Masher Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Hello to anyone who reads this: A couple of months ago I took a punt on Ebay and got this Cambrian Models Mooney 201 plane. Most people had more sense than me so it was mine for the minimum bid of £50. I thought that as I wouldn't be able to buy the raw wood for this price, I had nothing to loose and I do like the look of this plane. My first impression was................ well it looked Ok and someone has put some hours in to it but I would need to put in a lot more to get this model up to some sort of standard. I'm sure it has never flown and the owner wasn't exactly clued up on it. Doesn't look too bad at first sight (if you squint a bit) The prop & spinner are just a mock-up. The model has been built for Electric power wheras original plan is for 40 size IC. The rudder has been fixed to the stab. I really like the proportions of this plane, it is the nearsest I've got to anything scale like so far since I am at the "improver" stage. I have just passed my 'A' certificate and only flown trainers. If you look a bit more closely, you can spot the evidence! I expect some surprises underneath this lot and certainly think it has to be stripped down to check out the basic model integrity. Whatever the covering is, it has been lavished with numerous layers of household white gloss paint and tarted up with insulation tape. Whilst I'm no perfectionist and you have to admire the inventive use of materials, this will have to go, mind you, it's very strong! After about 3 hours of trying various implements and techniques (best being scraping off with a chisel!) I got down to balsa, ply and a reasonable airframe. The covering was actually white A4 paper glued on - the glue residue is not going to shift I don't think so I will need to decide how to recover. Please let me know what is the recommended way to cover a compound fuse like this. I am assuming that I will fill with lightweight filler and get it smoothe then take it from there. Whilst she looks a bit sorry for herself, I am quite pleased with the general state of the fuse and I think I can rebuild her! I contacted Cambrian Models who were very helpful and supplied me a copy of the plan/build instructions for a very fair price so I have good design info. I will probably go the IC route as originally intended but not fully decided yet. The wings are veneered foam, and do these pictures suggest that the venner is lifting?? If the wings turn out to be a right off, I can get replacements, albeit at about 2/3 the cost of a new model! I'll let you know what's underneath when I've spent a few hours getting the covering off. If anyone has any advice in general or about this model, please post a reply since I am on a learning curve and welcome any help Thanks Martin Edited By Masher on 14/01/2013 14:59:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Hi Martin, at first glance it looks lovely and can't help but smile at the lavish love and paint it's had clearly the builder had no idea about building light. I have looked on Cambrian site and they relaunched this kit at £104.00 .The kit contains: Pre-cut ply and balsa parts. Pre-shaped leading edges,rear spars and ailerons. Veneered foam wing panels. A large one piece, moulded canopy, cockpit interior and moulded cowling. Pre-formed undercarriage, motor mount, control cables and all fittings and linkages. A full sized pan and instruction book. So I guess it all depends on the wings. I personally would cover with Solartex or Oracover which is stronger but heavier.. I would see it as a challenge to get it rebuilt and flying again,good luck on what you decide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff2wings Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Hummm , that's a bit of a project you got your self there Martin , I think the 'make or break ' (or sould that be bin ?) will be that foam wing and until you remove that covering I would not invest to much time in the rest of it , and I speak from experiance from quite a few re-builds of basket cases like this .It is possible to repair a foam wing but care is needed to ensure adequate strength without excess weight and if the builder has made a bit of a horlicks of the wing joining/undercarage mounting............ However , I do like that plane , a lot more appealing than a piper cherokee ! good luck ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks gents, interesting to see that you both think this will be a bit of task! I have now done first strip of the wings (will post photos tomorrow - I'm still thawing out!) and I think they are Ok. It was the covering that was rippled rather than the veneer lifting. There are a couple of areas where the veneer is damaged/missing but not enough to lose strength. Also the wing joint seems well done and strong so I will check for true and dihedral and post pics for your view. If all else fails, I can varnish them and make some retro-furniture - looks like mahogany veneer to me! Any ideas how I can get the glue off? Hard to know what it is; it is hard to sand off because it still is bit rubbery and I don't really want to risk any chemical strippers in case I wreck the rest of it. It looks like it might be something like Copydex rather than PVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Well I braved the cold and brought the wing inside - now there is better light and I've got my decent glasses on I'm wandering if I was bit optimistic?! It looks worse than it actually is because of the glue stains/remnants The white bits are filler where the veneer has been damaged previously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Two more pics: Underside And close-up - what do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Stick with it Martin - I was given an old example of this model and it flies very well as a scale model and has a surprising aerobatic capability. Mine flies on an OS 52 FS which suits it perfectly and would be my choice over electrocuting the poor thing! Shame about the rudder - I'd activate it and use a fixed nosewheel - ground handling and taxying are very good without steering the nosewheel and it's much less prone to problems on a typical grass patch. One reason why I was given it was because someone landed a trainer on it, smashing the canopy and it came held together with Sellotape. As it had been out of production for many years, I made a speculative enquiry with Cambrian about where they had been produced, only to find that they were about to re-release the kit and had them in stock! My model actually featured on the manufacturer's website for a couple of years until they either built one or got some pictures of a new build - I had a request for a picture when buying the canopy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks Martin, I may be tapping you up for help along the way. Coincidently, I received my new SC 52FS this morning! Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denew Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Its a great model Martin, i have one i bought as a kit years ago and buit it around a OS48. its only flowen a couple of times but flew great and was quite fast, ive stuck with the steering nose wheel and alls been ok . Realy pleased to hear that Cambrian are supplying the kit again as i thought i was the nly one with this plane, Not seen one any where else before. Will be good tofolllow the re build your doing and to read your thought when you get it in the air, ive now used the OS in another model ans put a ASP 60 FS in as a direct replacement, Cant wait to see it flying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denew Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 ooops this dam keyboard cant spell ill have to change it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denew Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 ooops this dam keyboard cant spell ill have to change it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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