RE: Charlie Kellogg's TBM Avenger Build
Only had a couple of good days for spraying primer the past week or two. So not completely finished with the panels lines (only got the wings going). But I'm getting closer!
Over the past week, I have been installing various components, and details on the fuse and wings. One of things I had the most trouble with was the crew door. I tried a number of hinges, and hinging techniques (including the boomerangs, Larry), but the solution (as ever) came in the form of help from Charlie. He sent me some pictures of his method, so I tried that route and it worked out very nicely.
The hinges are made from 3/32 ply. The door pivots on 1/16th music wire. The wire is secured inside a balsa boxed channel that is simply glued to the bulkhead inside the fuse. The key was to make the balsa box channel loose around the 1/16 wire so that there's enough "play" so that the door does not bind when opening and closing. The door fits snugly in the fuse and is secured in the closed position with a couple of small magnets. Like many other components on my Avenger, it remains to be determined whether the door will remain closed when the motor is running and the plane is in action. I'm confident that it'll be just fine, though.
To finish the door, I layed in some balsa ribs and then sheeted over the inside with thin styrene sheet. A few holes were cut into the styrene for effect.
The door gaps need some more work in a few places. Need to get to this before I start panel lines. That'll be easy with a bit of filler and sand paper.