Gary Clark 1
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Posts posted by Gary Clark 1
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Hi All,
A bit more done tonight, mainly the top deck sheeting which proved to be a bit of a frustration. 1st attempt at the rear turtle deck failed due to a lack of talent. I trimmed the top too short and had to start again. Second attempt was better but I found trying to place the top sheet was tricky and sanding the 1/16th flat to receive led to it again becoming undersize......very frustrating. In the end I went for the top sheet fist then fitted the sheeting to fit. The risk is the 1/16th becomes too thin when sanding the top to shape but the brown paper then varnish should keep it ok.
After an unnecessary amount of faff, the back was done and the top sheet was chamfered to sit flat of the horizontal stab. The forward decking was straight forward and only leaves the hatch left to do.
I added some extra supports in the hatch and left them raised above the formers so that i could sand them back to match the curve of the deck and let the sheeting sit tight on it.
a slighty frustrating evening and im not sure im 100% happy with to rear sheeting but we will see where it leads. I cheered myself up by doing the thing we all cant help outself doing at this stage and stuck the bits on to see how she looks
Im glad I went for the "B" as I really like the shape and definitely less common at the flying field. Internals next get ready to close up the bottom of the fuse. I need to pick a motor so any recommendations from people who have built this or have similar models?
Gary
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It really does Nigel! Great to have the time to get back into building again though. Not sure what happened to my formatting on the last post either, photos have all jumped around.
Plan is electric since it's going to be painted and I can go for a simple clear coat rather than have to fully fuel proof. Keeping things relatively simple is the intention
Gary
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Hi All,
Having just completed a fairly eventful few years which has included moving countries (England to Wales), leaving the military and therefore changing career, and still having 2 young boys, my modelling has suffered. My BT Spit build was my priority and to finish it but the wing I had built has suffered some damage in the move and I needed some feel good building to kick off in my new workshop. I decided to go with my WR P-51B as the build of choice as I have been keen to get started on this since I bought it years ago! My intentions is to make this a fairly quick build so other than a few details, I will to be going over the top on scale details but I do intend to paint and weather to keep her looking classy! Plan is brown paper and PVA but scheme to be decided.
Anyway, poor excuses for not finishing models is now complete so onto the build! Kit out and work through the well cut parts
It has been years since I built from a kit so it was nice not having to cut y own parts. I spent some time organising bits then the fuse structure went together fast
I got the balsa skins on the fuse and had the blind nuts set into the ply wing retaining plate using the normal method
Whilst the fuse side set, I started shaping the tail parts and made up a 45 degree sanding tool for the elevator and rudder leading edges. It was 3D printed and I stuck some 180 grit on and it gives a quick and easy way of sorting leading edges
I chamfered the elevators and prepared them for elevator piano wire and called it quits for the night. Everything has come along very fast and I am having a great time! Any tips from previous builds are always welcome!
Gary
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Hi All,
I have now returned from 3 months away with work and hoping to get back into the spit. I'd love to try and get it flying next year.
I have a fair bit of tidying and re-organising to do but I'm still on it and not given up yet!
Gary
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I had the Macchi 202 and it flew great. There are some slight issues with quality sometimes but they're about half the price of a seagul or hangar 9 equivalent so that's expected. It was my go to flier for a while until a very low inverted flyby resulted in a rapid and unplanned deconstruction of the fuselage! The wing is still perfect and I have a plan from outerzone that matches the span exactly so may rebuild the fuselage at some point.
I've flown their P-47 too, also flies well
Gary
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Haha probably the same complexity of engine though!
I think all the 30s were the white and 40s the blue. I emailed Ripmax to ask the same question and got an excellent reply from Bob. Unfortunately most of the stuff from back then wasn't made digital and he couldn't find any of the original drawings. He did send me some press releases of it though. Good of him to look for me.
It's a cracking trainer. I flew mine hundreds of times and taught a fee others to fly on mine too. I always loved the decals on it too. I repaired mine (just worn and a bit beaten up) a fee months before the bad crash and made it look like this
gave it a new lease of life but never the same. Didnt help when in crashed in the field it hit a huge pile of soggy cow sh*t that filled on available gap. Garage was stinking for weeks
Gary
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2 hours ago, Ron Gray said:
Full size weren’t lined but maybe some wing voids closed off.
