A first timers attempt at a Tony Nijhuis Sky 40 for beginners

[kc]

On his website it says his name is pronounced" Ny-house "

[toto]

Earlybird .... that is the actual series that I have been watching ..... excellent. thanks for putting up the link for folks.

 

Hi David, I get your points .....

 

to try and answer some of them ......

 

there are maybe two or three people who have taken turns at " instructing " me. ( for which I am grateful ) One who has been busy in competitions so could not really keep the commitment going at times. The one I have presently who has had to duck out this last few weeks due to personal commitments and there is one other who is reluctant to have me jumping back and forth between people due to different tutoring techniques / styles. I don't really have any control over that. 

 

As far as first choice of models goes .... It was originally the Kestrel that I had in mind but as soon as I saw this model being built and whilst it may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the kestrel ...... it struck me as a more straight forward build. The featured build videos also helped me make my mind up as this guy makes me feel as if I have him in my shed with me every step of the way. I am a novice ..... completely who is sticking his neck out ..... and open to success or failure ..... I have to start somewhere and this seemed like the place.

 

I can't answer for what you may have chose to build .... we all have different tastes ..... this is mine.

 

I genuinely appreciate ( and understand ) your concerns but don't be ...... if it all goes belly up ...... its at my expense. 

 

I hope you will follow my journey on this and where maybe a little encouragement is due ..... give it. Likewise .... if I am making a bloomer ..... shout out .... I encourage all comments and critisism as long as it is constructive. 

 

As far as my flying progression goes .... I am as concerned as anyone else but until I manage to sort that out either through things settling down at my own club ..... or a move to another ...... It is not going to stop me progressing in other facets of the hobby ..... I'm just determined to keep myself going whilst I wait for the flying to finally win through.

 

I don't want to turn this thread into a discussion on my flying progress .... that is what " a first taste of the sky " is for. I'm not trying to discourage the conversation around how wrong I may be going about things but I'd rather this thread was kept to the Sky 40. Not a complaint .... my threads can wander some .... and by my own hand.

 

Please feel free to continue to watch and participate if you enjoy what you see.   

 

toto

[toto]

OK ...... rightly or wrongly ..... I'm making a start on the Sky 40.

 

I'm starting with the fuselage as in my mind .... its by far the simplest element of the build and hopefully the successful completion will help build my confidence a bit and get me into working with the materials.

 

before building starts, I looked at the drawings which, in my mind, have to be sliced into a more working and manageable size. In the case of the fuselage ...... there is a plan looking down on top and a section through the side.

 

The plan will be most useful in lining up the fuselage for straightness from a very early stage of the build so determined that that is the best drawing to have pinned down onto the building board from the start.

 

 

in looking at the above ...... you can see the long plan view of the fuselage. In hindsight, it may have been better centering this on the board as the other illustrations included in the above are just pictures of the fuselage cross joiners. I will probably adjust this prior to starting the build proper.

 

I looked out all the sprues with the various Fuselage parts on them ( all prefixed with an F .... Wings W and Tail T ) and started cutting the parts free from their sprues. At the same time, I marked each of the parts on a bit of masking tape for easy reference and to hopefully eliminate any confusion. Where appropriate , I marked the parts as " handed " as a sort of alarm bell system to slow me down and pay particular attention.

 

I also covered the plans with wax paper .......

 

 

and taped this to the side of the board to keep everything in place ......

 

 

Some of the parts ....

 

 

and again ......

 

 

and again ....

 

 

I'm sure you get the picture.

 

One thing I did notice whilst cutting the parts free are that there is a fair bit of unfinished edges etc on the majority of the parts and also a bit swarf where the nibs have been cut in order to release the parts .... so ..... I am going to go over these ... very lightly with some fine sandpaper just to take away the rough edges ..... Thats what is happening now ....

 

So cheers for now ..... hope to see you again later.

 

toto

[Outrunner]

Looks good so far Toto. Have got a fuselage jig? 

I've used a SLEC jig for years now and the fuselages come out nice and straight.

 

[aidan mcatamney]

You are extremely well organised there Toto and I take my hat off to you for your passion and determination to make a success of your first build.  You have this hobby of ours at heart and I wish you the very best in the building of the Sky 40.  I'm excited following your progress and I have no doubt that the fruits of your labour will be rewarded with a very capable flying rc model aeroplane.   

[dan h]

I am also Looking forward toto to following along your very first build I'm sure you will be fine, building and flying your very first model is a great feeling.

 

if like me, half way through the build you will be planning the next one !

 

Good luck

 

 

[toto]

Hi Outrunner,

 

I did buy the SLEC gridded paper and was considering making anothermboard just for that purpose. I have the right angled upright brackets..... although from another source and also have captive nuts, bolts and washers etc ...... everything needed to make one. I also bought a sheet of either 3 or 5mm perspex to lay on top of the gridded paper and also provide a nice smooth flat surface ( again with the help of 18mm !DF base board ) but to be honest, I'm not so sure that this build actually requires a fuselage building board.

