Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 How to make a EPP Foam Avro Vulcan B2 PSSA glider from the kit of parts I supply. Introduction: What the finished model looks like;. The model is 44" wing span and 36" long - weighs around 40 oz with standard size servo's and standard sized radio gear in, the wing area is 4 sq ft. Made from black epp foam with 5 wooden spars in the wing the above example is covered in brown paper and decorated with enamel paints and silver Fablon wrapped around on the jet exhaust pipes. To fly the EPP Vulcan you need a transmitter with elevon mixing or electronic mixer attached to the RX with a standard transmitter. The model will fly in very light conditions as little as 10 mph and with the use of ballast placed inside the fuselage it will carry on flying up to winds of 40 mph+ and has flown with 22 oz of ballast this winter 2015 up the Great Orme so that's at a total weight of 62 oz. A link to the PSSA site can be found here, also on the top margin you can find events you can come along too. **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Start with the inner wings these have been temporary glued together for the section cut and do check each piece within the whole part for sturdiness. Key and rough any surfaces with the 40 grit sanding block supplied and glueing can be done with either contact or clear adhesive. Layout wing all wing parts inspect and check the joints within them for sturdiness and have a dry run how they fit together. Glue any parts in the wing and allow to dry for 15 minutes. When glueing all the wing parts together place non-stick paper supplied on your bench, hold and weight the wing down as in the diagram, the reason for this is to control the trailing edge reflex cut into the Vulcan wing. Food cans - tins of paint - or training weighs can be used: means the nose front of the wing is up off the bench or table: When glueing the wing together make sure the trailing edge corner lines-up: make sure the upper surfaces are level and pin if necessary: glue applied and weighted down TE of wing checked with straight edge. That's the wing glued together, if you have one -play a fan on to speed up drying. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 12:10:33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 On to the fuselage, the 15 mm thick sides need the tail-end glueing on and make sure to pair them up with the shiny side to the foam on the outside of the fuselage. Identify the tops and bottoms to the fuselage and the less wide 10 mm foam is attached inside the wider tops and bottoms On the bottom there is a gap for the wing and the diagram shows a cross section on the foam construction Rough up edges on the shiny foam finish ready for glueing. Remove ant swarf with the edge of a knife When assembling the tail-end foam is placed equal the end edge and the wider piece have the shiny side to the outside of the fuselage Above the top and bottom shown in the bottom part it bottom of the fuselage and the piece is shorter. At the front attach the less wide part 12 mm back from the edge Before any fuselage assembly and glueing together do a dry run, making sure the shiny side to the foam is on the outside Mark where to glue to for the sides After marking the position 80 mm back now glue on the 1.5 mm ply support sides apply glue in edges to be glued and start assembly from the nose front end Below picture - Line up the rear wing opening step with the smaller 10 mm spacer inside Keep foam sides pushed into the top and bottom corners. Leave to dry and again play a fan on it or leave it by a open window to dry. Some pins and rubber bands have used as needed to hold it together. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 12:47:56 Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 12:49:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 did you say that you sell kits of the vulcan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 did you say that you sell kits of the vulcan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Yes William, the kit has been designed by myself and I am kitting them. Last July I did a design thread on the site and got the originals one white and one camouflage finished in record time for a flying event, here's a video of them flying at that event and below a link to the design thread. Design thread link : **LINK** William do you like the Vulcan - the real one that is? Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 13:03:48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 The wings been drying for 45 minutes so let's turn our attention back to it. Note where the spars need to go in the wing. A half wing plan is in the kit to show you where key items go. Note the 55 mm spacing gap in the top and bottom spar. Start of by doing the top spar and it follows the top corner of the trailing edge indent made for the elevon placement so all you need to do is put some masking tape on the middle part for the aid of marking out. Note the spars in the kit are labelled top and lower and are bevelled in the middle to aid your build Cut out the first bit of slot for the spar then hold spar against the corner elevon edge and use as a guide. Method for cutting out slot -is a bit like 'digging' see picture below. By cutting cross-ways within the slot it tends to flick out the same size as the depth you need to go down. your