TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Having recently "cut my teeth" on the fantastic Yak 23 kit from RBC my better half treated me to a Gloster G40 kit for Christmas. (I think she appreciates the peace and quiet wen I'm immersed in a build). First job was to mark up all the parts from the plan before cutting (something I learned was quite important when building the Yak). You ideally need a computer for this build. The kit comes with a CD containing brilliant Powerpoint step by step photo instructions and high res versions of the pictures that you can blow up to view the details. You also get a sheet containing non-scale plans and the plan of parts. I'm just thinking I should have posted a pic of the finished model to show everyone what I'm trying to do here but I haven't uploaded one yet. OK. I'll do that next..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 A 'chunky monkey' - definitely not the sleekest of jets but it ticks nearly all the other boxes for me - large'ish' scale 90mm EDF with a decent build to keep me happy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 OK. On with the build. The instructions did cause me a little confusion at the start. The very first line says to join fuselage formers F21 and F20. Unfortunately F20 doesn't exist and this should read F10. I emailed Rob at RBC and he came back very quickly to tell me that there was an error in the instructions. It also says to join F36 and F37 and glue the supplied M4 nuts in F13. In fact you don't join F36 to F37 (there is another part in between which you fix later) and the nuts glue into F14 not F13. Rob is very good at getting back to my emails so I'll be very sure to double check wherever I think there may be some confusion in the instructions. As Rob says, a picture tells a thousand words so be very careful with this build. Double check the pictures (this is why the hi-res images are useful). It has helped enormously that I've just built the Yak. I couldn't recommend this as a first build as I think you need to think about every step and not simply blindly follow the instructions. I'm debating about fitting retracts to this model, which would be a first. I'm certain that with a decent motor it'll cope happily with the added weight. (Maybe not the Wild Beast this time but something to give longer flight times). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Blimey, this is a challenge!! F7 is actually F30, F3 is F33........etc etc This kit is not for the faint of heart. It's never comforting gluing pieces into place that you think are right but which you're never quite sure of because you've had to work it all out for yourself... If you're a plan builder it'll be really easy. Well, not quite as the plans aren't to scale but, you'll know what the instructions mean even if it's not what they say........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Grigg Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Is this kit some sort of chinese puzzle TonyS its sounding pretty confusing at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Not sure if anyone's interested in this model but will plod on with the blog for a short while. If anyone wants me to keep going let me know otherwise I'll call it a day. It doesn't say so in the instructions but it's important to clean up the inside tabs that are left when you cut out the circular fuselage formers BEFORE you glue the fuselage together. This is because the paper intake tube needs to be glued well all around each former as it passes through the fuse. (The instructions make it clear that the fan intake can be strong enough to flatten the paper tube if it's not well stuck I would guess that this is almost a certainty if the opening gets obstructed with the motor on). I forgot to clean up the 'inside tabs' and it's a devil to do properly when the fuse is all glued together. The powerpoint instructions also don't mention that you ned to glue F26 and F28 to the fuse former F29. These two half-circles are quite important as they allow the fan to seal against the fuse former thereby maximising power by reducing 'leakage' in the pipe. Pic to follow...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Hi Stephen... Merry Christmas. It does feel like the modellers equivalent of Sudoku at times! You really need to study it all well before applying glue..... Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 This is how the fuse looks before applying glue. (It needs to be built up first then glued slowly to prevent building in twists etc) The missing fan seals will be hard to fit properly now that the fuse is all glued together.. Particularly the upper one...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchweight Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Looking good Tony, keep going, I'm watching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emil Benson Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I'm interested in the build tony. I'm watching even if I'm not saying anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton van Munsteren Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Tony, Sorry for not replying to your message had some problems with a virus and have now finaly returned after struggeling with the PC. See you have solved you problem with Rob. Really great to see you build the Gloster love this type of planes myselve and although I am the designer I never build the prototype which was Rob's work. Rob did tell me that it is a fantastic plane to fly and go's fast and smooth. Still hope to build one myselve so will follow you every step. Keep up the good work Ton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klippy Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Keep going Tony, we all learn something from your anguish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiles Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I do enjoy reading peoples build blogs so please keep going Tony as we are enjoying your frustrations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Right then... my anguish is your entertainment ... There was one part of the Yak build that I thought would be a doddle and it turned out not to be and this is no exception. Fitting the paper intake tube. It should be simple. Roll it up, pop it in and glue. Unfortunately, the same issue presents itself. The paper is necessarily stiff. When you put the roll into the formers and let go, the paper fits snugly to one or two formers then, because either the diameters are different (in this case they widen as it works back towards the fan) or, because they aren't exactly in line or both, I can fit the tube snugly to the front but not to the back...... Perfect fit up front but.... I think I'll glue the front then insert a balloon into the rear, inflate it then glue the paper to the former. The main thing I think is to avoid kinks and creases which will reduce the structural strength in the tube. Edited By TonyS on 28/12/2009 13:21:46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 So, no balloons but, I do have some slightly stiffer black cartridge paper which will a) look better, b) be stiffer and c) mean I won't have to paint the supplied white paper before I can build. I've also discovered that it seems to fit easier if you roll the