Just a bit at a time.

[Braddock, VC]

What with one thing and another, I don't seem to be able to fit in a full building session and consequently models don't get made.

SoI remembered back 30 or 40 years to when I used to build as the title says, when I was working away from home.

I have the following kits to build, wot 4 classic, sig 1/5 scale cub, flair astro hog and so I' doing little and often.

The wot 4 is all glued together ( cant say framed up) and the wings need to be joined. I'll use finishing resin to make this join with glass tape but I'll take the opportunity to coat the inside and outside of the fuselage back to the c of g with finishing resin to fuel proof the plane. This'll mean waiting until the fuselage is sanded to its final shape.

Once the model is complete but un covered I'll set it aside and make a start on the sig and flair kits as I have two building boards and can crack on doing a bit on each until they, too, are ready to cover when I'll do all three in the same scheme.

I'll try and upload pics when I remember but I'm really pleased with progress with the wottie so far.

[Rich too]

I know the feeling, I have been building a 58" Glens Models Extra for literally years!! At least 5 years I would say - I wont allow myself to start another until its done, I have only assembled and flown ARTF models in the meantime.

Rich

[Braddock, VC]

F

Wot 4 fuselage is dry now but I'll leave it overnight and rough sand it tomorrow, together with the tail feathers and wings.

I bought the abs and wire version of the kit (a) because it's nearly £17 cheaper and (b) because I have a perfectly good soldered up wire u/c from the mk 2 wottie that I decided to retire when I broke the tail off.

It is repairable but I'm not confident that after 30 + years the wood has its original strength as the fus inevitably takes a bit of a hammering. While I'm at it I may use the tailplane, fin and rudder off it, save a bit of sanding and they are in good nick. I also have a second set of u/c with skis fitted if we should get snow and a set of floats too but they need some work.

The original wing isn't too bad either but the servos are a bit wafty after all that time so I'll make up the new wing.I have a half dozen or so hitec digital servos plus some of their HD karbonite analogues, some more choices to make.

I've agonised long and hard about an engine, I have quite a selection to choose from including some quite potent 45s and 46s two strokes, plus an 82 saito but have decided to fit a low hours thunder tiger 42 GP simply because it has plain bearings and I can neglect it and not worry about bearing corrosion. It'll provide all the performance I need and, being some 3 or 4 ounces lighter than the bb engines, might even come close to providing similar vertical performance but I won't hold my breath.

Off up to tescos, wife fancies a bar of choccy and a glass of wine, me too. I'll upload some pix tomorrow am.

W

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

You know what they say Braddock, if you stick just one piece of wood in place each day you will eventually have an aeroplane - even if you were intending to build a boat!

BEB

[Braddock, VC]

BEB, I probably won't be flying until well into the new year so I'm quite happy to stooge along once piece at a time, perhaps my progress will provide an incentive for other modellers to do the same; models don't have to be built overnight.

I have found myself two new sites to fly from, both within a couple of miles from my front door and one has an asphalt or concrete runway and I'm allowed to fly from the control tower if I want but have to say that's not too bright an idea for several reasons.

The other site is quiet models only which is one of the reasons why I'm putting the TT 42 GP in the wottie as they are virtually inaudible with a 12x5 graupner on. (I don't have anything electrical other than a couple of foam gliders).

Funnily enough the owner of the latter site was a bit cagey until she found out that I had no electric models, apparently she's heard them and doesn't like the whine of the motors. I was convinced that I would have to use electric until that came up. Anyway she wants to have a trial in the new year (of the model flying) and all will be decided then. I have to give her plenty of notice as she wants her neighbours to "listen in" which I'm quite happy with. She actually insisted that this was a demonstration of what she intended to do which pleased me no end but there are political undertones that I'm aware of (something to do with ride-on lawnmowers and Ducati motorcycles) . The area is already designated for recreation so there are no planning problems. The other site too is designated for recreation.

There is actually quite a long saga to this latter site which is probably better if I don't relate.

Who knows, I may speed up construction rates!!!!!!

[Braddock, VC]

Wot4 fuse, wings and tailfeathers now rough sanded to shape, have to buy some really fine sandpaper to finish them off but before that I have to join the wings and use the surplus epoxy to reinforce the u/c mount and fuel proof the front half of the plane. Because of the fumes this probably won't happen until after the weekend which will give me plenty of time to mull over colour schemes.

Just a heads up on a previous post, apparently the lady's dogs went ballistic when her grandson flew an electric plane there hence her reluctance to entertain them.

