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Gary's Ballerina Build


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i still enlarge plans the hard way by drawing a datum line and measure off it but enjoy it,i enlarged my ballerina to 65 inch span and used a electric set up equivalent to a 90 4 stroke,well over powered as it will even prop hang but I prefer to fly low and slow with mild scalish aerobatics but that was the only setup I had available so 50-70 four stroke I would think would be good for 70 inch span.

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I hadn't thought about doing it that way Andy. I suppose I could scan the parts as normal for cutting a kit and just increase the print by whatever % required. I could then draw the outline on of the plan on paper pinned to my board and build from that. Hmmm this is getting my quite excited to try it and I wasnt planning on doing it straight away!!

Peter's idea is defithe easiest but hopefully I can find someone that can do it for me. If not, I'm going with your idea Andy.

Gary

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Rhapsody is pretty light with a built up stringered fuselage and she performs really great aerobatics.

I would agree that a .60 FS would fly a 70" span model. Not sure about a .52.

I have scaled plans up the hard way and of course enlarged 3 views that way. but it is a pain.

I do have a very good set of proportional dividers. These do tend to be horribly expensive. I picked up a bargian set on Ebay and a set of aluminium ones bought back in the 60s Worth their weight in gold dust.

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All you need for scaling up is just the outline - there is no need for detail. Rather than use proportional dividers if you use a calculator and put the conversion factor in as a constant ( press XX twice?) then all you have to do is to measure with a rule put into calc and then press = you get the new measurement. No need to put the conversion in again until you turn it off. Measuring in mm seems easiest.

You could scan all the formers, ribs and shaped parts onto an A4 scanner by rolling the plan ( like an ancient scroll in 2 rolls) , selecting the formers etc and scan. Then print in Acrobat to the actual new scale you want- either 100 percent or 125 percent etc. You might only need the wing seat area of the fuselage as the rest may be just straight lines.

The tricky part is deciding what material sizes to use as straight forward scaling up is not applicable for most parts.

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Thanks KC, I had thought about doing it along those lines but that makes it much clearer. When I get the plan, judging what material thickness to use will be an issue but that's another reason why this forum is great.......all the experience in the world to help!

Peter, I'm not great at judging what engine initially (this build has proved that) but once I have some but built I can usually get things a bit better. I still think that's future Gary's problem as I have 3 other projects needing finished first!!! Stop making this harder for me everyone!

I never learn so I'll probably have this started next week. No wonder the wife gets annoyed.

Gary

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Quite honestly if you are only scaling up from 58 to 65 or 70 inches span most sizes will not need any increase but you could make the spars out of spruce.

I can't help feeling that Rhapsody will need slightly more complicated enlarging than has been suggested. There isn't a straight line in the model.

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That's a problem then! More reason to build to the plan size. One of the joys of building from a plan is that the designer has done all the hard work -thinking- for you and you just do the enjoyable buiding bit.

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Evening Guys,

The rubber U section I ordered from ebay arrives today so had a trial fit and it looks good! It was a tight squeeze to get the 3/32 balsa in so definitely dont go any smaller that the one I have a picture of earlier in the thread. I'm going to use it on my 1/4 scale moth minor so will get some larger stuff for that.

Now that the edging is done, I can put the windscreen and pilot in. I got paint that looked perfect from the tin but it's more orange than I'd like now that it's on so will need to get other stuff so that im happy with it.

20200513_184933.jpg

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That would have been the best thing to do peter but I had already ironed the covering around there but wasn't too bad to go on. I've got some decals on as well so looking more complete.

1 thing I will admit to though. I was finishing up all the controls a couple of nights ago and discovered an issue when sorting the ailerons. There was no ply plate for the control horn because I had mixed the 2 ailerons up! I had to cut the covering off to put a new ply plate in but the pleasing thing was my 2 ailerons are identical since they both fit each others space! At least there was a positive to take from a total ameature mistake! All sorted now though

Gary

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Hi Gary.

Itis a bit of a miracle when both my ailerons are a perfect match!!

Now I am building a kit and I just realised that the blockunder gthe front fuselage should not have been fitted before I installed the motor stand offs.

I had just covered the thing!! I consoled myself with the old thought, "The man who never made a mistake never made anything!!"

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Yes Peter, I am considering this as a miracle! But what the modelling gods give, they taketh away because I have just spent the last 2 hours looking for the windshield I made a few days ago and put a nice little metal trim around....looks like my payment for matching ailerons was to lose a windshield. I'll try again tomorrow because I dont particularly want to make a new one.

Gary

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Thought I'd send an updated photo with everything done other than the cowl. I've still not been out to get a better coloured paint to match the covering so it stayed off to do an engine run.

I think she had come out well so pretty happy with it.

20200519_172118.jpg

The plan has also arrived for the Rhapsody so will need to have a proper look at that but I've also started a Brian Taylor p-47 so that is filling my board just now. I needed to start something that would take a little longer because I dont have the space to be producing a new plane every 2 and a half weeks!!

Gary

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Finally got out today and got a more reder (definitely a word) red for the cowl.

I sprayed it on and it is only marginally better angry however it is close enough so it will do. I've used rustins plastic wood covering for the fuel proofing. Never used it before so fingers crossed it works because the finish is excellent.

20200520_152931.jpg

Anyone used this before on glow models?

Gary

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  • 2 months later...

And she flies!!

Finally took the Ballerina out today for her first flight and she behaved great!!

She needed a few clicks of nose down and a couple of clicks to the right, then a couple to the left because it was a crosswind that caused the first wing low and she was done. I only did a few gentle circuits and some flypasts and that was it for the maiden. I checked her over then planned on another flight but ran out of time.

Overall very happy. Hats off again to Peter for a beautiful little plane because she got several guys coming over to see it and some nice comments.

Gary

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Thanks Peter.

I have the original size and a blown up 75" plan for your Rhapsody sitting waiting to go. I think a 75" would look great but I need to finish the moth Minor, the P-47(doesn't need to be finished but some progress needs done) and the Kougar needs completed but something tells me I may make an early start at some point blush

I will do a thread to let you see as there doesn't seem to be many Rhapsody builds out there.

Gary

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Hi Gary.

That will be great.

Rhapsody was in AMI many years ago now. I have no idea how many were built because there was no forum for that magazine but I did see one advertised on Ebay two or three years ago.

Personally I have found that I can only work on one model at a time.If I stop work on one to start another I NEVER go back to the first so it is wasted but that is just my own personal problem

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