SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Want do you mean by "90% of plan size?" I don't understand. And are you saying you also had some problems with PCK's parts?

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

They were all 10% smaller than drawn on the plan due to a programming error with the laser cutter. It was not the cutter that you are using but mistakes do happen. How the mistake is handeled after it is identified is the mark of the good kit cutters versus the wannabes. I will bet that PCK will come thru in good order.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Well I just found some parts for the stab and tail feathers that had been damaged or broken. Now I wait as I can't go any farther unless I cut may own parts. But I will just wait for replacment parts from PCK a I paid for a complete kit and had hoped there would be no problems with the kit content. But maybe this kit is one of those very few that get out like this.
I will post after hearing from Larry at PCK to see what will go on.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Two more photos. These are the main spar and how the join. I just put some epoxy on the joint and clamped them down untill dry.
After I get ribs in place on spars I will re-inforce the joint with small ply wood sections on both sides of joint. Don't want to do it now as ribs won't slide onto spars if I do it now as the spare reinforcing blocks would make spare to thick at that point to slide on ribs.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Looks like things are underway again for you. The spar splice that you have will do the trick just as you have described it. If the spar was going into some wild aerobatic wing then a long angle splice would be the order of the day but for this application why complicate the issue?

I have made my missing ribs for the S-6 location on the plans and have the leading and trailing edges glued in place. As soon as I finish the elevators I will post photos.

On a side note I have the name and phone number of the current president of the Stinson owners Association. He lives about 40 miles from me so I am hoping to find a source to get close to a real bird and take some pictures of details that aren't shown on the plans and in current books.

Glad to see that you are putting parts together.

Ross

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Well I doing what I can with what I have now. I went through the entire kit and found more missing or broken parts. I have sent a letter to Larry at PCK about this matter. In fact I have sent him three letters. I have not heard back from him as of yet. I guess I could cut my own parts but like I said. I paid for this job to be done from me and I feel like he should provide me with all the parts in good condition.
If I don't hear from him by Wensday afternoon via e-mail I will then call him on the phone. All I have heard about PCK is that it is a first rate operation. I have no problems with the other parts in th kit as if they are not damaged then the fit perfectley to the plans.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

The broken part thing usually is a result of the shipping company overcoming the best efforts of the shipper to protect his product. Back in the 50s there was a company called F&B I believe that put rough sawed 3/8 balsa on both sides of the kit to make the box all but indestructible to normal shipping mishandling.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

This may be the case. But I looked over the box that the kit came in and there was not even a scuff on the cardboard, no dents or holes poked in it, no crushed corners etc. So if the parts got smashed and broken in transit it must have been dropped very hard. But this still doesn't explain the missing parts?
I'm just up set at the fact I will have to wait who knows how long to get those parts. Oh well, s#@t happens.

Big_Bird

My Feedback: (1)

Steve, sounds like you are being ignored on the parts. GC can fill your ear full about being ignored by a kit cutter.

GC when you get ready to go look at a Stinson, let me know and I'll grab up all of the cameras.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Ken, I really don't want to think along those lines yet. I just left a voice mail at PCK's phone number. I don't expect to hear from them untill Tuseday morning as they are closed at this time 9:30 PM pacific time. I was kind of hoping I would hear a recording along the lines that they were on vacation or something. But no, the recording said that my call was very important to them.
Now I will wait to see if the call gets any responce from them. If this is not the case I will then contact PayPal and file a complaint with them as that is the only option I have left besides posting bad things here about them.
But I do feel that they will contact me on Tuesday and hope all this works out.
So lets wait and see what happens. I just don't want to belive these folks run a bad operation and ignor their customers problems.

Steve

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

UPDATE, I got a hold of Larry at PCK today. (he never did answer my e-mails, any of them). He said he would send me the missing parts in my kit. But told me to just glue the broken parts back togeather as there is always some damage in shipping. Now gluing the parts is no big deal, but I wounder if he got a new lazer cutter and it had a few parts that were broken what he would think if the sales rep said just glue the broken parts as we always have damage in shipping.

Now in all fairness I will say that the parts that were cut were spot on and of the highest quality and fit. But the lack of concern about the damaged parts is not the way I would have handeled the situation. The fact that he will ship me the missing parts is fine as I PAID for them in the first place,ALL of them.
To not answer e-mail in a timley fashion is just plain rude. And the lack of concern about damage is just plain bad customer service.

I'm not sure I will ever use PCK again as I was made to feel that I was a thorn in his side buy asking for the missing and damaged parts. I guess I'm lucky just to get everything I paid for from this kit cutter.

Now we will see how long it takes to get these parts, all I can do is wait.

Steve

Big_Bird

My Feedback: (1)

Steve, I've had 3 planes cut by kit cutters (Ziroli B-25, Ziroli F4U, and the Jungmeister) and to my knowledge I never had a broken or missing part. They don't always get broken in shipping. Hope your new parts come soon.

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Thanks, I had my 33% Waco form Barth shipped from Germany and it did not have one broken piece in it. And to tell you the truth the box it came in was really messed up after being shipped over here. It did however have a couple of missing parts but a quick e-mail to Peter Barth and I had the parts in 10 days with a letter from Peter telling me how sorry he was that my kit was not complete.
I can understand missing parts as I used to help Lou Proctor pack his kits when he was alive and in San Diego. There were so many different little bins of parts and such I was amazed that he almost never had a kit go out short.

