So I finally received the plastic bits (rod, tube, angle, etc.) that I needed. If you check the Plastruct website, individual pieces can be ordered, but be careful. The minimum order is $25, so it takes A LOT, unless you have another project looming that you need material for.
I removed the installed mufflers, (Parts D1 and D15). This was a headache. Tube glue and huge locating holes. I filled and sanded the holes in the rear hull, and then repaired where needed on part D15. To correct the muffler, I removed part D17, the raised deflector, as it wasn't on this version. After I cut the legs for this, I simply cleaned the recess in the top of the muffler, and filled it using rod, cut into a disc, about 1.5 mm thick. I wanted this to be flat across the top of the muffler. Then, I took a thin slice of 0.16" rod, and glued it in the center of the muffler-this will be the exhaust flapper. The flapper looks a little concave in the drawings that I have, so I took 320-grit, and rounded it a little on the edges.
For the flapper hinge, I took a very sharp #11 blade, and cut a notch in the flapper that I had just made, starting at the center of the flapper, and going to the edge. The hinge should be in the middle of the exhaust rear, and I am just trying to simulate a hinge. A small section of plastic rod cut to length, serves as the pin.
There are five bolts that need represented, and in the real Tiger, these were a recessed screw. Yeah; I'm not doing that. Instead, I am going with a raised bolt-head, which will give about the same visual effect. To do this, I cut 5 pieces of very small rod, about 1" long. Here's a tip: Make sure that the ends of your cut are dead flat and square, using a very sharp blade. This will make the next step easier.
To get the bolt pattern, I dabbed a little liquid glue on one end of the 1" piece of rod, and using tweezers, attached it to the area of the muffler between the outer diameter and the flapper. I glued the first piece directly opposite the hinge pin, and then one on each side of the hinge pin. The last two pieces were affixed in-between these. Once the glue is dry-and I mean really dry-I used a very sharp side-cutter, and cut these off to where they are just barely above the surface of the top of the exhaust.
One thing that I need to point out, too. My exhausts are knowingly too tall, but it was done for the ease of construction. Here's why. The rod inserted in the existing exhaust made my life easier, but in reality, the outer walls of the exhaust should have been trimmed down 1.5 mm to where the molded top was. My method, like I said, made my life easier, but if you do the math, if this were a real Tiger, my correction would be 4" taller than it should. I'm not about to fuss over that, though.
So now that the mufflers are reinstalled, it is time to make those louvered exhaust shields. Time to find an empty aluminum can....
I removed the installed mufflers, (Parts D1 and D15). This was a headache. Tube glue and huge locating holes. I filled and sanded the holes in the rear hull, and then repaired where needed on part D15. To correct the muffler, I removed part D17, the raised deflector, as it wasn't on this version. After I cut the legs for this, I simply cleaned the recess in the top of the muffler, and filled it using rod, cut into a disc, about 1.5 mm thick. I wanted this to be flat across the top of the muffler. Then, I took a thin slice of 0.16" rod, and glued it in the center of the muffler-this will be the exhaust flapper. The flapper looks a little concave in the drawings that I have, so I took 320-grit, and rounded it a little on the edges.
For the flapper hinge, I took a very sharp #11 blade, and cut a notch in the flapper that I had just made, starting at the center of the flapper, and going to the edge. The hinge should be in the middle of the exhaust rear, and I am just trying to simulate a hinge. A small section of plastic rod cut to length, serves as the pin.
There are five bolts that need represented, and in the real Tiger, these were a recessed screw. Yeah; I'm not doing that. Instead, I am going with a raised bolt-head, which will give about the same visual effect. To do this, I cut 5 pieces of very small rod, about 1" long. Here's a tip: Make sure that the ends of your cut are dead flat and square, using a very sharp blade. This will make the next step easier.
To get the bolt pattern, I dabbed a little liquid glue on one end of the 1" piece of rod, and using tweezers, attached it to the area of the muffler between the outer diameter and the flapper. I glued the first piece directly opposite the hinge pin, and then one on each side of the hinge pin. The last two pieces were affixed in-between these. Once the glue is dry-and I mean really dry-I used a very sharp side-cutter, and cut these off to where they are just barely above the surface of the top of the exhaust.
One thing that I need to point out, too. My exhausts are knowingly too tall, but it was done for the ease of construction. Here's why. The rod inserted in the existing exhaust made my life easier, but in reality, the outer walls of the exhaust should have been trimmed down 1.5 mm to where the molded top was. My method, like I said, made my life easier, but if you do the math, if this were a real Tiger, my correction would be 4" taller than it should. I'm not about to fuss over that, though.
So now that the mufflers are reinstalled, it is time to make those louvered exhaust shields. Time to find an empty aluminum can....
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