SPA Modeler

I think I'm pretty good at PE but that looks insane!!

Maybe try using a piece of square copper tubing as a folding tool to bend around? It's very confusing in the photos and not physically having the piece in front of me makes it even more confusing.

What Clint wrote above jogged a memory. I hope this helps you, John. Go to the site for the English instructions and download the PDF. Note: I don’t think I nailed the exact PDF in the sample image below, but it was from the 1/32 kit PE section.



https://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en/download.html

I have also found ZM to be very responsive to contact. Their U.S. seller is in Torrance, I think.

Thanks guys! All comments are helpful! Those English instructions are great! But unfortunately, no clarifying information about the lower flaps that I'm confronted with at the moment. I'll probably set these aside for now. If I can't get mind around the folds, I'll just go with the kit parts. Attachment is another issue and the kit parts seem to offer a more substantial join to the wing than the PE flaps. Luckily, they are external parts that can be added later so they shouldn't hold up the build.

I've also got the Z-M Exterior Set and almost all of that will go unused as I am not going to utilize any of the opening hatches. Even the landing gear cover parts seem a bit wonky and not worth the trouble of utilizing.

Leaving the lower flap origami issue aside, I've moved a little forward with the Tank build. I've decided to add the wing root fillets at this time.


Why these need to be separate parts other than to create more messy seams is beyond me. I obviously do not reside in Z-M's target demographic.



I've glued the rudder to the tail unit using 2-part epoxy glue. The molded ribs on the rudder have been sanded down to give a more subtle fabric effect.



The molded spars in the upper flap area have been removed in order to accommodate the PE parts. I'll probably glue them in after the wing spars have been attached.



This might be a good time to perform a dry-fit check of the wing parts to the fuselage.

Time to dry-fit the wings! I used Tamiya tape for this exercise. The wingspan on this bird is incredibly wide!


Despite the modular nature of construction, the fit is pretty good, which is a credit to the design team at Z-M.



Without the engine in place, I found that the cowling pieces fit to the fuselage very well. I guess there is an option for me to leave the engine off the build and have it displayed alongside somehow?



A final check was performed to see if the canopy and windscreen fit ok.


I detected no serious issues with during this exercise so I've got a green light to keep the build moving.

Gotta love it when all the parts fit together like they're supposed to.

That's a very impressively sized model!

Glad to hear all of the parts fitted nicely!

Beautiful work, John. Maybe you can display the engine separately on a scratchbuilt stand?

That does have quite the wing span. I don't under stand why ZM does some things but it seems to work out for them