mightypeesh

Just read the original thread for the 110. It is a most impressive aircraft, and looks to be a great build and fly, well worth a look. I love Ron's airframe at the end of the thread with the wasp on the nose. It's beautifully finished and looks fab in the air. Not sure if I will go for one - I've only got a small bungalow and everywhere is full of aircraft as it is! But then the kit does look to be good value even at todays prices. Mmmmmmm, maybe I am tempted... 🙂 Richard, do you have any idea of the cost for the retract packs for this one, and I take it you will have spinners as before? Also what size motors battery sizes are suitable please. Thanks, Simon

Looks really great, love the cockpit!

Hi Folks. Nearly forgot the machine guns I was going to do on the battery hatch 🙂. Just a quick job. Choose a bit of passing doweling and roll a blade around, cutting about a quarter of the way in. Then roughly chip carve the muzzle shape down to your cut. I then mounted the bit of dowel into a cordless and use an nail file to smooth whilst spinning in the drill. Lastly, a quick drill on the end to hollow it out a bit. There, Bobs your auntie! Quick and easy and look ok on the battery hatch. I will definitely get around to weathering next! Cheers, Simon

Thanks chaps - I've really been enjoying this build. I like all the twiddling about bits and am never that quick at getting to the finish line as I really enjoy the journey. Richards kit has been excellent as it allows everybody to do their own thing and get a great looking and great flying result. That's what makes a good design. Great flying photos there, looking forwards to getting mine in the air! Cheers, Simon

Hi folks, nearly finished now! 🙂 I have lined the wheel wells with a piece of the finest Weetabix box as suggested by Richard and others along the way using epoxy to give it a bit more rigidity, as well as fitting the ply liners using the brown gorrilla glue to fill any gaps. I have also used some thin balsa to fill oUt the tops of the U/C mounts which I will patch over with some more of the hallowed brown paper before painting. The cover was bent by heating just a strip of the plastic by shielding each side with a couple of bits of ply and using a heat gun to gently soften it before bending to fit. Now it has retracts I needed a tail wheel. I dug through the bits box and although I found a couple of old steerable ones, they just did not look right. I have gone with non-steerable for ease and looks and am sure it will be fine. The small wheel unit was made up by laminating the piano wire legs into a balsa and very thin ply sandwich, which was then glued into a slot cut into the tail. Pleased with the look! 🙂 Last fiddling about bit before paint was the vents on the side of the fuse behind the exhausts. Once again some cereal packet was bought into play that I backed with parcel tape to give it some flexibility and integrity for the folding and bending, before being glued in place with evostick adhesive. The canopy was attached with canopy glue with an added strip of foil tape aroud the edge for security. . Finally some paint is going on. I decided on 'Yellow 14' as I liked the pop of colour from the yellow. I won't go into too much details about which paints went where, but have used a real mix of paints. the main fuse colour and underside was with System 3 artists acrylics mixed to create a rightish shade and applied with a foam roller. The rest are Halfords grey primer spray, more artists acrylics mixed up, Tamiya colours, and some Valjeo acrylics, all applied with an airbrush. I already had most of the paints in my stash so did not have to get much in. The insignia masks I cut from masking sheets using a laser cutter. Next on the list is to get the pens and pencils out and do a bit of panel lines and weathering and exhaust staining then she will be ready for her maiden. 😀 I have just checked the CofG and it is coming out at 80mm back. Ron Has been flying his at 90mm i think so should be ok I think.... Oh and all up weight now is a tiny bit over 5lb with a 4000 4s so should be good to go. The next post will be the weathering then onto the great blue yonder! Cheers, Simon

Good to have you on-board JD8! 🙂

Great job, just building up to getting the paint on mine! 🙂.

looks great Ron! I might have to go for one when they are released again. I was not sure at first, but seeing the builds come along I think I have 'Tempest envy'! Mind you, at the speed I am building the 190 it may be a while. 🙂

looks great Gordon!!! 👍👍👍

absolutely beautiful job, love the masking for the markings. Look forwards to seeing it in the air!

