MikeQ

The great cover up under way, mike

What was the HobbyKing stuff like ? Never used it either. Does it stay tight in sun and provide decent rigidity like Oracover. cheers mike

Hi anyone used Riomax Aero Film. How does it compare against Oracover/Profilm. I know its a lot cheaper so that might be a clue. Same question for McGregor film too. Specifically interested if its up to much as far as adding rigidity to an open structure wing. cheers mike

Hi Wot4 with ailerons was always a good model as a follow on to a high wing trainer. You don’t have to over power it and it is pretty aerobatic but docile enough when you throttle back. Ive had three or four over the years and wish i hadn’t given the last one away. i wouldn’t recommend using a SuperTigre 90 in it though 🤣 Mike

Hello bit more work to do on cowl/motor and tail end and should be ready to cover. Unimaginatively going for the exact eye burning scheme I used on my previous two Chillis. fluro and sunglasses all round. mike

Getting there

Hopefully finish the fuse apart from cowl today. Off work so might go flying too 😀 side thrust looks too much but is bang on 2.5degrees with a shim. mike

Hi, 25g glass cloth, in or ot two layer and finishing resin (not regular epoxy for gluing stuff together) can be sanded , body filled, primed super smooth. Bit pricey though unless you already have some on hand though. Regular epoxy might well be just as good but the one time i tried using it, it didnt come out as hard and wasn’t as easy to spread unless thinned (which is why it probably didnt end up as hard in the first place) That would be my recommendation. cheers Mike

It more progress. used 5mm depron as a crutch. Only an extra 3g but adds some stiffness for not a lot of weight. Going to need the weight at the rear end. The elevator servo is a bit clunky at the backend but again, will help with weight. Used a couple of 1/64 ply doublers on top of existing ones in tail area. Will add a small ‘ballast’ box too under the tail.

Hello Decided to go with servos above, except will have a Spektrum A5040 servo mounted in rear fuselage on elevator with an 800mAh 6v Nimh which isn’t much heavier than the 2S 500mAh/UBEC I was thinking of. will use a Ripmax plastic or JP Ali spinner depending how it balances out. If anyone has a black 2” Goldberg spinner (I had same same on my original Chillis and I like the shape) they want to sell I might be interested 😀

As per usual, as soon as you ask something you find more details yourself. https://www.4-max.co.uk/servo-hitec-HS-225MG.html https://www.4-max.co.uk/servo-hitec-HS-85MG.html i’m thinking with the stall current listed, even if servos weren’t stressed anywhere near that far the 3A UBEC might be a bit low rated? mike PS Now I’m thinking I’m being a tightwad for the sake of a 800mAH NimH 😂

One for the electric flight experts. I have a new 2S 500mAh Lipo and a new 3A UBEC lying around doing nothing. The servos above aren’t rated for 2S 7.4v. Gut feeling on whether the 3A UBEC would have the juice to power the HS85MG/HS225MG above? cheers mike

Hello bit more progress. Going with HS85MGs in wings and Hs225MGs on rudder and elevators as other have recently. made the fuse a tad wider just to get the engine mount in there with a little more clearance. mike

Hello thought I’d knock this Chilli Breeze out just before getting really started on two glider projects. I’m attempting to speed build it 🤣. The pipe is 50g heavier than the silencer but I figure that can be compensated for by its weight being closer to the CG, stretching the fuse 1” at rear, using micro/mini servos as opposed to S148s like back in the day. Separate servos in each foam wing and fixed UC. Should still come out lighter than the first one I had which had an Irvine 40 squeezed up front and that was a heavy motor. Tail feathers 90% sorted. I like to cut sheet sides out slightly (say 1/8 to 3/16”) bigger all round and leave for a couple of days to settle as they sometimes ‘move’ once the stresses are released, then cut out final shape. i went lazy and had the wings cut as a father’s day present. Will use closed loop rudder with elevator servo mounted at rear of fuse. Was thinking Savox 255MG all round but might not be robust even though they have the performance.

Thinking of embedding the rudder servo directly in the fin. Looks just thick enough. Any suggestions for decent quality ser os that would have enough torque that would be a mm or two thinner than the Savox 255’s? Going to taper the fin and elevators towards the tips so thinner the better. mike

Hi Martin thanks ... i’ll send him any issues I find. Wasn’t a big issue but did wonder why some of my formers didn’t look the same as other posters. Theses things happen 😀 Can I ask how you finished the natural metal Sabre in your logo? Its looks spot on. I might want to finish a cartoon scale Obelix I’ve glassed as a WW2 Tony colour scheme which woukd be silver base. Cheers Mike

Lol, go figure 😀. which ones the right one? The formers don’t match up with the plan in a lot of cases. F7 slot is MIA altogether and F4 holes don’t line up. I can see in other peoples builds they might not have the same issues although maybe some. Not a big deal, fettling those little issues is a lot less hassle than cutting all the formers in the first place. Wings are bang on. Taking more time to think about servo setup than build them. cheers mike

Hello More progress on the Slingsby Petrel. I’ve got my act together on the Sabre wings as I need the building boards for the Petrel. Robart hinges, bottom mounted for the flaps. Savox 255MGs for servos all round. Aileron laminted from 2 x 1/4 sheet and sanded to shape. Lots of balsa dust and I’ve got quite allergic to it after 40+ years. For those similarly affected, if you can, its a god send to have a Henry or similar hooked up to a ‘sanding plate’. Means you need a hole in your worktop but totally cuts down in dust. Just noticed some laser cutting is a bit amiss. Missing slots, misaligned holes, some formers not quite big enough and other with slots in wrong place. Easy to fix but is this a known issue with the kit or do I just have a duff ‘test shot’. All very good apart from thise minor gripes 😀

Hi Some very neat building there. mike

Hello Worst part over apart from some final fitting and sanding. Never like doing tail ends. Will add 1/64 shrouds when I glass it. On to the fuselage ...

Hello Trevor The little building board is actually a repurposed one. It is in fact used to set up the blade angles on mini vintage rubber powered free flight duration models like the Dinamite etc. The useful big hole in the middle accepts different shaped inserts for different sized nose blocks. I just drilled another hole in it for the crank 😀 Went with 1.6mm for the actuator rod in a commercial bellcrank, bushed for the 1.6mm with K&S tube.

Hello it was always a toss up between the PSS Sabre or the Petrel so I’m building both at the same time. Must be on ahigh after finishing yet another Obelix. I never learn 🤣. Hopefully I can emulate PeterGs success. Thought I’d start with least favorite parts, the Rudder and Elevator. Then it will be he fuselage and finally the best bit, the wings (except my favorite part cutting out the ribs has already been done by Sarik) Using 3mm welding rod for the AMT which is a perfect fit for the K&S tube after a very light sanding to remove the coating. All jogged up so hopefully should be aligned correctly. Mike

Hi Peter ... what two sizes of piano wire did you use on the AMT? Cheers mike

Well done Peter. Looks fantastic. Hope the ribs etc are all sorted and you get out to fly it. Cheers. Mike ps. I’ll probably be starting mine soonish and will take all your tips on board 😀

Hello finally finished my latest Obelix. Found a spray on Amazon that was a close match although needed coating in 2K clear. Probably wont look so smart in a week or two. Mike