Photo gallery 2
Here are a few more photos of my own models.
Peanut scale (13" span) Waco SRE
This model must be nearly 10 years old now, and is still going strong, though the
blue tissue markings are now so bleached that they are hardly visible! It was
built from the Walt Mooney plan, the only alteration being to fit movable
elevators and rudder, hinged with short pieces of soft wire (from sandwich bag
closures). Finish is unpainted Japanese tissue. Weight without rubber is 12.5 g,
including a woodscrew in the nose to get the c of g correct. It flies very
nicely, both indoor and out (weather conditions permitting, of course).
13" span Short Seamew
Another peanut scale model, this time one I designed myself. Ugly looking
beast isn't it? - Got charactor though. The full size aircraft was designed as
a lightweight ASW machine for the Royal Navy, but it was a
victim of defence cuts before it could go into service. The model flies pretty
well, though I haven't ever broken the 30 second barrier - probably too heavy
as usual! The tailplane and fin have scale outlines - tail moment is short,
but the tailplane is huge! Covering is Japanese tissue, airbrushed with enamels,
and using roundel decals from my spares box. Radome is hollow balsa, and the
prop made from 2 Kaysun 4" items. Wheels came from an old plastic kit.
Click here to download a free plan for this model.
I have also made
the old, and rather less accurate, Veron kit of the Seamew and a photo of it can be found elsewhere on the site.
Keil Kraft used to do a much larger version (27.5" span) which I built as a kid - this is pretty accurate, and is on my list
of future projects.
28" span D.H. Hornet Moth
I admit I did go to town rather on this one. I designed the
model using Alf Grainger's scale drawings and the framework is pretty much as per
full size - scale rib spacing, scale fuselage structure etc. I included a
working sprung undercarriage, and "knock-off" wings using wires and aluminium
tubing. Rigging is elastic thread, so non-functional (after all, I want the
wings to come off in a bad crash). Power is from a Knight and Pridham KP-02
electric unit. Took me a year or so to build (on and off). The colour scheme
was taken from an example I saw and photographed at an Old Warden flying day.
Weight is a hefty 176 g - despite moving the battery pack as far back as I could,
I still needed to install a metal bolt at the tail to get the balance point
correct. The better thing to have done would have been to solder on longer
wires of course.
I flew the model reasonably successfully a few years ago at one of the Old Warden
model flying days - it climbs well under power, gently circling - problem is,
when the motor stops, the model gets into a series of ever deeper stalls (I
think because the glide straightens out). Not too much of a problem if the
model has not got too high, but rather nerve-wracking when it has a long way to
come down - just a matter of luck at which point in the stall it hits the
ground! I must get round to getting the trim finally sorted one day.
40" span Focke-Wulf Ta152
This is the jumbo rubber powered Al Lidberg design - a super plan to build from, and I did not
change anything at all. I used white Japanese tissue and airbrushed the finish
using Humbrol enamels thinned with cellulose thinners.
After a few years flying with the undercarriage attached, when the model performed fairly well, without ever
reaching great heights, I removed the wheels after a heavy landing had caused some damage, and had a go at flying
it wheels up (this was 2002). It now flies better than it ever did, and looks really good
in the air, like a proper fighter. Using three loops of 3/16" rubber, it will now stay
for over a minute, and get to a really good height. The only drawback to removing the undercarriage has been that
almost every landing results in one of the prop blades snapping off. I am sure adding a conventional two bladed prop
would cure this, but for now I will just keep getting out the cyano bottle.
Pilatus Turbo Porter
Built from the excellent Airsail kit, the model has a wingspan of 28", and
weighs in at a reasonable 47.5 g. All parts are die cut, and a nice decal
sheet is supplied both for a military example, or the colourful Mount Cook
Airlines scheme that I chose. Wheels and nose cowls are light vac-form
mouldings. I replaced the kit tissue with white Japanese tissue to give a smoother
surface for the enamel paint finish. I also
replaced the kit prop with a three-blader made from one and a half peck props
(with extensively thinned blades) fitted into a ply-faced balsa hub. Initial
test flights on a local sports field looked very promising. I needed no noseweight,
and just a slight tweak up on the trim tabs I incorporated in the tailplane, to obtain
stable left hand circuits. Two loops of 1/8" Tan II rubber about 22" long seem to
give enough power. I have since had the chance to pile the winds on, and although it climbs out well
and circles around in a very stable fashion, the glide is quite poor. It you try to add up elevator
or remove noseweight, to correct this, then you tend to get stalling under power. Thrustline adjustments
don't seem to help either. Despite this minor gripe,
this is definitely a good candidate for a first flying scale model -
you don't find many scale models with proportions as close to a rubber duration model as this!
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