intermidiot

Ha!

I actually do not think it is too bad.. Other then the engine and exhaust and servos. Glue and the controller and the oddities can be used again.. Here is my spreadsheet on the prices. In regards to your question BRAD, about the exhaust. It is scale, and it sticks out the cowl and is real unlike the plastic headers.. This exhaust are your headers.. very cool. However, you MUST consider that the exhaust WILL get on your plane, just like the real deal rather then under your plane where we usually like it.

That piece of hardware has saved me a major headache when it came to matching up parts for an INVERTED, IN COWL, Engine for the P51D with more power then what it calls for. I am glad I went this route.

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

here are the pic that you had asked for thanks . i have a 9c that i am going to be putting up for sale soon if you like . i have 2 of them and only need the one . one is a heli and one is for air . thanks . mike

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

for got to tell how i did it . well i made the mark like the book said then with motor installed i made up a 4'' backplate . don't have spiner yet . glued it then i taped the bottom cowe on had to cut hole to fix motor the bottom clow lines up with the marks of the fuse tape it there . sand fuse so clow fits fuse on the sides. should not be off by much . still have alittle gap on bottom that will get cut out for the air to go though later. then i glued the side top on then very top middle . now i changed for the book and cut the top middle block so it is smaller at the front and bigger at the back. then i cut the middle top side to fix the hole .only had to round about 1/8 in off the wood blocks this way . i think it leave more wood and a stonger clowing then i took a 80 grit 8x11 sanderpaper and held both side and sanded the top round . took about 30 min to finish it . and looks good .

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

more pic for you

intermidiot

Hello there,

I have posted some images at the bottom of this message about the landing gear. With the landing gear I used a dremel tool and actually cut out the area for the retracts so they would be higher up in the plane. This means that they will be more inside the wing when in the up position. I have not sheeted the bottom part of the plane yet to show you it will be inside the plane. I knew someone would be asking this. So the image below shows the cut kinda and BEEFING up behind the retracts is IMPORTANT.. Since you are shaving a good 1/8 inch out of the piece of wood, double ply it and epoxy before you close. Sheet the top of the wing so that the epoxy does not drip right out the other side. See Below.

Your pictures helped me out a lot. However, I am curious WHY you used a spacer block. I do not see anywhere in the plans or in the manual to add that block of wood. Is this necessary? Please advise...

Man, I really tried to take a couple good pictures but I cannot get close enough.. I will try with a better camera tomorrow for you and then upload the new ones. If you can see it.. it is sunk into the mounting wood. I had to sink it in order to get it into the plane. Do this carefully so you do not mess with the retract ANGLE.. Important.

intermidiot

M2,

This one is for you.. Check out this link for the tail gear assembly. About half way down the page there are some great images on how it was installed.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_31...tm.htm#3150097

Hope that helps you out.

intermidiot

Hello all,

You should see the nice ENHANCEMENTS I made on top of the wings.. Those photos to come.. Meanwhile, here are some kinda clear shots for today.. Enjoy.. I am just about to close her up. Should be done by the weekend with the rest of the fuse cover. Once that is done I will do the wing tips, flaps and aileron attachments. Should be time for some glassing after that.. Right on track for Christmas. Brad, you are correct in the finishing. I am going to do wing lines, and rivets, etc... Anyone have a link to rivet creation?

The one thing that really gets me is how perfect everything fits.. Really awesome....

PS.. Forgive the high spot on the wing.. I did not sand that down yet. ( to the left of the server bay area ) In addition I strongly suggest adding a nice block of balsa to the back of the serve tray area in the wings so that the wing sheeting can be supported in the area. Use Thick CA for Sheeting too. It allows for a longer play time to get things lined up better, but be sure to keep some sand bags close to keep pressure all over the sheet so it does not come away from the ribs. I use old toss across bean bags filled with BB's.

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

looking good i have spent 2 days working on the grear and i think that i have one of them where i want it now. also went ahead and did away with the rod for the air and i am going to use 2 servo . they are so cheap now that it is better for setting this bird up. well have to go .

m2

m8 that brid is looking awsome!

hope mine will turn out that good when i get there [8D]

Mustang1964

Hello Intermidiot,
Can you post some of the cross bracing that you did for the retract?
I would like to have some ideal of what I need to do. I have a tendency to over build.

Mustang

intermidiot

Sure thing..