Correct but some have gear wells and that's what would usually limit gear operating speeds, that and the doors. I saw a lad accidentally put the gear down in a Hawk at 420kts (200kts limiting speed) at low level, only lost 2 zip ties on some cabling so I'm sure our models are fine 😀
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I've seen people cut some foam to fill the area behind the wheel wells to stop the air getting in but I'd line them with 1/16 as Trevor says. Keeps them looking scale and stops them becoming scoops.....not that I think they would anyway tbh
Nick,
Love the Hellcat and I went through the exact same decisions with the Bearcat a few years ago. Either spend the money on retracts (just too much in my opinion) or put non scale ones in which I'd hate then not enjoy the final product. I've still not managed to finish 1 in the time you've done the P-47, seafury and 190 🤣
Gary
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Kevin that is incredible, thank you.
Another time this forum has been invaluable
Gary
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Thank you Robin.
The 40 is very similar to the 30 but with a few differences. Good idea to copy that and scale it though.
The 40 was definitely more popular, probably due to being a bit bigger, but it's just a silly sentimental thing that draws me to the 30.
I've been looking through outerzone to try and Find a trainer that matches the span but I also can't the exact dimensions for the 30, why did I just not measure it?!!
Gary
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My very first aircraft I had was Ripmax trainer 30 bought by my mum when I was 15 as a birthday gift. I also got the transmitter and servos too which I (very unskilfully) put together. My dad stood on the wing in the garage before it flew and that sparked the build bug in me as I had to repair it.....well I didn't, I was introduced to a man at a local club who could and he then taught me to build and fly and became a life long friend. That wasn't the last time it was rebuilt in its life I'll add
Anyway, I recently disposed of the fuselage as it was very badly damaged from a tough life and an engine failure on its last flight but the wing is undamaged and I have kept that. What I should have done is copy the formers and measurements and scratch built a new fuselage but I'm too late for that.
Does anyone have one or have a drawing of one I could copy? I now have my own boys and I'd love them to learn on the same plane (and actual same wing) as I did but haste got the better of me.
I'd appreciate any help. Silly request but may as well ask!
Gary
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Great job Murat. I love restoring old models, find it as satisfying as a scratch build.
Looking forward to hearing about the maiden
Gary
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Hi All,
I skinned the bottom of the D section so that I could remove the tabs and lock in the washout. Everything other than the final servo fitting and retracts is done on the right wing (other than sheeting and the wing tip obviously but I want the retracts in first) so I decided to put it on the fuselage for a moral boost. I ended up putting a few bits on to see how she looks. It's all roughly sitting on so not perfect but she looks like a spit!!
A little moral boost before it starts again.....
Double check I have a left wing and not a second right (experience has taught me that) then tidied up all the cuts for the spar then added slots for the extended spar in front of the main spar.
Fingers crossed it goes quickly and I can get these retracts in 🤮
Gary
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Hi All,
Slow progress recently but I've managed to get the majority of the fiddly bits done like final mount of the aileron hinges and the aileron servo fitted which I have removed until I'm ready to secure it properly. I have managed to run out of pushrods so waiting on them arriving before I can continue withe the flap servo placement
The flap indicator was also cut out and I decided to make a 1/16 ply door rather than just litho plate as the plan suggests
I elected for a brass hinge which meant letting it into the ply and balsa on top of the wing. I secured the door hinge and a little glazing putty to hide it. Balsa side isn't secure yet but will probably be secured once the wing is glassed.
I'll sand the putty smooth once it's dry but I'm almost at the top skin stage. I'll move onto the other wing once the flap/aileron servos are completely done and that side should be much quicker now that I know what I'm doing....so I keep telling myself. Pleased so far though
Gary
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Even better! You're making this easier for me with every comment Peter!
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No issues at all Peter, thanks for checking.
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It's great having you on here Peter! Thanks so much for the help.
That makes sense and it's usually a lack of confidence since I've never designed a wing myself. I was planning on using a spruce spar and maybe add a secondary spar for the first 1/3rd of the wing and put it approx 1" in front of the original. That's only because that's what BT did on his spit and it's a fair bit heavier.
Gary
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The only concern I have with Scaling it up is the spacing of the ribs. Its easy to add some ribs in when they are all the same but not so easy on an elliptical wing as they all change. Peter, what do you think? Will there be enough strength as is? I have compared it to my 69" spit wing and there are an extra 3 or 4 ribs in that and still 2.5" shorter on each wing .
