PeterF Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I have been planning on a ¼ scale Tiger Moth for some time and had my eyes on the Falcon Models kit, waiting to buy it when ,my bench was empty. Then Falcon Models shut down for a while just as I was ready to buy so I bought a Duncan Hutson kit from Traplet. As soon as Falcon Models started trading again, I bought a kit from Falcon Models and sold on the unstarted DH kit. The Falcon Kit really is an excellent kit, much closer to scale than many of the other ¼ scale kits. Things like the wing aerofoil are very close to scale, which does complicate things as there is less depth to install standard servos like for example the Flair kit. There are also some nice features, such as the cabane struts, which are proper small scale versions of the full ones using spruce with steel ends rather than piano wire with balsa covering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 The photos show some of the kit contents. All of the balsa and ply is CNC routed rather than laser cut giving very clean gluing surfaces and no instances of burn back on the thicker components. There are a large number of epoxy glass sheet components such as mounting plates, control arms and drilling jigs. There is a sheet of laser cut steel components which are items such as cabane strut fittings, wing mounts, interplane and flying wire brackets etc. There is a glass fibre cowl made in 5 sections with the side doors being free to open in a scale like manner and along with this is a glass fibre fuel tank and ABS moulded seats. There is a substantial hardware set to go with the kit including nearly all the nuts and bolts required and a scale sprung undercarriage and tailskid set, with the silver soldering completed, just requiring assembly. Finally, the flying wires are supplied from the Swiss company that draws them from stainless steel with proper threaded (left and right) ends and scale clevises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 The first stage of the build is to make up the fuselage side frames as a hopefully matched pair. The front of the longerons are a pair of nicely machined ¼” ply components with slots cut in for the balsa framework and formers along with all the mounting holes for the strut fixings and undercarriage fixings. These are glued to the rest of the longerons. Before starting the build I bought a Proxxon FET saw, I wish I had bought one a long time ago, doing simple jobs like scarf joints becomes a real doddle. The front frame is then built up, followed by the rear. Two of the front formers are then glued in, the firewall and the rear of the cockpit and quite quickly a sense of the scale of the plane becomes apparent. Some of the metal fittings are also attached at this stage. The rest of the formers in the cockpit area are then added, trying hard to keep everything square and in it proper place. The control box / tunnel assembly is also started at this point in time, but it is not yet glued into the cockpit at this stage, it is slotted in so that some of the component parts are held square whilst the glue dries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 The engine bearer frames are now added, supporting the beech engine bearers – a man can never have enough clamps. The rest of the engine framing is added which are used to support the cowl and the epoxy glass engine bearer plate, predrilled and sized for a Laser 15 are also added. The control box / tunnel build continues with the rudder control arm being inserted and sheeting being applied to some of the tunnel top. Cutouts are made in the tunnel sheeting for the joysticks. Servos (Hitec HS-5625MG) are installed per the plan in the tunnel for the rudder and elevator operation. The elevator control arm is assembled and glued to the rear cockpit former. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredrum Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Hi Peter. I will be following your build with interest. I think the Tiger Moth is one of the most beautiful planes of all time. I'm determined to build one myself one day but it will be some years down the track. The kit looks like it fits together well. Nice build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan alldritt Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Watching with interest.I too was about to purchase a full kit from Falcon when it appeared he had ceased producing and bought the Duncan Hudson plans from Traplet instead - only to find it was only the website being updated! - and will now probably do as you.What engine do you intend fitting? ATB Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Count me in....watching avidly I can say that the undercarriage is superb, I have one on a Stampe. Edited By cymaz on 11/01/2015 07:50:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Fairgrieve Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Another quality build to follow. Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Posted by alan alldritt on 11/01/2015 02:02:19: Watching with interest.I too was about to purchase a full kit from Falcon when it appeared he had ceased producing and bought the Duncan Hudson plans from Traplet instead - only to find it was only the website being updated! - and will now probably do as you.What engine do you intend fitting? ATB Alan I have a brand new Laser 150 to go in the model, the epoxy glass board is cut exactly to size for this engine with the bolt holes already drilled in the right place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Posted by Percy Verance on 11/01/2015 09:11:35: P.S. Try as I might though, I still cannot access the Falcon Models site. I've been itching to look at the site, and particularly the Tiger Moth kit, but it seems elusive. All I'm getting at the moment is the sort of page you see when the site is down or being updated........ I've tried several times in the past few weeks, but it's always the same I'm afraid. I took a pdf copy of the 2 website pages for the Tiger Moth as they had some good construction photos on. The Internet Archive Wayback Machine has not harvested these pages so they are gone unless anybody knows any other archiving systems. If anybody would like copies to see what the model is like then send me a private message with your email address in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 This might be of use? I put in " falcon tiger moth build " into the web and a few popped up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Rushton Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hi Peter I'm glad to see you making pr ogress with this kit and enjoying the process. Mine has taken a back seat for a little while. Whilst I sort out some other projects in time for the summer, but I am looking forward to getting back on the case. Mine will have a Laser 155 up front. Good luck with it; I like your photographs by the way; some good shots there. I think your fuselage is more or less where I got to, save that I started with the tail and wings. Trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan alldritt Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hi All, Over on RCSB there are some excellent Tiger Moth build blogs including a Falcon example from Don Coe - if you click on community,then search and finally type in Tiger Moth his is the 13th down the list.I don't think he completed his example as I believe it was sold on to a fellow club member. ATB Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Watching - another on my 'to do' list.. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 I have always thought that the aileron controls using thin wing servos was a bit of a get out on this model. There is a lot of effort to get the elevator and rudder controls very scale like, but then the ailerons miss out on the scale actuation. Scale actuation is harder than in the flair or Duncan Hutson Tiger Moths because the wings on those appear to be thicker than scale and a low profile servo can be installed with a disc flush with the wings lower surface. This is not possible with the thinner more scale like wings on the Falcon models kit. I then saw the Flacon Models build by Ron Thornhill and he had changed to a single central servo and pull pull arms in the wings, see **LINK**. That gave me the inspiration to go down a similar route. I also found the Dennis Bryant plans and a build log for a 1/5 scale Tiger Moth that had scale actuation in the wings using a single central servo actuating a large gear, with a smaller gear on the disc to make sure you get the full +/-90° rotation, see **LINK**. Clever. I am nowhere near doing my wings yet, so the wing end of the arrangement will be sorted out when I get to it. I have however, got the control box end done. I could have fitted a servo into the centre of the control box with a long arm penetrating the floor of the fuselage, but decided I did not want the pull pull system direct on the servo arm. Therefore, I have taken inspiration from the rest of the model and built a pair of plates into the control box to take a new control arm, cut from some spare epoxy glass and drive this from the single aileron servo. The control arm is close to the full size one. This has meant cutting an extra hole into the control box to take the new servo as well as slots for the control arm support plates and a hole for the rod between servo and control arm. The photos show the new components, the control arm fitted and the servo fitted and hooked up temporarily with only a 2mm bolt at the moment. The free end of the servo will have a second mounting block glued onto the inside of the side frame. The aileron servo, like the other two will be hidden under the seat and pilots body and legs. Parts for new aileron control arm Additional holes cut into control box side frame New aileron control arm fitted Aileron servo fitted and temporarily connected up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 They look seriously large servos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom39 Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Does anyone have any contact with Falcon Models (not Falcon Aviation)? I need some parts for my Tiger Moth build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Posted by cymaz on 18/01/2015 17:10:33: They look seriously large servos. I know the aileron one is probably too large, I am not sure how the system is going to work so I have erred on the conservative side, probably too much so. The rudder and elevator are standard size basic digital servos, the aileron is a high torque digital titanium gear. If I did it again I would probably not go that heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Posted by Tomtom39 on 18/01/2015 17:15:56: Does anyone have any contact with Falcon Models (not Falcon Aviation)? I need some parts for my Tiger Moth build Chris is still doing things, the website needs updating and reloading apparently. An archived front page from his website can be found at **LINK** with an email address on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom39 Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hello PeterF Many thanks. Your quick response very much appreciated. I will send Chris an email. Love your build. Looking pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron thornhill Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Hi PeterF I'm glad to see the build blog is still going, when the original one stopped I thought that was it. It's good to see you are doing the pull pull aileron control. your control arm will look neater than mine poking out of the fuselage. I wish I could find out how to get more pics on this blog. my fuselage is pretty well complete, just the control quadrants, slat pulley's and the pilot to make ( I've done the head modelled on myself out of grp, just the body and clothes to make). The wings and struts are painted, just lettering to do before assembly. It will be good to see some more Falcon TG's being built. keep up the good work Peter. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom39 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I understand from Chris Stewart of Falcon models that his website will be up sometime next week and presume he will be offering a full his range of his kits again. - www.falconmodelkits.co.uk . Email is [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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