2024 Mass Build

[RICHARD WILLS]

The retract pack will be available early January .

A dolly launch will also be available if the tests go as planned .😉

[Gordon McConnell]

Thanks Richard,

 

Please put me on the list for a FW190 with retracts. 

 

Gordon

[RICHARD WILLS]

The Mass Build actually involves a "Dogfight Double " which comprises of the Fw190a and the Tempest V . 

The Fw190 build is well documented on the "Big Question " thread in the Warbirds section of this Forum . 

The second model (The Tempest V) will be built on this thread in order not to confuse everyone . The Tempest design is being finalised and once in the bag , I will start an on line build with the prototype .

So that Tempest fans do not feel left out , I have attached a picture of my original glo powered version from the year 2000 . 

The new version will be slightly more scale , but more importantly it will be laser cut with jig tabs and supplied with a nice set of foam veneered wings . 

I will also be showing you all how to paint and weather the model using the most basic equipment but still achieving a finish like that shown here . 

We have around 25 orders so far which considering people have very little to go on is promising . 

[Ron Gray]

42 minutes ago, RICHARD WILLS said:

which considering people have very little to go on is promising

Your reputation and that of the ‘boys’ goes before you Richard.

[concept2]

I will take a Tempest kit please Richard.

 

regards

Chris

[Wihtgar]

I've a couple of Overlander 5000mAh lipos weighing 475gm and aprox 38X44X132mm. Would these be OK in the Tempest Richard? I am thinking of using these with a 3548 900Kv Overlander motor and 12X6 prop.

Regards

Nigel

[RICHARD WILLS]

27 minutes ago, Wihtgar said:

I've a couple of Overlander 5000mAh lipos weighing 475gm and aprox 38X44X132mm. Would these be OK in the Tempest Richard? I am thinking of using these with a 3548 900Kv Overlander motor and 12X6 prop.

Regards

Nigel

Hi Nigel , 

               You didnt say if the batteries are 3 or 4s .    

If they are 3s (say 11v )  then with a 900 kv motor you will have a no load speed of 11x900= 9900 without a prop . Once loaded that will drop a bit so I would go for a 12x8 .

If 4s then its 15v x 900 =13500revs with no prop , so a 12x6 or 12x5 would be kinder . 

adding an inch in diameter wont hurt either . Start with what you have in the ball park . If you are not getting enough top speed then increase the pitch .

[Graham Davies 3]

Just to whet your collective appetite; this is my WR Tempest. It was my first warbird, and Richard talked me through the process. It flies great and has notched up well over 100 flights. Initially it flew on fixed undercarriage; later retrofitted with mechanical retracts. Powered by a 560kv 4250 motor on 4S 3700 packs; I get scale like performance and 7+ minute flights...

 

[Wihtgar]

Sorry Richard, I have 4S batteries so will go for either 12X6 or 12X5

 

Nigel

[RICHARD WILLS]

So while the Fw190 kits are getting ready for despatch , this thread can concentrate on the Tempest . 

I designed the Tempest on paper in the old fashioned sense of a drawing and our good friend Paul Johnson is re drawing the model in 3D design . It takes time and patience but it will hopefully allow Phill the kit cutter (who is already on overload ) to , in theory just press print !

Well , It wont quite be that simple because pressing print may be true of laser cutting , but not true for making semi elliptical foam veneer wings .

However I am going to show you some of the 3D images that we use during the design , which you might find interesting . 

3D design is good , but it is slow to start with in comparison with a conventional drawing . What I mean is , if you start the whole thing in 3D , you will soak up hundreds of hours correcting the bits where you change your mind. Just my opinion of course . 

Here are a few screen shots of how we mock up and test fit the parts . Cool isn't it ? Nice work Paul .

[RICHARD WILLS]

Now while we leave Paul simmering nicely and turning my foolish scribblings into something more computer based that the damned Laser Cutter can understand , I will recommend a jolly good value book to you . 

I am an avid reader on WW2 aviation . Just cant get enough . But I do like some nice pictures to go with my print if possible . 

As we are all teeing up for a Tempest , I would thoroughly recommend this little number at a very reasonable £12 .

You can order direct from Osprey or probably Amazon prime . 

One thing I would draw your attention to , is the comparison view from inside the cockpit . Despite popular opinion of good visibility, the forward view from the 190 has about half as much glass as the Tempest . That combined with the heavy framing must have made it very hard to keep the pesky Tempest in your sights . 

