The Raven

A friend of mine did some CAD based on Dick Hourigans reference material. It's not super detailed but it was looking specifically at the external profile etc of the aircraft. If he's included the gear it will be as accurate as the reference material. I'll chase him up on it and see what he has.

Bundy

Morning

Just another update and another evolution of my Boomerang project.

After seeing "The Boomerang Story" DVD - thanks Craig - I realized just how aerobatic the real Boomerang was at least down low. No matter how much I played with props I couldn't get enough power out of the AXI 5360 to fly a 30+lb Boomerang like the full size at least with a sensible battery count. Choice was bigger motor and batteries or smaller plane. Smaller plane won.

I totally redrew my 3D model from scratch as there were still lumps and bumps I wasn't happy with and the undercarriage wasn't fitting. The undercarriage I've designed for this one fits all the full size angles perfectly both up and down, will be air operated and mount back into the main wing like the full size and not rely on a flimsy little bearer tacked to half a rib mounted out near the LE.

This 3D model is close but due to limitations of the software or maybe the operator - there is a big learning curve with this 3D stuff! - there are still one or two areas that will need fixing in the 'real' world. Also after a recent warbird weekend here in Bundy and seeing how many very nice planes were of home built composite construction I'm really curious again to see how this works.

So I'm producing a 1/5th scale MDF plug of the Boomerang. Sounded easy enough at first but I now realize what an involved task this is. The machining time needed is amazing. As you can see from the pics just to cut part of the starboard side is going to take nearly 8 hours on the router! Still this is a lot less than doing it by hand and a lot more accurate.

I've already done the cowl and am starting the fuselage this week. The finish you can get with MDF is just beautiful. A lot of elbow grease is still needed however.

Really loving this project
Richard

Bundy

One third of the starboard side hot off the router after 6 hours of machining. It is really rewarding to feel those curves in real life that you have spent hours creating on the computer in some virtual world.

Still a very long way to go tho - this and the same piece on the port side are the single biggest cuts. If these pieces come out alright the other pieces will just be a matter of going thru the process. I'm going to try a special high-gloss mdf surface primer meant for plug making. Might mean a little less elbow work required.

Back to the cutting

Richard

NoFlaps

My Feedback: (131)

I'd love to geta copy of your plans. =)

Bundy

Morning

Progress on the 5th scale plug continues. I've got the starboard side basically roughed out but I can't get too excited about working a finished surface into it until I get the port side done so I can blend them together. Also need the little plug parts that will span the two sides fitted in so they can be faired in as well. Pieces like the battery hatch, cowl, tailwheel cone and the front windscreen.

There has been a shortage of 16mm MDF at our local Bunnings so I've had to get 12mm for the port side plug which has meant recalculating the machining splits in the port side - bit of a pain. Still all done now so I'll be laminating the blanks for the port side bits today and hopefully get them all cut this week. Again they will be the best part a 7 hour machining process for the two big pieces and a couple of hours for the smaller parts. With some luck I hope to have a complete, all be it rough, complete MDF plug by this time next week. Then the real hard work will start firstly fairing it all and then working a finish into it. Then the fun bit of adding the details such as panel lines, rivets , hatches etc.

I've started playing with the epoxy tooling gelcoat on some of the already finished smaller parts such as the nose moulding and gear door. Don't know if there is a trick to using this stuff but I've found I have to de-gas the piece once the gelcoat is applied in a vacuum to get all the air bubbles out before it tacks off and then start laminating.

I've also had a play with ideas for the porcupine exhaust since I'm building a CAC13 - BF-N "U-Beaut-2". I had thought of moulding it but then applied the KISS principle and tried thin brass. I haven't got the shape quiet right here but as a proof of concept I'm really happy with this.

Richard

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Richard,

I have been silently watching your progress here and i have to say that so far she is looking AWESOME!!! the exhaust looks absolute magic!

Now, on to the lanc...

