toto Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 (edited) Hi Aidan .... she is up on the shelf licking her wounds ...... of which there are many ....😄 On to part 15 This part asks that we glue the undercarriage reinforcement plate F22 to the preformed slot in the undercarriage and the undercarriage reinforcers ... F16 and F17 as fitted earlier. So ... here is the plate ( F22 ) in question .... which glued into F16 and F17 either side of the fuselage ....... the holes in F22 must match up with the troughs in F16 and F17 .... and .... and ..... as luck would have it ........ they do. and then ...... clamp it ...... Part 15 ... complete. Now before going on to parts 16 to 19 , which are bolting the steerable nose wheel leg bracket Gluing the forward bottom decking gluing wing holding bracket installation of the cowl retaining lug reinforcement strip I am going to take a slight diversion. Ooooooooo Nothing critical... its just that I am going to fuel proof some of the front fuselage elements before I lose access to them etc. The destructions don't mention this at all and now is a convenient time to catch it. I will be using I'll be back. I'm back .... and here is what I am using for the fuel proofing ....... This is some finishing resin that I bought in error thinking it was 30 min epoxy .... it finishes a bit thinner so is easier for brushing on ..... apologies for the blurred image but this is it mixed .... awful looking stuff. first the outside front firewall as its easiest to reach ..... The underside of where the fuel tank will fit .... and the to deck where the fuel tank is situated .... I think thats me from the shed for tonight .... I'll let this stuff fully dry before continuing. cheers toto Edited October 8, 2023 by toto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 Hi Learner, I here what you are saying with regards to the fit out. I think tomorrow night will see me attack elements of the fit out before going much further. I was already on the same page as yourself as I was looking at the push rods and thinking ...... I need to be looking at these. I'll look at servo's and also the nose steering wheel bracket etc at the same time. thanks for the warning though as its good to know someone has your back. cheers for now toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 Just looking ahead in the destructions and it looks like Learner and myself have had an itch about the fit out and rightly so as ....... guess what comes next ( nearly ) engine, fuselage canopies and control rods etc. .... over on the next page. this is closely followed by the tail plane surfaces etc ........ prior to the wing build .... so I'd say some more interesting and testing times ahead coming pretty soon. Oh joy. toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 Toto - just noticed that your bottles of finishing resin vs hardener suggest that you're perhaps not getting a 1:1 mix there - looks like you've used more resin than hardener. Watch out for incomplete or slow cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 8, 2023 Author Share Posted October 8, 2023 Hi Leccyflyer, The difference in levels is down to a leak I had in one of the bottles. All over the inside of one of my storage drawers. The top came off somehow but I've now sealed it off. Cheers Toto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 That's good to hear - there's nothing worse than epoxy that takes ages to set properly. We had a young beginner bring his Multiplex Cub to the field. When we came to examine the model prior to a test flight it rapidly became apparent that it simply wasn't stuck together properly. Asking him about the build it rapidly became clear what had happened when he'd complained that the model shop had ripped him off by selling him rubbish glue, and what was worse they had sold him much more glue than he had needed to build the model. A session with a big bottle of isopropanol, lots of paper towels and elbow grease finally got the raw resin off the model, which had to be completely dissassembled, before putting the model back together, using both parts of the epoxy adhesive this time. Getting the wing spar out and the spar slot cleaned was the worst job, but it made for an interesting club night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 9, 2023 Author Share Posted October 9, 2023 Wouldn't fancy that job. What a nightmare. Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan h Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Nice one toto, coming on well ! Dan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHR Dave Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Hi Toto I am enjoying your build. I noticed the Sky 120 box behind your building board, is that the next project after the 40 ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 9, 2023 Author Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) Hi LHR Dave. Delighted that you are enjoying the build. I'm not sure about the Sky 120 yet. I gave to look at the final build weight of the model to see if of would be acceptable for me to actually fly it as it is considered a " large model ". I also have to assess my own competency as a pilot which ... by the time that build comes to the top of the list...I hope hope to achieved solo status as least and be on my way to my A cert. It has been pointed out that a large model with considerable weight may not ge the best missile to have in the hands of someone as