Tamiyacowboy Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 we all getting squeezed in the pocket, so never worry about a project stalling. it happens even to the pro's. Working with wood has an advantage, you can leave it in a dry place and come back 3 months on, but nothing changed. do that with plastic these days and its falls apart in our hand. How i deal with over massive builds is set small goals, so they add to the final goal. most people never understand why a balsa model takes so long to craft. they have never sat and toiled with the fine sandpaper and craft knife, trying not to break a 1mm thick sheet of wood that acts like tracing paper. Keep going and never surrender to it, some aircraft builds are two and more years in the making so your well on target, you have the airframe made up and the front leading edges sanded. sounds like you have nearly all control surface lines fitted in to. you see a part finished project that hurts your head sometimes, i see a three quarters through build and its going very well indeed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Finished lower tail, sheeted the port sponson. I also cut to length a control rod for the nose wheel, though I can't do anything with that until I get a replacement electric drill chuck to replace the one we lost while installing security lights at Grandad's house. (I used the drill to put the screw pieces into the rods.) The starboard sponson has a sheet on it, but it hasn't been bent to shape and glued down yet. By the way, when bending sheets, am I supposed to wet them first and dry them off afterwards? You know, to make them easier to bend. I get the idea that that comes with the risk of rot later on though, which is why I haven't done it. Also, I've been making plans for a modified cockpit, and I bought two sheets of A4 size clear acrylic to use as windows. I'm hoping it'll look pretty good when it's on there. Edited December 9, 2014 by RedDwarfIV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hydro Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 i wouldnt wet the wood to bend it i would either steam the wood over a kettle or give it a lite spray of window cleaner cant remember of the top of my head but theres somthing in the window cleaner that helps soften the wood for bending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 Thanks Hydro, I'll try it. Since bending sponson sheets is difficult and time-consuming work, I decided to turn my efforts to building the cockpit before doing the starboard sponson. Going to need the clear acrylic sheets I ordered off eBay to arrive before i can finish it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 As you can see, I've started work on rounding out the topside. Hopefully this will give me valuable experience for when I want to start making a rounded/v-shaped/ \_/-shaped hull. I'm planning on making a \_/ shaped hull rather than a V-shaped one because it will mean the nose gear tube will interfere less with watertightness. I think it would be a big weak point in a V-hull if the tube had to go through the ridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 The cockpit's complete, with the exception of the clear acrylic windows that are a real pain to saw into shape. Loud too. I finished the topside sheeting, and am now working on the underside of the hull. I made the step a little taller, and the whole thing will have a more rounded look. Since the electric drill is unusable without its chuck key, I improvised, using a pair of C-clamps to twist a worm screw into a control rod - finally giving me some control over the nose wheel. I'm going to need a bigger screw though, and one with a flat end, to prevent the wheel rod from slipping. Also of note, I purchased three new spray paint cans (the silver-coloured ones). From left to right, those spray paint cans are: RAF Blue-Grey, Ford Sunburst Red, Fiat Capri Blue, Audi Volcano Black. These are pretty much all the paints I will need for the paint job, as I can just leave the solartex unpainted for the white areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) As you can see, the cockpit is a few windows shy of completion, but that's just waiting on me being bothered to saw them out of the clear acrylic, which I'm sure I've mentioned is damned hard work. Anyway, I assembled the nascelle and tail assembley. I made sure to run the tail light through the join between the two tailfin pieces, which I cut a trench in for. Edited December 17, 2014 by RedDwarfIV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 I took a really long break from my plane after Christmas. I think I felt down a bit after I'd convinced myself I could finish it by then. Alas, there were too many things I needed but didn't have. Anyway, I've completed all the construction (aside from the nose cone, which I accidentally cut too small and needs thickening) and begun covering/painting. I bought the RAF blue-grey paint online, and a few other spray paints from Halfords. Unfortunately, this means I had no idea going in whether they would actually be suitable. The RAF blue-grey is fine so long as the can doesn't leak (which it has done). The blue was fine, but it turned out I didn't actually need it for anything and I instead used it to spray paint my Mum's old bike for my sister. The black peels too easily, I feel, but should be fine for doing lettering, which is what I wanted it for anyway. The red paint... has the consistency of water. It does not want to be contained to one area. I had to go over some areas with white solartex because the red paint has spread through masking tape. It's also a much darker red than I thought it would be. Going to buy new red paint when I next go to town. As you can see, I need to clean the red paint up a bit, and the RAF blue-grey in the middle of the horizontal stabiliser could have been better (less shiny), but I am at least making progress again. Oh, and I finally made the clear plastic windows for the cockpit. They're not fitted yet, but they exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 (edited) Just need to paint the underside, right the centre of gravity, fit a voltage regulator between the battery and servos (which hasn't arrived yet), build an interior in which to mount the seats for the pilots (the Owl and a pink raccoon), add some more markings, then add the last decals. Edited May 20, 2015 by RedDwarfIV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Looking awesome RD dont feel down because you took the long break, its was what you needed to do. most people think these are thrown up in a week, they really do not understand the work that goes into making an aircraft. and the length of time one needs to make it perfect. take your time and now feel proud of your machine, its come from a box of wooden pars and sheets to form a awesome airframe ready for its maiden testing flights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDwarfIV Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 Looking awesome RD dont feel down because you took the long break, its was what you needed to do. most people think these are thrown up in a week, they really do not understand the work that goes into making an aircraft. and the length of time one needs to make it perfect. take your time and now feel proud of your machine, its come from a box of wooden pars and sheets to form a awesome airframe ready for its maiden testing flights Thanks! It's not quite ready though. Still got to balance CoG, re-do the under-wing markings, build the cockpit internals where the fluffy little pilots will sit, and get the damn wheels to stay on somehow. I'm still waiting for the electric starter's battery and my first can of fuel to arrive in the post. Speaking of fluffy little pilots: Aaaand a side view, to show some of the markings I added: Also, lights: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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