 

When watching My Icelandic mates build ( he still doesn't know we are mates yet.... unless somebody tuning in tells him ) The fuselage is build with the minimum of parts and I think can be tested as you go for trueness by aligning with the fuselage plan drawing as currently taped to the building board. .... maybe a bit of a gamble but If I build a fuselage board, I reckon that it maybe in service for all of half an hour of this build ....... is it truly worth it ? 

 

The thing is .... is if I build one .... it wouldn't be a waste as I am sure that it definitely will be needed for more complicated future builds.

 

 

My next  move is to sand down the parts and prepare some of the slots to accept the tabs as I have already noticed that some just don't fit and will need a certain amount of sanding to provide sufficient clearance.

 

Given the time that will take ...... at least tonight and possibly into the weekend ........ if folks want to familiarise themselves with the build parts for the fuselage and com,ent as to if a fuselage build board would be considered as wise ....... I am all ears. I dont mind going with that if there are any major concerns.

 

Thanks for raising it as it is something that had been itching away at the back of my mind. I think that is obvious given that I have everything apart from the MDF to build it.

 

All and any opinions would be appreciated .... preferably before the build goes  much further.

 

Toto

Edited October 5, 2023 by toto

[EarlyBird]

1 hour ago, toto said:

Earlybird .... that is the actual series that I have been watching ..... excellent. thanks for putting up the link for folks.

Easy enough to do and I do like to help.

[toto]

Thanks to all the above ......

 

It's great to have so many people chipping in. I really don't mind any comments whether questioning my wisdom or rallying me forward. Everybody has a genuine point ot make so feel free. 

 

Did I tell you all that I have a 33ft wingspan Lancaster bomber..... no ..... well I've bought the oracover for it already and ........ 

 

Only joking ....... but only just.

 

Cheers

 

Toto

Edited October 5, 2023 by toto

[toto]

Hi Earlybird 

 

You like to help ...... well get yourself through here and pick up a scalpel and a tube of CA ...... 

 

Slacker .....

 

Toto

Edited October 5, 2023 by toto

[Caveman]

Toto, with the kit you got a sheet of plastic. Use this to protect the plan and put your waxed paper back in the kitchen. Nothing sticks to the plastic sheet and it’s transparent so you can see the detail on the plan. A drawing pin at each corner is all that us necessary to keep it taught. Mine’s been in use for several years, I did buy a new one but haven’t needed to use it yet!

 

I have watched the first few videos of the Sky40 build. I notice that he used CA to join the pieces, other than the firewall and associated pieces. I would suggest using aliphatic adhesive instead, suitably clamped and pinned. If you use CA and don’t get things placed perfectly first time it’s a lot if hassle sorting it out, whereas aliphatic gives time to ensure the placement is right.

 

Also, CA can cause respiratory problems in some people, it does me, so something to look out for.

 

GDB

[PDB]

4 hours ago, David Davis said:

PDB suggests that you can always throttle back

To be clear it wasn’t me who said that, it was another poster. 👍

[toto]

Hi Caveman,

 

Ok .... I hear you kind Sir. it will slow down the pace of the build a bit but better that than making a pigs ear of it. I have super phatic in stock. dries in 10 - 20 minutes.

 

I did read that it also gives a stronger .... less hard / brittle joint than CA so maybe another plus point. 

 

Many of the wing components use wood glue as well so I can use the same stuff on that. Either that or Gorilla / Titebond wood glue.

 

I'll also change over to the plastic sheet provided. The wax paper was just another option that I had read elsewhere. If you are confirming that its a good shout ..... consider it done.

 

cheers

 

toto

Edited October 5, 2023 by toto

[toto]

Back in from the shed for tonight.

 

I finished off by starting to lightly sand some of the holes made to take their respective tabs as they clearly don't fit. I think it's just a matter of sanding of the rough " fur " left over from the manufacturing process. Not a big deal but does prevent a fit.

 

I'll be picking up on that again on Saturday as I am on a jolly tomorrow at a nice country hotel in Perth that was a gift from our wedding last year.

 

So ... it will be general posts but no shed updates tomorrow. 

 

So .... for now ... it will be purely hypothesising . 

 

Generally a good enough start to this little adventure and looking forward to getting back into it on my return.

 

I'd think that the fuselage should be about done before the weekend is out.

 

Cheers

 

Toto

[leccyflyer]

2 hours ago, Caveman said:

Toto, with the kit you got a sheet of plastic. Use this to protect the plan and put your waxed paper back in the kitchen. Nothing sticks to the plastic sheet and it’s transparent so you can see the detail on the plan. A drawing pin at each corner is all that us necessary to keep it taught. Mine’s been in use for several years, I did buy a new one but haven’t needed to use it yet!

