ZoomZoom-RCU

Here are of few of my past 1/2-A birds in action. Sorry the vid is a bit raw....old stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewwNf...eature=channel

ZZ.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

That's great stuff ZZ!

I've heard of using the foam board [poster board] just haven't seen it done. I'm real impressed with your fleet, the tri-plane doesn't look like it should fly so well.......or is that you just making it look easy [8D]?

propjobbill

This winter I built about 15 foam board planes. Most of them were for electric engines , but on three or four of them I used balsa and plywood around engine and fuel tank areas. I would love to here what you did to insure that the foamboard holds up to repeated fuel flights. Those are very nice videos

I love building with foamboard. It only takes me a few hours to build paint and install radio. So they end up being a one or two evening project. Any comments on your building methods would be apreciated

I've loaded a few pictures showing different building methods. I like to use balsa along the hinging surfaces. I also sometimes dothe flat parts with balsa to make them stiffer.

Thanks, and great job

ZoomZoom-RCU

Thanks guys. Funny thing you would mention the DR1 flying well CP. Its control setup was rudder and elevator. If I ever do another it will be aileron and elevator like the rest of them...but it did fly pretty decently. I'm currently testing a Curtiss Jenny made entirely from those foam trays you get meat in. I'll keep ya'll posted.

ZZ.

PS. Thanks for the details on your process PJB!

dked41

ZoomZoom, what kind of finish are you using on the glow powered posterboard and paper covered airplanes?
dked41

kpriddle

ZoomZoom,

Did you use plansto buildthe Focke Wulfe and the Albatros? If so, which ones were they?

Thanks,
KP

ZoomZoom-RCU

Dked, basically just the paint, (because I didn't us Fiddlers Greens' finish) and most importantly, water based polyeurethane. Slather on a good couple coats of this and it will harden up well. I'd also recommend a few coats of this in the engine compartment, because over time, ( a few seasons) that engine oil will soak in and make the poster board soggy,and I replaced the lower part of the cowl with aluminum from soda cans as a result. That was really oil proof! Epoxy resin might be a really good idea in that area as well.

kpriddle I used the Fiddlers-Green card model for the Focke wulfe..but the Albatross and Fokker DR1 were scratch built. You could use thier design for these as well though....give it a shot! The nice thing about the WWII monoplanes is that built from fan fold foam or posterboard they are still light enough. With the biplanes, you might get away with a posterboard fuse, but I think foam wings are a better shot there to keep things light. I cut a foam core with hot wire and glued paper to the exterior for my wings on the bipe and tripe, very strong!! But if you wanted to use the pure FG design, just glue the paper template you blew up and cut out of the FG sheet to some thin fan fold foam and make the wing that way. Should work fine as well!

Oh yeah...it was the FW190, that I used at FG.

ZZ.

ZoomZoom-RCU

Oh....also...some more suggestions. Ive found that for the tail surfaces, if building with posterboard, sandwiching some basic "meat tray" foam inside them, or even replacing the posterboard with the tray foam all together is a good way to get the surfaces strong and light without any real weight penalty.

ZZ.

kpriddle

I see.  Thank you for the explanations.

   It's just amazing to me how lightly (structural-wise) all these planes are build, but how nicely and practically fly.  Do you happen to have any close up pictures as I would love to see the other small details.

KP  

dked41

ZoomZoom, Thanks for the information and tips, this makes for a whole new world of aircraft to model. It will nice to get away from flat balsa fuselages on round cowl planes!!

dked41

ZoomZoom-RCU

Thanks guys. I'll see if I can dig up some pics KP.

ZZ.

PS.

Yeah, if you build them sensibly, they are very straight forward, quick and easy, and as you go it becomes quite obvious where you need support items like foam or ply formers/ supports..etc. I think in the FW190 the only extras I added were a ply firewall, wing-spar, and wing crutch, a foam former in fuse aft of the wing, and I believe a couple of foam ribs glued inside the wing itself to help the shape. With the biplanes they had even less, as with the way those wings are built, and co-connected through struts they didn't even need spars.

ZoomZoom-RCU

Found one. This is of the FGreen FW190, prior to test flights. Thought I had more, I'll do somemore looking.

ZZ.

kpriddle

Wow, that's beautiful and surprisingly clean, even for not being flown yet. I was thinking that the addedstructurewould be much more than what you have added, but was I wrong! Of course, what you have holds up just fine.

Thank you very much for picture. What is its wingspan and weight?

KP

ZoomZoom-RCU

I lost this bird due to battery failure in flight...but it flew beautifully for three seasons.

The span was 23 inches
I forget the weight, but it had a 2oz. fuel tank that allowed 20 to 30 minute flights with the Surestart .049.
Scale the FG plans to around the wingspan you want, and the rest will fall into place.

Its really fun to build this way,and you get good at figuring out where to put "internals" to give support where needed. For instance, after flying this one afew times I learned that where I hold the plane aft of the wing was starting to dimple due to me gripping it there. In order to maintain strength and shape there, I later added some foam supports inside the fuse which solved the issue completely. It really is a cool and flexible way to build, and there are many different ways to go about it. Be creative!

ZZ.

PS. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a FG type to build is airflow, and engine placement. The FW190 is great as all the air sucking into that big cowl and out the ports at the rear of it, really help keep the engine cool and running well. all the WWI types aren't bad in this regard either. I've been tempted to do a ME109, or p-40 warhawk...but I'll have to give those some thought first as they are a bit trickier with air flow.

kpriddle

Thanks for all of the tips and info.  I'll have to put a few of these on my "to-do list". 

Thanks again,
KP

dked41

I really like the Albatross, how big is it? and how did you make the spinner?

dked41

ZoomZoom-RCU

Thanks Kp. I look forward to seeing what you build. : )

Dk, the Albatros DIII is still flying after five seasons, I'll have to take measurements/weights for you when I get home.

The spinner is made by turning up a plug from blue foam in a drill. You glue a pencil or wood dowel into your rough plug, stick it in a drill bit, then with sandpaper, shape it in the drill till its how you like it. Coat it in vaseline then coat it in bondo, or rock hard or some other casting material. Then pull theplug out and you have a female mold. In this lay up three to four layers of wet paper and glue, and trim thisonce removed. Make a round backplate of lite ply and place behind propellor and glue the spinner over it. Done. Or you can simply use the fiddlers green spinner and beef it up with epoxy. I did mine this more complex way because I liked the finished result, and was experimenting with the process as well, but either way will work.

ZZ.

kpriddle

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