Roger's Hellcat

The cowl assembly has been applied and all the little imperfections now reveal themselves. Unfortunately the Dark Sea Blue color I plan to apply will magnify every little pimple and dimple. The final details must be thought out carefully as the order of application can be important. For instance... the drop tank, LF antenna mast on the tail, pitot tube and main gear struts go on as late as possible to avoid damaging them. The canopy is next. It will be vacformed and a trough will be created in the area forward of the instrument panel to conceal the attachment joint. Painted clear decal will be applied to emulate the framing and the fairing at the base. The tires and wheels are neoprene plumbing washers mounted on short lengths of brass tube. There were two Hellcat wheel designs--I'm using the later design which had a "wave" pattern in the wheel disk instead of the 45 degree spokes.