Dane RC - Leprechaun XL

[Ron Gray]

Rather than clutter up the topic in ‘General Discussions’ I thought I’d start a build blog.

 

The model in question, as per the title, is Dane RCs redesign / new design loosely based on the classic 1950s one by R A Twoomey and whilst not a replica of that one it does, IMO capture the spirit.

Specification:

Wingspan 4120 mm, Length 2165 mm , Weight 3800 – 4500 gr. Wing area 1,82 m²

Mine will be powered by a Hacker A30-18 M V2 6 pole with reduction gearbox 6.7:1 running off a 4s LiPo.

I have also gone for the split fuselage option to make transport easier! (Wings are in 4 pieces and tailplane bolts on)

 

The following shots are from Dane RCs website, I plan to finish mine in translucent purple (Modena) with white trim.

 

 

 

I ordered the kit and it was dispatched within 2 days, then spent the best part of a week in Danish customs before being released and arriving at my doorstep 2 days later (yesterday).

 

A well packed box 

 

 

With some good quality wood and excellent laser cutting

 

 

it’s a good job I chose to have the split fuselage which means that I can build it in 2 pieces, a good job as my biggest building board isn’t long enough for the whole fuselage! This thing is huge

 

 

 

To give some idea of scale I’ve laid the Peggy Sue wing next to the plan of the tailplane (Peggy Sue wing is 53”).

 

 

Apologies for those who have seen these photos before as I have put them in the ‘General Discussion’ thread.

[Ron Gray]

Let the build commence.

 

Normally I would start with the wings but I’ve decided to forge ahead with the fuselage. There are no written instructions with the kit but Dane RC have got some build photos and vids on their website. Once I got my head around what goes where I made a start with the joining of the nose cheeks. I’m planning on using Gorilla Glue white for most of this build.

 

 

The balsa nose block laminations

 

 

And whilst they were drying I put together the ply laminations for the fuselage joining box.

 

 

At this stage I ran out of clamps and wished that I had converted my large building board to a magnetic one (got to wait for lockdown to end before I can go to my local steel stockist).

 

Whist that little lot is drying, I’m off to take our dog for a walk in the lovely sunshine.

[Ron Gray]

Got a bit more done after dinner.

 

Nose box assembled

 

 

Then onto the front half of the fuselage joining box. To fit the T nuts I put the frame into the vice, then used the angle grinder with metal sanding disc to level them off.

 

 

Then the box assembly

 

[Dwain Dibley.]

Some good progress already Ron, and some nice chunky parts.

I think your plan for a translucent covering is definitely the way to go Matey. That airframe looks really good in the "Buff".

D.D.

[Ron Gray]

Certainly does have chunky bits, the fuselage 'sticks' are 10mm x 10mm. makes a change from 1/8th square! It also makes a change being able to get my fingers into the framework without knocking things sideway.

[McG 6969]

Thanks for your answer on the other 'general' thread, Ron.

Following here now.

Really impressive bird...

 

Cheers & stay safe

Chris

[Ron Gray]

More progress

 

Nose block / motor mount fitted to nose box

 

 

Back half of split fuselage joining box made

 

 

Fuselage (rear section) built, one on top of the other, oh what joy working with 10mm x 10mm and 5mm x 10mm balsa!

 

 

 

 

A chance to get the magnetic building board out, fin and rudder assembly, a giant jigsaw with really excellent interlocking parts, no jig required.

 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Ron Gray

[Ron Gray]

Nice interlocking parts to make up the wing mounting framework ‘ box’ . I’ve copied a couple of photos from Dane-RCs website of the parts as I didn’t take one myself. 

 

 

[Ron Gray]

The tailplane is on a mini pylon (another copied photo of the bits)

 

[Ron Gray]

Whilst those parts were drying I got on with the fuselage cross braces but in doing so made a mistake. On the plan it refers to 5mm x 10mm which I took to mean that was for the cross bracing but looking closer at Dane-RCs photos they should have been 5mm x 5mm, no wonder I ran out of the 5mm x 10mm when I started the front fuselage! Another good use of lam film (between the 2 sides).

 

 

Then onto the front fuselage sides.

 

 

Time to start putting the parts together.

 

 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Your working well Ron, looks an enjoyable build.

[Ron Gray]

Thanks John, it is very enjoyable, the quality of the laser cutting is superb and everything, so far, fits together nice and tight. Just a shame I made that mistake with the braces!

[Tim Flyer]

Well done Ron good work ! I see you are keeping yourself busy .
Thats a very big model , and looks great fun !

[Ron Gray]

Thanks Tim, I need to crack on if I’m going to fly it on the 29th! And yes, it’s rather big, the biggest I’ve built.

[Ron Gray]

Well ½ a balsa tree later and I’m getting there!

Fuselage front half joined with nose box and wing mounting box in place.

 

 

Rear half with cross bracing added.

