Steve Houghton Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Very smooth and neat as usual, Phil. I like your facing strips at the bottom of the rudder. I'm hoping to make mine flap, so I may use your idea for added protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Indeed very neat as usual, Phil. Now that your tailplanes are sanded to profile, may I ask you a question please > I followed the root profile carefully, but I find my tailplanes are still quite 'thick' between root & tip. My tips airfoil section looks like yours but should I 'taper' the thickness more or is it not really important as far as it holds its symmetry? Thanks, cheers & keep safe, young man Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 Hi Chris, I doubt very much it will make any noticable difference to performance on our gliders but certainly aesthetically it helps to taper the fin and tailplane from route to tip - akin to the full size which is noticably thicker at the root compared to the tip. I tend to flat sand the tapers before I introduce any sectional sanding. On the tails I went from 11mm thick sheet (laminate) at the root to 7mm at the tip, once that was done I then thinned the T/E and rounded the L/E from that reduced max thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Thank you, young man. That's very close to how I proceeded except tapering from 11mm at the root to 8mm at the tip. Maybe I just have left a 'bulge' in the central area of the surface. I'm going to re-check that and I might reduce the tip thickness somewhat. Thanks again, Phil. Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 13, 2020 Author Share Posted April 13, 2020 Spent some time today trimming and positioning the canopy and creating the fuselage fairings at the front and rear. The canopy as supplied requires trimming beyond the demarcation lines for scale - this trimmed shape doesn't quite match the canopy as drawn on the plan so datuming the canopy position relied on cross referencing from other sources. The intent was to build scale support blocks front and back onto which the canopy would be flush mounted. Scaling from other drawings suggested the overall length of the cockpit from the front fairing to the extreme rear was 32cm on the model. This was datumed from both the wing LE and the tip of the nose and marked along the centreline spine. You can see the canopy fairings need to extend front and rear beyond the cockpit. It's a lot more pointed in plan view right at the back than the teardrop is as supplied. I sanded the planking around the canopy area and retraced the canopy outline in the required position, extending this forward to include the front fairing shape. I made a little former to suit the canopy profile at the front and mounted that at a raked angle onto a central fairing spine. The spine is just proud of the canopy former so the canopy sits flush when assembled. Further triagular blocks were then shaped and fitted to the spine building outwards to create the full width fairing at the front - going down on sheet thickness as the fuselage curves away to minimise gaps - some filler will no doubt be needed to finish the job but it built up fairly quickly this way. Edited By Phil Cooke on 13/04/2020 18:24:50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 And similarly at the rear... Both the front and rear fairings just need a good sanding now to create the right plan and profile sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 That moment you realise you should have made the fairings removable to aid the sanding process... Trying my best not to damage the fuselage planking and (more importantly!) the canopy! What a pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 ... with your 'in house' skills, that can't be a real problem, Phil. I had exactly the same, regretting soon the I didn't kept the fairing 'removable'. But then, I discovered there is a secret weapon available. In French, they call it 'patience'... and I believe it must be the same in English... Cheers & stay safe Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirk tinck Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Hi guy's, it's too late now but why not use the whole canope ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 hi Dirk, yeah I spent too long looking at profile drawings and getting myself in a tizz over the correct length and position of the canopy. The canopy on the plan doesnt match the canopy in use from Vortex which as we know has been adapted from a P-51 canopy minus the framework. Measurements I'd take from other references scaled to the model gave me an overall length of cockpit from the extreme front to the rear (including the fairings) of 32cm. These are the best profiles I have found. Sabre Profiles I didn't think the canopy was quite long enough or pointed enough at the back end, this is why I have cut it back and have built up the slightly longer, more pointed rear fairing. Its probably 12mm longer than the original canopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 As well as the profiles aiding position, it was photos like this which made me believe the fairings (particularly the rear one) needed to be longer than could be achieved with the canopy. Look how pointy the teardrop gets in plan view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callsign Tarnish Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 A P51 canopy??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 Yes, the prototype model flew with an off-the-shelf P-51 canopy from Vortex, as detailed in the Beta build blog - its profile was very similar in shape to the F-86, albeit the vac-formed framework was not correct. This framework was removed from a copied production plug (by Vortex) for our use on the F-86 project. With the framework removed, there really isn't a lot between the two canopy shapes, they come from the same North American stable afterall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirk tinck Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 I'm way past the canope story so i'll hide it for the Scale police Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Twist Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Nice work on building up the canopy front and rear Phil. I like the homemade sanding tool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 16, 2020 Author Share Posted April 16, 2020 Making some shapes... marking up a 'best fit' canopy frame and fairing arc aided the sanding. Just need to add a fillet at the base now and it's about done. Edited By Phil Cooke on 16/04/2020 13:13:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Great work as always, Phil. I'm thinking of defining my 'curves' by using cardboard templates that I can turn over to keep it symmetric. Did you use any templates, please? Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 16, 2020 Author Share Posted April 16, 2020 Hi Chris, Yes I made a 1/32" ply template, which was thinned on width from scale to best fit the curves to the canopy and helped form the front fairing. Its not 100% scale but captures the characteristic shapes IMO - and yes, aids symmetry - which is essential! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Thanks for your reply, Phil. Unfortunately I don't have such thin ply, but I will try to obtain it with thick cardboard. As you confirmed, symmetry is the important factor here. The Dog's canopy frame is totally different from the F-86 - at the front & at the back end - but I hope to be able to manage it. Thanks & cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 16, 2020 Author Share Posted April 16, 2020 Although I've not yet finished sanding out the wing saddle, I realised a little while back that my aileron torque rods fouled on the wing bolt plate when they moved rearward (for down aileron throw). So today - as a little treat in a break from what seems like relentless sanding, I scalloped out sufficient material to allow clearance - whilst still retaining plenty of strength in the ply plate. Drilled out... and sanded by taping some abrasive to a small tub of filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirk tinck Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Another few grams lost there Phil !!I might follow you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 16, 2020 Author Share Posted April 16, 2020 yes, behind the CoG too - always a bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 I've 'sealed off' the cockpit area under F3 and rear of F4 to avoid any dust or debris ingress from the wingbox area once this is all finished. I made up a rear 'parcel shelf' to suit the 3D printed seat profile and after much study of photos of the real thing to get the height and angles approx right I made up a little balsa console to sit on top of the fuselage behind the screen. I've recently found this computer rendered image of a vintage Sabre console which I'll use later, it needs to be printed 58mm wide for the model. The console was checked for clearance around the pilots knees and it was glued in place - it just needs the HUD and a few other box units placed on top now but all that will happen after it's glassed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Gay Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Impressive work Phil. We might have to get you to do the Mig15 beta build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Posted by Martin Gay on 19/04/2020 14:06:40: Impressive work Phil. We might have to get you to do the Mig15 beta build! Please don't - I'd like to see him actually finish his A10 before he ends up in an old folk's home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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