Sheeting the well

The structural integrity of any kit using foam core wings lies in a combination of the solid foam core and the torsional strength provided by the surface sheeting. Take away either, and you have a weak wing. Unlike a built-up wing with substantial wooden infrastructure like spars, ribs and webbing, the foam core must be maintained throughout the wing as much as possible.

Therefore, when cutting out the wheelwells and strut bays of this 190, I knew I wouldn't be able to cut out as much as what would be needed for an accurate scale interior. My objective was to design a way that I could maintain the scale exterior lines of the well (matching up with the lines of the gear doors), going as deep and wide as needed to functionally work with the gear, yet keep as much foam intact as possible. It's somewhat of a compromise between scale and function.

With the cutouts I had already come up with earlier, I now proceed here to surface the entire wheelwell and strut bay with 1/16" balsa sheeting. Nothing was applied to the floor of the wells themselves, as I already had the wing top side sheeting for a floor. I need all the depth I can get here, so adding anymore would be counter-productive.

With all the sheeting glued in using a combination of polyuerethane glue and alyphatic resin, I sanded it up lightly and added a little balsa putty to close up any gaps in the joints. Sanding inside the wells and bays can be a real pain, but I really don't go overboard with this step. It's quite "out-of-view" for the most part and I will be adding a smooth surface through another method later anyway.

Final fit

A small section of the leading edge of my gear doors was giving me a little trouble in terms of laying down flush to the wing. My solution was to quite fighting it and just add a small wedge of 1/16" balsa sheeting to the surface of the wing in this area. With a little balsa putty I was able to feather it out into the wing, and end up with a flush fit of the doors down to the leading edge of the wells and wing surface.

As for any additional detailing or scale effects in the wells and struts, that will follow after I surface the sheeting. When I glass the wing, I'll be surfacing the wells and bays with some FliteMetal and/or Styrene. After that, I can add a few surface details to the wells and bays, but not too much. I need all the room I can get inside there for the gear and wheels, so adding to much won't be feasible. Also, without a fully cut out interior bay, many details just don't have anyplace to live.

My main objective here is to give the gear somewhere to hide away, while keeping the wing strong, and the styrofoam safe from fuel. I'm comfortable with these results and feel they'll accomplish all of the above. Any additional scale looks I can add are just bonus... not mandatory.