May 25, 2003 - The last three weeks have seen fabric attached to the various components as well as the method of attaching the centre section finally decided on. This time around there are photos of most of the model covered. These were taken while I was waiting for my second order from Great Hobbies to arrive (I had run out of nitrate dope, hence the uncovered fuselage, wing and centre section - these have since been covered and the film will be developed tomorrow.The propellor was found for me by another list member, and I reshaped the tips of it and added the boss and bolts. They aren't too accurate, but they do improve the look of it.

June 15, 2003: Yes, this is AFTER the deadline that was previously mentioned. A week prior to it, I received a call saying that it has been put off until September due to conflicting schedules, so I can slow down the pace a little. Within the last couple of weeks I have added the radiator,finished most of the painting and the wings are now in place and the model is once again in the bandroom pending a cleanup of the workshop.

The radiator came about due to a local airline wishing to be involved and the suggestion was made that they could see about making a radiator. So they paid for a local machine shop to make the outline of the radiator for me. I added the triangular top, back, inside and the louvres. They did a nice job of it and it sure saved me the hassle of doing one up. So far the radiator, pilots, prop and turnbuckles are the only items not scratchbuilt.

The pilots are the 1/6 scale Williams Brothers kits with a bit extra added to the bottom so they look like they are inside the cockpits and not chopped off at the shoulders. The engine is just something to fill the space, even so, it is 60 pieces and I still need to make the exhaust.

The last two shots are of it all painted and with the wings in place. I had the flash speed set wrong, so 1/4 of each shot is missing.

	All the parts nicely laid out. those of a musical bent, note the toys at the edge of the images. The last two shots show it painted and with the wing in place. I am surprised at just how sturdy the structure is once the rigging was tightened. I have picked the model up by a wingtip (twice !!!) and promise I will never do it again. . Also note just how small the pilot is in comparison to the aircraft.

JULY 22 Not much done in the last month. Added the cowl panels and finally made the exhausts.

July 30th. Ohboyohboyohboy. ... last week the decals finally arrived. One of my friends on the WWI mailing list arranged some vinyl press-on USAS insignia and 'Round the World Flight' logos from an R/C buddy of his who owns a sign company. These went on quite nicely, and saved masking and spraying the various markings. Thanks Tom.

Also shown is the completed cowl with the exhausts in place. I disassembled the model last night (five minutes work!!!) and have now epoxied the lower CS struts to the CS and fuselage. Today, I am epoxying the float struts to the floats – they will attach to the airframe by screws. After that, all that remains is to add the ailerons and tailstruts.

I now plan to reassemble it outside and shoot an entire roll of it from all angles. .. the suggestion has been made to place it into the kiddie wading pool – but I don't think I'm that brave!!!