Electriflier Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 Hi, Roscoe, thanks for the comments. The ESC's can easily be accessed should we need to in future. A simple hatch cut in the side wall and the 3 wires will be accessible and the ESC will slide out. The cable that runs to the Rx can be got to by removing the 3mm depron strip at the front of the radiators. Wen the time comes for the maiden, I can assure you the cameras will be rolling - worry not. Colin Sir, we all learn from each other I hope but thank you. The idea of catching up is very much on the cards. SInce we last spoke about it, I have only flown the Spit' once and the rest of my time at the field has been spent buddying my Brother. The grass at our field is in need of one final cut before the winter if we are to be able to use our retracts. Hopefully, it should be done in the next week. So, I suggest you get Spain out of the way (lucky man) and then we'll get something organised. A little bit of an update on progress today. MacGyver (Phil) dropped off the new improved V2 oleos/retracts for me and so thankfully, the model has been able to stand on her 'feet' which has made life a little easier. I have managed to complete the skinning of the nacelles and done some work on getting the battery hatches to fit nicely. That one sentence actually took most of the day!! With the time that was remaining, I measured, cut and formed the first of the upper fuselage skin panels. Quite a long section that although it looks so, is not quite cylindrical. I have been asked many times how I curve the white Depron and many times I have tried to explain so thought I'd video a clip of one of my methods. Ideally, when 'rolling' smaller pieces, I use the same technique but with the good lady's rolling pin between my knees. The servo access hatch was also skinned as part of this process. Al that was required then was to cut around the hatch to release it. Vertical stab /rudder next job which, after the previous job, was quite straight-forward. Definately taking on the appearance of the Mossie now and still enjoying every minute.The first of the fuselage panel's on.... easier now she's stood on her 'feet' Dropped the spinners on for the piccies Vertical stab and rudder now skinned. That's my lot for today so thanks for reading Regards Roy Edited By Electriflier on 15/10/2015 18:14:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Sunday Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Brilliant! You're almost done. Still following closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C. Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Wow wow so Impressed , just keep on this thread great stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leighfield Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 I particularly like the use of blue foam as the main stress bearer in the centre of the plane and I'm going to copy that in the next one that I draw up. Although single engined I will use it as a central beam to carry the inwards retracting undercarriage and also use the idea of the outer wing panels being detachable from there, as with your Mosquito. It's going to be a Vickers Wellesley, I just need to settle on the size but I'm thinking in the range 70/84", so too big to be one piece. I don't intend to try and simulate the geodetic construction though, I'm not going that far! Too avoid the issue of the underwing bomb panniers, it will be one of the long range flight planes with the improved engine cowling design. One thing that is certain is that it will have three degrees of wash-out, I expect the wing to be very efficient and think that will improve it. The design is very short coupled and I know that Jeffrey Quill had to bail out of the second prototype when it got into a flat spin and wouldn't come out, so I don't want anything that might precipitate a repeat of that, stall pattern management will be important and the wash-out will be key to it and I think improve the wing anyway. Structurally it will follow your principles pretty closely. Don't know yet when I can start building it but should be able to bring the basic drawings back when we come home in November. By that time it looks as if you will have this one finished. Thanks for the continuing inspiration, your thinking is enlightening and makes the possibilities very clear. The only uncertainty now is between leaving the Depron raw or covering with light glass cloth for improved durability, I might do that but we'll see. Matt camouflage paint covers up a lot of sins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Tayler Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Wow, that looks fantastic, the skinning in particular makes it look So lifelike. I am usually just a watcher but this time I had to post a comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electriflier Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Hi, Shane, Paul, David, nice comments thank you! Colin, you don't half like your obscure aircraft! - 23m wingspan?? The full-size I mean. Once again, reciprocally, we learn from each other in that it encourages me to read about aircraft that are lesser-known. That would be one very interesting build and like many others reading this thread will agree, I'm sure, worth following. Saturdays as you probably know is not a good day for model building but nonetheless, I took it in to work as I had an idea Phil would be dropping in to cast his eye over things. True to form, he brought in some very nicely crafted Hispano cannons for the nose of the model. They're plugable and made from light brass tubing, will push onto wooden dowels that will be built into the blue foam nose cone. Speaking of which, I cut the depron front end off the model and glued on a 110mm thick block of blue foam, Cut very roughly to the diameter of F1 former. That's all time allowed at the shop but as soon as I got home, knocked the block into something like the shape with the orbital sander (dust mask on btw). Can't wait to install these beauties!! That' all for today...... Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leighfield Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Looking wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Sunday Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Its quite amasing what difference the nose cone can have of the shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Rawlinson Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Gorgeous The Mossie looks good too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electriflier Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Been quiet for a couple of days but beavering away with the rest of the fuselage skinning. Also, created the tail cone from blue foam and skinned this too with 3mm white. Really pleased to say...... I've finished!!!! I've even skinned the blue foam nose cone! Fitting of the guns in the nose was done by sinking some hardwood dowel (1/4" ) into the nose at the relevant location and to ensure I had aligned them, pushed the macgyver guns on and clamped a piece of scrap balsa above and below the gun array. Not very scientific but it made sure the dowels lined up in the nose. When the PU glue had set, I pulled the guns off and trimmed the dowels level with the front of the nose cone. I have made the holes that surround each gun larger than the diameter of the barrels so I can line the recesses with some lithoplate that Phil has supplied. Really pleased with the results.. As I mentioned, the rest of ,my time has been spent completing the 3mm Depron skinning and , as you can see, has resulted in a rather smart Mossie fuselage. Bit of filling and sanding to do and then it's time to start on the wingtips. A few photo's at the end of play today. Thats all for now.... Roy Edited By Electriflier on 21/10/2015 17:19:43 Edited By Electriflier on 21/10/2015 17:20:10 Edited By Electriflier on 21/10/2015 17:24:41 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian101 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Cracking job gents. Still don't understand how you can build these things so quickly!