SWORDSN

My Feedback: (13)

3D, please show pics of your gear door mechanism.I've struggled with mine but i'm getting close. If anyone else has a good working gear door system.pics would be great!!

3DFlight

Swordsn,

Here is a You tube post I did in December on initial tests. Since then I have put a small spring to hold the doors open and found some black rubber bands that are 5.5". During this gear door test, I let the wheel get hung up once, and the retracts worked as advertised, stopped with no furhter current drain, then hit switch and down they went.

http://youtu.be/hgXNn8MzNhc

Rege

SWORDSN

My Feedback: (13)

Rege,

So you are letting gravity open the doors along with the gear? Where are the springs connected?

I'm using the mechanism shown in the other ARF build thread..... still has bugs but I'm getting close.

Nelson

booker-RCU

My Feedback: (43)

Here is my solution to the gear door problem. I'm using electric gear retracts so a mechanical setup would be best. But I also had no luck getting them set up. I found the small electrical retracts from Hobby King for $6.00 ea. I installed an L-leg for the struts and put a connector on the end of it. Then hooked it up to the door. I used the sequence menu on the DX 18 to set the sequence and they look and work great. I realize that the same can be done with a small servo but if the door jams the servo could easily burn out or cause battery depletion. If the small retracts jam they just stop because of the overload circuitry built in.
I hope this is clear enough - it's actually very simple to do.

Galen

YAT-28E

thats an interesting solution!
Very cool

SWORDSN

My Feedback: (13)

That is very clever.... but I don't have a radio with that program ability. I still could do it with a manual approach ,hmmmm

booker-RCU

My Feedback: (43)

Thanks for the comments - The hardest part was running the wires through the wing to operate the door retracts.
Also it seems there should be some sequencers available that would work. Perhaps this one http://www.minihobby.com/electronics/mhgdc.htm
Just have to make sure not to drive the Robart Retracts with direct battery power. It needs to go through the Robart controler.

Galen

3DFlight

I installed the springs after the video. I put one torsion spring on each gear door to hold it open. The rubber band free length is the same as the opening, so, when the wheel retracts it closes the door. Then when gear is out the spring holds the doors verticle.

alb1661

My Feedback: (3)

RUDDER SLOPPY ?

I was not happy with the sloppy rudder control after I installed the rudder, to much flex in the neutral position. I removed the rudder and covering around the rudder arm. The rudder block is soft balsa material.
Even if you glued it in properly, after pressure on the rudder it would make a larger hole in the soft balsa. I purchased a new rudder from tower and put thin ZAP Ca in the hole to make the soft balsa block
hard as a rock, like bass wood, as it should have been.
I also added a brass tube over the rudder control arm before installing it in the rudder block.
I get no flex at all with this installation. I also loosened the torque rod clamp 1/4 turn to allow the servo to center easier

Hope this helps

Steve

MRadu

Okay well I’m back and I’m sorry that it’s taken so long but I’m working on several projects the same time. I have to set up a little system that allows me to resize my photos and place them in a folder and I decided to automate the process so that the next posts will come sooner and faster.

These first eight photos show that I was intentionally trying to put the plane together just as a weekend flyer. I had planned not to do any modifications to the aircraft. I just wanted something quickly to fly.

What happened first was the stock scale wheel being so short and non-retractable I had to make that change. This change lead to other changes and before I knew it I was tearing off the MonoKote and getting ready to fiberglass and I still don’t know what was I thinking. :-)

MRadu

My tail wheel has arrived. Here is the email address and website so you can check it out. The tailwheel is made by Earl. If you want one simply email him a request and he’ll take care of you. He makes other scale tail wheels for other planes.

Earl Aune <[email protected]>

http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blo...ir-tailwheels/

The images show how the tailwheel snowballed into starting to remove all the MonoKote off.

MRadu

Photos 1 and 2 show how I’m starting to remove all of the MonoKote. It is pretty tricky to get all out even between the ailerons and flaps.

Photo three shows how prepping with tape and wood dowels to plugs the holes. Getting ready to lay out the fiberglass.

Photos four through nine show the process of laying out the fiberglass and using the West System. I use the West System 105 epoxy resin and the 205 the hardner.

Photos 10 through 12 so the first coat of spraying a sand-able primer. It’s an automotive sand-able primer that allows the fills in deep scratches and sands easily.

Warbird Man

My Feedback: (95)

Not do any modifications. Is that even possible???

MRadu

After installing the scale tailwheel you will find that in the retract position it hits the fuselage so it cannot retract the entire way. You have to cut out the second set of doors for the scale appearance. Also in the tip of the fuselage, the plastic fiberglass part, has no indentation for the Tailhook. So that has to be created as well.