Some of the wood thicknesses may change a little too and I'll make parts from thicker parts in more critical areas but most of it will remain the same.
I now need to be disciplined and not start this before I finish the spitfire!!
Gary
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I had the plan out for a look last night and going up 35% brings it out at 74" span.
Not sure what engine I'd go for yet.
I did have the original plan out too and compared them both. The original is still a good size so could still just go with that. I do really like the look of it and love the fact there is only about 3 straight lines on the entire plan. Very pretty plane
Gary
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Hi Earlybird,
Has the build progressed any? I'm going to build my larger Rhapsody after the spitfire build is done
Would love to see how it flies a bit bigger
Gary
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After a busy few days away with work, I managed to get back into the garage and progress with the flap. I cut 16 new 1/32 ply ribs for the flap and used a brass tube with the same diameter as the dowel to punch holes for the ribs to fit around the dowel. I fitted the G10 hinge and control horn and it all fits fairly well
I will cut the hole for the flap indicator and its G10 door so that I can test the flap next. I will look at sealing/glassing inside the flap area and attach it soon too.
I received the smaller servos for the aileron so will start that process again soon too
Gary
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Hi All,
Not been to much to report recently. I spent far too long trying to figure out the position for the aileron servo as the thin-ish wing out there means it's tricky to keep the servo and arm fully enclosed. The RDS plan would have been fine but having committed to the set up above, it looks like a low profile /wing servo might have to be the answer as the thickest part of the rib is only 27mm. You can see the mounting plate I tried to use but unsuccessful.
I decided to move on with the flap whilst I wait and cut both sides from g10 and also fitted the trailing edge sheeting on the top. That has been set with the wing and the fuselage the aileron so everything blends in and this is where I got to
I fitted some 1/16 balsa behind the flap to blend it with the trailing edge but left that drying overnight.
I managed to get a few ours to tidy my workshop out and clear my bench which sounds great until i realised I have thrown out the inner hinge for the aileron....top work 😡 moral of the story is don't tidy up
Things are moving slow but I am cutting mirror parts for the other wing as I go so hopefully that one will be quick after working all the issues out with this one
Gary
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Well that aileron control horn was more fun that I thought it would be!! I initially followed the plan and made a G10 horn exactly as drawn and also a balsa wedge to epoxy it into
I then attached the ball link and filed a channel for it to ride in the balsa wedge
But it was about now I realised the problem, the ball link sits too high and would be protruding above the top skin as shown
This meant taking approx 1/8th off the horn and deepening the channel for the ball link to sit in. This took a disappointing amount of time but finally it seemed ok and I epoxied in the brass bushes and skinned the top of the aileron. Ignore the overlapping brass tube, that was just to hold it in place to check the depth and it's one single tube now. Side view shows the difference
I somehow managed to glue the top sheet a little too far aft so have a little void just at the top of the leading edge and the top skin but it's very shallow and will be hidden with a little filler.
Really pleased to have the aileron done but I am waiting for some thinner G10 to arrive to use for the flaps so trying to decide what next. I want to leave the top skin until I've worked out the retracts 🤢 so maybe its starting to make the other aileron whilst it is fresh in my head but just keep saying "mirror image, mirror image, mirror image" so I don't end up with a spare....
I also need to sort the servo mount for the aileron and I'm thinking about 3d printing one that matches the angles perfectly instead of ply.
Anyway, I need to sleep so that I can have my "2 starboard ailerons???" nightmare
Gary
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I also need to add the control horn before I skin the top.....may have forgotten about that!
Gary’s WR P-51B Build
in Scale and Semi-Scale kits
Posted
I'll message Richard and see what he has or at least recommended, thanks Graham.
I got a little more done today. Tidied up some bits of the fuselage and got the rudder sanded and ready. I want to go with the original tail on the B model with it not coming as far out at the base as later models but I will finalise that later. I didn't want to put servos and things in until I knew where the wing was going to sit and also the motor was in so I could get a very rough CG. I will then use that to decide where the servo tray will go so I decided to make a start on the wing.
Having scratch build most of my recent models, the kit certainly speeds things up but the jig system is stressing me out!! I'm used to pinning to plans and setting everything up that way but the jig seems to be making all that very straight forward. Withing 30 mins I had this...
quite incredible how simple it was compared to the builds im used to! I need to have a look through some other builds and see how others did some parts on the fuse. Enjoyable build so far
Gary