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Rawlinson Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It's alive . That is looking awesome. Hope to come in for a close up on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Hi Roy I was in your shop beginning of the year, Your Vulcan was in the shop very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electriflier Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Cheers Ian. It's taken 7 weeks to date so not all that quick really. Kelly, yes, the Vulcan stays there between flights (which this year have been few). Next time you call in, make yourself know to me. - Cheers Phil, I think you might like what you see...... hope so anyway. Managed to sneak a couple of hours today. After I had gone over the whole fuselage with a fine grit abrasive, I'd not really enough time to start on the wings so indulged myself in slopping a bit of paint on. How strange it felt to be painting white Depron - white! I masked off the invasion stripes each 80mm wide and painted on the 3 white sections with acrylic eggshell. Whilst the white was drying, I set about applying more 'frog' tape to the dividing lines between the upper and lower paintwork before applying the first coat of grey. By the time I got close to the white stripes, the white paint had dried sufficiently to allow me to mask off the edges of the white stripes against the grey. Once I had covered the upper section of the fuselage in the grey, masked-off the white stripes again while I applied the contrasting black emulsion. The whole lot will need fine sanding again before I apply a second coat. Early results look promising.See what you think... The underside of the fuz has yet to be painted. Regard Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Rawlinson Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Roy I don't like it, I blooming love it. Only 7 weeks This calls for chocolate hob nobs on Saturday. Don't forget to eat and sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 masterful and inspirational Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Wow - you are a machine sir! Will this one get a nice sound system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leighfield Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Well done Roy, this looks really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electriflier Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi again, Firstly, thanks you for the comments guys, they really are encouraging! Before I started working on the rest of the build, It had become apparent that this model, like most warbirds, would require quite a fair amount of nose-weight. I had come to this conclusion simply by loading the batteries into the model and 'feeling' the balance on the almost completed fuselage. Although I have taken care to build light around the tailplane, there seems plenty of scope to add an oak beam or two to the front end! With this in mind and with the nose cone being made from solid blue foam, the opportunity was taken to carve into the back of the nose block (from inside the front battery compartment) deep enough to house the 5 cell 6v sub-C flight battery pack. Quite a weighty battery but being 3300 Mah capacity, will provide Phil with plenty of power for a good day's flying. The big 6v sub-C battery won't fit just yet. A little Blue Foam mining and provision has been made to house the bigger battery (and provide some needed nose-weight) It Fits! Hatch cover back in place with battery installed. Time now to start on the wing tips. Made from 6mm white depron internals and 3mm white depron skins, ailerons from 2" trailing edge balsa stock and the trailing edge of the aileron hinge point from 1/2" x 1/4" hard balsa. The first wing rib, as with its mating counterpart on the fuselage, will be from 3mm lite ply . In the past I have tried depron ribs on the end panels of plug in wings but they take quite a lot of abuse and become dented very easily. The wing ribs were cut (R5 to R14) from the 6mm Depron sheet taking extreme care to get the edges cut at 90 degrees to the worktop. The effects of introducing washout into the ribs is quite noticeable towards the outer ribs. With the planform wing shapes cut from 6mm Depron, I marked out the correct locations for the wing ribs and the wing joiners. The lightweight tubular metal wing joiners (cheap broom handles) were supposed to fit into the lightweight ali' tube that I had embedded into the fuselage but it soon become obvious that the tightness of the fit would be too much for the wing to slide easily on and off, even after attempting to rub it down. Plan 'B' came into play...... Hardwood wooden dowel was glued into the end of the wing tube which fit beautifully into the ali tube in the fuselage. Shame Phil had to go out and purchase 2.4M of the dowel, which was like a long brush handle, when we only need to use about 300mm (150mm in each side). Once I had PU'd all the ribs, upper and lower, I cut the aileron section from the Depron wing. The 2"balsa T/E was a perfect fit and the taper, perfect for the wing. So, with the wing tubes, rear dowel wing locators, ailerons and ribs in place, set-to coring out to save a bit more weight. The mintoe factory in full production Next job, identify the best location for the aileron servos. I didn't core-out the area where the servos would fit. The 2 x Hi-Tec high-torque metal-geared servos, same as elevator and rudder, will be held in place by the servo mounts that I always use on my builds and the securing plates within the wings from 3mm ply. Important at this stage to try to ensure that the servo mounts will fit flush with the 3mm skin so the ply plates were sunk sufficiently into the wing to ensure that this will be the case once the skin is applied. Again, I find trying to describe skinning difficult and repetitious so I hope a picture will suffice. The servo mounts fit nicely flush with the surface of the wing. With both wingtips built, I felt the need to assemble the Mossie for a few pictures.. Right! where's me paint?...... Roy Edited By Electriflier on 30/10/2015 17:08:09 Edited By Electriflier on 30/10/2015 17:09:18 Edited By Electriflier on 30/1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Looks ace Roy! Lovely job.... Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilot_Chuckle Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Wow !! Looking forward to seeing this tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Another foaming masterpiece.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leighfield Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 All of the ingredients for success, this one will be spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Sunday Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 My exact words were... WHAT!!! and JEZUS! That's awesome man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Rawlinson Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Think I might get an early flight home just so I can gawp at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.