Thanks

Dave

jymster

My Feedback: (9)

Yes, Bundy, very nice work on the flame tamer exhaust. Have you used a straight tube, or tapered like the full size? How did you keep everything in place while soldering? Did you make a jig?

Also, I have finally got your photos together and will try to get them off to you this week. My wife is due to have a baby any day now, so that could throw another spanner in the works.

James.

Oakey

Good luck to you and your wife James
Craig

jymster

My Feedback: (9)

Thanks Craig!

Bundy

Hi James

And for sure all the best for the impending arrival. What you're about to launch into sure makes Boomerang building look like a walk in the park!!

I'll take some pics as I build the next exhaust this week so you can see how it is jigged. It is tapered from 34mm down to 21mm which is the best guess I can make from various photos. I'm assuming there was only one style of these exhaust and all the photos are of the same basic shape - and they say photos don't lie. I did get the rotational angle wrong tho. There are 7 rows of covers arranged around the exposed part of the exhaust but they don't span the full 180 degrees. Something more like 160 degrees so from square on you can see both the top and bottom row of covers slightly tilting towards you.

I also got the actual covers slightly wrong. I think the actual cover is slightly longer and at a lower angle. I've now worked how to import jpgs into Rhino and trace actual shapes from the pics so I should be able to get it right this time. I'll trace a number of pics and compare and if needs be take the best fit unless someone has more accurate specs??

Richard

Bundy

Not as much progress this week as would have liked due to storms, router break down and computer virus problems.

All going again now and I now have something that looks like a Boomerang. Rather than push on with the canopy I think I might tackle the tailplane plug. This should be a relatively easy build and will allow me to start playing with different composite layups and comparing weights and strength on a smallish scale.

The lack of straight lines in the fuselage which has caused so many problems to this point now is a source of great joy. Sanding the various curves of this plug now is almost therapeutic. Maybe the dust is getting to me!

Richard

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Mate,

You have really mastered that CNC of yours!!!!! it looks awesome. I would love to see it in person some day.

Keep up the great work!

Thanks

Dave

Bundy

Hi All

Just to keep things alive here is an update picture of my 1/5th Boomerang's plug. Progress is very slow with other projects taking their fair share of what seems to be a twindling supply of spare time but progress is progress. It is still a very exciting project.

Once I get the final part of the canopy cut I will be able to blend all the shapes and curves together as one, seal the MDF and then start detailing the surface. Then the real fun part of moulding it will begin. I've given up setting deadlines and things will happen when they do.

I'm really looking forward to the day this shape pops out of a mould - I'm sure it will all be worth while.

Richard

jymster

My Feedback: (9)

Looking great, Richard. I never did send you that Boomerang photo CD did I? I will have to pull my finger out!

James.

Oakey

looking magnificent mate.

i sent patty the link to war bird colours.

i have finished the bulk of the outline of the 262 just working on the canopy. i will bung it up on drivehq for you to look at tonight. your advice was spot on and has helped no end!

cheers

craig

tit

hi
I'm looking for a boomerang short kit. The first adress i had wasn't good.

Thank you

***

jymster

My Feedback: (9)

***,

You should contact Dave Brown of Model Draughting Services. He can cut a laser short kit for you. His email address is [email protected]

regards,

James.

P4Patti

Bonjour ***

Maybe in a few months time there'll be a moulded 1/5th scale Boomerang! It's definitely back on the building bench with the goal to have it flying by our warbird weekend at the end of September.

Craig, thanks for the warbird colours link, I've been talking to him, but there's a bit of a problem with supply at the moment with the difference in the Au$ and US$ being so great. I'd like to get a small tin just to try it out and see how it sprays and sticks to the etch primer etc. But from his website http://www.warbirdcolours.net/ I found a link to a guy who does decals. I contacted him about noseart and he's produced a decal from the Magician painting I did. It looks great and I'm dying to put in on the cowl. Hopefully we'll have a finished cowl by the end of the weekend as Richard has finished cutting the plug and it's ready for the detailing. Will post a pic as soon as it's on.

