Danny Fenton Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 CS Remember the Spit lights are blue and red Heres how I did mine: Easy peesy A bit of electrical tape and filler to create the cover and the jobs done Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Blue? Interesting, I didn't know that, thanks! Your method looks good, I'll probably do something similar. Thanks! CS EDIT: Ah yes, you can see it on this picture. Edited By Concorde Speedbird on 15/08/2013 22:41:06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Does it look like a Spitfire yet? As you can see, the formers are in (with some lightening holes here and there). I used cyano predominantly because it was the easiest and lightest way. It is very strong with the ply sides even without sheeting but it could be lighter, although a bit of weight will keep it steady. Here is the cockpit with the shelf, not sure how much to do in here. That hole will get covered. Next some longerons and sheeting, although I'll put the snakes and servo mounts in first. . CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 A good day's work that CSB - well done! Its taking shape. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Thanks BEB, keep going on that Typhoon! This is useful. I can't go crazy with the cockpit due to space (snakes) and weight, but I'll try a bit to make it look reasonable. You won't see it in the air anyway! Anyhow, I have some varnishing (something else) and then some longerons. CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 I have been at work to save up for funding on a much bigger Spitfire project. Anyhow... Interesting. I thought this was straight, so... Is it straight? So then I went to my Brian Taylor MKIX plan, and the Cambrian plan is absolutely right, it does curve. And some CA and slight bend later... Here we are. Can anyone see a Spitfire yet? As you can see the longerons are on, snakes and servo mounts (as far fowards as possible) are on. The rear top piece will be sanded to the Spitfire curve once the sheeting is on. This fuselage is lovely to build, the parts are not the most accurate but it has been excellent fun. Sheeting next. CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 CSB Looks nice! Just a scale point but does a Spitfire fuselage have any flat surfaces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Aha! You have hit the spot! Well spotted. I had not mentioned this before to see if anyone would notice. The plywood sides mean that along the side of the fuselage, there is a flat section. This- clarified by Brian Taylor's plan again- behind the cockpit is not actually right, a Spitfire fuselage has a constant curve. You can see it here. I will be able to sand in a slight curve, but when covered and painted it is not very noticeable anyway unless you hold a ruler next to it, so I am not that bothered. If I built another I'd use thicker balsa sides and sand in the curve (and I will do more true to scale Spits in the future), this one is just a first scale project to try some techniques out but come out with a nice looking Spitfire, which having seen other's ones it is. So onwards and upwards! CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 That's taking shape CSB - if I half cloe my eyes I can definitely see a Spitfire shape emerging! Keep up the good work mate! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Looking good CSB......I wouldn't worry about the flat bit....its will be almost impossible to spot on a low pass & you can't expect an exact scale replica at these sizes......as my Dad likes to say "Don't let the perfect get in the way of the perfectly adequate".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 I agree (with you and your Dad). Right then, I got bored this morning waiting for results so I did this. Sorry for the blur on the first picture; my first scale detail! I decided I needed something here since it will be clear for all to see. Like the full size has two layers of metal (one being the bulletproof protection?) I have cut and glued two bits of balsa with the grain opposite to give rigidity. Than I made two circle bits for the silver bits which the bolts screw into and the headrest. Then with a pencil some dents and a line on the back to show the rivets and panel/weld/whatever it is line when painted and here we are. It is scale-ish, I did the best I could at this size but it is not perfect, but when painted it will look okay. Next I'll do the bar and the former with holes in behind this. Good fun! CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Mr. Danny Fenton is my favorite Spit builder...but now,CS,you are the next one... Cheers Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Looking very good, CS - acorns and oaks spring to mind......... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Posted by Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 22/08/2013 10:17:37: Mr. Danny Fenton is my favorite Spit builder...but now,CS,you are the next one... Cheers Joe Thanks Joe CS will have to keep your enthusiasm for now Looking good CS Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Clarkson Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Well done on the results CS and cracking looking build, very impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thanks everyone, lovely response. Joe, he is mine too (alongside Supermarine!) so to even be remotely compared is an honour. Off on a bit of a tangent, an idea. This is the fin and kit provided sheet rudder. And this is what I have just made! I used the Taylor plan to make a built up rudder for the Cambrian one, which is lighter than the sheet one (and at the back that is good) and looks more scale. I am very proud of it, it is nice and rigid and looks much nicer, I can do the elevators like this too. It just needs a piece on the bottom to create a nice flowing section. CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Looks good......cover it Solartex & it should enhance the model nicely..... Check the CoG as soon as you reasonably can.....even just a mock up holding the engine in with elastic bands will give you an idea where abouts its going to end up..... It would be a shame to go to a load of extra work lightening the back end & then have to add tailweight to get it to balance IYSWIM..