RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Agree. Overall this is a very good looking ARF. But it is an ARF. It is much like when you need a new house, right?

Do you build it yourself, and get it exactly as you want, or do you buy an existing house?

If you buy an existing house, there will allways be something you dont like.

For me, it is 2 things;

1) The wheels are in the wings, instead of in the fuselage. That is very sad. Especially when you see that they almost split it
in the scale location, but not quite. So they did a 50% job on that.

2) That ugly separation line around the cockpit.

I will fix both.
1), yes, if the wheel wells has to be moved, say 2 cm closer to the fuselage, I dont mind. I just lay up some layers of
fiberglass before doing some cutting. I save that as a sort of mould. Then I cut a big square away from the wing, and
put a fiberglass square back on, instead. It will have the benefit of getting a crisp edge around the wheel well, instead of that balsa-edge.

2) I think can be fixed with some epoxy and some repainting. It wont hurt with some extra mottling. I just scan
the colors and buy a box of interior house-paint, mix it 50-50 with windshield fluid, and paint.

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Makes it look like a giant foamy [:@]

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Point well taken, I too agree. Looking forward to your mods.
Thank you!

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Funny how no one made similar comments about the Robart P-47...

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

I have to agree that I really dislike the large hatch that distracts from the canopy. I was highly considering this plane form myself as I really like the paint scheme that was chosen. But in all honesty I think instead I will purchase the smaller 70 inch ESM 109 instead. Two things for me would have made this plane a winner and the canopy hatch ruined one of those for me and the other is the landing gear. It would have been cooler if they used the actual engine hatch doors for access than the canopy. They made the effort to make plug in wings to the fuselage but opted to put the gear in the wing and not in the fuselage which I was really hoping for. So I will be happier saving the money and buying the smaller ESM plane and giving it a paint job.

I applaud ESM for the effort overall they did a fairly nice job on this ARF but I wish they would have just gone the extra mile on this one. Maybe I am expecting too much but its kinda funny how they design these things sometimes.

One other thing is the lack of a spinner, that kinda bummed me out on the ESM 190 I purchased years back. I think an ARF should always come with a spinner.

Adding the drop tank to the kit was a nice touch though. Ordinance is always cool!

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hey figured this is best place to post some pics. Early pic's of cockpit... This is between 1/5 and 1/4 scale according to the wing span. Here are a some pic's of the cockpit so far. No cutting and of the servo trays needed. But will have to move the elevator and rudder servo under the cockpit floor. Also shown a 1/5 scale and 1/4 scale pilot in the cockpit..


Ty

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hi Ty, great work as usual:). I think I like th 1/4 scale pilot best...do you think this plane will need much lead for balancing with a DA50?

Thanks
Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Ty,
Great stuff as usual. I will post a pic of my relocated elevator/rudder servo later tonight and give you a measurement of the depth that I can get without interference for the floor.
Dave

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Thanks guys for the comments. The floor of the cockpit is about 1/8-1/4" above the forward servo tray. You have plenty of room to move the servos to the floor of the fuse,
So Dave that new tray you made will work great.

I think by the time you add your motor and spinner this plane will balance pretty well. Most of the 109's I have built in the past required no nose weight...

Ty

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Cheers for that Ty,
I took the measurements anyway and what I got was 4 1/2 inch from the lip of the fuselage to the top of the elevator servo leaving 1/8th inch clearance (elevator servo is the one with the cables) and at the back 4 1/4 inch from the lip to the cables with the same clearance. If anyone else does a similar mod I Hysol'd the tray to the floor and the original bulkhead and used a 4mm ply brace across the back as the floor was flexing a bit much for my liking. Now it's rock solid.
Jimmy, at a rough fingerbalance it seems like it should be close with a DLE-55 upfront. Bear in mind however that whilst I did pay $600 for the kit, I didn't get a spinner so can't really gauge balance yet.:) Boy do I feel ripped off :D:D:D

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

I can help you out about the spinner. The ESM P39 spinner weighs 8.9 OZ

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hi Ty you do such great work. I hope you continue it for many years to come

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hi VaMB, Im calling you right now for a 109:D

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Thanks Ty for that info, sounds like the DA85 will work to my advantage being a little heavier that the 50..I will defintely be ordering the cockpit since I know it will be a work of art;) Can I order it direct from you when it is ready Ty?

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hey Dave, thanks for solving the rudder servo placement for us...I will use your location and piggy back method, its great:D Also, thanks again for the pictures, they really say a lot about the size of the model, thats because you had the engine mounted on the fuse...1/4.43 scale, about 22.5%! Be a great candidate for the DA85:)

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hey Dave, I also use those SWB tension adjusters, I don't know why more modelers dont use them:eek: Are you going to use the second servo in the tray for the tail wheel and rudder, and how did you like the elevator set up on this plane?

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Dave, I noticed the air fill valve inside the fuse, there must be a quick release mechanism for the canopy hatch...how is that to your liking? Sorry if I ask too many questions:eek:

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hey Dave,

Looking good there mate;) now the motor tube setup that this kit has is all that much clearer after we chatted the other day!

What are the SWB tension adjusters?? I've never heard or seen them before. I am also thinking that this would be a great project to throw that spare DLE55 I have into, just have to finish the Fw-190 Dora first[8D]

Thanks

dave

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Jimmy, the DA85 would be fine but you'd probably just have a bit more muffler hanging out. I would have liked to have had the back part of my Pitts canister that sticks out cut off but no one here can re weld it for me. The canopy doesn't have a quick release but having two screws to remove it isn't a big deal to me. I normally have the fill valve and the fuel filler on the bottom of the fuse but with this plane I'm just being lazy:eek:. The elevator setup is ok and I considered replacing the pull/pull with a carbon pushrods, but it's working fine as it is.
Dave, those SWB tensioners are great and DA carries them. They not only remove those tight bends at the end like the Dubro ones have, but the turnbuckle is reverse threaded on one end so turning them tightens or loosens in situ. That's the main reason I got this 109, I had a spare DLE 55 and I wanted something that I could just fly without spending a ton of money or time on. Down the track if it proves a good flier it may get pimped out but for now all stock (well except for one of Ty's cockpits). Cheers fellas,
Dave

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Pics of my Wildhare F6F Hellcat and Aeroworks P-51:D Turnbuckles in clevises and nylon connectors. These are just two pics but I have them in all of my planes;) Makes taking the slack out of the cables a snap:)

Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Hey Dave, here is another question:eek: Are there any anti-rotation pins installed in the wing roots? I didnt see any in the pics? Also, what about the horizontal stabilizer struts, does this model come with those or are we making them ourselves?[X(]

Thanks Dave
Jimmy

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

The G variant did not have horizontal stab struts...so the plane is scale that way. The last version to have them was the Emil.

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

The H version them also :)

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

Oops forgot about that one :)

RE: ESM 50cc ME-109
 

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