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Old 08-20-2019, 01:39 PM
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Chris Nicastro
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Coeur d'Alene, ID
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After some time away on other projects for my friend I’m back on the Mustang!
More photos coming soon.

Update
I had to redo the tail gear installation and rethink the radio and equipment location. That was a set back but it will be the right way to go forward. The Sierra gear was originally mounted to optimize the space ahead of the gear so I could get the radio and equipment in a good location far aft for CG help.
This proved to be a problem for two reasons. The tail was too low to the ground and the the gear was going to be a problem to set up for steering. Instead I installed a plywood plate just behind the radiator exhaust and mounted the gear there with countersink hex screws from the outside of the fuse. They will blend in and be painted over with the invasion stripes later.
Now the tail is as high as possible and more scale like, done.
Tail gear steering servo is now located in front of the bulkhead I installed before with pull pull cables, done.

Installed the air duct and the radiator door, done.

Now that leaves the big hatch I cut out of the tail. I located the gear door cylinders with plywood mounts and epoxied them to the fuse. When you need to take off the tail hatch you pop the door ball links and the hatch with doors comes off complete, done.

Installed two small bulkheads to reduce fuselage twist in the tail area ahead of the stab, done. It spans the carbon fiber stringers I installed before so this helps box the section and stabilize it.

Made canopy rails from extruded rectangular brass. One of those details I like about the Mustang are the distinct canopy rails. A model this big should have them too so I patterned them after the real parts. Not a lot of documentation on these so I had to go through a lot of magazines and books to get a decent side view. These are not done yet but the very close to being finished and mounted.

The instrument panel hood has some distinct features like ribs and an edge pad. I added those to the hood as well, done. These were made with bass wood and evercoat body filler, very fine stuff.

Cockpit floor and scale battery/radio tray are next. The plan is to have the Rx/Regulator and UP2 on a panel behind and below the battery/radio tray. More on this later.

The Pilot aluminum fuel cap was installed in the scale position behind the pilot on the left side, done.