 

[Ron Gray]

The advantage of taking progress photos is that when you look back at them you spot mistakes ? but in my case I was able to quickly go back into the workshop and rectify the problem ?

[Ron Gray]

I have now joined the front section of the fuselage to the splitting box and have fixed all the bottom cross members in place. The steel rule in the foreground is 1m (idea of scale pinched from @David Davis)

 

Couldn't resist a selfie, or 2, well the wife wanted to see what I had been spending all my time on (she doesn't like to enter the workshop, it's a bit of a mess she says, and she's right).

 

It was getting cold so time for the tea cosy

 

 

 

[Murat Kece 1]

Well kitted workshop Ron.. The bird seems really big.. Enjoy the build. 

[Dwain Dibley.]

I was thinking the same, lots of fine machinery there Ron, but does the missus know where her tea cosy is ?? LOL

D.D.

 

[Ron Gray]

Not a lot of progress today as I had some serious head scratching over the arrangement of the tailplane parts which resulted in me having to cut out and re-do a couple of areas.

 

Tailplane construction. I started with the central section which is built up from 2 play ribs with the ply mounting plates slotted into them. The false TE is 2 pieces of balsa glued together, one 5mm thick the other 6mm. The bottom piece of the false TE extends under the tip pieces and that is where I encountered my problem when it came to fitting the end ribs. I had merrily laid out the ribs and slotted them into the false TE with their undersides resting on the building board, the trouble was that if I had them in this position, when I came to sand the false TE I would have to sand away the top layer so that the profile met with the profile of the rib, therefore leaving nothing to support the tip piece! I didn't realise this until after I had glued the top spar in place, but fortunately I was able to carefully cut the glue join around the rear of the ribs, free them and then raise them so that there will be an equal amount to sand off from the top and bottom of the false TE. 

 

 

The LE is formed from some 10mm x 10mm balsa set diagonally into a bird's mouth in the front of the ribs. To make it curve you cut a slot along the length of the curve, corner to corner, in effect leaving 2 triangular pieces which after squirting glue into the saw cut can be easily bent to the curve. whilst that was drying I started on the elevator.

 

 

Then back onto the tailplane for the diagonal strutting (5mm x 5mm)

 

 

Just need to add the lower spar, elevator servo mount and top and bottom sheeting to the centre section plus the elevator LE.

 

[Ron Gray]

Back to the fuselage and time to fit the ply former that includes the fuselage fixing points for the wing struts. Firstly it meant cutting out sections from a couple of the 10mm x 10mm uprights, trying desperately not to break them away from the rest of the structure whilst doing so.

 

This photo is another one taken from Dane-RCs instruction photos

 

 

 

Former inserted, glued and clamped in place

 

 

10mm x 10mm diagonal bracing to add strength (does it need it??). I was quite pleased as I formed a half lapped joint rather than butt joining them. Shoulder blocks added to both sides of the uprights.

 

 

Then it was on with the diagonal 5mm x 5mm bracing.

 

 

In the meantime work has stalled on the tailplane due to me not understanding how the drawn setup for servo installation and pushrods can work with a removable tailplane.

 

Now the brilliant thing about posting the build on here is that as soon as I started pulling the various photos together to try and highlight the problem, the answer suddenly came to me and it had been staring right at me, I just didn't see it! I can now sleep easy tonight and get the tailplane finished off tomorrow, still on target for having the fuselage and tailplane finished, bar sanding, in the first week! 

 

 

The plan and photos show the pylon is covered in.

 

 

[Ron Gray]

I think I forgot to delete the last line from my last post!

 

All diagonal bracing now done!

 

 

So onto the tailplane pylon, top surface, 3mm balsa.

 

 

With holes for the tailplane mounting bolts and the elevator servo cable.

 

 

The plans show the underside of the tailplane mounting should be sheeted with 3mm balsa. I powered over this for quite a while as, to me, if it sits on top of the ribs and spar then there will be an awkward joint to be covered in film. So I decided to sheet it with 1mm ply instead. (Slot is for servo arm).

 

 

Servo mounting plate glued to the sheeting

 

 

And a double check to make sure that the servo does fit!

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Ron Gray

[Ron Gray]

Not a lot of progress today (I was cutting and folding 280m of lam film!), but I’ve started on the wing. Interesting form of construction with mostly interlocking parts, which makes fitting the one piece rubs onto the one piece spar interesting.

 

 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Plenty Lightness been added there Ron.

[Ron Gray]

Woke up in the early hours in a bit of a panic, I had thoughts that the assembly work I did last thing last night were wrong. I wanted to make a start on the other wing, glueing bits together so that they were all ready for when I make a proper start on ‘tother wing. But I couldn’t shake this feeling that I had built the parts the same as the first one, in other words not handed. Sleep came in fits and starts but I resisted getting up to have a look until 7.30, fortunately I hadn’t made a mistake and I could have rested easy ?

 

This was the little bit that caused all the fuss (only 3 parts but the wing build starts with this).