Well like I said, the quality of the cutting and fit of the parts to the plans are as good as I have ever seen, the parts shortage I can understand. But the lack of concern on PCK's part in communacating with me in a timley manner and the answer of "just glue the broken parts back togeather" I found very rude. Not to mention Larry never even said I'm sorry, I will get those parts to you ASAP and a thank you for buying from his company. Perhaps a course in friendly customer service is needed.

Steve

Bish Wheeler

Every time I see a thread regarding and SR build I have to subscribe. I recently finished a 1/4 scale SR-9 from Richard Barron Plans. The plans were drawn in the early 80's so they took a bit of updating, but I thougholy enjoyed the build.

My experience with PKC was a little shakey too. I had them kit a MiG-3 for me and it was not a happy experience.

Enjoy your build.

Bish

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Beautiful plane Bish. I'm stil waiting for the short parts. I have this feeling I will need to contact him (Larry) about the parts again. I'm going to wait a month then if I don't get them I'll contact him again. If Larry ever reads this thread maybe he will see that customer relations is every bit as important as putting out a good product. Like I said before, the parts he did cut are very well done. I'm hoping I get the parts soon.

Thanks for the photo.

Steve

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Here is the latest on the Stinson build.
1. Leading edge is ready for final contouring.

2. Left wing is complete except for strut mounting block and hinge attachments.

3. Aileron built and modified to more scale hinge and leading edge profile.

I did not like the beveled look after seeing pictures of the full scale aircraft so I partially airfoiled the leading edge of the aileron per the Wylam drawings and contoured the trailing edge of the wing to allow the aileron to rotate in the hollowed out area more like the real plane.

Now I am going to start the flap which is to me the more difficult part to build properly due to lack of plan details. However with the Wylam drawings and the pictures that I have accumulated I will come up with something that approximates the real thing.

Bish Wheeler

Steve,

I don't know how the plans of your plane are drawn, but on mine the flaps were built up i.e. ribs, fabric etc and they were a ***** to get right. After the fact I looked at a number of full size SR's and found that most of them had the converted the flaps to plywood with fabric covering. If I had it to do over I would not have built the flaps as per the plans or the Wylam drawings. I seriouly doubt that there are any SR's out there with out the modification.

Bish

SoCalSal

My Feedback: (16)

Well I wish I could say that I have done something on my plane since the last post. But I have been helping my son get ready to move out for the first time and not much spare time after that. Besides..those shorted and broken parts I spoke of, still not here. I sent Larry at PCK a e-mail last night about it. If he gets it and decides to answer it then maybe I will know when I can get going again.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Got the flap finished today. It is a slow build for the first time as the plans outlines do not accurately portray the true shape of some of the pieces I.E. the flap leading edges and their true tapers. I backed them up to the trailing edge of the wing and found the actual profiles by direct transfer. Also I changed the construction of both the aileron and the flap in that I made the bottom side from 1/8' balsa sheet and glued the leading edge on top of it plus the ribs which I re-made from 3/8" balsa rather than I/8 with a 3/8ths capstrip. The top of the trailing edge is also 3/8 sheet inlet into the ribs so that it matches the rib and capstrip dimensions.

If the pictures load It shows the wing and control surfaces plus the tail group in the rough frame stages.

Bish Wheeler

Looks good. Wish I had fabricated my flaps that way. Soooo much easier and stronger.

Big_Bird

My Feedback: (1)

That is really looking great. At this rate the plane will be ready to fly at the IMAA Rally of Giants in Waco TX in June. Don't slow down.

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

I just weighed the wing and control surfaces. So far the all up weight is 38.25 oz. Also I plan to move the flap servos ahead in the wing about 12" to get them on or close to the cg. My experience with radial engine models is that you can never build the tail light enough or have the equipment too far forward.

My plans are for pull pull on both the rudder and the elevators using one servo for each. since the baggage compartment had doors on both sides,that looks like a good area to mount the servos rarher than back under the tail.

Also is there a current source for the Baron plans?

Gremlin Castle

My Feedback: (14)

Thanks, I hope to have it ready by then provided something else doesn't get bent in the interim. If all goes well I will take the big Bearcat and the Stinson if they have provisions to leave them set up overnight.

Bish Wheeler

There is not a ready source for the Barron plans that I am aware of. I bought my plans from Betty Barron (Richard's widow) about 10 years ago. At that time she was getting out of the business of selling plans and was looking for someone to buy the original drawings for all his models. You will sometimes see a set come up on E-bay. He drew a beautiful set of plans for the Curtiss F11C Goshawk as well. With Barron plans, because they were drawn at the dawn of the giant model era, you need to go through them and apply the current thinking to how you would build it. For example Barron was real big on complex bent wire landing gear. Unless you are a good black smith, trying to use his ideas may turn you into a raving loon. But other that the obvious, the plans are fun to build from and very accurate. If you can find a set it would be worth the effort.

TomCrump

There is a Barron Stinson being built over on RCSB, if you're interested.