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 If it is nose heavy, then I can always move the RX battery as far back as I need which should deal with that, but I think it will be tail heavy. Once the wings are joined I can do a C of G check so I will. I'll do the elevators later on in the build now I have established that it is light and strong enough. I really like it, even though compared to larger ones it is simple! Next some wing work I think, not really following the instruction's order but it doesn't matter! CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Hi CSB - congrats on the results. First big step to the career of your choice! Well done mate. Nice job here too. I don't follow the exact order of instructions either! Sometimes if you've been on one part for ages, its good for the project to have a little change and do something different for a while. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thanks, my concentration has now shifted to A-levels already- these will require a lot of hard work which I am prepared for since it means I can progress as high as possible in aviation engineering. I agree, with the Funfly (my first build) I religiously followed the instructions, and for every one since I have not! I use the plan and work on different bits, I've been mounting the retracts onto their mounts today. I want to do a plan build next so I it is more involved, a Mustang maybe or my bigger Spitfire, although funding that would be tricky. Let's wait till we get the next magazine too see. For now this Spitfire build has my full enthusiasm and it is brilliant fun, definitely my most enjoyable build yet. CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Concorde Speedbird Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 I have been doing the retracts the past few days. They are now in the now joined wing, some reinforcements will be put in tomorrow. I have come across the problem that was always going to happen with 90 degree retracts on a wing with lots of dihedral- when retracted, the wheels will not quite go flush with the wing. I know this because I retracted the legs with the wheels off and they stopped about 3-5mm above the wing. To be honest I am not bothered, most of the wheel will be in the soon to be cut well and I may be able to design the doors to hide it, but in the air at this scale (and speed) you will not see it, and it is much much better than having a fixed undercarriage! I have also weighed the wing with retracts, non sheeted fuselage + the Saito 62 weight to come up with just under 3 pounds so far, so not bad but still a lot of wood and covering and electronics to come. Hopefully she'll be less than 6 pounds. Hopefully... I'll get some pictures tomorrow evening. By then the wheel wells should be there so we can see the wheels down and up. I must admit after quite a bit of struggling I love the installed retracts, it is so cool to see the folding legs to form a streamlined shape! Brilliant! CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 You're spot on CSB, you can spend hundreds of hours - even thousands - producing the the sort of masterpieces the guys on the Scale Line at the Nats have. And if that's your bag well great they are tremendous achievements! But for me its 50% the pleasure of building and 50% the pleasure of flying them! So, my guideline is what will look like in the air? You won't notice 2-3mm there, whereas you would be constantly wincing at the sight of a dangling fixed U/C. So, like you, I wouldn't worry about it. If you do want to see the theory behind retracts and how to calculate the various angles we've been discussing it's been dealt with a some considerable length on my Tiffie thread! You'll see that dealing with those couple of millimetres involves a lot of work! (And even then, because of some assumptions and approximations that have to be made, and the limits on the accuracy you can set up the angles in practice, you still might end up a couple of millimetres out!) BEB Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 27/08/2013 23:00:18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean smith 1 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hi, I would be very interested on how your Spitfire flys? I've been told the Spitfire and Mustang have a tendancy to tip stall? I'm only asking because i've nearly finished my Mustang and it feels heavy for its size. Sean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 All WWII fighters have to be treated with respect in the air Sean. They have a high wing loading so need to fly fast. As long as you keep the speed up and the nose down on landing approach you shouldn't have too much trouble. Having said that there is no doubt that some fighters are more "nervous" than others in the tip stalling department! Generally P47's, Huricanes, P51's, Me109's and FW190's are better. While the poor old Spitfire does suffer from a "reputation" in this area. So I would not expect particular problems from your Mustang Sean - just treat her with respect and she'll be fine. The main problem for the Spitfire is the very pointed wingtips - they may look beautiful and they do have the effect of reducing drag - but they also make the wing prone to tipstalling. Tipstalling itself isn't a problem - its the fact that it doesn't happen on each wing at the same time and the resulting loss of control via the ailerons that is the hazard. One tip stalls, the wing drops and as the pilot can't correct the model may enter a spin. If this happens near the ground the result can be fatal for the model. You also need to remember that stalling has nothing to do with airspeed - contary to what so many think. Its perfectly possible to tipstall the model at very high speeds - for example in a very tight, high speed, turn where the angle of attack would be high. In this case the resultant flick can be really disconcerting and dangerous. Of course full size Spitfires had washout built into the wing, a deliberate twist which resulted in the wing tips being at a lower angle of attack than the wing root. This helps to bring about a situation in which the root stalls before the tip - this leaves the aileron section of the wing operational and as such maintains some degree of control. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 This should be interesting ,i will keep an eye on it . Good luck. Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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