I am waiting on another camera though.. This one will not let me take photos close and get detail in the areas I need. I owe mkeigwin a couple more shots as well.. I will take them as soon as I can.. This camera is just not capable of taking the pictures I need under the lighting I have.. I have tried with flash, but it causes dark spots which show off even less detail. However, I will post them ASAP for the both of you. Good thing I did not close that area up yet as I have been playing with the Flap Servos a bit to get them perfectly aligned. They do not leave much wood for you to screw the cover plate on . It should have been wider ( the Flap servo brace )

Talk to you soon.. Thanks for the kind words on the plane.. keeps my motivation levels high.. Thanks again.. Much appreciation

Mustang1964

Hello Intermidiot,
Please do not slow down your build on my account. If you need to close up the wings go ahead. I will just ask a lot of questions.
Also, the fuse crutch is really warped. Is there a way to straiten it out? Should I build another one?
If I straiten it out will it warp and twist the fuse after the build?
Just would like ya'alls opinion.

intermidiot

No problem,

I do not mind waiting. We are suppose to help each other out.. I just hope mkeigwin sees my post and tells me why he used a block spacer.. That is not in the plans.. In regards to your question about the warped crutch.. If it was that bad I would get a new one. If it can be bent into place and glued straight then I would not worry about it. I had a few warped pieces that I had replaced when I started. I even ordered a second set of plans so I can have one on the table and look at one on the wall.

sometimes wetting the wood and then putting some weight on it works to flatten it out. I would try a few things before tossing. But end results usually warrant the extra mile. If you recently purchased it, they will replace the warped pieces free of charge. Just send them an email and when they ask you when you got it.. respond within the year. I was honest so they would not replace something I asked of them. I wish they would get rid of the wing replacement kit on their site as well. It is a real pain in the ass to think it is avail and then when you talk to them, they say no.

Hope that helps.. I will get those photos as soon as I can..

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Hey, I will be back on the 51 thru the weekend. Sanding the area under the stab right now, I sort of dread the next couple pages with the stab and elevator install. I would like to wait to glue on so I could get the glass on the stab first. I might try to just tack glue for now. I been reading the thread still but just lurking instead of posting.
Later,
Brad

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

sorry it took so long but have been working on other stuff . see pic .

i looked in the manual and on page 43 it tells about the blocks that i installed . they are for the 2 cycle motor . but i felt that the motor mount was not big . so i put it on . also i got this in 1997 and that is when i started to work on it . but i have not done anything on it sence around 1999 . but the other day when i got laid off . i started to clean out the house and well this is what i came up with . i have also gotten most of the othe tf kits . anybody want to do the b model . i have the upgrade and well i did not use it . so i was giong to sale on ebay .


check the ver of your manual mine is ver 1.0 what do you guy's have .

i got most of the grear done well one side and it took 2 days to get how i wanted . lots of work . so if you have sheeted yet , boy i wish i had only not have done that . do the grear first . ok see ya guy and here is so more pic.

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

My manual is also version 1.0 but my kit has updates that I taped in the manual at the proper place. Today I am installing the elevator pushrod, stab and possibly the fin if time allows. My kit was purchased from a guy at RCU so I have no idea when it was actually produced by TF. I will soon purchase another kit so I will know if there have been any changes in the plane since its inception. I have owned this plane for years and the orginal wing was lost on a bad landing, so I had a fuse left. I purchased another kit, built the wing so now I have a fuse LOL. I crashed the plane a couple months ago so I am now building the fuse and starting from scratch. You guys will love the plane it is beautiful in the air and flys nice, landings and take offs are a bit of a challenge. Keep the tail light as they come out very tail heavy.
Later,
Brad

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

i have have been buying all the top flite kits that . i can find . so far i have the p-51- p-47 zero and the red box p-51b and then there is the corsair on the way . was tring to get the p-39 but it went to $$ for me . thursday i started the p-47 and i have done the top fuse and tail so far hope by the end of the weekend i can be on the wing. . so i am bluild ing 2 of these at the same time . got alittle bored with p-51 for now . but will still work on it some . i have herid that the p-47 fly's the best of all of them. will post so pic tonight . have to go and bluid some more .

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Did any of you guys end up with a gap underneath the fin? I have about a 3/8" gap between the fuse and fin. I must have cut the sheeting off to short. No problem I can fill it with wood and then add some sheeting. It runs from the back of the stab to the end of the fuse. Thats gonna get a big note in the manual for next time.
Later,
Brad

intermidiot

Brad,

That gap should go away when you make the notch for the elevator bar. This will make the stab slide back a little and then the gap under the fin will even out with the bottom of the fuse. That gap bothered the hell outta me too. I could not understand if I needed to sand the fuse curves for the stab to be lower or not. But you do not have too.. If you look at my pictures you will see that I have no gap anymore. It just works itself out.

I hope this is the area you are talking about. If not post a photo and I will respond.

PS. I am working on the flaps at the moment. I just covered them and I am finishing the backs of them as I write this. I cannot believe how everything is matching up... It is unreal.. I do have one issue area that I am going to make a note about on this thread. I think it is important for people to see. I will post some photos once I remove the wings from the fuse and take the photo. Sorry I have not written for a few days, just been closing her up and getting her ready for the next step..