On paper the two planes were very well matched , but despite being noisier and often leaking carbon monoxide into the cockpit , I would still have gone for the Tempest . 

The 190 had a vicious stall and poor forward visibility . However some of the old school Luftwaffe pilots had so much experience under their belts that it more than made up the difference . It was a close call between them . Fascinating!

 

[Glenn Philbrick]

Hi Richard

Happy to see the tempest on the drawing board at last, can't wait to get my hands on the kit. Keep it coming.

[Don Fry]

Can we elderly eyed flyers have a bit of colour in the prototype. Like yellow, or red. In western France I reckon “c’est quoi?”, more than development history,  in conversations. 
History here equals, Luftwaffe , or US Army Flying Corps. 

[Eric Robson]

Would that be enough yellow Don ?

[Chris Walby]

Eric, the old now you see it (yellow/black) and now you don't with the silver assuming the upper wing is silver?

 

Al least it could have nav lights 😉

[Eric Robson]

12 minutes ago, Chris Walby said:

Eric, the old now you see it (yellow/black) and now you don't with the silver assuming the upper wing is silver?

 

Al least it could have nav lights 😉

That's why I am not doing the grey camouflage for the FW190 Chris. 

I have the FMS version and with the grey sky's up here it is  hard to follow at times.  Don should be OK with the target tug scheme in France.  The sun may blind him as it hits the silver😆

[Glenn Philbrick]

That definitely looks like a colour scheme worth thinking about.

[RICHARD WILLS]

I really recommend invasion stripes and a yellow spinner for the "hard of seeing " . 

I know the feeling though , I flew my zero into a fog cloud last year , so had to fly by sense of smell for three minutes .

Not easy by any means . 

Didn't end well . 😬

[leccyflyer]

Invasion stripes and a coloured spinner works for me. Just needs a King Tiger in the woods for some extra illumination. 🙂

 

 

 

[David Davis]

8 hours ago, Don Fry said:

Can we elderly eyed flyers have a bit of colour in the prototype. Like yellow, or red. In western France I reckon “c’est quoi?”, more than development history,  in conversations. 
History here equals, Luftwaffe , or US Army Flying Corps. 

 

Oh I don't know, one of my club members, a Frenchman, has a small electric powered Typhoon, an ARTF I believe.

[Eric Robson]

If it is the FMS Typhoon it has a full compliment of invasion stripes so quite visible as Richard recommends 

[leccyflyer]

That's my FMS Typhoon in the picture above and the invasion stripes are an excellent aid to orientation. Mine has a red spinner and I've added squadron and aircraft codes to the generic, non-specific scheme. She could do with being a wee bit larger, so the Tempest will be a welcome addition to my collection of Hawker fighters.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Here is a little more of the Tempest design . Still a few tweaks , but nice to see my drawings being converted to 3D . 

You can see here that we are going maximum effort on keeping all the weight up the front . I initially was going to access the battery under the chin going up vertically . The advantage being no hatch gaps or joins where you can see them . However , I prefer the top hatch on my Mustang and dont really like flipping the model over in case I get mud on the nose and canopy , or worse still , scratch the latter . So Ive switched to a top hatch again . The battery tray will end under the motor so its as far forward as possible . The dimensions are similar to the Fw190 which balances with no lead . So fingers crossed .

Paul Johnson is doing the 3d conversion for me which is a blessing because it is very time consuming . Looks the part though doesnt it ?

[Paul Johnson 4]

Just a quick overview of the work to date

This picture is of the state of the fuz design as of today.

  

 Creation of a design for 3D and then converting to a dxf format to laser cut takes a while from the initial paper drawing, I wish Richard would use thinner crayons...!

As with any CAD work accuracy is essential to allow the final cut parts to fit.

Even the central crutch take some work, this is the finished part...

 

And this gives you some idea of what's underneath the part to create it.

Well back on me head.... and it's goodnight from him..

[Kim Taylor]

1 hour ago, Paul Johnson 4 said:

I wish Richard would use thinner crayons...!

 

I thought he wasn't allowed anything sharp, or the nurse gets nervous.

But seriously, I'd love one of these - nearly finished my Spitfire and will need something to do with my hands!!

Hopefully I can re-organise some funds when the time comes.

Kim