Make sense taking them right across, will do that next time! 🙂 Cheers, Simon

They both look great together Richard, good job!

Hi Eric. I was intending to use epoxy for that reason. I am saving filing the flat on the leg until I have glued the mounts in place and it is solid - at the moment they are just pushed into place. As to beefing up the mount, I would rather add a block now when I can get to it rather than try to reinforce a bit of 3mm ply after they have pulled out and have no access. Thanks for the concerns, Cheers, Simon

Hi Folks. Made a start on fitting the retracts pack so lots of pics 🙂. Started off with putting the ply mounts together and remembered to make a handed pair - so off to a good start! When I offered the retract units up I noticed that the screws were looking a bit on the diminutive side for the job in hand.... I decided to cut some blocks to go on the back of the mounts to allow the fitting of longer screws. Much happier now. I made a reverse copy of the wing template and taped them together so I could place them both on the wing and tape in position. A quick whizz round with a pin to prick through, and then join the dots. I used a circle cutter and scalpel to cut the veneer out. I have acquired an old soldering gun so made some wire cutter shapes to hollow out the polystyrene - crumbs that's easier than hacking it out with a knife!!!! Made really short work of it. By this point I had probably spent a leisurely two hours getting both sides cut out and test fitted in the wing so its a quick process. When I put them in the retracted position however I found there was a problem in that the retract unit is too deep to fit into the well, even with all the foam removed up to the bottom of the top veneer it was still a long way proud. even the retract unit wasn't sitting flat on the mounting plate. A bit of head scratching was in order.... I gave it a good looking at and decided that I could probably lose about 6mm off the overall length of the wheel by trimming the actual wheel hub back so it sits closer to the bend on the axle, and changing the 'Tonka button' for a collet and grub screw which would not protrude off the end of the shaft. Here is the before and after removing part of the wheel.... The one on the left has a much smaller gap to the leg which is pleasing. even before I butchered the wheel it was binding slightly on the radius of the bend of the leg. I decided to solder some washers to keep it on the straight section. The brass collets I had needed drilling out to 4mm and are a good fit. I also added washers and now the wheels spin nice and freely. I Dremelled off the protruding axle and saved around 6mm in total. I have also lightened it considerably by losing one of the screws that hold the doors on - electrical box here I come! The result here is that they sit much better in the wing. I will be fiber-glassing the well bottom as they are still pretty tight in there to give the veneer some strength as its very thin. Very please I got it sorted, and when its all glued in an fitted it feel like it will be very resilient. It sounds long-winded but it was maybe three and a half hours to this point and worth the effort. One extra thing to watch is that when the leg is pushed all the way home into the retract units hole it actually makes it about 5mm shorter overall than the template shows, so in order for the wheel to sit in the middle of the well you have to pull it back out a bit. I will put a spacer in the hole to get the correct position. Check and measure on your legs and maybe move the position of the well on the template if it needs it before you commit to the blade! Phew, That was a long write-up. Just got to glue it all together now and shape the doors!!!! Cheers, Simon

Hi Folks. Been busy finishing another aircraft - a Flair Legionnaire, so have not achieved much with the 190. Should maiden in the next couple of weeks if the weather is favorable..... 🤞 My 190 is ready for paint, but have been holding off as I have been waiting for the 190 retract packs to be ready as it will involve some surgery to the wings. Thanks to Mr Paul Johnson there was a lovely parcel delivered today.... ...... only had a quick look, but was pleasantly surprised to see the legs are pre-fitted with doors, sprung and using the sturdiest gauge I have seen for an air frame of this size. Looks good and strong and have confidence in its durability with my landing skills. Seems really good value too. The only bit I am not sure about is the chrome wheel fastener things - reminds me a bit of Tonka toys! When I get a chance I will post the fitting etc. Looking at the weather at the mo it may be this weekend. That's it for now, Cheers, Simon