CeeTee Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) They say that this kit was engineered well. I have my doubts about the veracity of that statement. The engine cowling (part A10) doesn’t seem to match up with the fuselage evenly and there is a major gap between the fuselage and the port side wing root. There are also some big sink holes on the top side of both wings. Anyway, this question concerns the cowling. The rear of A10 just below the gun bulges doesn’t line up with the top edge of the assembled fuselage. It rides about 1/2mm above the line where it should meet up with the top edge of the fuselage. Is this an accurate representation of how the cowling should fit? After examining some Emil photos I do see what appears to be a difference in elevation between the two parts on the real aircraft but this may be a shadow effect created by the bulges. Should the overall outline of A10 match up with the fuselage perfectly? Edited June 2, 2009 by CeeTee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mossieramm Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I have built the E-3 boxing (and the Hasegawa one) and found no problems with the cowling, or the wing root. There are two boxings of the Tamiya 109. One from Japan and one from the Philipines. Apparently the shape of the cowling (A10) is incorrect in the Japanese boxing. I have not seen this, so I cant say what is wrong with it. As far as I know the cowling should match the fuselage. On the real thing, the cowling is removed for maintenance, this could cause the cowling to warp and not to match the fuselage perfectly. David. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CeeTee Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 On the real thing, the cowling is removed for maintenance, this could cause the cowling to warp and not to match the fuselage perfectly.David. Interesting point... I think I may have to simply sand the cowling edge until it is even with the fuselage. First time I have had to make such a radical alteration with a Tamiya kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crazydon Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) The cowling is ok, it sits a tad high where the MG breachs are. The only fit issue you'll have is the stab struts, those are a bit too short. If you use them to alinging the tailplanes you'll get a downward slant on those. What I do is use that as a guide and toward the end add the struts and a touch of putty to fill the gap at the stabs. As mentioned, Tamiya had 2 releases of the kit, 1st with a incorrect nose and the 2nd with the corrected nose. The E-3 is what you have to check...as mentioned, the early Made In Japan ones from the 90's have the bad nose. They fixed it with the E-4/7 release so any boxing of the E-4 is the corrected mold Edited June 2, 2009 by crazydon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The early version of the Tamiya kit has a too-large oil cooler fairing on the bottom side of the cowling. That's the only thing that was wrong other than the horizontal stab strut issue. Never heard of a wing root problem. I've built a couple and haven't experienced that myself. J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lock n' Load Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Maybe you didn't close the fuselage evenly, causing to have wing root problems and bad fitting cowl? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CeeTee Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 The cowling is ok, it sits a tad high where the MG breachs are.The only fit issue you'll have is the stab struts, those are a bit too short. If you use them to alinging the tailplanes you'll get a downward slant on those. What I do is use that as a guide and toward the end add the struts and a touch of putty to fill the gap at the stabs. As mentioned, Tamiya had 2 releases of the kit, 1st with a incorrect nose and the 2nd with the corrected nose. The E-3 is what you have to check...as mentioned, the early Made In Japan ones from the 90's have the bad nose. They fixed it with the E-4/7 release so any boxing of the E-4 is the corrected mold Thanks for the photos Crazydon they are a big help! also thanks for the strut info. My fuselage is aligned properly and I am not the first person to note the wing root problem. It is also mentioned in a review I read on the net. Thanks for all your help guys... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crazydon Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thanks for the photos Crazydon they are a big help! also thanks for the strut info. My fuselage is aligned properly and I am not the first person to note the wing root problem. It is also mentioned in a review I read on the net. Thanks for all your help guys... Check and see if the pit is in, I've noticed that sometime it can sit low by the instrument panel and that causes the wing root fit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SLAYER Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I build the E-4 Tamiya last year and there were no problems, it fitted very nicely. And if it does not, a little sanding will do the work. Maybe you'll be happier building a starfix with a lower level of detail and fit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Randy Lutz Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 They say that this kit was engineered well. I have my doubts about the veracity of that statement. The engine cowling (part A10) doesn’t seem to match up with the fuselage evenly and there is a major gap between the fuselage and the port side wing root. There are also some big sink holes on the top side of both wings. Anyway, this question concerns the cowling. The rear of A10 just below the gun bulges doesn’t line up with the top edge of the assembled fuselage. It rides about 1/2mm above the line where it should meet up with the top edge of the fuselage. Is this an accurate representation of how the cowling should fit? After examining some Emil photos I do see what appears to be a difference in elevation between the two parts on the real aircraft but this may be a shadow effect created by the bulges. Should the overall outline of A10 match up with the fuselage perfectly? I have built 3 Tamiya Emils (one E-4 [swiss], one E-3 old tool [bulgarian] and one E-3 new tool [Yugoslavian]). The shape problem with the cowl people are referring to relates to the front of the cowl and in no way impacts on the fit of the cowl. Yes there is a step at the rear of the cowl at the gun bulges, but this is supposed to be there. Regarding the fit of the wing root, there is a good chance you have done something wrong along the way, as I had no problem in all three of my examples. There was no need for any putty or remedial work to correct the fit at the roots. Yes there are some sink marks on the top of the wing, but I would not be slamming the kit for this. If you have a dab of putty and 5 minutes to spare, it can be easily corrected. The kit is not perfect as there are some problems such as the inherent tailplane anhedral, mailwheel tread that goes all the way to the hub and the incorrectly shaped prop, but all are easily corrected either with basic modelling skills or aftermarket resin. If I knew how, I would post some images of my three Emils. Regardless one was featured in Model Aircraft Monthly Volume 5, number 5 and another in SAMI Volume 13, number 9. In those issues I have shown a complete build article. Cheers Randy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crazydon Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I have built 3 Tamiya Emils (one E-4 [swiss], one E-3 old tool [bulgarian] and one E-3 new tool [Yugoslavian]). The shape problem with the cowl people are referring to relates to the front of the cowl and in no way impacts on the fit of the cowl. Yes there is a step at the rear of the cowl at the gun bulges, but this is supposed to be there.Regarding the fit of the wing root, there is a good chance you have done something wrong along the way, as I had no problem in all three of my examples. There was no need for any putty or remedial work to correct the fit at the roots. Yes there are some sink marks on the top of the wing, but I would not be slamming the kit for this. If you have a dab of putty and 5 minutes to spare, it can be easily corrected. The kit is not perfect as there are some problems such as the inherent tailplane anhedral, mailwheel tread that goes all the way to the hub and the incorrectly shaped prop, but all are easily corrected either with basic modelling skills or aftermarket resin. If I knew how, I would post some images of my three Emils. Regardless one was featured in Model Aircraft Monthly Volume 5, number 5 and another in SAMI Volume 13, number 9. In those issues I have shown a complete build article. Cheers Randy Just do a cut and paste from the HS articles Randy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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