This segment addresses the "cheek" fairings on each side of the main pylon which gives it that streamlined, unmistakable "Rufe" look. Since there's a hole at the top leading edge of the pylon ( which serves as the oil cooler air intake on the full scale ), there's a four louvered shutter that is recessed within. I wanted to show something in there but one problem was the flex-cable housing for the pontoon's rudder is smack in the way of having the shutters in a deep, 90 degree angle to that intake hole. In short, the shutter/louver assembly would have to be parallel to the pylon's vertical leading edge in order to look feasible. Add to that all edges of the shutter ring would have to face forward at an angle that would be parallel to the oncoming airflow, otherwise the ring would be facing upwards in the recess.
I tried wrapping and gluing 1/64th ply and 1/32nd basswood around a dowel and cut everything at an angle as viewed from the side but in doing so, you end up with an oval when viewed head-on. This would have looked wrong when viewed through that round outer intake hole. I ended up shaping a balsa dowel from a wide, horizontal template, doing the aforementioned wrap n' glue, cut it on a bias and when viewed head-on, it is indeed a circle. Using the same materials for the shutters, I cemented them in place and the louvers are pretty much done. ( For the sake of pre-finishing before painting, all wood parts were wicked with thin C/A and sanded. Trying to do so afterwards would be a pain and the risk of breaking it would have been high.)
The next installment will deal with sealing, fuel-proofing and airbrushing the whole sub-assembly to look deeper than what it actually is. The intent is to see something in there without it being obvious or distracting.