OK, I have the fuse (less canopy and chin cowl) 95% sheeted. Just have a bit by the spinner area to finish. My building room is a total balsa dust disaster at the moment, but I’ll get a new pic up this week sometime.

Following is what I have learned and will pass on. The method of plug building I selected seems to create a very ridged and accurate plug, which I am pleased with. Attaching the sheeting wasn’t too terribly difficult for the most part. I used poly glue in the sheeting seams and the sheeting is attached to formers with CA. There is basically no sheeting flexing between the formers as everything is bonded as one unit. Simple curves were fairly easy to cope with, such as the belly pan and turtle deck areas. However, the compound curves around the nose area and a bit on the tail have caused me to lose sleep. They will come out OK after sanding, but I don’t think I will do a plug of this type this way again. I fear the canopy and turtle deck will be even worse as they are basically 100% compound curves.

I like TT2 and Magne’s ideas. I have made glassed foam plugs before, but never with the lite-ply formers as guides. In the past, I have run into alignment issues and I have damaged the foam shape in handling. Even after glassing I’ve had the foam plugs deform. I saw this ply/balsa method on some web page for a giant SU-27? I think. I figured with the problems I’ve had dealing with foam plug, I’d try the ply/balsa method. Hind sight, If I had it to do all again, I think I’d try the lite ply formers and internal tubes mentioned by TT2. Would there be any benefit in sheeting a foam/lit-ply plug with 1/16 balsa like what Magne did? I.E., to help stiffen and/or produce a better surface for glassing?

It’s too late now for me to switch gears on the fuse part of the plug. But I may try the foam/former method for the canopy and chin cowl. I already have the formers cut and I have some high density building (pink) poly-styrene foam laying around.

Cheers.