Piper PA-18 Super Cub by Guillows

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The third strut is also installed and sanded down. The radiator molded onto the kit's cowl fits the Pa-18-95, but I am building the Pa-18-150 version. The radiator is made from scraps of the vacuum-formed part. The plastic ball comes from my plastic model stash. The entire component, including the propeller shaft bearing, weighs 5.3 grams and is ready to be glued to the rest of the fuselage, filled, and sanded.
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This is now being done, and the paneling is also being added, true to the original model.
The fuselage, completed to this point, now weighs 14.9 grams. If I add up all the components built so far, the total comes to 30.7 grams.

To be continued....

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Intermediate steps:
- For the elevator rail, the second end is now machined and provided with a recess
  into which a locking pin made of steel wire fits. I knotted the rubber cord from
  the kit (made of 3/16" rubber), placed it in the rail with the bobbin attached,
  and secured it with the locking pin. I inserted the assembly into the model and
  connected it to the model using the locking pin through the bearing and bobbin.
  Now the stop, made from a wooden wedge, can be positioned flush against the head
  frame and glued to the rail. Loosen the locking pin and pull the rail out of the
  model.
  Thanks to the stop, it will always be in the correct position when inserted.

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The propeller assembly, consisting of the spinner, propeller, washers, propeller
shaft,  and propeller shaft bearing, is the next component.The polystyrene spinner
comes from the stock and is modified so that the propeller fits centered inside it. The 5"-propeller from the kit has been cleaned of all mold flash. The propeller shaft was fabricated from 0.8 mm spring steel wire with a formed hook for attaching the drive shaft. This  hook is sized and shaped to fit diagonally through the opening in the fuselage nose.
The propeller bearing from the kit is not used; instead, it is replaced by one
that allows individual adjustment of the propeller shaft's pitch and camber  by
adjusting two bushings with wrenches. The bearing fits snugly into a recess
in the fuselage nose and can be removed for adjustment.

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The main landing gear was built from the included plastic, wood, and wire parts.
Cut the wires to length and bend them into shape; glue the wheel halves together.
Sand the wooden shock absorber replicas to the correct shape. Assemble everything tentatively and attach it to the fuselage without gluing. It fits. Glue the shock absorbers in place and align them according to the plan while the glue is still wet.

For the tail landing gear, I will deviate from the kit because I want a movable wheel.
I found one in the right size in the "Plastkmodellbau" collection. I bent a piece from the remaining landing gear wire. The wheel of the wooden part was removed, and a
0.9mm hole was drilled into the rest to accommodate the wire. The wire was inserted and glued in place. A hole was also drilled in the fuselage at the appropriate spot, where the component is now inserted.
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I have now cut and adjusted the template for the glazing out of tracing paper. While doing so, I marked the contours on the hood.
The wooden parts of the cockpit were given a coat of primer where necessary, and then the first color accents were applied in accordance with the prototype. The decal with the cockpit instruments was also applied.

To be continued after the holidays    

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[dputt7]

Nice work!

[livingroomflight]

Those guillows kits have something in them. Great work so far and nice model kit!

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The vacation is over, and work on the model has resumed. After reviewing the parts that have already been built, a template is made from wood scraps that match the thickness of the tail surfaces. This template is used to make the end wedges from leftover balsa wood. These wedges are not attached until the model—which has been covered with fabric and painted—is assembled.

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Covering and More...
(Part 1)
It's time to cover the components. I'll start with the wings. The paper included with the kit has a fluffy texture. I haven't had good experiences with this type of paper, so I'm using a different kind (17.06 g/m²) from my stash. But after the dampened paper dried, it had weak spots and holes all over. The result: I had to start the whole process over again. The new paper weighs 16.55 g/m², has a visible, gradient grain pattern, feels completely different, and is already applying beautifully taut. Satisfied with the result, I immediately covered the rear wing, vertical stabilizer, and fuselage as well. Next comes moistening the paper, and after it dries, applying two coats of thinned covering varnish.

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(Part 2)
"Glazing" the windows with transparent material. According to the plan, everything is to be glazed in one piece.
However, I plan to glaze each window individually, with the exception of the front one, which is adjacent to the windshield. So I cut two pieces from the clear material to match the outlines of the windows and then cut out the individual windows from those pieces. The snug-fitting parts were inserted and glued in place with "Supranol 2000," an adhesive used in plastic model building. One drop of the thin adhesive per edge on the inside and outside—let it flow in nicely and harden—and the window stays in place.
Somehow it bothered me that the fourth window couldn't be made the same way. So I created a new template for the windshield. And lo and behold, this one will "only" be attached to the strut. So I made window number 4 the same on both sides.
The windshield will be installed later, once the wings are mounted.