Wedge K

Another question on the skinning.  SInce there is no template to speak of (well Top Flite says there is one), looking at the test fit, the bottom edge of the skin does not meet the lower stringer all the way down the fuselage.  That is simply because of the different angles and curves down the plane.  What has everyone done to solve for this?  Do I cut pieces of the skin off the bottom front  and bottom back.  It is in the middle that the skin pulls up from the lower stringer.  Am I missing something

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

No, you are not missing any thing. What i did was to sand the edge of the sheeting to get a good fit to the lower stringer.

Wedge K

Here is the fist half of the skinning....I think it went pretty well for my first attempt.  I had to add some CA in the front due to a minor crack that formed as i formed it to the ribs.

Wedge K

cant seem to figure out the image upload thing

Wedge K

Another attempt at the phot

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

Lookin' good....

Wedge K

Skinned the other side this morning. I elected to go buy a bigger sheet that was 4 inches wide so I could do the whole side in one sheet....worked well I think. Also got the turtle deck shaped and ready. Here is what it looks like

Wedge K

Here are the pics....Ooops

Wedge K

As i finish the upper fuselage section, I had a question for others who have built this model.  Would it be wise to do the coverings on the fin/rudder/stab prior to installing them onto the fuselage?  Or should I wait until it has all been put together?  Just curious.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

It is best to wait depending on how you are covering and finishing the plane. You will need to add some filler between the fuse, vertical and horizontal stab to blend them all together.

prgonzalez

Wedge,

You are so lucky with your fuse, many of us experience a warping at the center of the fuse. Yours look so flat. Anyways, looking good.

I was at my shop this past weekend to see my build. It is going on its third year now. I have been so busy at work, including working some 6-day weeks. I have promissed myself that this build ends this year.

This is how I made the fillet.

cubaneight

Very interesting and informative thread. I'll be starting a build of the TF Spit over the winter months after the demise of my ARTF YT models Spitfire.
Thanks to a broken crankshaft pin on the ASP 120FS, the model broke its back after landing heavily following the engine stoppage. A bit larger than the TF version, the model turned out well over weight IMHO at a tad over 14lbs. The eggshell thin glass fuselage stood no chance, unfortunately.
The key to success with any warbird is to keep the weight down and minimise the need to carry dead weight as ballast, I've a fair bit of building experience, so I reckon there's areas where improvements can be made. I'm looking to have a practical model with good flying characteristics, so I'm not planning on a detailed class 1 scale paint/ glass cloth finish, so for that reason a clean electric power plant will be used. Many will disagree with the weight issue, and of course a heavy(ish) model will fly perfectly well providing it's handled correctly - problems arise when things don't go to plan.....

Wedge K

Thanks for the vote in confidence.  I believe some of the smoothness came form using a single sheet.  The 4 inch wide sheet made it a little easier in some ways and harder in others.  I did manage to get a small crack in the first skinning on the right side,  You can see the crack were the glue line is on the front in one of the pictures.  It still turned out smooth even with the minor repair work.  I don't have much build time so will continue to post as I continue.  I also have a blog where the entire journey is being recorded.

Wedge K

As i am putting together the back end of the fuselage, i noticed a HUGE mistake I made in the front end.  I have swapped the left and right Crutches.  At this point I feel I have three options.  Buy all new pieces and start over; Debond and rebuild; or cut the right side down to the correct size and build up the left.  I think I want to go with the last option as I feel it is possible to make it work.  Any thoughts from other builders here?  I am in utter disbelief that I did this

P-Y

My Feedback: (1)

If I remember correctly, crutches aren't the same size to create the thrust angle.
So, I would go with the last option too.

PY

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

Personally, i would go with option 3 as well. If you do that just be sure to add some doublers to strengthen the left side, like some plywood plates epoxied across the joints. Please let us know how it goes for you. Crazy stuff happens in our hobby.

cvial

Hi Wedge

I had to do a similar surgery to enlarge the engine mount for the engine I am using. I ended up adding some ply to the crouches and then used some fiberglass to add some strength to the firewall. Here is a picture.

Good luck!

marco.m

Hi Guys

i start Oslo whit build THE top flight spitfire

what do you think of THE rcgf 15 cc gas motor

for this spitfire

Wedge K

I am ready to attach the Rudder fin to the fuselage and it talks about using microballoons. How important is that and can I do it with just 30 minute Epoxy?

da Rock

They probably suggested mixing in microballoons to attach things aft in order to keep the weight down. If the parts fit closely, any glue will do that provides strength beyond whatever the parts are made of.

OldScaleGuy

My Feedback: (2)

30 minute epoxy is fine.

prgonzalez

I had a similar problem . Now I can see it is a common mistake.

Wedge K

lol...looking at the front of the plane and reversing left and right.....just didn't see the pieces didn't line up..

Wedge K

It has been so long since I have found time to work on my spitfire, but i finally got going on the wing.  I have built the left and will start the right soon.  Are there any big gotchas I need to be careful with?  The instructions seem fairly straight forward.  

Wedge K