inexperienced. I did not think that the Sky 120 would be as heavy although, I was aware of it 2.4m wingspan. If the numbers crunch correctly, I would love to make it one of my next models. I like larger models as they are more visible in the air. We will see. I need to take a sensible approach. Toto Edited October 9, 2023 by toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 Hi Dan ... Yes ... reasonable progress being made and there has not been any major issues as yet. I took a night out last night as I had a few domestics to deal with but hope to be back in the saddle tonight. It wont be long before the main fuselage build 3lement is more or less complete and then onto more challenging stuff. Great to see folks tuning in. Cheers Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 Evening all.... No updates for a couple of days. A few things going on at the moment but my path is clearing again. I hope to be in the shed tonight to maybe do a few small miscellaneous tasks that still require to complete the parts that I have been doing so far. Then start looking at some potential fit out items that could be doing with getting done before the fuselage starts to get a bit less accessible. Anyway, more on that tonight. Cheers for now Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 OK ..... back in the shed. The next part we will be looking at is for the steerable Nose wheel ...... Part 16 ... which fits here .... to the inside front of the fire wall .... the inside front of the fire wall .... Now ... the kit shows and comes prepared with two plastic sections which clamp together to hold the front axle and are held in position with four standard 3mm screws , washers and nuts .... like the above. What I have done is raid my spares to find 4 x 3mm nylock nuts because once you install the balsa fuselage bottom ..... you can kiss goodbye to access for the nose wheel clamp. so ..... into one of my box of tricks ...... looked out the thread lock as well .... because there is more thread available on the two upper screws as shown ( which is actually the bottom of the upturned fuselage ) there is enough room for the two original nuts ..... plus two nylock nuts. I installed the original nuts first and applied thread lock as above ..... and then backed these up with two nylock nuts. The other two only had two nylock nuts applied instead of the supplied standard nuts as there was not enough thread available to repeat the above. I checked the the axle would still fit through the hole ok ..... which it does ...... and from the front ..... Now to move on to the next part as Part 16 is now complete.... I'll be back toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 (edited) And we are back with ..... Part 17 ( a ) I have broken part 17 down into two elements ..... part A which shows a dry fit of the bottom ( floor ) of the front fuselage with a couple of little things to watch for ..... and part B with the actual fitting of the floor because again ..... there are a couple of things that I have to do which are surplus to the instructed tasks .... all will become clear. The fuselage floor ( handed ) fits in quite neatly. like so ..... and so ...... remember ... this is handed with the two holes roughly midway that need to line up with their respective sides in order for the undercarriage axles to slide into place ...... these ones ...... this floor is a very good fit ... even though my picture would suggest its a crappy fit when you look at the tab that is out of alignment to the left of the image ( apologies .... it does fit perfectly ). and the joint between the forward fuselage and the rear ..... and a close up of the front axle clamp for the steerable nose wheel Now ....... In part B coming up ... I will fix this in position. .... Why the separate parts everyone asks ...... and .... is it wise to glue this down at this point in the build. Well .... a couple of points ... the destructions show it done this way .... which I realise is not always the best way ..... but ..... I have checked ... and double checked and there is no reason that this can't be done ... ie .... with regards to creating any access restriction going forward. The servo install including the push rod links etc are all done above the mid level servo trays etc and into the upper level of the front fuselage area. ..... No issues ..... My next reason is this ....... When I do the final fit of this part .... it will follow the method used on the video install that has been included earlier in this post ... whereby the front end of this part will be epoxied ( firewall area ) ... and the rear most element of the same part will be using alphatias I will be epoxying c glue. When I mix the epoxy for this part ... I will be killing two birds with one stone ( don't worry RSPCA no harm has come to any birds as a result of building this model .... its a coin of phrase ) as I will be epoxying one small part for Part 18 at the same time .... I will make this clear as I tackle it. I knew that this part was going to be picture heavy and did not want to be faffing around with so many pictures when my I'm up against the clock with epoxy and glue etc. So .... for the time being ..... Part 17 A ..... is complete I'll be back. toto Edited October 12, 2023 by toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 OK .... we move on Part 17 B ... I'll start by explaining that the portion of the fuselage bottom covering that we are fixing in place will use