Martyn K Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I have never ever built a scale model - apart from a few peanut scale models which I never seem to complete. I have been building a 13" span Piper Cub for nearly 3 years - it may get finished in Italy this summer. What do I hope to get out of this? Broadly, I want to improve my building skills, I have been building aeroplanes (and boats) since I was 12 or 13 years old - about 45 years. I am therefore considered to be quite experienced but I am not a good builder by any stretch of the imagination. I am in awe of people like Danny who produce a work of art with all joints absolutely perfect, finished perfectly and the only imperfections in the surface are intentional - where the rivets pop through.. I would like to try a bit of that and I see this build as a (possibly - very) slow build which will take a back seat occasionally while more pressing repairs/maintenance/replacement of my usual hacks takes place (I normally build 2 models at once anyway). The Chippie will be reserved for those quality time moments when I need to be able to take more care and demonstrate real patience. Things I am looking forward to are: 1. Having a working undercarriage that is strong and accurate enough 2. making a pilot or two 3. A bit of cockpit detail - instruments that look like instruments 4 Not sure about the rivets though.... 5. Working with litho 6. Writing up this blog I have already got the plan, canopy and cowl. I think that I will buy a cut parts wood pack as well in due course. I have got a Enya 60 F/S to power this. I am hoping that I can get a scale working exhaust as well.. The aircraft I am going to attempt to replicate at 1/6 full size is this... I prefer civilian colour schemes. Hopefully, I may be able to get access to it to photograph it closely - its down south somewhere so it will be an excuse to get a weekend away camping. Best wishes Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Like your colour scheme as well Martyn, I share most of your aims but will leave the camping out. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Lovely colour scheme Martyn, I am getting quite nervous at the responsibility of this build still looking forward to it though Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 I ordered the parts kit from Traplet which arrived just before I went on holiday. As first glance, the wood quality appears to be quite reasonable - no obvious rubbish. So now got the plan, cowl, canopy and wood kit Ready to roll. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 shall enjoy watching this build martyn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I've got my ribs etc to cut yet, best start soon or i'll not have them ready Enya 60fs, that should be a good combination John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 I have been following Danny's post with interest and wondering how to address the wing/flap/aileron problem. As I am just about to make a start on this, I thought that I may as well redo the wing with the correct rib spacing and also the flaps and ailerons in the correct position. I'll draw the wing up in Profili and get a dxf file to Dylan for cutting. As far as I can see from the 3 view that I have and pouring over full sized photos, the correct measurements are (from Danny's post). Under surface flap chord at root: 54mm flap chord at junction with aileron: 52mm aileron chord at junction with flap 44mm Aileron Chord at tip 44mm Upper Surface flap chord at root: 52mm flap chord at junction with aileron: 50mm aileron chord at junction with flap 38mm Aileron Chord at tip 38mm Elevator Root 72mm Tip 48mm It looks like DB has maintained a continuous hinge line which has resulted in non parallel and odd shaped ailerons and huge flaps. The aileron size at the tip is about the right size.. My plan therefore is to sanity check the key component measurements this weekend and see if I can identify any other anomalies. If broadly OK, I'll start with the fin and rudder and just be a month and a wing behind you. I'll worry about the fus after the wing has been completed. I'll re-cut/re-work the hinges to fit, cant throw away that nice cutting. More to come.. Martyn Edited By Martyn K on 31/10/2014 14:24:05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 Forgot to mention. The reason why I am late starting is that I am having an extension built at the back of the house. Just too many distractions and too much clutter to risk starting this Edited By Martyn K on 31/10/2014 14:25:51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Hi Martyn, blimey that is enthusiastic of you! Would yo ukeep the construction or make it a bit simpler to follow? You might want to check the rest of the drawing before going to that much trouble. I think that the position of F8 on the DB plan is also out by about 1/2 inch. This changes the position of the band and fairings, and canopy. Everything knocks on if there are errors..... Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 I think the flap and aileron linkages also need some work, so I'll need to rework around the rear spars so that the top and bottom flap and aileron gaps are in the right place. OK on the fus, just to complicate things further, I am going to build the wing with 3degs washout (IIRC) - which is actually quite a lot - and use the original wing sections with NACA2415 root and USA32B at the tip. We have the software tools to do these sort of things now, I just wish I had the space to redraw the plan properly - that wont come for another 3 weeks or so though. When (if) I get this far, then I'll worry about the fus. By then you'll have finished yours I still think that I can reuse most of the Traplet cut parts - its just a full set of wing ribs that will be required but I think that it will be worth it in the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 The tip is slightly undercambered too, which possibly helps with the tipstalling. Sounds an interesting project Martyn Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 I think I may be biting off more than I can handle but nothing ventured = nothing gained.. Hey ho.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 OK Small problem no.1 Comparing the two 3-views that I have.. This image is from the old MHS 3063 - 3view You can see that the root ribs (probably 3) are tilted. However, this 3 view stolen from t'internet Shows the ribs as being parallel up to the root. (BTW - the orientation of the 2 snips above is 180 degrees out - sorry) Has anybody who has had a close look advise me which is correct please? I suspect its the MHS drawing. Thanks Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Hi Martyn yes the second one is wrong I have them both 3063 seems much more accurate. I have tried to do a deal with Myhobbystore to get us a discount for the three view, but so far I have been unsucesful I think £12.50 is a bit steep for what I reckon you get Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thanks Danny, I thought that may be the case. I agree - it is a bit steep - I suspect that it is the contractors price though.. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Here's the real thing.... so I don't think either of your 3-views are very accurate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Well - over 2 months late - but I have made a start. The reason for my tardiness, we have had an extension built at the rear of the house and the amount of additional work that I have had to enjoy(!) has been very time consuming. In fact - since the end of September, I have neither flown nor spent much more than about 6 hours in the shed. Disgraceful. However, I have fitted a new kitchen, plumbed it, electrics, patio, path down side of house, painted it (120sq m - 3 times). I have got a truce now until after Christmas (apart from decorating the downstairs loo - but got a couple of days off work next week for that), so I have managed some shed time this week. To get back in the swing of things, I created a jar of glass fibre hinges. Then started to look what was actually in the box of pre cut parts. As I am miles behind you lot, I am not going to do a stick part A to part B type blog, just highlight a few things that I am doing differently. I am also so far behind that I feel no urge to try and catch up, so this will be a slow build. So I started on the tailplane and elevators. Not actually being in a position to rush into the build, has given me time to look at the plan and see where I can identify anomalies. I appreciate that it may not be gospel truth - in fact I have found errors in it, but I am using 3063 as the reference 3-view on the grounds that it should be more accurate. I have measured the tailplane and elevators and as far as I can see, the scaled up elevators on 3063 are a few mm (about 8 IIRC) at the elevator tip than the DB plan shows. So I have redrawn them. Apart from the error (corrected at the very tip, you can see the revised outline. I wonder if there was a difference between the mk 1 and mk 2 Chipmunk - the rudder got enlarged - did the elevators get done at the same time? Note the spar and LE have been packed up ready for ribs. The green rib positions were redrawn from 3063, but comparison with photos, these are clearly wrong so I am staying with the DB rib positions The RH tip is a bit clearer. Started on the elevators using weights to hold it all in place and allowed to dry The ribs are simply strips of wood - no attempt at tapering at this stage, I'll sand it all down to size when the tailplane is finished - or rather more complete. 3 evenings work so far - having problems getting PVA glue to dry properly in the cold/damp air but at least I have made a start More to come. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 It's a start Martyn and no one set a deadline John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Day Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Don't worry Martyn, you'll have overtaken me (and Nev?) in no time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 A bit of progress over Christmas and the New Year. No updates though (until today) as my PC has been more or less inaccessible due to overload of boxes (still unpacking after the extension was completed just before Christmas). But I did manage to get some quality shed time Continued working on the tailplane and elevator.. Boxed in the tailplane hinges in the tailplane. When I get round to gluing them up, I know they will be in the right location. Note that I have already sheeted one half of the tailplane Not the neatest bit of slot cutting for the hinges, the wood is rather light, poor close grained and hence crumbly - however, I have reinforced the joint with small 1/32 balsa gussets. makes it a lot stronger With the hinges in place and aligned, I covered the other half of the tailplane.. All fairly straightforward stuff. And here is my version of Danny's Sanding block - to show that I am paying attention.. A bit random, but here is the start of the fin and rudder. A couple of extra Gussets added (I like gussets) and I seem to have got it right first time As the shed had warmed up a bit, I was joined by this Shield Bug that decided to come out of hibernation.. Onto the Rudder - and this where I have cheated. There was an image of a Chippie overlaid very expertly by the plan. The one thing that looked wrong was the rudder outline, so I copied the image (more or less) from the photo, back onto my plan and it looks like I am building to this outline... I then promptly forgot to take any build shots but I do have this one.. I made a mess of the solid upper part of the rudder and chopped it off and re did it. I am still not totally happy yet as the gap between the shroud and the rudder is a bit wide at the base - less than 1mm but it is very noticeable when compared to the top of the fin where the gap is very snug but not binding.. More to come.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 So - making a start on the lower fuselage. crutch down, formers down and doublers in place. and another shot One thing that I did notice when I fitted F3 was that it pulled the fuselage in slightly. I am not sure if this is correct. You can just see it on the upper fuselage doubler.. For the lower half, I chose to plank the rear tapered part of the fuselage but used 3mm sheet at the front. The planks tapered from 12mm to 3mm The rear of the fuselage, the planks are actually a much better fit that the photo shows,... Honest! And the sheeted front end. Note, No attempt has been made to cut the wing slot back yet.. A bit more planking.. The fuselage was planked while it was still pinned down - hopefully, it will stay straight. Tailplane tips added and the shrouds in place - I used 1/32" ply for the shrouds for the tailplane and the fin, you can see where I have taken the liberty of sanding them down.. The elevator horn is piano wire soft soldered to a piece of 22swg brass with a 18g piano wire brace soldered to it - which you can just see.. Both together The lower half after a quick sand down... Just started the upper half. crutch and formers in place and the keel piece is down. I also fitted the first two planks last night as well. More to come. Martyn Edited By Martyn K on 02/01/2015 09:44:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Looks great Martin, well done Re that narrow former F4? I actually broke the joint and packed the gap out. I don't think F4 is correct and should be wider. I have a feeling others have also spotted this error. Cheers Danny Edited By Danny Fenton on 02/01/2015 09:53:09 Edited By Danny Fenton on 02/01/2015 09:53:50 Edited By Danny Fenton on 02/01/2015 09:54:06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi Danny Yes - it was F4 - the ply former.. Adding the top sheeting over the doubler and the dent appears to have disappeared - or it is now negligible. However, I will cut and re-glue as you suggest.. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Mmmm F4 not the hardwood F3. But it is always possible I altered F3. I did find a few formers needed a tweak here and there. Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Hi Danny I did notice that two of the lower formers didn't fit in the correct positions (too small). I eventually displaced them by about 5mm rearwards - not a huge amount, but interestingly, checking with a straight edge suggested that they had been scaled slightly smaller as there was still as straight line from mid fuselage (behind the cockpit) to rear with the formers displaced to the new position. On a change of tack, I haven't cut out any holes for pushrods etc, I need to see what the rest of the Chippieteers have done.. M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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