 

I have watched the first few videos of the Sky40 build. I notice that he used CA to join the pieces, other than the firewall and associated pieces. I would suggest using aliphatic adhesive instead, suitably clamped and pinned. If you use CA and don’t get things placed perfectly first time it’s a lot if hassle sorting it out, whereas aliphatic gives time to ensure the placement is right.

 

Also, CA can cause respiratory problems in some people, it does me, so something to look out for.

 

GDB

Spot on - and a good shout on the glues. I'd only use CA where it is absolutely necessary and the vast majority of my wood to wood joints are made with SuperPhatic, with PVA used  where a bit of gap filling is needed.

[Piers Bowlan]

Incidentally, a notable  omission from your vast collection of tools Toto, since you mentioned  sanding, is a permagrit sanding block. Once you have used one you will wonder how you ever managed before! Not cheap but on my list of essential tools.

[David Davis]

12 hours ago, PDB said:

To be clear it wasn’t me who said that, it was another poster. 👍

 

My apologies PDB.

[Basil]

15 hours ago, toto said:

OK ...... rightly or wrongly ..... I'm making a start on the Sky 40.

 

I'm starting with the fuselage as in my mind .... its by far the simplest element of the build and hopefully the successful completion will help build my confidence a bit and get me into working with the materials.

 

before building starts, I looked at the drawings which, in my mind, have to be sliced into a more working and manageable size. In the case of the fuselage ...... there is a plan looking down on top and a section through the side.

 

The plan will be most useful in lining up the fuselage for straightness from a very early stage of the build so determined that that is the best drawing to have pinned down onto the building board from the start.

 

 

in looking at the above ...... you can see the long plan view of the fuselage. In hindsight, it may have been better centering this on the board as the other illustrations included in the above are just pictures of the fuselage cross joiners. I will probably adjust this prior to starting the build proper.

 

I looked out all the sprues with the various Fuselage parts on them ( all prefixed with an F .... Wings W and Tail T ) and started cutting the parts free from their sprues. At the same time, I marked each of the parts on a bit of masking tape for easy reference and to hopefully eliminate any confusion. Where appropriate , I marked the parts as " handed " as a sort of alarm bell system to slow me down and pay particular attention.

 

I also covered the plans with wax paper .......

 

 

and taped this to the side of the board to keep everything in place ......

 

 

Some of the parts ....

 

 

and again ......

 

 

and again ....

 

 

I'm sure you get the picture.

 

One thing I did notice whilst cutting the parts free are that there is a fair bit of unfinished edges etc on the majority of the parts and also a bit swarf where the nibs have been cut in order to release the parts .... so ..... I am going to go over these ... very lightly with some fine sandpaper just to take away the rough edges ..... Thats what is happening now ....

 

So cheers for now ..... hope to see you again later.

 

toto

Toto,tape your plan down with masking tape, ( uses a weaker adhesive than cellotape, then cover with cling film. the cling film will stop most adhesives sticking to the plan.I to am a novice , well I was a couple of years ago. This really does save your plan and leaves the build materials clean.

Bas

[leccyflyer]

No need for cling film. The kit that toto purchased comes complete with a clear plastic plan protector provided.

[Basil]

Leccy'. I thought that we were talking about building boards . What piece of kit are you referring to?. Surely when using the jig you are not building over the plan, I am puzzled. I must be off course some where.Bas

[leccyflyer]

5 minutes ago, Basil said:

Leccy'. I thought that we were talking about building boards . What piece of kit are you referring to?. Surely when using the jig you are not building over the plan, I am puzzled. I must be off course some where.Bas

I'm talking about the building board. As I said, there's no need for cling film, because Toto's plan pack/kit is already supplied with a perfectly serviceable piece of clear plastic sheeting - probably polythene - to cover and protect the plan. He's referred to it earlier in the thread.

[Basil]

OK

[toto]

5 Savox servos arrived today before I left for my country retreat. 

 

Now slumming it in the heart of Perthshire. Not a model in sight either. ..... bliss.

 

Toto

[aidan mcatamney]

1 hour ago, toto said:

5 Savox servos arrived today before I left for my country retreat. 

 

Now slumming it in the heart of Perthshire. Not a model in sight either. ..... bliss.

 

Toto

Your living the dream Toto. Good on you.  Enjoy that Perthshire hospitality.   One of my long time neighbours is from Aberfeldy in Perth.  A real gentleman who is now in his 80s.  

[toto]

It's the Dunkeld Hotel that I am residing in ..... very close by. .... now .... where did I put my deerstalker hat and tweeds. 

 

Cheers

 

Toto