DVM100

Has anyone got some suggestions and detailed pics for cockpit rails? I've bought some brass channel and I want to be able to open up the cockpit.

nini

Hello DVM,

Here are some Pics.
Hope that can help....[img][/img]
christophe

DVM100

Hey Christophe,

thanks man they look fantastic! How does it keep together in flight? is there a pin that runs through the rails? And have you used magnets to keep the two parts connected?

Ah, I see from one pic that you have a tube running iside the channel which means the edges have been bent over to keep it all together. I'm not sure I'm that technically gifted to be honest.

Or, second thought, have you used box tube instead of u shaped, and dremelled a slot along the length, leaving a bit each end to act as a stop?

nini

Hey DVM,

You're right for the second thought, it's a box tube that i've dremelled in the midle, and a tube running inside.
The fuse, the canopy and the screws do the stop.
there is no magnet or pin, only a good adjusment and it's enough to keep it together
christophe

DVM100

Merci mon ami!

David

Christophe,

I have unashamedly stolen your idea and bought some box channel today. the cockpit is going in this afternoon!!

nini

Hello DVM100,


Here are some other pics, if you want to do the same.
Box tube is 4x4mm
Sliding tube is 3mm Diam.
Styrene tube is 4x4mm to block the sliding canopy.
christophe

DVM100

Hi Christophe,

thanks again for these pics mate. I have put in one box channel on the port side this afternoon and it looks great. I am just waiting for epoxy to cure before i go ahead with the starboard side, just to make sure the measurements match. The polystryene box is a great idea for the canopy stop and I'll look for some tomorrow.

When I finish I will post some pics for you to critique.

Dave

This pic is the port side just curing. I have yet to do some strengthening work inside to put a back on the box to stop it from separating from the fuze. You can see a few cracks in the fuze where she had a tough landing and I will fix that and repaint later. I have put some high speed grease in the box for the canopy to slide a bit easier.

nini

Hey Dave,

Some ideas for the exhaust, very easy and can work for lots of model.
Only a plastic rail, some heat shrink tubing and a master of what you want.
christophe

nini

Hi Dave,
you've done exactly the same.[sm=thumbs_up.gif]
there is no reasons it do'nt works.
good job..
christophe

DVM100

Hey Christophe, thanks for your encouragement - I'm nowhere near as good as you mate, but it's fun stretching the abilities!

Those exhausts look the part that's for sure. I've got a working exhaust being made for me to fit my RCV 120SP that powers the Spit. What engine are you using?

Dave

nini

Thank's Dave,

I'm using an OS 120AX that fit well in the cowl as your 120 RCV will. I love planes when the exhaust is completly hidden
christophe

DVM100

She looks absolutely beautiful. Have you flown her?

I've flown mine about seven or eight times. I had some trouble early on with engine overheat until I increased the oil content t 20% and now she runs really well. I also have a few retract problems, due mainly to our strip which is really quite rough. It's new and we have struggled to get it in good shape with the drought. I've since put Mick Reeve wheels and oleos onher and she tracks much better across the ground. I've also tilted the retracts forward slightly to compensate for the "need" to nose over. I've put a better tail wheel on as well and the next flight will be after i've finished my mods. I'm waiting with baited breath for my exhaust to come - I'm really looking forward to seeing the exhaust come out through the stacks!!

nini

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your comments
I've not flown her yet.
I've to finish the radio installation, and i've some problems with the flaps......
They works likes the ailerons....one down when one up...????!!!![>:][sm=72_72.gif]
I fear the nose over because the CG will be near from the wheels
I hope to have a maiden before august, bacause for me and my family it's hollidays now[sm=shades_smile.gif]
christophe

DVM100

I had the same problem with my flaps initially until I put them on separate channels and synchronized them. She certainly lands beautifully with flaps extended. I've done four landings without flaps and three or four with flaps - flaps are definitely better. There is absolutely no tip stall and she comes in nice and smooth. Goods luck with her! You will love it. mine certainly turns heads and gathers a crowd at my local Club. Cheers for now - got to have some dinner whilst I contemplate my next build - a Thunder Tiger Sea Fury! Dave

CAPT John

My Feedback: (15)

I have the KMP Hurricane and used a reversing Y-harness to match the direction of flap travel. This allowed me to use a single channel.
John

nini

thanks john,

But i've just return one servo, and now it's oK....
christophe

DVM100

Hey Christophe,

I've done a bit more tinkering and here are a couple of shots of progress so far. I am going to build up the rear of the windscreen slightly so the canopy slides in underneath across the entire frame. At the moment it fits under at the top but if I screw the windscreen down tight it doesn't quite fit under. I'll then finish off the cockpit interior, add the pilot, paint the framework and go back flying again. Once I'm satisfied I'll start on my Sea Fury.

