doxilia

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In 1997, after about a 12 year hiatus from the hobby (had to get through university you see... ended up staying a little too long [:-]), I saw this ship in a magazine and had to have it. Inspiration for the hobby returned along with a small but great working space and 3 months of uninterrupted building time (between the end of a seemingly ongoing stream of 8x11 sheets of paper saying "congrats! you've got another one" and... the job. Yup! You guessed it, back to the same old trenches except 4000 miles away in beautiful Oregon). So it was that I got started on the Tsunami and a couple of other projects. Unfortunately (I won't go into the details of why), it never got finished and ended up bubble wrapped and shipped around the continent a few times. Before its first semi-complete shipment, of course the inevitable happened. Something very heavy fell on it (you don't want to know...). Sad, I wrapped it and said, one day I'll fix it and it will be beautiful.

Time passed and low and behold the hobby left me again as the little toddlers started to appear in my life. Then, one crisp Spring morning this year, I had the day to myself and decided to head for a good coffee, croissant and why not... a magazine. Went to the magazine shop and wham! MAN fell into my hands (well, not literally, we know the meaning of MAN right?) I was psyched (I was going to say pumped but that would be putting a foot in the mouth twice - dang! almost thrice... I'm going to have to edit this post). Anyway, I thought the arrival of 2.4 GHz, Brushless Outrunners, Lipo's and all the rest was the best thing since sliced bread. And of course, I must not forget, RCU. Unfortunately though it looked like the existence of "the kit" had vanished and the hobby had reduced to "assembling" rather than "crafting" models.

Anyhow, after coffee, I went home, made a huge mess and found my 20 year old RC stuff... bliss! I had to have my go with outrunners and lipo's so I hit two small scale projects (a Texan and a FW-190) and found out that I was possibly better with the old Xacto than I used to be. And so it is that we reach this junction. The Tsunami has been debubbled and after first addressing the hangar rash (more like it being hand swiped by King Kong!), I've decided to attempt to finish it.

This might move slowly as I have a few too many other projects "on the table" that will also have to be addressed and it will be a matter of priority (the highest of which will be for a twin pair of GP Tipo's). Also, this being my first RCU build thread, it might be a touch "light" in detail but hopefully offer something of interest to others who may have built or are building this now classic pattern plane. In the process, I'll feed on your know how, derive inspiration ... and hopefully get the da*n bird in the air (or at least ready for it)!

First images coming...

doxilia

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Here are some pics of the frame up, some showing the damage inflicted by King Kong...

Essentially, the right wing panel suffered from broken spars (missing sections) as well as sheeting damage and two snapped ribs (not all easy to see). Also, the fuse turtle deck caved in. The repair unfortunately left the sheeting a little too thin so I'll have to figure something out (including possibly glassing for a paint finish... haven't decided yet).

doxilia

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I brought the right wing panel back in shape, did some sheeting work, outboard servo rail/sheet installation, LE and have the wing panels ready for the installation of the TE, wing tips and ailerons.

I discovered that I had made two pushrods back in '97 using threaded steel rods and wood dowels; one of which has the requisite Y at the rear for the split elevators I had settled on back then. Not the lightest linkage by far but I might stick with the Y rod for the elevators as it looks decently made and it saves me from having to rig up another from glass or carbon tube. I always have that option later if desired. The model design is such that I suspect the AUW will be rather low so a little penalty on the rod might not be too serious.

For the rudder, I'll probably not use the equivalent rod I made and instead go with a P-P setup.

Once the TE, tips and ailerons are installed, I'll move onto the wing/spar reinforcement using balsa stick in a zig-zag fashion (stronger than sheet shims) and the cap strips on the ribs. After that I should be to join the panels after a final sand.

more to come...

Fxrs_tim

Welcome back!! Just FYI, Juno RC bought the rights to the Tsunami kit and still sells them. Keep the pics coming!!

Info on Juno: http://www.junorc.com/aircraft.htm

dhal22

koverall is a good choice for glassing a project with open bays in the wings.

david

doxilia

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Thanks for the reception!

Great news about Juno! I assumed the Tsunami had gone the way of the tides. It's an interesting design which uses building techniques which strike me as "bridging the gap" in style between the '80's plank and ply former and today's lite ply swiss cheese interlocking structures. The "formers" in the Tsunami are actually built up from balsa stick and in some cases joined to sections of plywood. F2 (at the wing LE) is particularly tricky to get right and I ended up re-cutting sticks a couple of times (back in '97).

In any case, it makes for a pretty light plane. I'm still debating on whether to paint the fuse or go with film. David, maybe I'll try your suggested Coverall. What pains me a bit is having to seal the wood prior to glassing on what is really more of a "sport" model. If I'm going to devote hours to the finish I think I'd prefer doing it on something that will really stand out (at least to me)... such as the Tipo's .

But maybe it'll go fast. Any quick points/tips you could suggest David on the Coverall?

Thanks, David.

HFrank

Hello Doxilia, I built a Tsunami 7 years ago and have flown it MANY times, (perhaps hundreds). I love its fast, smooth and precise performance, it's a pleasure tu build and fly.