aiming to have the spar surface flush when in the wing. After doing a short distance check you are doing it correct. Make a tool for clearing out the slot with some 6 mm square wood slightly reduced on the sanding side and glue on some rough grit paper. You can play this in the slot to increase the width or bottom depth Do the same for the spar support, make the hole a little tight so the foam pushes the support onto the spars to aid the glue joint. Underneath use masking tape to mark-out where the spar go with the 55 mm gap and these spars stop short of going to the wing tip. With the help of the plan mark-out where the main spar goes, it's about 9" from the trailing edge. Because this main middle spar is straight it needs to be set lower in the middle and just be surfaced level at it's ends, see pictures. surface level at ends again put in your spar support and make it a tight fit to aid glueing. On the top in the fuselage bay the foam may get thin or disappear and you can see the wooden parts - don't worry - there is a piece of wood goes in the fuselage bay and the fuselage bottom foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Glueing spars. Do the bottom spars first and have a dry run before you glue them in and remember to use the non-stick paper, and weigh down. When dry turn over and glue in the top spars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Back to the fuselage. The bubble wrap in the parcel is rolled up and used to support the fuselage whilst shaping and sanding it. Cut and roll it to the correct size, keep it together with rubber bands and placed inside the fuselage makes a great support. With a shape knife cut off the corners, your aiming for a round shape. Cut a little at first until you are sure. With the use of sanding blocks shape the body. I find 40 girt paper works best. You may want to have some pictures of the Vulcan or have the internet picture on your machine so you can copy the shape it needs to be. After sanding to shape vacuum up the cuttings and dust. To put the wing into the fuselage you need to cut the bottom rear 30 mm back from the rear wing cut-out see picture. Cut open along the 10 mm inner spacer. On the top of the wing in the fuselage bay measure from the rear 280 mm and mark a line. Now for the 1.5 mm ply fuselage supports cut some 2 mm wide slots forward of the line you have marked Test fit the fuselage and have a dry run At the back centralise the fuselage on the wing by measuring each side the fuselage from the first engine nacelle notch in the trailing edge and put a mark on the wing to aid positioning when glueing. When the fuselage is glued on, underneath cross pin the opening to keep it closed, you can carry-on on with the build whilst the glue sets. Pre glue areas where the nacelles attach the the wing. Position on the trailing edge on there notches. Top finish shown fairing into the wing. Now the cockpit cover needs the corners cutting off. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 14:26:36 Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 14:27:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Use the knife to first removes the corners before sanding. Sand to top to shape and also the bottom to a con-caved shape to fit on the body better, it can be done by putting sanding grit on a food can. The position for the cockpit is 20 mm forward from where the front of the wing comes out of the fuselage mark up. Because the foam has been sanded on both parts and seems porous, double glue both surfaces when attaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Jones Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 This is great stuff Mark as I will be picking mine up soon. I saw Tim's fly and fell in love with it... can't wait. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Oh yes its on the shelve ready for next week when I see Tim. Tim said you a fast builder, when will it be ready Ian? And what finish or decoration are you doing on it? This is Tim Mackey with his Avro Vulcan B2 at the PSSA meeting on the Great Orme October 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil May Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Great, informative blog Mark, so looking forward to picking mine up from Tim.Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Now onto the elevons. The diagram down this section shows that the hinging is done with cross-weave tape (or quality gaffer tape) and hidden inside the fabrication. It makes for a neat finish and I think the whole model fly's better for having a sealed control surface. Pair up the elevon fittings and have the shiny side to the foam on the outside of the finished work. So foam rough side for glueing. Cut the 15 mm wide part of the lite-ply off at the hinge line. Sand and bevel either side of this cut line This aids movement of the elevon. Have another clean up of dust and sandings. Now put some masking tape on the bench 'sticky side' up 18" long and hold it straight and on the bench with some more masking tape at the ends. This is the to hole the parts still you have cut apart. Work on the pair off elevons the same time to keep them as a pair. So to help fabrication put the 15 mm piece half on the masking tape and line up the elevon back against the 15 mm piece and kept still on the bench with the masking tape, do the same the other side. Put glue and spread on the inside of the lite-ply all over. Let if dry, if you stick your 50 mm wide tape on to soon the vapours will melt the tape and takes ages to dry and go off ! The 50 mm wide tape is the hinge so apply neatly, and take the shiny off it with the soft sander. Put glue back on all over the elevon surface, and allow to go tacky. Put glue on the foam elevon and attach up to the hinge line and it may go over at the back of the ply edge. Take off bench and after trimming the edges neatly to the ply edge, bend the to free up. Test fit against the wing slot for elevon attachment, consider the gap either end for free elevon movement and any dried glue in the corners stopping it from being flush and a nice streamlined section. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 19/03/2015 15:45:21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Now shape the inner leading edges to a good wing section, start a little with the knife and then sand the wing leading edge. Now's the time to tackle the melted swarf on the wing prior to applying the filler. Again you can pick them off, use a knife -edge on to scrap away or sanding block, even a wire brush lightly. Blend any wing sections one to another. when your happy apply the light weigh filler. A little light water spray helps to spread the filler, and use this method in the summer as it dries before you can spread it. Cover the underneath first and play a fan on to dry. Next will be on the top cutting holes for the servo's and running the wires into a cut slot that gets them into the fuselage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks for your comments Phil. I always get excited when we launch a new one and I'm looking forward to yours, of course when Tim launched his, it was into hardly any wind -however he flew, even I was impressed ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Hi Mark, Yes love the Vulcan. Your model looks great. I did a tour as a co pilot on Victor Mk1 tankers at RAF Marham in the early 70s and then a ground tour at scampton where the Vulcans were based. Then Kinloss flying the Nimrod and then CFS. Retired from the RAF 89 and just retired from civilian flying and simultaneously moved house into a small bungalow near Old Warden. Need to build a shed and do lots of other house stuff before I can find the time to build. Currently have a large foam twin electric vulcan,in storge at Mother in laws ,but its not as near to scale as yours. If you ever do a building service, or know anyone who does, let me know! Have you tried a small pusher motor? Keep up the good work. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Yes I can build one for you. Currently its about 1 in 5 customers want it fully built would you like that with a electric motor in William? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 sent you a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 sent you a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Macleod Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 sorry about the duplication Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 No problem William, I'll answer your -PM- email tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 Found some typographical error's -typos- I'll correct them here... When assembling the tail-end foam 10 mm inner spacers, they are placed level at the end edge of the wider piece and have this piece with it's shiny side to the outside of the fuselage In the picture the shorter piece is on the bottom of the fuselage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 To centre your servo's either connect them to your Rx or a 'Servo Tester. Make sure your trim's on the transmitter or tester are neutralised. Lay your servo's out on the bench -paired up - so the control arms are on the outside and the servo wires will make there way over the wing in a slot into the fuselage. For centring if you have to replace the servo arm on the spline - make sure you tighten the servo arm screw/s as you will placing these in the wing. Double check just in case. The servo's are placed just behind the main spar in the top of the wing, measure underneath to get the main spar location. Use the line between the two wing sections as a starting point for the servo's position. Put tape on wing to mark out for your servo. Mark servo position above picture also shows the servo hatch and this is only a 2 mm cut down into the wing. Put some tape on your knife - this measurement here includes the hatch at 2mm + the servo 20 mm = 22 mm - the first cut will be the the servo hole at 22 mm deep. Cut servo hole using the same method as you used when cutting out the spars. A cross section drawing to show what your aiming for. The shaded area seen around the servo opening is only 2 mm deep for the hatch. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 21/03/2015 11:42:11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 This is what it needs to look like. Put some glue on the inside of the servo covers then some tape on ( I used masking tape ) to support the thin side near the servo arm hole. Test fit the servo for flush servo hatch Then cut a slot for the servo wire Poke plug into the fuselage Glue in servo Make sure the arm just shows above the hatch Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 21/03/2015 13:57:29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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