Replacing a build from years back that met an untimely death. Monogram's 1/48 offering is the base kit. Decided I was going to drop the flaps and reposition the control surfaces on this one. So far I've got about 85-90% of the flap work tackled and have the control surfaces cut free. Still need to add control rods etc inside the flap wells. The flaps and wells aren't 100%, but they are pretty close and since they will only be slightly opened, they should look good uder some paint and moderate weathering. Haven't decided if I am going to rescribe the ol' girl yet or not. So far this is the progress I have made. I have another C-47 to do as well, but it will be OOB. Both planes will go on a diorama with approximately 36-40 figures, a few wheeled vehicles and other assorted goodies. Stay tuned. Thanks for looking, comments welcomed. "Q"

You've got some serious work going on there. Two planes with 35-40 figures in a diorama? I don't envy you. Keep us updated.

looking good Matt, I think you're right, all that detail will look nice painted up and weathered. I seem to have a problem with glueing small pieces like those ribbings and what not without all of the glue showing after paint. What kind of glue do you use, and do you have a special method? I know now that thick CA doesn't cut it!

Thanks for the kudos guys. I use a variety of glues when doing stuff like this. Mainly I used Tamiya Super Thin liquid glue. I will get the pieces in position and appply just a small amount along a seam and let capillary action do the rest. I found that using just a slight bit of the glue is the key. Too much and it'll melt/destroy the area. It is tacky enough that I can move the part around slight with tweezers or the tip of a #11 blade should I need to. Once the part has set for a few mnutes, I'll load up a bit more glue and hit those areas that didn't get any glue. For parts that will not be load bearing, like all the blade antennas along the spine and belly on my 1/144 Warning Star here, I'll use good ol' Elmers white glue, some water and a paint brush. The glue is strong enough to hold the part, won't attack paint, and if it gets bumped will usually pop loose without taking the underlying paint with it. The added bonus is that it dries flat. There are several others that I have used, but these are the ones I use most often. I quit using CA years ago for stuff like this. It is pretty unforgiving....strong yes, but really hard to work with at times. Thanks again for the Kudos. "Q"

Matt:

The detail work is looking wonderful. This is going to be an awesome project and I can't wait to see this one finished.