Peter Garsden Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I have been fortunate enough to buy a very old kit from a not so old keen PSSA Modeller, Martin Middleton who is advertising a lot of his kit for sale because he has a brain tumour and thus his activities are limited. Martin is going to attend the PSSA event in October on 10th and 11th. He wants to see as many of his unmade kits fly as possible, so I have yet another deadline. The Jet Provost Mass Build, though brilliant and instructive, nearly killed me, and my marriage in one go, but was very worthwhile. I now have my second deadline of the year to meet - I reckon I have about 6 weeks to go - no sweat at all. I will do some pictures. The kit, I reckon, is about 30 years old though I may be wrong. Skyways Models is now run by Mason Models down South - they no longer make the Hawk - link here **LINK**. Martin very kindly delivered the magic box to my house on his way to Stoke on Trent - thank you Martin. When I opened it I realised it was very comprehensive. Three large sheets of plans, and lots of veneered foam parts as well as plastic mouldings and a large canopy. Not used to such luxury. The designer has even drawn pieces of wood with all the parts laid out. Very helpful, but no wood to go with it other than two pieces of ply, so I have ordered the wood and it has arrived. I usually use carbon paper to trace the parts but these were laid up in order, so I searched Google - the search engine on this forum is not good, and found an RCM & E thread which recommended using various methods. I had had the plans copied by Mail Box in Macclesfield. I used Cellulose Thinners to transfer the design to the wood - very effective. One wipes the wood first then the paper upside down with thinners and it transfers to the wood. I have gone round the lines with black biro, so can at least make a start. The kit is for IC power but I need it for sloping. Two immediate problems Will the wing section be too thick - it is really but we will just have to see how fast it flies because I am not going to run off another one - I haven't the time. Maybe will attempt another if it won't penetrate very well, and I have the time and the will to live. How shall I adapt the front of the fuselage for sloping. It is designed with a detachable plastic cowl which is no good for sloping and quite fiddly. I won't be using a heavy engine so what is left is too fragile. I am going to extend the triangular stock and the balsa fusealge sides, so we will just have to see. I will also use a strong balsa nose instead of a plastic spinner! I suppose if it doesn't work I will just have to convert it for EDF power - I am sure it will. It says you need a bungee to launch it and I don't have one. Anyway it would mean moving over to the dark side - I just couldn't! Pictures coming soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve McLaren Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Good luck Peter. You didn't tell us what size this thing is - it sounds quite big?? I've never heard of that method to transfer the plan to the balsa before. If you do it with the original, do you end up with a blank plan sheet?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Peter that will be nice to finish it off - fly it and Peter see it, what a great project to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 sorry typo -Martin to see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 The wingspan is 54 inches and the fuselage is 52 inches long. The wing section is semi symmetrical and quite thick. Doesn't look like a glider section at all. The kit is full of plastic mouldings not all of which I will use. Have already redesigned the nose in order to avoid using the plastic cowling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 The cellulose thinners method works really well. It brings back memories of the old dye marked kits we used to see. One wets the wood with thinners, then turn over the plan which must be laser copied, and rubs through the pattern with yet more thinners. It does not wipe the ink from the plan and dries quite quickly. I then went over the lines which were a bite faint in parts with black biro. It has worked really well. See photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 It doesn't matter if you ruin the copy because I stil have the original. The thinners soaked plans just dry and are fine. This photo shows a piece of balsa which has been soaked through before the paper is peeled off leaving the imprint underneath. The thinners dissolves some of the ink which is transferred because the wood is porous and the pattern face down. It is not really a drawback but obviously you end up with a mirror image. I found drawing pins to hold down the plan and the wood when doing the 1/16th ply very successful Edited By Peter Garsden on 30/08/2014 23:34:22 Edited By Peter Garsden on 30/08/2014 23:35:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 This photo is a thinner printed piece of balsa which smudges a bit more due to the porosity but is still fine once overprinted with black biro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 The first step to making the fuselage which is remarkably quick and was almost all finished in an afternoon is to join the pieces which go to make up the central fuselage spine over the plan. To the skeleto the foam veneered fuselage halves are joined. I used foam safe cyano but PVA would have been better. I weighted down the halves until they dried. Again note the drawing pins - not used them for ply before. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 This is the front of the skeleton and mark the front of the middle section of the fuselage and the over wing area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Sorry - forgot to show you the plans - riveting photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 In this close up you can see the design for the ic motor and the plastic cowl which I have scrapped by extending the ply sides and the triangular stock to the nose. I have redrawn the size of the sides and the shape of the nose former so it hopefully will work. The existing sides were 1/4 then 1/2 over the top - all designed to handle the power of a powerful motor and lots of mucky fuel - F2 is 1/4 ply - it is all over engineered, but I am going with it. If the wing loading is a bit high, then hopefully it will provide speeed and momentum. We will see what it weighs when finished. I think this is going to be a quick build. Phew... Edited By Peter Garsden on 31/08/2014 00:00:39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 It's coming on Peter, and looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Made a bit of progress last night. I have started to construct the front portion of the fuselage from F3 effectively to the nose. As previously explained, I have scrapped the plastic cowl round the motor and gone for a more substantial and conventional ply, balsa construction. In this photo you can see F2 with a whole cut out of it so I can place the battery as far forward as possible, together with any lead needed. Everything forward of F2 is new. I am just extending the wood, triangular stock and 1/4 inch square. I will redraw F1 and make it square so I can sand down the balsa surrround. There isn't an option drawn into the plan even though Percy they used to advertise it for PSS. I looked up the wingspan of the full size which is 30 feet so this model is 1/6th Scale (54" Next job is to insert the ply fuselage sides into the foam front fuselage, to give it strength. Once that is done, I will draw the fuselage sides together to F1 - will score with slots the triangular stock to help bending a tight curve. This the same method I learned on the Jet Provost building blog recently. Let's hope it works on this model also. You can also see my SLEC Fuselage jig which is brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Don't know where the winking emoticon came from - strange. I did some research on how the pilots are/were dressed and found various helpful pictures including this one I then looked on Google for a 1/6th scale pilot measuring about 60mm wide and a maximum of 45mm high and found this one on Ebay - not the prettiest and it is £9 and I needed 2, but it comes painted, and I am up against a deadline. So ordered and on its way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Good progress sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Nice one Pete - looking good - have you decided on a colour scheme for your Hawk or is it all hush hush!?!? It's a great subject for modelling there are so many good ones to choose from!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Sorry to be a bore chaps but I like colourful clothes. When I wore blue jeans a yellow fleece top and a red fleece jacket my wife called me Noddy - so using that theme, and liking to see my planes in the air, and being lazy about applying the decor due to lack of time, I am going for Red Arrows. I think it looks so bright and is recognisable. If I had more time, I might go for something more unusual. Have ordered the decals from Model Maniacs - very reasonable by the way. This is the picture, as if you needed to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Have now cut slots in the fuselage, having measured the position, and sellotaped the veneer covering to stop it splitting. The advice was to use a hacksaw blade. I actually used an Irwin saw which is brilliant for cutting foam as it has a very fine toothed ragged edge and works on the pull stroke rather than push. It is otherwise known as a Japanese saw. The instructions said be very careful, because of the thrust lines of the motor - not a problem for us slope soarers! Even so the ply is too big and will need cutting back. Edited By Peter Garsden on 04/09/2014 10:36:03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Garsden Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Here is a picture of the slices in the triangular stock which seems to have worked as the sides are not a lot easier to pull into the nose former, which I will have to redraw from the plan version which is just a nose ring to go next to the motor. Thankfully F2 is 1/4 inch ply and will take the strain. Edited By Peter Garsden on 04/09/2014 10:38:32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Thanks for the progress Peter looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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