I was up there on the weekend and I am having second thoughts with a wot4 basically as the field (about 200 metres by 250 metres) has enormous beech trees on 3 of the 4 boundary fences they must be at least 30m high and there is about a 50 foot rise to each of the 2 longitudinal boundaries from the flat (rugby pitch) in the centre - I know from bitter past experience how much I like landing planes in trees. The other boundary has the farm and access road against it.

BTW, the rugby pitch only gets used occasionally on Sunday mornings for practice and junior matches.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

It does sound a bit tight - and those trees are swines, they jump out to grab your model you know, don't let anyone convince you otherwise!

BEB

[Braddock, VC]

I'm starting to think that way too. I've flown at a number of fields with trees in and always manage to get at least one plane stuck there.

Spent tonight stripping out the fittings on the old wot4 mk 2, I can't bring myself to bin it even though the wood aft of the scarfe joint in the fus is soft as a babies bottom; to change it means a fairly large reconstruction and there has been significant collision/oil damage round the front end as well.

Anyway I got a nice engine mount plus all the t nuts and stainless bolts that held it together. Two 148 servos that were a recent addition plus a futaba switch and charge socket. On top of that the u/c mount and the wing mounting bolts. Dumped the phillips head servo screws though went over to the model fixings ones years ago.

The engine mount is drilled for the saito 82 and I'm tempted to pop that in the wottie but it also fits the 1/5 scale sig cub a treat with just a bit of the rocker cover poking out the bottom of the cowl and I'm not sure if the flair grey mounts are still available if I use this one on the wottie.

All in all a good night's salvage. I'll see if I can use the wing tomorrow. As I said previously the servos in there have been in since 1982 and the bearings are a bit worn (it was quite an expensive job to use two in 82, servos were 17 quid each then) anyway I've two 148s with broken casings so I may be able to swap them around iirc that the wing servos are 148s have a feeling they may not be though.

[Braddock, VC]

The wing on the mk2 kit built wot4 is completely different to the classic wing on the latest kit version, the chord is at least 1.375" less.

The servos were hitec 101s, one has the gears stripped. I have a couple of hitec 85 mgs which are virtually identical so I'll fit those. Looks like I'll have to repair the old one so I'll wrap the whole lot up in bubble wrap and pop it in the loft for something to do a bit at a time in the future. I'm quite pleased in a way that I've decided to repair it as It was a good and faithful servant for years. I'll just have to decide how much of the fuselage sheeting I'm going to have to crop back, ho hum.

[Seraph]

1.376" perhaps

[Braddock, VC]

It just looked better than 1 & 3/8" clever clogs.

[Braddock, VC]

Wing polished up with v fine grit w&d paper, I had a thought when I was doing it that the wing dowels, which are not the finest design feature CF came up with, could be improved in strength significantly by adding a 5" length of 6mm ply as a sort of forward wing joiner into which the wing dowels can seat if I drill through to the joiner and then through it. So I've decided to incorporate that, I could even insert some alloy tubes to pop the wing dowels in ( those who have built a kit wot4 will get my drift) I just hope when I do it that the rest of the model lasts as long as the potential life of the wing dowels!

I have to be honest and say I'm re-agonising about the engine choice, I have an old, hardly run sc 46. However as the wottie is one of my most favoured models (after Clancy's Lazy Bee) I might push the boat out and add a nice new shiny os 2 stroke or perhaps even one of those evolution 10 GX petroil ones, we'll see as I've always hankered after fitting a 42 GP in, decisions, decisions.

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 14:50:11

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 14:59:31

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 15:00:15

[kevin b]

Posted by Seraph on 21/11/2013 16:35:39:

1.376" perhaps

Isn't that nearly 3 1/2 cm ?

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I think you'll find they are not actually tree's

they are ambush's

[Braddock, VC]

Inwoods have the mk 2 OS 46 Ax in at 102 quid and the 55ax at 119, I have a brand new irvine 46 and I was thinking I could fit it up with a weston uk throttle pipe, it's the same price as the one for the 42 GP and I could also buy one for the 160 fx I have in my xtrawot for the same money as a 55 ax for the two.

I have one on the yamada 45 2 stroke I have and it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Making up my mind over this issue is difficult.

Yes kevin it's about 3.5 cm I'll see if I can add a piccie showing the difference.

[Braddock, VC]

[Braddock, VC]

Haven't fathomed out how to add text after adding pic but the mk 3 classic wing is superimposed over the mk2 wing here and the overlap can be clearly seen.

It's also evident the span of the mk3 is greater than the mk 2.

I wonder which wing was used for the artf?

