04 June 2020

THUNDERBALL!!! – Prepwork (4): Finishing the DPU, pt. 1

The bands securing the DPU to the backboard attaching it to the air tanks have been sized and permanently mounted. The bands were made from sheet aluminum, and attached with AMMO's Ultra Glue.

05.06.2020:
The shroud is every bit as challenging as I thought it might be. I intended to make the mounting brackets from sized sheet aluminum, but the rigidity of the Al, even after annealing, was a major deal-breaker. I have already hammered and sized a length of tin solder that will hopefully facilitate the mounting of the shroud. FOLLOW-UP: The shroud has been 'assembled', fitted, and perma- nently attached! There is still a fair amount of finishing, fine detailing, etc. to be done, but now the work can proceed in situ.

06.06.2020:
The propeller. It is somewhat understandable why Andrea chose to dispense with the DPU's pro- peller, especially given the kit's scale and the technology of the times. Nonetheless, an empty/ prop-less shroud is unequivocally unacceptable! 2-bladed props less than 4mm in diameter are hardly common fare, so I've embarked on yet another sub-project to fulfill my vision of THE pro- ject. So far, so good. FOLLOW-UP: The prop is DONE!!! Classic sculpting exercise driven by good visualization and excellent references (i.e., movie stills). The prop was sculpted from a solid block of resin supported by an 18ga dispensing tip that will double as its mounting peg.

09.06.2020 
Phase 1 of the DPU is officially DONE! Phase 2 will be the detailing and cleaning of what was provided--strictly enhancements. 

When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

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