Wing construction completed.
The recommended method (talking to modelers who have built the Academy PBY kit) of cementing the top halves of the 3 wing panels (center and 2x outer) and laying the upper half on a flat surface while the cement cures (then repeating for the bottom half) wasn’t possible given I’d installed the engine nacelles first. I could have waited to do that when I wanted to bring both the upper and lower halves together, but it was too late for that.
After contemplating a lego jig I had a light-bulb moment when I remembered my 3D printer. How about I make the jig I need? A few minutes in CAD and an overnight print resulted in a 12 inch jig that could accommodate the trailing edge and ensure the 3 panels would cure in a straight manner.
My initial design was too shallow (I’d halved measurements but the depth should have been whole) and it obviously needed support for the two outer panels. Back in CAD I increased the depth and added a small block to each end to support the outer panels. Another overnight print and the jig was perfect. For modelers with a 3D printer, ideally filament type, I’ve uploaded the STL to Printables.com for use with the nacelle jig.
Cement and applied it sat overnight to get a full cure. Then the wing went into the fill/sand/fill/prime stage. I had to repeat a few times to get the seams fully cleaned up. For this model I chose to try a new technique I’d read — apply black cyanoacrylate and let set for a few minutes, then clean up with debonder and cotton bud. While it worked, the debonder reacted with the plastic just a little and left phantom marks on the plastic that can still be seen through the primer if I look carefully. I will not use this method again and I don’t recommend it.
Wing is done and ready for the details.
Thanks for looking.
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