Latest HUP Progress

[BOC262]

I've really been enjoying this little kit. It is simple, detail is a bit crude, and everything needs a little work before fitting properly, but it is basically a very nice kit. It probably helps too that the HUP is a favorite of mine.

Spent some time fitting the windows--there are no "ledges" or "lips" to help with the placement, but fortunately every window was just a little bigger than its corresponding opening in the fuselage. That made it possible to carefully file a bevel into each window opening, and then the windows could go in flush with a press fit. I used the kit supplied windows for the cabin door. They were very small and I debated whether or not to even bother with them, but in the end I decided to use them because I don't really like the way white glue windows look. There is an even smaller window for the engine compartment--for that one I decided the glue method would be preferable!

This would probably be a good time to say a bit about my personal modeling style. Whether it's vac, resin, limited run or mainstream injection, I'm basically an OOB modeler. I don't spend much time or effort on interiors, because that part of the model isn't really important to me. Life is short, and once the completed model is up on the shelf, very little or none of the interior will be visible anyway, so I'm not going to waste much time on it. For those of you expecting to see finely detailed scratchbuilt interior pictures, my apologies in advance--that just ain't my style!

Not much of the HUP's interior will be visible once the fuse is together. I probably spent a bit more time on it than I normally would have, partly because some of the "powertrain" is visible both through vent openings in the rear vertical "tail", and through a circular hole in the botom of the fuse. I did nothing to the engine other than to paint it black--if you notice in the detail pic there is a square flat object on the bottom of the engine--that represents a radiator, and it effectively blocks the view of almost all of the engine once the kit is assembled. The radiator does have a very fine mesh texture molded into it, so I drybrushed some silver on it to pop out that detail.

Anyway, I finally finished the interior of the HUP to my satisfaction--after these pictures were taken I started buttoning up the fuselage. Got the entire top seam together, wlll let that set hard before working on the bottom seam--there is a slight amount of warpage on the bottom toward the tail.