Jim_Purcha

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Nice Tsunami Francisco. Has anyone built one with retracts? Looks like a high speed ultra sport 40.

Jim

doxilia

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Very nice indeed Francisco (heck, can I call you Pancho?)!

I see that you modified the wing slightly by using balsa sheet against the spars instead of the stick balsa. The latter is certainly more tedious to apply. What did you use for power? BTW, if you still have it, it'd be great to see your radio layout... just curious.

Jim, funny you ask that. As I was working on the wings last night, I noticed that my left wing tip warped up about 1/4-1/2" over the years. Although it is still flexible enough that I should be able to correct it, I thought that it wouldn't hurt to maybe build one in foam and why not... put some retracts in it. The original designers don't recommend it with the reasoning that it would make it too heavy but the wing loading on this ship is relatively low so maybe...

I'm up to my ears in mechanical retract installation plans (for some other planes) but it is probably the way to go since it may be the lightest. Any suggestions as to which ones?

David.

HFrank

Thanks for your kind words Jim and David, and yes, you can call me Pancho . As you have seen David, I installed traditional shear webs, I just felt it was easier and more secure, the plane is powered by a GMS 47, and being a very light airframe, with this engine has almost unlimited vertical, enough for BIG loops, vertical 8's and much more. I did not installed retracts, the manual does not recommend them because of the added weight. And yes, I still have it, but I lost my camera , will post a pic of the radio layout as soon as I can.

Saludos
Francisco

doxilia

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Well then... Pancho,

Guanajuato is a beautiful state and the capital more so - I used to play Rugby there often years ago. I've never been to Leon though... one day. Good flying weather almost all the time I imagine.

I look forward to your pictures. The roomy interior allows for various options. I chose outboard aileron servos, mostly because I prefer them but also to leave me an empty radio bay area. I intend to mount my elevator servo on its side in the rear (I did this on my 20 size AT-6 for fun - see picture), rudder servo centered in front of that with P-P and probably the throttle servo beside it with RX and BTY toward the front. How do you think she'll balance with that setup? The plans recommend the BTY mounted closer to the CG.

For power I'll be going a little lower on the HP range with a 25 year old ST S40. If it needs more pull, I may consider an OS or YS 45 (just a matter of finding one!) with a pipe (maybe overkill).

DonH21

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I remember the Tsunami. What beautiful plane!. Back then I was flying a Balsa USA 40 Stick,the origanal funfly, for me it was.
Maybe this winter I'll buy and build the Tsunami.
Don

doxilia

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Nothing major to report tonight but I made a little progress on the wing TE and tips. I tack glued the ailerons in place to sand everything to the same airfoil.

My left wing tip is still slightly warped up but I think I'll be able to fix it when covering by applying the bottom, holding the wing TE flat with the spars on the table and reheating the covering. Frankly, I'm amazed the wings are not more warped after all the temperature and humidity changes they have gone through over the years.

The wing panels are not joined yet they're just taped together to check for symmetry. I actually cut the aileron stock to the sections shown on the plans individually and then glued them on individually (this in part because my plans are not on the table where they should be ). In retrospect, I think I might have marked the three aileron sections with the aid of the plans, applied glue to the center and tip sections of the 36" stock and only tack glue to the aileron area. Then centered the whole thing on the TE, sand and cut out the ailerons. This would leave some nicer narrow splits between moving and static sections. It also ensures that everything follows the same airfoil (assuming your ailerons are straight... mine were not quite).

What's left for the wing panels are the shear webs (this should hopefully help to straighten it out too), the top cap strips, servo cutouts and hinging the ailerons. After a final sand, I should be able to join them and proceed to the fuse mounting and wing center section.

Don,

it's a fun build. The fuse nose is perhaps the most laborious part (lotsa elbow grease[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]) and F2 could use a slight re-design in my opinion. I would also make the turtle deck slightly stronger if I was to re-build it as one often holds the plane here and the sanded 1/16 sheet doesn't offer a lot to hold on to. Maybe a couple more formers here. Wouldn't add much weight to an already very light air frame.

The way I see it, if you can buy a kit these days, you should. There are so few to choose from compared to 10-20 years ago that most kits are worth simply having. If you wait another 10 years, it'll probably be a collectors item if you don't build it! I checked out the new offering on the Tsunami from Juno RC and they supposedly were going to be kitting a 60 size too but it looks like there hasn't been an update on that in a while.

ntsmith

Excuse me. You saw a ship?
It is an aeroplane not a ship. - Just to be semantic

HFrank

You're right David, Guanajuato is a beautiful state and I really love the capital, I'm often there !! regarding the ST S40 you are planning to install, I think it will not have enough oomp and your Tsunami will not shine in the air, you will end up with the OS 46. I think the piped YS 45 will overkill, remember this is a very light airframe.

Regards
Francisco

doxilia

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Nigel,

Thanks for the clarification. It's no wonder... for the longest time I was asking myself why this ship didn't come with sails!? Every other kit I have bought in the past always did. I'm feeling re-assured and at ease now.