Dave

oriole

My Feedback: (19)

Does anybody know where I can get a couple of spare clevis's? I used the pushrods that came with the Kit. I had a clevis break (luckiliy it happened on the ground), and wish to replace. I believe they are metric sized.

Oriole

drifter

My Feedback: (53)

Just find someone locally who has crashed a KMP model. P-38s come to mind. They probably have a few laying around.

Shihtzutan

OK Gentlemen, I picked up a KMP Spit in January, have read through these threads, and plan on making this into one of my flagships. Naturally some things will have to be redone. I'm curious about the color of the camo. In some of these posts the camo is distinctly different, more like a gray and green, but mine seems to have come in with Dark Sea Grey, Dark Green and Sky for the undercarriage. I'm using a M&M Model color chip book and none of the colors match very well! This is not a big deal but the mods I'll be making will require some repainting and I want to get it right as long as I'm going to be into the mods this deeply. So if anybody knows what colors are the right colors, I'd love to hear from them! I'll be using a Satio 125 for power, with possibly a Keleo exhaust and Spectrum radio and servos.

My planned mods are:
Scale hinging (this is where the paint will be necessary- rudder and ailerons will need to be stripped)
Pull-pull rudder system
Carbon fiber push rods will replace dowels.
Dowel and tiller arm for joining the horizontal stabilizer (this is made from the dowels supplied and an drilled out heavy duty servo arm epoxied into place - a proven system)
Fabricates cockpit w/Elite Force pilot figure (possible sliding canopy)
Guns and cannon (of course)
Weathering
Robot struts (possibly a retractable tail wheel).

Experience has taught me to weigh carefully the practicality of dealing with the extras, especially sliding canopies, and retractable tail wheels. If the model is going to be more of a flyer, I tend to omit the features that will constantly aggravate me! Live and learn right?

So how about those paint colors? I'd rather not repaint the whole model. Anybody?

alanc

look at a dozen spits, and they will all be differant, the factory were sent colour chips of the shades we wish to use, for me, they look very good, here are a few things buyers have done

sheet the wheel bays, some dont like the plastic liners

remove the leading edge covering of the flaps, and sand the LE, to get a better flap angle, (spits where all, or nothing, by the way)

shim the undercart, to make the rake more forward,

fit an elavator jojner, with a brazed on tiller arm, to this is linked a carbon pushrod, with your choice of end, i went for 3mm rod here
the elevator has also been done with a double sided elevator joiner, using closed loop (pull pull?) instead of a pushrod

i personally put the servo well forward, and link this to a large tiller arm, this is my preffered way on any of my planes,

pull pull the rudder, another pushrod weight saved,

all simple mods that dont take an age, for anyone having trouble getting the engine central, there is an excellant tutorial on the r/c flyers site, by the designer, INDIGBO, if i can think of anything else, i will post here,

and dont forget, these kits MUST be dryong up over there, the switch to another manufacturing method is in hand, but the MK1V wont be re-released another MK maybe over here, collectors are searching for unbuilt kits, cant figue why someone would want to save a kit in such a big box!!

Shihtzutan

Thanks for the condensed list of modifications alanc,

Last run on MkXIV's huh? I'm glad I picked this up since the MkXIV is my favorite Spit! So it's all or nothing on the flaps huh? Would you know how many degrees they drop? Can you identify the correct camo colors for me by name or will I have to do my own research?

My paint matching skills are very good but the very dark overall scheme of the upper serfaces of this particular kit seems way off! I can live with the undercarriage color.

I haven't seen anyone scale the hinges on this kit, to me it's a simple but big improvement! I'll post a few picks when I get to it.

alanc

take the wing to a paint shop, have them match the paint in emulsion, i think you call it laytex, its good for touch ups, if you are cheeky, ask for a sample jar, to test it out, full size flaps where 85 degrees, anything above 70 would be a bonas, scale hinges would be a nice touch, but how would you do the ailerons? they are shrouded on the full size

Shihtzutan

I just got back from a warbird airshow in Geneseo NY, mulled over a bubble top Spitfire Mk XVI and got a good look at them! I examined them quite carefully and got shots of a P-40's hinges, which were very similar in the way they did things (also shrouded). I'll post pics as I go along with my mods. Here's a teaser for you of what was at the airshow.

Shihtzutan

And the P-40 hinges. . . if you can figure them out, and the very clean P-40E they belongs to!