Believe me, I looked long and hard for a joystick I could "graft" the spade onto....I couldn't find one.
The original budget for the Spitfire was A$2000. I, um, sort of blew that!!
Shouldn't have joined if I couldn't take a joke I guess.
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Another update for those of you interested:
The single exposure button is working (for taking screen shots) and the red light is functional. I have an idea for the green light but have to check if the "flashing" circuit I have will work. Otherwise I may well arm it with a flashing LED. We'll see.
I am very happy with how close Chris and I came with the mock up. It is very close in dimensions, just a fair bit thinner than the real one and a little smaller. Still, going off scaling from photos I am pleased. The real one will now take up residence, the fake one will be converted to a junction box for the wiring.
I finished the Windscreen De-Icing and it has now been engraved by Chris, white undercoat, black top coat and then laser off the black.It gives a magic finish as you can see.
Remote Contactor (mounting the Collins Radio instead of the timer) is also finished and this time raised tags engraved by Chris.
On then to the U/C controller unit
The cover that runs between the U/C unit and the panel frame was a major job. Measuring the angles and the bends to still fit squarely in the gap was a major stretch for me. I ended up leaving lots of excess and trimming it down to fit in. It compliments Gwyns U/C perfectly I think (to which i also added the small detail of the cylinder on the rear. Pictures: (I did however not notice the sawdust until after these shots DOH!!)
I also found that I had given Gwyn the wrong picture of the Tank Pressurecock. So a little modification, a repaint and it was ready to go. Then I fabricated the front and rear plates to hold the legend and the rotary switch for thecock.
Assembled and fitted..(just some painting left to do)
The new version of the IFF Destruction Unit. NO COMMENT on this, at least none that is printable..but it looks OK now (ended up changing to a bigger "Emergency" warning label as Gwyn has agreed to make me a scale Emergency Undercarriage Lowering bottle , handle and valve, so it will be nice to draw more attention to it!!.
Another gratuitous compass shot...simply because I LOVE this bit!!!
The current "persons of interest"
a, a fairly busy section of "Spitfireville", the right hand side almost complete and test fitted before the skinning starts:
The Radiator Shutter Lever in progress. I cut two grooves up either side of a steel tube. Screwed a butterfly nut (wingnut) on the end of a threaded rod (with a locking nut) put a couple more along the length to stop the "play" inside the tube and topped it off with a nylex locking nut "button".
The bottom wooden stopper doubles as a mount for the Dowty switch.
When the button is depressed the against a compression spring it moves the butterfly nut down and this will disengange it from a "gate". The gate will have positions for each of the of the switch (four ..corresponding to Open, cruise, guns warm and closed, the four normal shutter positions.
The gate and mount is the next job.
The Morse Key mounting is my first compound curve (I cheated with the cockpit coaming) achieved by bending over and around an old jar lid. A simple looking piece but not easy to make. I think it came out satisfactorily though.
A few of the progress on the left cockpit wall.
The Throttle is painted, the handles painted and clearcoated, the red boost cut out now adjusted to the right colour, the mounting made more secure and I just need to make the "Airscrew Control" legend to go on the black lever closest. I think I will leave the others bare metal for effect.
The great Trim Wheel Gwyn made is, in some respects like the later ones and in others like the earlier version. As the primary focus is now the Spitfire 1A / 2A, I painted in the centre and it is now very like the early model. (another jar lid as a painting mask!!) The rudder trim is still wrong (Mustang) but I will replace that in due course.
All the levers, panels, handles and trims have now been clear coated and the duller finish is more in line with a warbird.
I've also added a third switch housing to the bottom of the other two ...so now have Pressure Head Heat, Fuel Pump (not strictly a Mk 1 or 2 feature!) and a Camera Master. I still need to get the chains to run dummies from the trim wheels.
That's about it for now.
