west6008

Hi,
This crate I scratched together uses some recycled materials;

-Tropicana juice lid and measuring spoon for the spinner
-Coffee stir sticks for the interplane struts
-Popsicle sticks for cabane struts
-Used bamboo shishkabob sticks for top wing rails
-Old printing plate for the metal cowling

It has a Cox Black Widow with an 8 X4 prop and is great fun,
but the 049 is tricky to set needle valve

build light

I love using "non traditional" materials. I do love working with balsa but balsa is so expensive. Nice looking plane . I wish I could see it closer.
Tell more about it.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

VERY CLEVER! I've never seen anything quite like it! Amazing that an .049 can swing that prop well enough, any idea how much rpm?

BMatthews

I said it before about this one and I'll say it again. A very cute design with real character. Any chance of you uploading it to 1/2A All the Way?

build light

an upload would be nice.

The printing plate is something I have heard of long ago. Always wanted to try it. As a matter of fact I know there was a plane published by I think Flying Models that used that for the wing skin. Could have been AAM. Those were my 2 main mags till I got hooked on RCM I also remember a CL plane for halfA called the Milk Carton Special. Used 2 quart sized (unused) milk cartons. I built it and it flew great til the fuel did finally get thru to the paper.

I have found a neat top from an air freshener can that looks very promising. It will be a cowl on something great. I feel it!

Bipe Flyer

Very nice looking liitle plane. You sure are creative when it comes to building materials.

If you have plans that you want to share, the 1/2A All the Way site that was mentioned earlier is at http://groups.msn.com/12Aalltheway/

west6008

I'm not sure of the RPM the Black Widow pulls, but I'd guess well under 10,000
Maybe the prop would be more efficient if it didnt have that spinner.
I say this because another 1/2 A model I had used a wooden 8 X 4 prop with no
spinner, and I'd refined the airfoil right up to the hub.
That didnt seem to increase the RPM, but sure gave a better climb.
This was on a Guillows Thomas Morse Scout and it was very realistic with a
wooden prop--true the engine stuck out a bit, but was not noticable.
That's a model I really miss....The tx batteries lost contact and Tommy did
a kamakaze.
I dont have the technical means to upload Nuthatch plans. I have rudimentary
plans that I can snail-mail

lildiesel

Nice bipe. Love the looks.

Right now I am doing a sort of "Lanzo SE-5" based on old Sterling plans. Bipes are great if you can get the wings on right.

BMatthews

If you don't mind parting with them for a few weeks you can mail them to me and I can scan them in a format that can be printed off on standard legal sized paper on any printer. I'll PM you about this.

I'll return them after of course.

BMatthews

BTW, just read the bit about the needle being tricky to set. That's quite typical of the Cox engines when using an oversize prop. Things you can do to help include replacing the spring on the needle with a bit of silicone tubing and a washer at the top end. The tubing being cut nice and square across and just a bit longer than the distance needed so that it forms an air tight seal to avoid air being sucked in along the threads. Also run 3 to 4 glow head gaskets to reduce the compression. Or one of the old style hemi shaped heads if you can find them. And lower nitro fuel like 5 to 10% will also make the needle settings a little easier to set.

And finally be aware that when running a big prop there is a delay of a second or two before it settles to the new speed and mixture.

The setup above and using the big props is typical of the way the Society of Antique Moderllers 1/2A Texaco event engines are set up.

ZoomZoom-RCU

Verrrrrry Cool. Always like the strange/innovative materials builds! I was always curious about knocking one together from nothing but lite aluminum. For instance using soda can (ie, Prepsi or Croak can aluminum) for the skin, and maybe light aluminum flashing for the formers etc. I believe it could be done, and made to fly on an .049. Anyway, sweet bipe!

ZZ.

andrew b

I got part of a roll of croak can aluminium from a recycle yard, I used it to make a LARGE capacitor. It comes in 24" wide rolls and is a cinch to cut with scissors, I never found a way of joining it to itself or to other materials except with nails

ZoomZoom-RCU

[8D]For a small airframe, Household Goop will hold it.

ZZ.