[Traplet Farmhand 90]

Very quickly, you finsh up with something which resembles an aeroplane fuselage. This process is really very quick. I think it only took an hour or so to assemble these parts. The assemby instructions and the DVD are very clear on showing how this goes together, so I'll not dwell on it.

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

The fuselage is then built up from the various pre-cut parts, rather like a 3D jig-saw. The parts are "tacked" in place with thin cyano to hold things in place as you go:

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

Several formers need to be laminated together for added strength. For example, Former F2 is laminated to former F2A. The small rectangular slot is for a matching tongue in the front of the removable wing.

The large square hole is for the tank / engine box assembly - more on this later.

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

Sorted. It was Internet Explorer compatibility issues. Here we go then:

The first job was to separate the parts form the wood pack sheets and run a vacuum cleaner hose over them to remove the soot from the CNC laser cutter.

Starting with the two fuselage sides:

They are made up from two interlocking parts, which were fitted together, masking taped and glued using medium cyano. 6mm square stringers were then added to the top and bottom of the fuselage halves, ensuring that I was making a left and a right hand half.

Offcut of light ply were then cyano'd on the INSIDE of the fuselage sides for the servo screws.

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

I'm having a spot of bother displaying the above video (can anyone else see it?) and adding photos.

I'll be back when I've sorted my problem.

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

OK here goes. I'll do a brief introduction first:

The Farmhand 90 is a 90 inch wingspan approximation of a piper pawnee crop duster. It's made from a woodpart kit supplied by Traplet publications along with a DVD, which shows most (not all) of the important steps of building and flying the model.

The wood pack is litterally that - 13 (I think) sheets of laser cut ply / balsa. There are no other materials supplied, including a fair amount of stock balsa / ply, so this is left to the builder. It does add a fair bit to the overall cost of the model.

This is a video created by the designer, which is s good introduction to the model I think.

[Traplet Farmhand 90]

Anyone interested in a build log for a traplet Farmhand 90?

It's been done before on these forums, but I've made a few minor changes and I always think it's a good idea to see how different people tackle things.

I've been posting it on my local club forums and have just joined RCME. I don't mind re-posting what I've done to date, then going live with the finish if it will be of interest to anyone.

[How I Got The Bug]

Is that right Mr W?

Well as it happens, I am half way through posting a blog of this build on my club forum.

I could re-post on here if anyone is interested in a Build log of a Traplet Farmhand 90. Its already been done before of these forums, but I can do another.

[How I Got The Bug]

There are many facets to this hobby: building, assembling, flying, meeting people, browsing for products / materials, reading magazines / forums, posting on forums etc. Whatever rocks your boat. Main thing is, there's something for everyone and there's no right or wrong way.

[How I Got The Bug]

Thanks David

My initial post must have been too "wordy" because the end of my final paragraph was cut off. It should have read:

I'm not a great flyer or builder, but I enjoy the hobby immensely. I am gaining confidence and over the next few weeks am helping a new member of our club to learn to fly. I am a keen participant in our local club forum. I’ve just discovered this one which looks very interesting and will no doubt participate in it, once I learn the ropes. Until then, I’ll probably hover in the background, picking a few tips up as I go.>>

[How I Got The Bug]

Hi all, I'm Gary. I'm 54 years old and from Doncaster. I'm a member of Don Valley Model Flying Club (DVMFC) and the BMFA.>>

I have had an interest in model aircraft since my school-days. Back then, I used to fly control line as that was the only thing I could afford on my pocket money. In those days, there were 2 routes to get airborne. One was to buy a plastic, ready to fly thing that broke on the first heavy landing and was impossible to repair. The other route, which I chose, was to build my own, either from kits or plans. I did both and even did a bit of my own design for a racing plane made from a simple ply fuselage and solid balsa wings. I learnt a number of skills back then which I still have today. C/L flying lasted a couple of years and then me and my mates moved on to something else. Something about it stuck though. Every time I heard the high pitched buzz of a glow engine, or got the whiff of Nitro, I was immediately transported back there.>>

I am a Railway Signalling Engineer by trade. I started as a trainee technician and then moved into Design and Test, Technical Support Engineer and now back in Design as a Project Design Manager. When your train is delayed or diverted during a bank holiday, that's probably my fault as we re-signal another part of the Railway. This career has been very enjoyable, and has given me the training and developed a mind-set to design and build things and to think in 3D. I can picture a finished product quite easily from a set of drawings, which comes in handy for modelling.>>

In my late 20's, the bug bit again and having a bit of spare cash, I decided to have a go at RC modelling. I bought a Yamamoto kit, OS25 engine and Futaba FM 35Mhz radio set and built myself a reasonable looking trainer. I knew a couple of guys who flew models, so I got one of them to test fly my model and hand the controls to me mid-flight. He landed the plane and I took it home in one piece. Then I got impatient and tried to fly it myself - and that was the end of that. I didn't have enough cash or time to allow me to build another but I half promised myself that I would have another go at some point in time. Again every time I saw a model being flown, I had to stop and watch.>>

About 7 or 8 years ago, I was watching a group of modellers fly at my current club and was kindly asked if I fancied having a go - using a new- fangled thing called a buddy box. I jumped at the chance. 5 minutes later, I was hooked. I immediately decided that I would get back into flying. Most people these days would nip to the local model shop and buy an ARTF trainer at this point. I wanted to get a bit more out of the hobby than that and knew with absolute certainty that I was in it for the long haul, so I bought myself a Flair Cub kit. This was the best thing I ever did. I built it, had it checked out by the club members, rebuilt it (!), learnt to fly on it and still have it to this day. I wouldn't part with it for the world.>>

I had a short break from flying due to work commitments / serious skiing injury, but am now back into it with a vengeance. I now have a large shed full of models. Mostly ARTF for economic reasons, but I'm also back into building. My last two projects have been a WOT4 Mk2 Classic kit (every modeller has to have owned at least 1 WOT4 I was told) and my latest is a Traplet Farmhand 90 kit with a DLE55RA up front.>>

I spend all my spare time (wife says too much) on modelling. I'm also keen on photography, DIY, walking and cycling. I have managed to incorporate photography into the hobby by making built logs; DIY by building the large log cabin where my hobby is based and walking to recover my models after unscheduled landings. Now if I only had a cycle trailer that I could throw a small electric model into ....>>

I'm not a great flyer or builder, but I enjoy the hobby immensely. I am gaining confidence and over the next few weeks am helping a new