wess Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 hi all. ive just about completed the sopwith and i am quite pleased with the result. i would like to know if anyone has flying experience with this model except of course cyril. i used a potensky 50 brushless i had available and with a 800 mah lipo it seems to balance in the right place. i laminated the wings from 2 pieces of 3mm formed over a biscuit lid that seemed the right curvature. all up wt is 8 oz.as it is too windy here at the moment i would like to know how others find the flying performance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Lovely job Mr W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 hi david. cant claim that great photo of the fokker is my sopwith. must be the thread owners work that obviously has an engineering brain behind it as that wing rigging jig looks just right to getting the stagger and dihedral right. have not received any replies re my request for performance details but i just snatched a 15 min session during a totally calm evening and confirm that the sopwith handles perfectly! not unlike the GWS tiger moth . slow and easy! great to cyril for a grand design effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Wess...any more info or pictures of how you attached the wings. I am up to the following stage with my Sopwith ( the build thread is here )Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 hi timbo. nice to get a reply on the sopwith. i am still trying to understand how to post pics to the thread. looks like trying a few attempts would help. fixing the wings did not cause any particular concerns. i did not like the cocktail stick idea as they are brittle so pressed a 6 inch length of 1.5 mm carbon rod thru the fuz and about 2 inches into each upper and lower wing. Centre wing i notched at the inner strut position then added a strip of depron on the inner side of the strut. then with the struts losely in place and with the carbon rods ready to slip into the wings i POR glued the lot together and carefully eyed it all up to keep it true and soon the glue set ok. I must say i usually build in balsa an this is my first depron job so possibly i have much learing to do. i was however pleased with the result and the interplane rigging stiffens the wing enormously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for that Wess. To post pictures within the thread itself, you need to first pt the picture in a free image hosting site such as IMAGE SHACK or similar - they are free to setup and use. Then, copy the link on that site to your picture marked "direct" into the post here, using the little "tree" icon above and bingo ! I will use your suggested wing attachment ethd me thinks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 thanks timbo. after a few tries a pic arrived! although i did use photobucket.com as it was already a loaded application on my computer. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Well done there Wess....and the model is looking very nice ! Any chance of a few close ups of the wing and undercarriage fixings ? It also looks like the tailplane has some camber in it ? I figured the plan suggested it was just flat? Also does the construction call for rigging on the tailplane.... ?? TY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 hi timbo i will get some pics of wing and u/c fixings asap. The tailplane has not got camber it is just a flat piece of 3mm depron with a couple of bracing wires ie threads that are shown on the plan. Finding the rigging layout requires careful study of the photos in the magazine and then u have to guess quite a lot. not all of the rigging wires are shown on the plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Thanks Wess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Lovely stuff there Wess, I'm hoping mine comes out as well. I've made a start as far as my limited stock of 3mil depron let me. (more on order!)Can I ask about your paint scheme please? I'm ok for the RFC green, going to mix some acrylic, but I've no idea where to look for the linen/fabric colour wing which is lovely on your Sopwith.I also see that you've used wire on the undercarriage; any particular reason? I'm a little concerned that my rough field will rip up the bamboo skewers I'm planning on using as they have little give, but you might have shown me the light!J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Ibbotson Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Has anyone located a source of 4mm Depron.I can find 3mm and 6mm but Cyril tells me to use 4mm for the Triplane wings. The suggested motors are unavailable because the website is up for sale. What is a good alternative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Geoff - check out my post in the building scetion for Depron sources quoted to me by Cyril - worth a look perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 read this lot too, about motors.here I wish these cross postings could be tidied up into one thread about the build of these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 8, 2008 Author Share Posted January 8, 2008 hi juno thanks for that. the paint used on the wings i found in B&Q paint dept in little pots called colour tester pots that i think are to save u buying litres of the wrong color for the living room. the paint cost £1.99 and is called chalky emulsion 1829 Tang Yellow. it might be a bit too yellow but u can thin it down a bit with water. when i do it again i will probably try s Silk emulsion in magnolia and i think we have some left over from the last decorating job. silk would give a slightly shiny finish that would look better. also i have pictures of the wire u/c and fixing and the wing fix but i cant make them attach to the thread although others went thru ok last time. timbo also asked about the points u raised so i will keep trying to post the pics. NB I am not a proper scale man as i was weened on KK kits in the fifties and if themodels look ok i am happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 hi timbo and jono few pics of the u/c fixings. the piano wire is about 18 swg. that most model shops keep. the joints are soft soldered. at the nose fix i have used a thin rubber band to give movement for those hard arrivials. at the rear i araldited a ali tube accross the fuz. this could go right thru the inside of the fuz for more neatness. couple pics more on wing fixing follows. Hope Cyril does not object to these alterations. NB i am still smiling after the short flight i got before the wind came back. Its a cracking flyer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Greta stuff wess, TY muchly I like the idea of the short wire on the control "cables" - this obviously allows you to tension things up! I notice you have added simulated stiching on the wing panels too - very cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 i have just finished the fus, and undercarriage, and I am about to start the wings. I have cut them out, and my cabanes are in place. My bottom wing will be 6mm depron, and the other two 3mm. I have not yet done the curving. How critical is the dihedral and incidence angles - and what is the easy way of getting it right..the plan / mag seems to suggest that this is mainly achieved through tensioning the rigging "wires", but just wondered about accuracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wess Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 hi timbo the wings certainly look much better with sim. stiching that i did with a little 2mm wide rolling device with handle. i inherited it in my tools and never did know what use it would be. looking in the wifes bakery drawer i have also found a pastry marking device that is similar and test running it across a gash piece of depron provides a ziz-zag pattern that looks quite effective. beware though if you bungle it u cant remove the dent.i think u are very wise to upgrade to 6mm at least on the lower wing. i went the whole hog and laminated all 3 and i think they look better and u can form a camber by doing so.i am no expert but just eyeing up the incidence angle when u stick the wings on did work ok for me. i dont think u need more than 2 degrees or she will climb like a scalded kitten.the very clever device shown on this thread for the fokker build would be well worthwhile making. the dihedral angle i found was easy with the rigging threads and really stiffens up the wing if u keep the thread straight. takes a few trys thru mid wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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