After cutting out the plastic. I then use that thick balsa wood and shaped the piece as required. Then with a little BonDo ever coat I filled in the wood. I’m still not finished shaping, as you can see here it’s almost finished.

MRadu

I know Warbird man. I really don't think it is possible. :-)

In photos one into you can see the non-scale canopy that comes with the kit. I wanted a more scale canopy so I ordered one from Nick Zorili.
Also to make it even more scale I wanted to create outer frame shell for the canopy. In photo five you can see the products that I use from Tap Plastics. The little bottle of mold released paste is used to put a small wax shell over the canopy. Then use the PVA mold release in your airbrush to spray several coats of a very fine mist which creates a bonded shell around the canopy which will not harm it as you lay out your fiberglass.

In photos six and seven you can see that there’s a slight tint to the canopy. Before applying your wax paste and or your PVA shell mold release you need to die you canopy. If you so choose to. I use a Ritz die that you can get at the grocery store. You mix the Ritz die with water in a pot and heat until it’s very hot then pour over your canopy. This will die your canopy a small tint. The more you pour the hot die over your canopy the darker it will become. Practice on a small extra piece first. I had to order an extra canopy for the mistakes I did it first.

Photos eight and nine show after releasing the mold from the canopy. I then cut out the basic frame. In photo nine you can see that I have sprayed the sand-able primer coat to see where areas need to be fixed. This takes time and you just need to be patient.

The remaining photos show how the scale canopy doesn’t match the non-scale fuselage of the Top-Flite Corsair. I’ll have to add material to the fuselage before I start to fiberglass.

MRadu

I’m happy to see the stock cockpit materials provided by Top-Flite. However I want to do even more scale apperance. Now that I’m working so much on the canopy I like to use IFlyTailies.com

The dash and the gunsight are sold separately. In photo seven you can see that I just placed it in there for location to check it out.

MRadu

Now moving onto the tail. Nice to have the rudder removable at this time so I can fiberglas the vertical stabilizer and work on the rudder separately. This will not be the case for the horizontal stabilizer in the elevators. Also if you look closely I decided to put a 1/16 piece of plywood at the trailing edges of the control surfaces. Just for scale looking purposes. I then had to BonDo up to smooth out the surface.

MRadu

I’m planning ahead before I fiberglas the fuselage. I need to hatch in order to turn on off my power for my ignition and for my receiver, also to refuel the airplane as well as to air up retracts. The first thing is to place some packing tape right over the balsa wood on the fuselage where the hatch will be. Then simply fiberglass this area and let it dry. The packing tape will act as a mold release an the dried fiberglass will simply pop off. This’ will become the actual little piece that I’ll use for the hatch after I fiberglass the fuselage.

Photos 2,3 and 4 show that I’m starting to fiberglass the horizontal stabilizer. As the elevators are already attached I first had to cut out the trim tabs first make some pieces for those, and then using SolorTex covering cover the elevators. Using masking tape to protect the elevators while I lay up the fiberglass.

Photos 5,6 and 7 show the pilot that I purchased from Best Pilots.com I’m going to use Pappy in my Corsair. I show him here sitting on the wing of my P-51 Mustang from AeroWorks. In the background you can see I’m using another Best Pilots inside my P-51. The AreoWorks P-51 is MonoKote as well and I’m fiberglassing this as well.

MRadu

I’m using the DLE 55 – RA. This engine is with the rear exhaust and seems fit perfectly. The only downside is that in the manual with Top-Flite the drilling pattern doesn’t match. I then had to make my own as you can see in the photos. At this point I don’t think even any additional standoffs will be necessary other than what came with the motor. I’ll be able to better determine this later when installing the dummy engine and cowling.

Ok now I'm now current where I am at the working table. I hope my posting are helpful and ok by you Warbird Man. Also feel free to ask if I'm unclear about something.

MRadu

Oh yes. After seeing the non-scale rudder and your post Warbird Man I'll be removing the covering on the rudder and reshaping it too. Thanks for pointing that out.

MRadu

Warbird Man,

Are my photos to small? I believe I can make them larger. What do you think?

MRadu

Also looking at the rudders trim tab I feel that my vacuum formed connecting rod is to large. I'll be making smaller ones and I'll take photos if you want to see how I do those.

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Getting ready to start one all eyes!

MRadu

Great Hairy46,

How much modification are you planning?

Warbird Man

My Feedback: (95)

Wow Micheal, your really goin' to town on that thing. I better get my butt down in the shop and get moving myself

Double check the space between the flaps and wing before you glass them. Mine are glued in so close I can only get about 30 degrees max down. I would would have to remove some material on the flaps leading edge and recover them in order to get them to drop farther down for scale or just live with it.
Kinda wish Topflite would "not" have pre-glued all the flight control surfaces on.