OH WAIT.. you are talking about the area under the fin.. heh... Way in the begining of this thread I said that ( not including you ) for all new people to look ahead at the photos, mandatory.. Reason: Look on page 11 above step 11.. You will see that the sheeting should have extended down farther at the back of the fin. That is why I told one of the guys he did his fin wrong. I knew that was going to be an issue for him. I extended based on that photo.. You will have to add some sheeting in that area.. In the long run when you add the side pieces to the elevators they will cover up that line ( area ) where the fin and stab meet.. check out my photos.. you will see what I mean.,

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Your right I see it in the pic now but the manual was a little vague here. I didn't notice it on the plans either. That is an easy spot to mess up on and anyone early in the build should make note of this. Its a very easy fix but better to do it right the first time instead of scratching your head when trying to line up the fin. So far everything besides that is looking perfect, im excited to get it in the air again, im shooting for spring 06. That tax return money will go a long way towards some RC needs hoping to fit century retracts and a 1.2 OS FS. I like building this plane so much Heck I may have to do still another after this one. This kit is the best I have ever done.
Later,
Brad

mkeigwin

My Feedback: (18)

did you guys find in the manual about teh motor blocks or do you guy not have them . well have to wait on the exopy to dry be fore i can go on with the next step . i have that big hole behind my stab also . i think that the elevtor rod will close that up so i never woried about it . some more pic of the p-47 . sorry but the p-51 will set untill i gthe the fuse done for the p-47 . have any of you guys ued the robert meter on your wings . i found that on the p-47 they say it should be +1 and well when i checked it it was +3 so i had to do lots of work to fix this . i hope i did it right . need to go and look at *** real quick .

intermidiot

hello there mkeigwin,

Yes I think we all have the manual V1.0 I reference it often via the web. http://www.top-flite.com/manuals/topa0110-manual.pdf

Thanks for that info on the blocks.. I should not have to use them since I am going with the YS 1.10 and that kelio exhaust. Great guy... nice to talk too.

I think I am going to do a little photo tutorial on sheeting the top of the wings at the back near the radiator. That is a real tricky part if you do double ply down the center like they want you too.. When you see it you are going to freak about the coolness I provide.. lol.. Plane is coming out great.. Next step is to add some more epoxy through the decking onto the chin cap ( seal that up nicely ) then put on my left side of the canopy area and close her up. Fit the gas tank ( no elevation needed cause the YS is pump engine ) then do a few final sandings and I think I am ready to glass.. Oh my!

I have the glassing all worked out already.. it is going to kick *****..

PS.. REALLY NICE work on that plane.. Have never used that tool. But might be worth a look later on down the road.. But really nice lines.. Great shaping!

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Yes I have the blocks you speak of. They are for the two stroke only, I think a 4 stroke mounts right to the fire wall. Which also brings up a question that I have. I want to use the OS 1.20 because my ST .90 was to light to balance the plane. But, it was mounted on the wood blocks which gained it about 1 inch or so. Im wondering now if the 1.2 will be light as well do to a more rearward mount. If anyone reading this has used this engine let me know how your plane balanced out. I had to add 6 to 8 oz of lead with the ST .90 and would like to avoid adding lead this time.
thanks,
Brad

Mustang1964

Hello Guys,
I think I am a little (a lot nervous) nervous about shaping the ends of the Stab. I now have the tips in the shape of the Stab vertical, but I have not shaped the very ends. It is still fat at the very tips. How did you all get the very tips looking so good? Did you add the Flaps to the stab to get the end done. I am thinking about putting the flaps on with toothpicks to shape the whole Stab as one unit. Should I wait until later to do the final shaping? I know a lot of Q's, but I would like to make it look good. Please keep any and all pictures coming. They are a really big help.

A while back there was talking about then next build. I was thinking about another P-51 but a model P-51A. This would help me make up with my mistakes. May be I will do better the next time. After that I am looking at the Corsair. I have to get some sleep now. Talk to you'all later.

Mustang

intermidiot

Ok, now this is gonna sound weird but,

When I do the elevators or ailerons I usually tape them together. I draw the angles on the wood from the plans, and then I start to sand it. Now, I only do a rough sanding. Once I get it glued ( like the stab ) onto the fuse I add my elevators or ailerons ( for the wings ) and put them in place.. then I just sand so that they match up. There is definitely this feeling you get when you are sanding the plane that guides you into knowing just how much is enough. You just get this feeling.. But you take your time and sand, sand, cough, sand and cough cough sand.. you get the idea.. lol It just works out.. Once you get this feeling I am talking about.. it just calmly flies along... weird...

Here are a couple of photos on what I did for the ailerons as is what I did for the elevators as well.. However, on the elevators I drew a line from the plans on the pieces. The ailerons required me to work more in the middle. I did this so I could shape either side of the aileron to match the Flap on one side and the wing tip on the other after I knew where the flaps edge was going to be. What is awesome about doing it this way is that I can keep my gaps pretty small between things. Kinda like on page 9 of this thread where the elevators meet the fuse. Marking the location and installing the hinges prior to any sanding keeps me in the middle. This way I know the placement is proper from the start.