Nonetheless, not being one to shy away from bold experiments, I've decided to put her up (fly it for proper semantics) without sails and see how it goes. Worse case scenario, if the wind is not blowing, we'll throw anchor, crack the deck of cards and have a pint until the gales pick up!

At 40 knots we should be able to do some nice low inverted passes at full sail [8D]

Cheers, David.

doxilia

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Francisco,

thanks for the advice. What engine are you running? (edit: Just saw it in your post above.) What prop/rpm are you using and does it feel like the right combination? I was debating between a 10x6 and an 11x5 but leaning to the latter for increased thrust.

I checked the specs on the engines:

OS 46AX: 1.65 ps/16K | Weight 13.2 oz, 17.2 oz w/ muffler | RPM - 13,200 @ 10x7 / 13,100 @ 11x5 / 11,800 @ 11x6 (ideal)

ST GS40: 1.15 hp/17K | Weight 13.1 oz, 19.1 oz w/ muffler | RPM - 11,700 @ 10x7 / 11,850 @ 11x5 (ideal) / 10,450 @ 11x6

The tach readings are real world. My engine is actually a slightly older model (an S40 not a GS40) but I suspect the performance is the same. I'm wondering if spending ~$100 on a pipe setup for the S40 will bring up the RPM by 500-1000 and give me enough pull. This would cost less than a new engine and have a coolness factor; not because of the pipe but because the model and engine would both be vintage pieces (to me at least).

I guess if the ST S40 is a little lacking, I can go with the 46AX or maybe a muffled 45 FSR or YS 45 (pumped ) if I can find one. I like the ABC's better than the newer ABL's.

HFrank

Hi David, my GMS 47 is a very powerfull engine, according to my friend's tach it turns a MAS 11x6 at 13,000 [X(], the tach is a bit old, dunno how accurate it is, but sure is a real powerhouse.

daven

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I have one of these kits in the shop just waiting for a rainy day. Reading that article in MAN (I believe it was 98) got me head long into RC. Can't wait to build it, and look forward to the completion of your build.

Nice job so far.

doxilia

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Dave,

Thanks for the positive comments. I'm enjoying finding my old building hand...

It'd be great to have another Tsunami build in the works. Building season is starting up! The fuse is the most time consuming part but it goes together fairly quickly. I always find that the assembly and finishing take me a lot longer than I anticipate. Then again, if not done right...

Back to the build:

I completed the shear webs and cap strips on the wing panels. The "bridge truss" shear webs are a little more tedious than using sheet balsa as one has to individually sand the angle into each stick end. The instructions claim this yields a stronger wing which may well be so (I buy it). The aileron servo bays are also complete. Hinging and beveling the ailerons is next and a final LE sand with the spiffy new LE/TE sander I got.

There's a tip section of aileron stock which I'm going to have to fix as it's about 1/16" high compared to the rest. I thought about leaving it but that sounds like a plane always wanting to roll when neutral. This is the disadvantage of not finishing a wing structure while everything is of the same "elasticity". Both my TE stock and my aileron stock were also somewhat warped. If unhappy with the wing, I may end up building another in foam with retracts (but that will be after she flies!).

I also went to work on the engine installation. Since my two Dremels (well, one is a $16 version which replaced my 25 year old original - lasted one month) have locked up (can't remove the chuck) [:@] I went the old fashioned way of sand paper on a dowel. I ended up opening up the fuse a little more than I would have liked as I had to pass the engine mount. The ST S40 carb is also somewhat larger than many so required opening up the nose to allow it to fit and for proper throttle movement. Something to consider if starting a build would be to fuel proof (paint) the FW prior to final nose sheeting and leaving the mount installed. This would allow one to only open as necessary to pass the engine. Final fuel proofing of the bay would however also involve painting the mount.

I thought of giving a "homebrew" method of soft mounting the engine a go. I'm using hard rubber washers behind nylon washers in between the mount and the FW. I'm uncertain about how well the rubber washers will hold up under pressure and fuel presence and concerned that the engine may "loosen up" if they disintegrate. On the other hand, the structure of this aircraft is such that vibration will wreak havoc on it. I may end up cutting a rubber ring the diameter of the mount for a more positive "vibration gap".

Next chapter... hopefully a joined wing and on to the fuse mounting.

doxilia

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And here's the engine installed...

Not crazy about that muffler so I may end up getting another or perhaps end up changing the engine altogether if the plane needs a little more "kick".

doxilia

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Francisco,

well that engine is a real find then!

At $70 (ABC BB [8D]) it's turning 1200 rpm more than the AX at $130 [X(]. The specs on the GMS claim about .15 less HP than the AX... you might want to check that tach. If it's right, I may end up with one of them puppies in my Tsunami too!

How reliable and user friendly is it? Where are they made? I assume Eastern Europe or Asia...

doxilia

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After gazing at the ceiling of my basement, I thought this was interesting...

Jim_Purcha

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Not a busy night to night is it? I have a Juno kit at home too. I was reviewing another thread with the DC/Juno RC F-18 Hornet. The truss arrangement looks interesting, and easier to build than shear webbing. Should have used it on my current project.

Jim

doxilia

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Oh very busy Jim... Just not in the shop!

Is it the Juno Hornet that you have?