Model painted TESTOR Silver from aerosol can, layer of TESTOR Dullcoat applied for a slightly weathered look since seaplane was hanger in Long Beach harbor with its salt sea air. Black lines on wing top indicate walkway paths for maintenance crew. Overall seaplane is over a city block, its wing span exceeds an American football field. H-4 mainly constructed from Birch wood due to restrictions imposed on WW2-critical metals for military weapons production. Thus, a wood composite technology (form of laminated wood) using a glue called Dura Mold was invented for its construction, which was a major breakthrough in wood-frame aircraft construction. Laminated Wood - www.timberandmore.com

As surmised, key to laminated wood airframe construction is the special glue used to bond wood layers together to endure stress of aerial flight and combat. Although H-4 Hercules was the most largest undertaking of laminated airframe design, both WW2 British (via De Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito bomber) and Germans (via Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito night fighter) leveraged technical know-how in producing wooden-framed aircrafts to reduce production cost and conserve critical war materials. De Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito - avia.russian.ee/air/england/havilland_mosquito.php

• Focke-Wulf Ta 154 - avia.russian.ee/air/germany/fw_ta-154.php

Inset 1 : Howard Hughes at H-4 Hercules pilot station the night before seaplane flight test. Born 1905 in Humble-Texas (short distance from Kingwood-Houston, nowadays a thriving affluent Houston suburb), his father invented and patented the Tri-Cone Roller Bit for Texas industries and oil fields, when Hughes' parents died in his youth, the 18-year old Hughes inherited 75% of this multi-million dollar estate. Hughes improved upon his father's Tri-Cone Bit design, leased this technology to other companies, and dominated almost 100% of this market from mid-1930s to early-1950s. This fortune enabled Hughes to expand expertise into aviation, engineering, film production, oil exploration, etc. Howard Hughes Pioneering Aviator - www.acepilots.com/pioneer/hughes.html

Though ridiculed in 1950s for H-4 Hercules project, US government appreciated his talents and wealth for various national security programs, most famous of which was deploying salvage ship Hughes Glomar Explorer in 1974 to secretly retrieve a sunken Soviet submarine in the Pacific. Howard Hughes - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_hughes

Inset 1 Rollover : Towards last decade of his life, Hughes withdrew from public view, circle of confidants guarded his privacy and access. But exceptional wealth brings exceptional power, in 1966 Hughes moved to the plush Desert Inn Hotel in Las Vegas and leased the top floor. Hotel's casino owners did not like his presence and attempted to evict him. Hughes countered by purchasing hotel outright and had casino owners evicted. By mid-1970s, Hughes lived in seclusion, artist sketch above from eye-witness account of him letting his hair out, rarely wore clothing, and sat on paper towels from fear of contracting some germ disease. Howard Hughes & Budsweeps (late years) - www.bugsweeps.com/info/howard_hughes.html

Rollover : H-4 model assembly and paint priming completed, ready for final painting. Grey primer coat enabled paints to grip its surface, also provided non-translucent layer to paint with in one pass. Display base originally had H-4 model pointed in opposite direction, since model weight was at forward section (due to Elmer's Glue ballast inside model), more surface area needed to uphold model, thus glued additional support wings to stabilize model's rear display. Flying boat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_boat

Inset 2 : Hercules model in construction, body and display base painted grey primer, modeling puddy smoothing out wing assembly, propellers glued to engine nacelles below.

Inset 2 Rollover shows model interior, filled with Elmers Glue in forward section as counter-weight to stabilize model onto display stand.