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Tony Nijhuis Spitfire


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It would be interesting to note what adhesives modellers prefer, at the rear end!  Epoxy is far heavier than white carpenters glue, because the water in white glue  evaporates but Epoxy stays the same weight when set.  Heavy handed use of any glue especially  Epoxy at the tail would be enough to make a significant amount of difference to the balance. It is also always a good idea to get the battery and servos as far to the front as possible, even if it means making a new servo tray installation and scrapping any supplied control rods snakes etc. (If practical).

The approach to building almost any WW2 fighter, especially radial engined ones, needs some early thought as to how weight can be saved at the tail and how to accomodate the motor and the ballast that goes with it in the nose. Helpful to install a big receiver battery as far forward as possible as well. I still have the enormous U shaped moulded lead weight that was bolted to the engine bearers of my old 0.40 size P 47, still flew well though.

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Oh stop it, you are making me laugh too hard.

It would be a great thread to start on the actual real world properties of glues resins etc... Most people do not readily understand the differences between bonding agents. What actually sticks what to what.

 If you tell some one that carpenters (as you call white) glue is stronger for weight than epoxy, they will say 'yeh, but it is week, I have tried it on such and such', truth is that they don't understand that the bond is fantastic because it soak into the grain, then bonds by evaporation. As opposed to epoxy having a brittle chemical (thermo-)set, ok some expoxy are softer less brittle (today), and glues that chemically alter the surface of the parent material (plastic adhesives) then evaproate having melted the two surfaces together.

If I say to a a car driver, you have a great power to weight ratio, they generally understand, but the same goes for the glue, power (bond) to weight. Again car 'racers' more readily understand moving the greatest mass towards the center of the wheel base (weight distribution) known as balancing the car (for the track they are racing on), some times we can move the motor fuel batteries etc towards the center of the plane.

 A thought I had building my first RC glider in 82, was to try to construct the plne nose heavy, then add minute amounts of balast to the tail, I magaed to achieve this by leaving the rear of the fus open until the paint was finished, then insert pins to the wing tip COG and supporting the pins, I then taped lead to the tail for balance finally epoxy the lead into the hole and paint, it takes far less AUW tobalance this way around. Maybe you could try designing this way (I am not suggesting you have not thought of this, but the older I get the more I forget).......

Marty

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  • 8 months later...

This is my effort at Tony's 62" Hurricane. So far I've built it to the letter and i don't foresee any weight problems. One thing I will do though is to sheet the tailplane with lighter / thinner balsa than as recommended.
 
This is the first model of his design I've attemped and can assure everyone it won't be the last!
 
Keep up the good work Tony!

 
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  • 2 weeks later...
Gave lots of info and some pics when this design was first published, but since people are having trouble with the c of g then here is my set up which still flies most weekends.
Motor: back to the YS63 on 11.5x6 three blade with plastic spinner.
Retracts: Inwood metal with a 60gm. metal gear servo on each behind the wing centre (to use with servo slows with unequal wheel retraction speed). 6swg legs plus dummy oleos. Doors fitted.
Tail and fin traditional built up balsa with 1/16 skin.
Elevator and rudder: 1/16 centre with 1/2 ribs either side covered with Litespan.
Rest of model covered with silver Solarfilm, Prymol coated then brushed with two coats of Spectrum enamel, finally brushed with Tufkote matt/gloss mixed.
Cowl: home made GRP. Noseweight: a few ounces strapped above the motor plus some on the firewall.
 Weight dry: 7lbs. 14oz.
 
If I had used a more conventional retract set up it probably would not have required any nose weight at all. 
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  • 3 years later...
  • 10 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Yesterday was that marvellous combination of sun, some wind and a day off!. She flew really well, maybe a fraction too nose heavy but I never got around to checking that. (I need to climb high and dive vertically, throttle off and see if she comes out of the dive on her own.) The cheap and nasty wheel broke so ended the flying but she did look good. I flew her with the cowl off to guarantee that I didn't have any overheating issues, I'll add that next time around.

img_2275.jpg

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We've already got them! One member is overhauling a TN Focke Wolf 190, a Hurricane and a Lancaster at the moment. The summer should see a whole fleet of TN designed planes buzzing around the skies.

I've got my Sunderland ready to go, there aren't many designs of his that haven't been built.

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ooh, I'd love to see the Sunderland, lovely aircraft. I have to say it is nice to know the club has a lot of builders, rather than just ARTF flyers, very refreshing! Just been reading the newsletters and the project club night meeting looked to be well attended with a lot of nice models on display.

Hopefully we'll get to meet up at the field shortly!

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