictures of the pilots ready to go, there’s in the planes now and I’m happy that they fit in and the canopies actually fit over them, I’ll post more later. That’s gonna be Willy Mcknight and Douglas Bader, I live in Calgary and spent alot of time stuck in traffic on McKnight Blvd, figure I should build his plane someday. McKnight may look a whole lot like a gunner from a PBY but I figured he was the best man for the job.
Threw these in for the heck of it, went on a test flight in the jumpseat of a basler turbo DC-3 that we just put an autopilot in, slighty more modern than it’s 1942 configuration.
I always make a paper template, using index card stock, for doors, panels, hatches, etc… Draw out a rough shape, and just keep trimming, little at a time until you have the fit, then trace the pattern onto sheet styrene…
How far off are the doors in relation to the bay openings? If they are close to the right shape but, undersize, trace them a bit oversize on sheet styrene and file to correct size - you can also put a masking tape patch over the opening and using a new Xacto blade, cut carefully arounfd the perimeter and use the tape cut out as a pattern…hope this might be of some help…
Heres an idea, try rubbing a pencil around the wheel well opening then place a piece of selotape over the opening. Burnish down with your fingy, unstick, turn over…Voila.
Same basic idea as the other guys, but I usually cover the well with a piece of Tamiya tape, and then trace round the edge with a black permanent marker pen (shows up better than pencil on Tamiya tape). Stick this to a piece of 20 thou pc, scribe round with a new #11 blade, remove tape, snap out, and trim as needed.
Thanks for the ideas, I went with Chris’s idea but with some clear packing tape 'cause it was near by and that worked well with minimal trimming needed once it was cut out, not too shabby.
It ain’t the kit. The Hurri’s doors are two-piece and have a scissor joint for the small part of the door to pivot on as it opens/closes. That part is at a different angle open than when closed… The blisters on the doors cover the carraige bolts that connect them to the main door.