I'm not completely happy with that noseart tho, there's no mention of blue (like I've used on the hat) in the description so I'm going to do another painting but as a side by side comparison will paint one straight onto the cowl and see how it looks compared to the decal. We got onto a supplier of blades for vinyl cutters and have ordered blades and a holder which will be fitted into the cnc in place of the router so we can cut stencils! That will be useful That should make it easier to paint small detail if I can mask it off.

Richard did some "power building" on my wing to get it moving along as I'm a bit slow. Don't think he was overly into it but it's much appreciated as my trainer has all but come to bits so I'm wingless at the moment. The covering was peeling off! He's a happy chappy again now because he's back onto the Lanc and Boomerang without Citabria distractions - altho I bet there's more he'll have to help with before it's done! I'm up to covering so there's progress.

Au revoir
Patti

Oakey

i was wondering if we could adapt our machines to do stencils, can you email me with details of the bits i need, and i must also grab some tools from your tool supplier

onward and upward, if any pair of people can get the boomerang in the air by september it is you two!

cheers

craig

P4Patti

Sorry I didn't see your reply Craig with the request for details on the bits. Anyway, you caught up with us in the Lanc forum so you're not being snubbed!

Finally some pics of the cowl which I think looks great but already Richard is thinking about a 2nd moulding with extra detail. We REALLY need to retire to get all this fun stuff done There are so many curves on this thing that every picture only shows part of the whole. It really is a lovely shape.

Now that the cowl is moulded and etch primed I'll try and find a moment over Easter to put some paint on and try to bring out the details a bit and then I can stick that decal of the Magician on. I'm dying to see how it looks painted and art worked.

Til next time
Patti

wegier-r

Hi everybody,

This thread is absolutely great! I also plan to build together with a friend building a Boomer. My friend likes to build one in 1/5, and I plan to build one in 1/4 fitted with a Moki 215 or 250 Yesterday we received the earlier mentioned plans from Down Under. My friend plans to create CAD-plans out of the plans we yesterday received. Of course we also observe this thread as we are very interested in the progress of your projects

@James: Would there be any possibility to ship a copy of your CD to us? We are living in Switzerland

Best wishes from Switzerland,

Richard

PS: In 2007 I was able to visit both Boomers still in flying condition (the one in Temora and the other one in Oakey I guess). I prefer to build the one from Temora

P4Patti

Hello again

I realise I should have introduced myself - I'm the other half of "Bundy" who is building the 1/5th scale using the cnc machine and drawing it up on Rhino. Anyway, you've probably worked that out by now tho!

The warbird colours arrived yesterday and we got a coat onto the new cowl and then the decal. It's all pretty rough but great to finally see it in the real world. Richard is straining his brain over the canopy shape - where it meets the front windshield. None of the 3 views match the photos so he's basically drawing it from photos, what you see. Craig, the pictures took in Oakey are invaluable. Richard hopes to have it sorted some time next week then things should progress reasonably quickly from there.

James, if you've got that CD of pics, they'd still be useful

Great to hear another build underway on the other side of the world. I hope you post pics and details of your progress.

bye for now
Patti

P4Patti

Hi again

I forgot to mention that the decal is from Aero Art RC Decals. This is the contact if anyone is interested. [email protected]

Peter does a great job and is very reasonable. I do a bit of airbrushing and normal brush painting (like this magician) and if the nose art is painted large scale it reduces down really well into a decal.


Patti
www.artbypatti.com

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Hey, great job guys, it looks really good.

Is this guy up your way patti?? A mate of mine from SCAF was telling me there was someone up your way that was making decals and was resonably priced...

Thanks

dave

Peter_OZ

My Feedback: (1)

excellent work there Patti [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

We are moving house today yay!! [:-]

cheers
Peter