paper corner to corner which will make it slightly more fiddly to tape but that's a small price to pay I feel. Edited By TonyS on 28/12/2009 13:48:50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Now this is getting really tricky (for me at least!!) The plan shows the recommended location of various bits - batteries and receiver.... I've placed black paper to show where the Rx battery (at nose) motor LiPo's (large rectangle - one at each side) and Rx are located. I'm not sure how - if at all - you could mount the Rx battery after sheeting the fuse. I'm also not sure I like the idea of mounting the two main Lipo's next to the paper intake tube - if surrounded by sponge the sponge might put undue pressure on the paper tube. To fix the last point I've webbed between two of the formers. This really goes against the 'weight-saving' grain especially after I've been drilling out formers to save weight but..... I've used 1.5mm balsa to web between the 2nd and 3rd visible formers. - The long slots will be accessible by removing the cockpit canopy which is very large. This will also give me something to stick velcro to to allow me to shunt the LiPo's back and forth to get the CG right I do need to think carefully about the choice of motor at this stage though. The recommended set up is two 3S 3,750 mAh LiPo's. Now, if Timbo's managed to teach me anything at all about electrickery it's that 2x 3S in series makes 6S therefore I need to be sure that the motor I'm going to end up with either runs on 6S or 3S (in parallel) but with a greater capacity...I'm guessing that a 90mm fan is going to be needing a 6S battery set-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Now, if Timbo's managed to teach me anything at all about electrickery it's that 2x 3S in series makes 6S therefore I need to be sure that the motor I'm going to end up with either ...I'm guessing that a 90mm fan is going to be needing a 6S battery set-up. Aaaa sooo - Well done grasshopper Bit confused on the latter bit though.... "runs on 6S or 3S (in parallel) but with a greater capacity" 6s is the way to go, but 2 x 3s in parallel is still 3s !! Yep, 90 mm fan normally for 6s ( some run 90mm on 3 or 4s - but the current is stupidly high ) Aim for around 1600 Kv or so - inrunner usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Hi Timbo, Merry Christmas!! What I meant was if I went the parallel route then I'd have a 3S but 7,400 mAh i.e. greater capacity. As is my now usual practice, if I'm building but don't have the right liPo's I mock one up out of foam sheet taped with gaffer to test for fit. The 3S 3,700 I found was 143 x 49 x 27mm so ....... which fits quite well.... but the former prevents me from sliding it further forward (to the left in the pic). This is partly because of my webbing though i still don't think it would go if i hadn't webbed it. Guess I'll have to keep the tail light!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Racer Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 This is a great kit. I built one about a year or two ago and used a 6S Midi fan with a Medusa 1500kv V2 motor and I used mick reeves pro skin to manufacture GRP ducting rather than use to paper included with the kit. I also added a nose intake splitter made out of hin sheet aluminium, as per the fullsize. I also added flaps and had to doctor the retract mounting somewhat to take decent size retracts and scale (ish) trailing leg oleos. I also modiified the main retract doors to resemble the orignial barn type clamshell doors. I galssed mine all over and sprayed as per the RBC scheme (camo top and yellow prototype underside - great for orientation). It flew brilliantly, very stable (although CoG is critical). Sadly, mine met with an early deminise. Itis repaireable, but I had no answer from RBC kits from an e-mail about a year ago; all i need is the CNC wing parts. I might have to order a new kit and get her back in the air, after I've finshed the 70mm Viperjet and 90mm F-100 and .......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Hi Christian, Wow! Sounds like you really gave it the full works. If you're around I may want to pick your brains... The flaps sound like a good idea given the high speed of the model (or so I'm told). I think I will be able to cobble together a plan for installing them. Where did you install the servos, batteries, Rx etc? Did you install a rudder (I guess so if you installed u/c? Any tips re the retracts to use and did you have the same fun and games with the instructions? T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Speaking of 'picking brains'.... This will be the first time I've ever installed retracts and I'm wondering which ones to go for. I'm not fussed about scale like operation. Simple up/down will do me nicely. RBC kits sells Robart 600 retracts which I've seen mentioned on other sites. Anyone any experience of these or comments? How can I find out what size wheels to go for? Also, I'm guessing from looking at the retracts on offer that it's necessary to bend the wire from the retract housing to suit the length of the u/c required? Ton, if you're out there.... Would you operate the rudder and nose-wheel steering from the same servo and use rods / snakes or would you split it? If I split it I'll need one servo to operate the nose wheel retract and one to steer but there are no mounting plates. This isn't too much of a problem but it's a big departure (for me) from the instructions and the kit so I'm sort of flying a bit solo here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton van Munsteren Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Tony, When I'am correct the Robart 600 is all plastic and not solid enough for the G40. A better option will be the Springair or one of the other mini sets RBC or others that is offered with air operating. Go for the two servo option the sytem will work at best with two cheap 9 gram servo's. Working with cables will only give a lot fo clearance and thats the one thing you don't need on a model like this. Ton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I can vouch for spring-air retracts - good quality, and reliable - I never use anything else these days. However the down side is they are not cheap and stockists are rare. I usually source direct from the manufacturer (USA)Mikes models in b'ham are dealers, as are (I think ) motors and rotors. Edited By Timbo - Administrator on 28/12/2009 21:43:48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton van Munsteren Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Thanks Tim for backing me up. Better now investing more money for a good set of retract than replacing cheap once every 10 flights. Ton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyS Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Ah well, That's the decision made then I'm afraid. The cost of a set of spring-airs is too much when you add it to the rest of the cost of the model. The kit was a gift but I'm going to have to buy a Rx, two servos, a motor, two batteries and an ESC (+UBEC?) which is c£250+ already... I'd better start examining the plan for the bungee hook mounting and start saving up for that laccy band !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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