I test fit a paper cowl over the cowl formers. My first try isn't practical. It would require so many precision cuts to get a smooth appearance that it would drive even the most patient builder to the brink of sanity only to have it explode on the first less than perfect landing.
I'm going to remake it in 3 basic shapes, rather than try to capture ever nuance of the scale design. The most important details are the curve from the opening to the widest part of the cowl, then the taper from the widest part back toward the fuse where the cowl overlaps the start of the fuse. That way it will be much easier to manage.
It will be comprised of:
- A curve of sanded foam board. 3 layers should be just right.
- A short cylinder for the widest section.
- A cone from the back of the cylinder just overlapping the fuse.
The more I think about the fuse, I think its going to be best to have some flat area on the bottom and some internal foam structure to push the wings through. But I don't want it to just look like the FT Spitfire with a cowl and different wings and tail feathers. That H-1 look depends on a round fuse with a smooth taper to the back.
I compared a slightly different 3 view of the racer to the plans I was basing my design on and I like the shape of the other 3 view better. The cowl is a little more beefy and it actually has former shapes at more practical locations.
This one:
I flipped the h.stab and wings for consistency. There was a very noticeable difference when I compared the two sides in the drawing. I scaled everything up and am starting over with the plans. Let's call it Development Stage 2. The wings and tail I was using are very close to scale and don't require any changes, but the fuse is needing a rework. Once I'm happy with the fuse, I'll remake the wings and tail just because I like the subtle differences in this 3 view. A very slightly more pronounce curve to the front of the v.stab and a little more sweeping angle to the h.stab.
Here's what I'll be more or less tracing: