Props4ever

Back to building the Connie once again.

Sometime ago i compared my model's nose with real bird's from a picture, to my surprise my Model's nose was off being scale. Errors were too much slant slope/droop on nose angle, coned redome and not enough upward curve on the nose bottom. so tonight i cut off the 1" from the front of the redome and added foam strips on the top of the original nose section to the cockpit windows and sanded them into correct shape/profile, at this time i have damp speckling filler all around the new build up, once its dried out then i will sand it, add more filler where needed and carve new redome.

Picture show the wrong profiled nose section compared to real one in the picture

P.S Richi how is your model coming along, no updates in looong time bro?...

Props4ever

Oh forgot to mention, i am have decided to get Super Tiger ST40s for my model, i have ordered them from LHS and will be getting them shortly, i am also buying my first ever B/N radio for this bird, its Multiplex 9 EVO .

wegier-r

Hi Sammy,

Sorry for not updating this thread for a long time. But it's hard to keep the german build thread up and always translate into english. Here are the pictures from the days and weeks:
































These are the ABS covers, which I want to build in glass fabric













Here some details to the flaps from my friend in Germany:






















building the freight door


























Sorry for a lot of pictures and nearly no comments. But I'm currently at work and do not have much time for writing

Best wishes from Switzerland,

Richie

Props4ever

WOW, you have come along long ways Richi, i am very impressed with your build so far, First i couldn't figure out why you made external glass sheet where front door is but now i see it, very nicely done.

As for the flaps, i can see those tracks are not scale and will be visible hanging from out side the lower wing's surface, is this left this way for non scale reason or easiness of the build?

Now i like to know how will you function 3 rudders together, i didn't see and mechanical linkages if its operated with ball cranks and push rods or are you adding separate servos to each fin and connect them with "Y" harness? into one channel and then mix another channel with 3rd rudder?, plus what servos will you be using?

Are you going to be glassing your airframe or it will be cover with plastic covering?.

I really like your engine cowls and aft bodies, i like to get 4 from you for my model too, since i haven't build my engine pods yet, i can size them to your cowls diameter so your cowls can fit, let me know what $$$ will they be, i'll send them to you.

Regards,
Sammy

wegier-r

Hi Sammy,

Unfortunately this will be again only a short answer:

- The glass cover on the fuselage was only used to give the balsa-glass-balsa sandwich the correct shape. The foam is only used to press the sandwich.
- The flaps tracks will be visible. But it is more important for me to have save flaps than superscale wings
- In the tail I use a servo for each rudder (Hitec HS 81 for the vertical fins and HS-81MG for the elevator rudders)
- The wood will only be sanded and not more prepared. The whole surface will be covered with Oracover
- The cowls are made for a model in the scale 1/16 (diameter of cowl is 110mm --> 4,33in). If you anyway want to use them I can ask my colleque for building them. They cost about 120 Euro --> 160 USD If you still are interested, I can ask him to build a set of four for you.

If you have further questions, just let me know

Best wishes,

Richie

Props4ever

Actually its very effective way to sandwich glass between wood to get right shape for the door access hatch, this will also last forever and will not change its shape even a tiny bit, very neat thought .

I see what you mean about the flaps tracks, let see who's way last and will be problems free once these birds get air born.

As for cowls i have to recheck the diameter on my plans for engine pods and firewall, i think its not too far from you size as your wingspan is 100" and mine is 105", let me get back to you on these. I will also need aft glass bodies/lower engine pods that you have glass molded also.

Going back to flaps, are you going to use push rods only to push/pull flaps?, or will you be making frame to hold flaps from outer sides and connect servo to this frame.


Regards,
Sammy

Props4ever

Richie,

Check your inbox....

Regards from freezing Toronto
Sammy

Props4ever

..

Props4ever

Hello fellows,

Sorry i couldn't update this thread earlier, i was tied up in few things, anyhow build is coming along nicely, i have recently glassed few areas on the fuselage but full glassing will commence once weather gets warmer for resin to dry and to work outside, as of last night i have started to make parts for the engine pods, so far i have got formers cut out on 1/8th lite ply for both inner pods,ii will be cutting outers today or tomorrow depending when i get around to it.....I will post pictures soon too...

