Next, I fitted the large antenna to the lower fuselage and drilled out the sonobuoy launcher tubes. The P-8 has a retractable electro optical camera system and the kit can replicate this in either the extended or retracted position. If you want it retracted you have to do nothing bar scribe the doors. If you want it extended, ideally you need to cut out an insert and line it with plastic sheet. The EO camera needs to sit in this insert as this replicates the recess that it retracts into.
The next stage was to look at the wings. These are a multipart assembly but actually goes together quite well. That said before putting it altogether I needed to install the main wheel bay, the wheels in the up position and a wooden block to support the stand.
The outer wing sections have ‘tiplets’ that needs attaching – these ‘tiplets’ attach parallel to the main wing as shown in the photo. These upper wing sections can then be attached to the lower wing section and I added the engine mounts at this stage. In order to ensure a gap-free join along the wing root I used scrap sprue to hold open the fuselage along the root – trial and error was required here to get the sprue length correct.
The wing was then added to the fuselage. Some filling was required especially along the lower sides but nothing serious.
Howard Kilburn says
Superb…simply superb Dave
Ron Anstis says
My webpage says “English”. The spelling and expression in so much of the text suggest that this is more hypothesis than fact. Howard says “Superb…” and the finished model shows this to be more fact than hypothesis. Very nicely done!