What’s in the Box?

There are a lot of parts in this nicely packed box, about 71 pieces, with the photoetch included in the parts count sandwiched between two foam boards in a typical top-folding rectangular lid cardboard box.

The Build Interior/Exterior

Construction starts the build by separating the cylinder heads from the pour stub, the first of 22 steps covering 8 pages. Keep in mind to cut as evenly and straight as possible to help alleviate any alignment issues when it comes to attaching the heads to the radial block using the alignment tools that are part of the PE fret. I was a little paranoid so I cut them right at the base of the stub and kinda just worked my way up to make sure everything was perfect. The alignment tools were a lifesaver and made my life a lot easier. I definitely think things would have turned out much worse for me and my patience if the tools where not included.

The next headache for me was trying to find the patience to attach the fuel lines to cylinder heads, which was no small task, but I got it done.

After all cylinder heads where built and attached to the corresponding radial blocks it was on to cleaning up and adding the rest of the small engine parts and assemblies, about 10 smaller resin pieces and PE tidbits.

Once all the cylinders and block assemblies are completed, another small issue is making sure the engine slides into the center shaft for the propeller. It was a very snug fit almost to the point where I thought I would break it, so I sanded it down and made it smoother and slightly smaller to make everything just glide right on.

Next up are the engine exhausts, rear engine assembly, and rear engine support mounting bracket. This is also where you also make some major alterations to the kit parts to make this engine assembly fit. I took several hours trimming and dry-fitting to ensure I didn’t have a crooked assembly, or not conformed to the rest of the aircraft.

I also found the firewall needed to be trimmed and shaved to make the engine have maximum amount of clearance to fit in the already cramped engine compartment.

The next and final few steps consist mostly of the required cutting and removal of the kit front engine cowlings and panels, and thinning of the interior engine sidewalls to fit this massive engine assembly inside.

Finishing

I used Model Master enamels for this engine set. For base painting, I used Model Master gun metal for the cylinder heads and the bulk of the engine metal assemblies. It was easier to paint the entire engine prior to adding the exhausts on both sides and the rest of the additional engine pieces.

After the cylinder heads and radial blocks where painted I brush painted the tops of the cylinder heads Model Master flat black. Color callouts for the set call for Mr. Color but we all have our opinions and preferences.

The plug wires were painted a light tan and I only had to use a little bit of silver to touch up those pesky little fuel lines that where borderline microscopic. After all painting was done I sealed the engine with Testors Glosscote followed by Dullcote to give it a nice flat finish.

Conclusion

I had some learning pains with this first attempt at super detailing, but I enjoyed the added appeal and attention I got from the completed build. It truly added life to an already beautiful kit. My thanks to IPMS and the reviewer corps along with a big shout out to Eduard for the opportunity to test and enjoy their product.