epoxy and superphatic glue ..... the above section surrounding the fire wall shall be epoxied ...... and this section as shown above will use Superphatic. I covered the nose wheel bracket to prevent epoxy from running down into the hole ..... mixed some 30 minute epoxy ..... and on it went. plenty of it. then brought out the Superphatic ...... and applied that to the appropriate surfaces ....... Then on it went .... front .... rear ...... and finally ....... on with some clamps to hold it down ..... and again ....... Now Part 17 B ..... complete I did mention that I was killing two birds with one stone .... so .... Part 18 ...... F 24 which is not handed .... goes into place .... I used the remaining epoxy I had mixed up as this supports the front of the wing and hopefully prevents it from moving .... A couple of pins in place to stop F24 from sliding down out of place ...... Part 18 .... Complete. OK ..... Part 19 ... calls for some 6mm balsa stock to be stuck in behind the " Cowl lugs " on the front of the firewall but I missed a trick there as I wanted to use epoxy and I didn't use what I had quick enough .... and there was enough of it to do the job. Nevermind ... no big issue ... I will catch that tomorrow as I don't want to move the fuselage around to much to accomodate further clamps at the moment at the risk of upsetting the parts that are currently setting. I'll tackle that tomorrow. Also coming up next will be the fit out stages of servo's, push rods and engine mount etc that has been mentioned in earlier posts. Now .... I have an appointment with my best mate .... John Smith .... he says I work too hard ..... 😄 cheers for now toto 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 Well .... just lumbering up waiting for my dinner and then its shed time. Tonight I have some piddly wee jobs. First up will be the epoxying of two batons of stock 6mm square hardwood which runs down between the lugs that secures the front cowl. After mixing the epoxy .... two minutes work. The destructions show the cutting out and fitting of the plastic nose cowl and cabin front but I think I will delay this for the moment as I think it's way to early. The mounting of the engine mount will be shortly as well and I will start focusing on the installation of the push rods and servos etc. I can also take a look at the installation of the fuel tank. I should be able to form a plan from that lot to keep me busy for tonight. I can see the building of the tail plane ... elevator and rudder etc coming to life in the early part of next week. That's it ...... I've convinced myself Hopefully catch you from the shed tonight Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 A bit of a void in progress this weekend as I have just finished a stint helping a good freind out exhibiting a model railway layout in Dundee over yesterday and today. A nice change as I haven't done it for a while. Got back to Edinburgh at a reasonable time and intended hitting the shed after a quick nap to recharge the batteries after being on my feet for the last two days ..... but never made it. I will be back in full swing tomorrow night though. I'm keen to get the fuselage and associated fitting out elements done to progress onto new experiences ........ the rear control surfaces ( tail ) and eventually onto the wing construction. Looking forward to it all. Until tomorrow then ..... Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidan mcatamney Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 Welcome back Toto, you've been missed. Glad to hear you had a good weekend with the model railways, a nice wee change as they say. Looking forward now to the continuation of your building project. Onwards and upwards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 Thanks Aidan, It was a very welcome change but I think I forgot just how much tiring it could be. On my feet all day and trying to keep things moving to keep the general public interested. Dealing with the inevitable gremlins etc. Very rewarding though to see folks enjoying themselves .... both the general public and other seasoned modellers. However ..... its away with Thomas the tank and out with budgie the helicopter now ...... I had intended to get my hands dirty earlier tonight but was shattered so I'll need to try and make up for lost time again starting tomorrow. Loads to go at so hopefully a good mix of tasks to keep everyone tuned in. Here's to tomorrow Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 OK ..... good evening ladies and gents ... Back in the shed after a little time out on other commitments. the next stage of this construction is .... Step 19 ... This is short and sweet and really should have been done earlier with steps 17 and 18 .... but I missed a beat. Nevermind ... here it is now. This calls for two 65mm battons of hardwood stock ....... to be glued behind the cowl retaining lugs in the engine mounting bay .... to give something like this ..... ... Now the instructions tell you to cut one 65mm length from two separate lengths of the provided 6mm hardwood stock. .... Please note that you don't have to do this. I am assuming that the kits have been slightly changed since being written as there are already 2 separate pieces ... pre cut .... in one of the plastic accessory bags. So .... here we go .... I'll be mixing some of this ....... and clamping into place with a couple of these .... Shouldn't take long ... so back shortly toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 and the job is done ........ held in nicely with 4 small clamps .... Part 19 is now complete Part 20 ( not applicable .... installation of the electric motor mount ) Part 21 & Part 22 Parts 21 .... the engine mounting and part 22 .....the VAC formed access hatch are being postponed until later as they are not required at this stage. They are more likely to get in the way and potentially take damage so I made the decision to hold these back. and here they are in the destructions ..... I'll be moving on to Part 23 ..... the installation of the control cable outers for the rudder, elevator, throttle and steerable nose leg shortly as soon as I have located the parts from the box. I'll be back toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 and the job is done ........ held in nicely with 4 small clamps .... Part 19 is now complete Part 20 ( not applicable .... installation of the electric motor mount ) Part 21 & Part 22 Parts 21 .... the engine mounting and part 22 .....the VAC formed access hatch are being postponed until later as they are not required at this stage. They are more likely to get in the way and potentially take damage so I made the decision to hold these back. and here they are in the destructions ..... I'll be moving on to Part 23 ..... the installation of the control cable outers for the rudder, elevator, throttle and steerable nose leg shortly as soon as I have located the parts from the box. I'll be back toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) OK ..... all the parts looked out for Part 23 .... control rods ... Now .... here is what you get ...... four outer and inner control rods .... 1 for the Elevator .... 1 for the rudder ( the two longest ) 1 for the throttle and 1 for the steerable nose wheel. ( the two shortest ) you also get two plain metal rods with one threaded and one non threaded end ..... which I assume are for the aileron push rods. You get a bag with 8 brass threaded connectors ..... threaded both ends and a couple of red plastic clevises. and .... So the install begins ..... elevator .... short ..... and rudder .... also looks short .... the other servo ends. The rudder / steerable nose wheel ends don't look long enough to make the servo connection. neither does the elevator push rod. top of the picture is the steerable nose wheel push rod which barely reaches the top end of the rudder servo. here it is at the front end. I can maybe push more length back towards the servo but wont know until I fit the servo and the steerable nose wheel linkage ..... I am not confident. You can see the throttle push rod at the bottom of the picture ..... here it is poking through into the engine bay ..... and into the servo compartment ..... to me ..... clearly too short. This would have been the end of Part 23 but given my doubts ..... please feel free to comment ...... I will nor be progressing any further onto what is Part 24 .... the Tailplane construction until I have this sorted. It looks like I will be jumping ahead to Part 46 ...... the installation of the servo's in order to work out if ai have an issue here. It may be that by the time you add all the various brass connectors and clevises that they add the required length for these control surfaces to work. I'll be going onto this next but that will be pushed into tomorrow night to let me get my head ahead of the build. cheers for now toto Edited October 16, 2023 by toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 OK .... I had to satisfy my curiosity and temporarily install the servo's to see how bad things are .... the servo's are not orientated as per the destructions ..... not that that matters. I have installed them to give the best possible orientation to accomodate the push rods. ..... and it still ain't looking good. The nose wheel connection will probably make it ..... and possibly the throttle. i wont know until I do a dry run with the engine now. maybe why they suggested installing the engine mount. the elevator and the rudder .... I severely doubt ... but again, I may need to construct the tail end in order to finally determine ..... one way or the other. I think what I will do is install the engine mount as suggested, and the nose wheel connection and prove .... one way or another if I have an issue with them. .... Then ..... construct the tail surfaces and do the same. It might be that by some miracle, these rod lengths ( once coupled to their respective connectors at both ends ..... may just do the job. So thats where I start tomorrow night. Apologies for anyone trying to follow this for jumping about a bit but nI will ensure that every task started is labelled accordingly to allow you to keep following ..... even if it is a little more complicated that it should be. Until tomorrow ..... toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) OK ..... clamps removed which were holding the 6mm stock behind the cowling lugs. It was 5 minute epoxy that I used so felt pretty comfortable to remove the clamps and check it out before going indoors for the night .... When screwing the VAC formed canopy in place I will drill a 0.5mm pilot hole in for each of the screws. I'll also add some diluted finishing epoxy resin to the spars as well just to complete the fuel Proofing. more on that nearer the time. cheers toto Edited October 16, 2023 by toto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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