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 20:51:41

[Down Under]

Hi Brad

I am on the same wagon as you. Only, you're more disciplined than I. I have more projects on the go than I can poke a hobby knife at. And RCME keep publishing such appealing plans that I can't help myself. My must build list is about 20 models long.

Fortunately, the entrance to the garage is across the hall from the master bedroom. So I take any opportunity I can to work on my models. Most of the time its 1 piece of balsa at a time, and usually by stealth, so the other half doesn't get to cantankerous.

[Braddock, VC]

Down under, MOI? disciplined? You don't know the half of it, desperate is more like!!!!!

My current projects on hold are probably the same as yours. It just became clear if I kept on as I currently did, at 70 years of age, not a blurry one would be completed.

I have to dump some hobbies, particularly those that take up time so fishing, shooting, clarting with my lotus have been put on the backburner and some of the stuff is for sale and some is going to my sons in a pre-inheritance donation. I'm also giving up work, for the time being, to create more time.

Do I detect something in your life that isn't present in mine? Discipline, MASTER bedroom all in one e-mail , WOW.

Just joshing!!!! I'll just add a couple of pics of the engines that could adorn the front of my wottie.

[Braddock, VC]

FWIW, I disposed of the TT 91, and the Tigershark 91, kept the minipipe on the tigershark and fitted it to an irvine 61. The ys sits there daring me to fit it to the wottie but it's too heavy, I mean look at it compared to a 91 2 stroke immediately above it....

BTW that's a weston throttle pipe, it was painted blue with solarlac about 5 years before the pic was taken and used to fly an ARC Jupiter round at terminal velocity, in a dive the prop would go well supersonic and had a great "cringing" effect on knowledgeable spectators................

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 21:23:20

Edited By Braddock, VC on 06/12/2013 21:25:33

[Down Under]

Giving up work to make more time?!?!?!?!? Yeah, Like I'm going to doing that anytime soon! HAHAHHAHA!

[Braddock, VC]

Giving up work has its advantages you know but I'm not too badly off as I own the business I work in so I don't have any real targets to meet other than to feel happy!!

I gave up being paid by the man over 10 years ago and things have upturned since then.

Being your own boss is almost better than being retired, almost but not quite. But I have to do something and sticking bits of wood together all day would drive me barmy.

[Braddock, VC]

I've agonised over engine choice for months now but finally decided to fit the saito 82, it fills the bill exactly. One thing I've discovered, the original wot 4 mk 2 of 1983 vintage has both a much smaller wing, as I've demonstrated here, also the tail feathers are much smaller than the Mk 3 classic.

Everything went on hold as I spent most of december and up til yesterday completing my tax return, a most thankless but essential task. It wasn't made any easier by my losing some critical records last year that entailed a great deal of grovelling to get duplicates that has taken almost 6 months to resolve.

Anyway all behind me now and the wottie is ready for the final bits and bobs then covering. Construction wise I have to glue the fin and tailplane in situ, line the servo cutouts in the wing with balsa, add the cowl fastening tabs and cut out the side of the fus for the switch. I also have to trim the cowl. Provided I decide on what colour scheme I need it should be ready to fly by the end of feb, as some family commitments are conspiring to slow things up.

As I started the thread as "a bit at a time" it's worth noting that I've not devoted more than 30 mins at a time to the construction, EXCEPT for fitting the servos in the fus. The big time consumption is in the covering at which I am a duffer so I really am going to take my time on this one, buying a 100 scalpel blades to ensure neatly cut edges, ho hum.

Edited By Braddock, VC on 30/01/2014 08:43:22

[Braddock, VC]

Spent 20 mins this morning putting a coat of fuel proofer on what will be vulnerable parts, I wanted some clearcoat for this as this seems toact as an adhesive for film when heated but in the end used some spectrum that I had laying around.

I will give a coat of sanding sealer to all the balsa parts plus a rub down with 260 grade sand paper and then cover it.

I've planned the scheme in my head, I have a metre of metallic violet profilm which will cover the upward facing bits aft from halfway between the tailplane leading edge and the t/e of the wing. Undersides of tailplane, wing and fuse in black and white checkered film rest of fuse and wing top surface in cub yellow profilm and I have some holographic stick on film to put the leading edge wot 4 trims on. That's the plan but I find it a bit daunting just reading it.

We'll see.

Edited By Braddock, VC on 03/02/2014 13:58:18

Edited By Braddock, VC on 03/02/2014 14:04:37

[Glenn Stratton]

Just a bit at a time, you'll get there!