Props4ever

I have started to dry assemble parts for one of the inner engine pods, well to my surprise plans are not correct in these area and i had to redraw it correctly. Due to this i had to cut down the size of couple of the formers. What i am want to do now is to make mock up of this pod first and then to do actual ones, this way i can get all the design bugs out. Pictures are coming soon.

wegier-r

Hi Sammy,

Here some new pictures from my model











Best wishes,

Richie

Props4ever

Hi Richie,

She looks georgious my friend, sheeting on the main wing turned out super and fully assembled model is stunning, where have you been for last 3-4 days?, get on chat line i need to discuss few things with you, see ya soon there..

Finally weather here is starting to warming up, and i will soon be glassing the fuselage followed by tailplane and then main wing in the end.



Sammy

wegier-r

Hi Sammy,

Well, I'm not always online. Sometimes I don't turn the computer on as I want to work on the model or enjoy the freetime

BTW: I'm currently online.

Best wishes,

Richie

Props4ever

Since i was away from Internet for last 2-3 weeks i have done quite a bit on the model, just to summarize the steps taken to the current stage, nose gear bay was secured with 1/8th ply on the side walls, both main spars were epoxied in with 30 mins H9 epoxy and then both outer pods were also built and last night i installed them and glued the pods to the wing. As this was one of the very critical areas of the build, i did that alignment with very simple method of my own instant of making complex fixture/jig out of "L" aluminum angle beams...pictures below are of inner pods.

I didn't put any right/left thrust offsets on the engine pods except for .5 degree of down thrust on all 4 pods, this way with scale airfoils and wing's incidence angle model will not bloon into air on take off and landings...

Woody 51

Hi props4ever. Hope this is not too late for you. In reply to your post #105, here are a couple of pics of the attachment point to a 1049 Tiptank.
Yes, there is a slight curve on the wing LE just before the attachment point. Hope you can get an idea of shape/angle etc from these pics.
Cheers

Props4ever

Woody,

Thanks for the pictures, these are important ones they show L/E tip curve as well as alignment of tip tank. My Connie bible have lots of external shots of this area but nothing like your shots, Thanks highly appreciated.

On the other hand are you part of Save-A -Connie association or did you had chance of life to fly in one of only 3 flying Connie in existance globally....


Regards

Props4ever

Project is still coming along but on bit slower pace as before due to other family commitments and responsibilities plus i hurted my back and its taking its own time to get back into shape..I did managed to glass 3 strips on the fuselage as i could feel compression pressure if nose was pushed down with model on the stand, now its pretty stiff and solid now....

Props4ever

Here are some of the latest pictures of the project, i was invited to show my model to one of the local Toronto club and its members as most of them wanted to see how foam was cut and how fuselage as complex as Constellation and Super Constellation can be created out of foam.

The blue foam plug before S Connie in the first picture is of 1/6th scale CF-100, at some time in future i will be finishing it off to make twin turbine CF-100 Mk5.

Props4ever

Here are some close up shots of outer engine pods before they were test fitted on the wing. You will notice spines being curved towards the mounting area, i did those as engine pods turn into cone shape towards the end, this was done by steaming process and i hand curved the 1/8th ply.

Props4ever

Outer and inner pods being dry test fitted on the wing, pictures from different angles.

Props4ever

Finally all 4 engine pods in these pictures are properly aligned and glued on the main spars of the wing, i took some pictures of just center wing and some with partial aircraft assembled to make sure everything was squared and alignments were true and straight.

Props4ever

This will be the last post for today, In these pictures you will see all 4 firewalls have been glued to the firewall back plates of the engine pods, i used Sig's 1/4" Aircraft ply for the firewalls and i used H9's 30 epoxy to glue these on. To hold F/Ws and pods i used low teck painters green tape for gluing times, since then tapes have been removed from with wing structure.

Props4ever

Finally weather forecast for coming Sunday is 20+ Celsius(WOW Finally), i should be glassing the fuselage after all the months of waiting for this time. SK50s will be coming shortly following with material for flaps.

CptDan

I've got a few things you could add to the Connie, here is a bird that I was launching from Korat,Thailand.

Props4ever

Hello CptDan,

Nice picture you posted of EC-121, wondering if that particular bird is still in existence today.

Also like to know what you have as add ons for my model.