R-34 scale model project...Refabricated the aft car!!

I had to start from scratch, today all over again , as far as the aft engine car goes. It seems that after I was done mocking up the model with all the cars in place, that something did not look right. Here, compared to the wing cars, the aft car was too small, so I had to totally make a new one for the model. The aft car on the R-34 is the same height and width as the wing cars, but since it has TWO engines front to back in it, driving one 17 foot diameter propeller, the car is about 25 percent longer than the single engine wing cars. So I made a new one in the appropriate bigger size. NOW the model looks balanced, and aesthetically correct. All the cars were then refitted, and the model was checked for overall alignment and proportion correctness of the cars, keeping on tweaking until I felt happy with how the model airship looks to me. The cars are now ready to have the woodgrain in them sealed, to get them ready to spray paint silver, and then top dull clear coat them before the window and door details are applied. Then and only then can they be attached to the hull permanently. I guess I should actually fabricate the four propellers, paint them and attach them to the cars before I glue the cars to the hull beforehand. That is where I'm at right now. Here are pictures of the model with the corrected aft car in place and all dryfitting of all the cars to the hull completed.

Jim.

R-34 scale model project... All cars completed!

As the title says, I finished fabricating the wing cars, today, completing the set needed for this ship. It took a while to dry fit them so that they hung half decently below the hull. I also permanently  placed the gondola locator pins in the hull in their appropriate places for positively locating the completed painted  and detailed cars later.That is what is next. details such as making the window, hatch, and  door decals after the grain is sealed and sanded, then painted. Here are the pictures showing the control car and all three engine cars in place. Model is really taking shape, now.

Jim.

R-34 scale model project...Dry fitting control car to the hull.

Here are the latest progress photos. I just got done dry fitting the completed control car assembly to the hull. I need to apply sanding sealer to it, then ever so lightly sand it before I can paint and detail it. I just installed all the hull mounting struts and the two ladder tubes to the car, yesterday. But next, I have to make the other three cars. The aft car, and the two wing cars. I will do them next before I seal and sand them all before I paint them and permanently glue them to the hull. the way this model looks, now, except for the color, I could make this thing into the L-49, if I wanted to, instead of the R-34. the ships look so similar.

With the rudder and elevator flaps dry fitted to the fins, as well as the control car, the final profile of the dirigible is starting to emerge.

These last pictures I just now added, shows the newly fabricated aft engine car assembly dry fitted into place on the hull of the model. The only major pieces left to make are the two mid ship's wing engine cars. Those will be next. I also fitted what I call the "ram air tubes on the sides of the cars that I think were a combination for the cooling of the engines, and what not. The aft car has two of these, one on each side of the gondola, as it has two engines in it that drove the one propeller in that car.

Jim.