Lots of work done, but lots more to come.

At this writing, the fuselage is complete and initial filling and sanding has begun on the wings and tail thanks to Hobbico HobbyLite filler. Beats the heck out of drywall spackle and it's lighter.

The new wing spar from Francis and Wane Custom Cabinetry in Palm Desert is a perfect fit and the What's Up Doc? decals from Callie Graphics are masterpieces. A trip to the Palm Springs Air Museum will happen when the weather stops being 120 degrees at midday....Continue Reading

That's actually closer to the truth given the accepted way of expanding a crushed EPO model. Boil it.

After languishing for far too long in my garage, the repairs of the crash damaged HobbyKing DC-3 which I reviewed here and which met with an untimely demise due to a tip stall on final are well underway.

With some help from online photos, videos and some detail photos courtesy of Greg Barry, education director of the Palm Springs Air Museum, Callie Soden of Callie Graphics was able to produce a stunning set of decals which I'll use to replicate the museum's amazing, fully functional C-47.

Those decals were my motivation; I purposely ordered them before I did any work on the airframe. Damage to the fuselage consisted of a crushed, split nose, a couple of small pieces of missing EPO, a clean break above the wing saddle and a few scratches and gouges.

Following the example of a series of YouTube videos, the fuselage is repaired, the panel lines filled and it's ready for some water based polyurethane before priming and painting.

Taking apart the wings was a real challenge, but since the factory put it together with soft glue, the job was easier than it might have been. The various foam pieces are repaired and awaiting the same treatment as the fuselage. A local cabinet shop near where I work was kind enough to cut a new plywood wing spar using the broken original as a template and it fits beautifully. No charge! The owner's dad, as it turned out, was a model aviation enthusiast.

Photos, links and more to come. This is an exciting project!

UPDATE: Panel line and gouge repairs are underway on the rudder and vertical stabilizer. One of the rudder hinges was broken in the crash and both will be replaced. Speaking of hinges, the ailerons were attached with glue hinges! That was one heck of a shock, but they'll be properly hinged down the line.