Well, as with all good things, this build has officially come to an end...
A club member was nice enough to donate a couple of hex head screws for the cowl. Every time I went in there to service something the screws would get stripped. A ball-end allen key prevents this. Then after I had re-installed the cowl... problems. Some dirt had gotten into the motor and the cowl flaps were not working properly. Removed cowl AGAIN. Blew out debris from the motor and applied a bit of lube to the bearings and all is well there. One servo mount for the cowl flaps had broken free a little so medium CA to the rescue. Did some re-polish and cleaning in spots and the cowl was back on, prop too, the plane was set for storage/transport. and it was time to clean up.
The final nail in the coffin for a completed build is to recycle the box. It took the better part of 10 minutes to break it all down and stuff it in but it was a labor of love as I cycled through all I had been through on this build. What I learned... like the aluminum covering and polishing, 3D modeling skills, 3D printing, history of the aircraft, and of course remembering my broken ankle. I also recycled the printout of my reference views for panel lines and rivets.
Last was to put tools away and clean the table. While not totally ready for another build it is much better than before. Unlike after the Corsair or Bugatti builds, I'm already getting the itch to do something else. It's funny though, I said after the Bugatti I would not do a crazy detailed build and then I did the Corsair with all of its gimmicks. I did the same after the Corsair and then Horizon suggested this build. How could I say no? The guys at Horizon are really great and I'm not just saying that to blow sunshine. On every interaction they just want to see me fly and have fun. Truly a great experience working with them.
As for what's next? Well, there are events and such in the coming days and months. I believe she will continue to gather compliments and even better discussions around building. As for the workshop? Well, I need to keep it clean for a bit as we want to complete the flooring and baseboards in the basement. I'm not entirely settled on anything yet but I have a list of potential projects to just wrap up.
Top Flite Red Box F8F Bearcat
DARE FW-190
Fokker DVI
Top Flite Golden edition P-51 Mustang
Re-build the FFVS J-22 front end and try flying again
Repair and try to fly the HK Nemesis
Or start a completely new project, either on my own, through Horizon, or another sponsor.
Curious about your thoughts on these builds and I would also love to hear what you followers have gained from this build.