Bob93447

I plan to use the same outline of the cockpit area as the removable canopy version. The difference will be that the triangle stock will be continuous from the front bulkhead back to the bulkhead just forward of the wing. Hopefully I can waterproof the hatch better than I could a canopy.

LADDIE

Hi Bob. That is fine as far the hatch goes. Laddie.

RedDwarfIV

Not exactly the height of modding, but I've fitted navigation lights to my WIP North Star. There's also a little hatch at the front to help with removing the AA batteries that power said lights. Most other deviations from the plans were the result of misguided attempts to make maintenance of said lights easier.

Said lights probably wouldn't be worth fitting if they just didn't look so great in the dark.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Post pics of how they look when you get the chance.

RedDwarfIV

I set it to constant-on for the picture. The lights actually have seven settings (including constant on and off) which I can cycle through with my 2-channel remote.

Also, seeing Yak Dude's pretty awesome looking North Star makes me want to make the canopy bulge like it does on his.

RedDwarfIV

Update on the modifications to my Northstar : Building a cockpit to my own design. Will need to wait for the clear acrylic sheeting I ordered off eBay to arrive before I can finish it though.



By the way, concerning the underside, I wanted to make a V-hull. However, I didn't want to remove the capability for landing gear, and a V-hull would be hard to make watertight when there's a tube sticking through the centre of the ridge. Would a \_/ hull work too? Also, I'm currently making the topside that shape, to get some experience with it.

RedDwarfIV

(Is there a rule on this forum against repeat posting? If there was, I couldn't find it on the rules page. Closest thing was spammming, but that was defined as multiples of the same post.)



Finished the topside, almost completed the cockpit (windows and screws to go). Currently working on the underside of the hull.

I'm kind of hoping that these modifications, all ahead of the CoG, will contribute significantly towards balancing weight, so I won't have to put so much lead in the nose.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Keep the updates coming. There's always something new to learn from other builders.

Lamoilleriver

What he said!!!! Plan on building a second Northstar someday, always appreciate others building ideas, techniques, mods, etc.

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Getting ready to start mine very soon, love the thread"

RedDwarfIV

Uh... Does it count as a mod if I accidentally sawed the elevator in half, and repaired it with glue and toothpicks?

(Mistook it for the underside of the engine nacelle)

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

LOL, I would say yes"

RedDwarfIV

Heh.

This is my first plane that is not foam and not ready-to-fly. My last RC plane was a tiny parkflier that ran off button-cell batteries that I bought from Maplins for £15. It... shows.

RedDwarfIV

The above image shows the nearly complete cockpit (still lacking those never-to-be-sufficiently-damned clear acrylic windows that are so hard to cut to shape.) Also of note, I ran the tail light's wiring through the join between the two tail fin pieces before gluing them together and then put the wires through a hole in the horizontal stabiliser.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Neat. That cockpit looks halfway between an F-117 and an X-Wing fighter. Just right for that Luke Skywalker full action figure stored away

RedDwarfIV

Heh, that might have worked if I actually had a Luke Skywalker figurine.

Unfortunately for you, I don't. Oh well. I don't think it'd fit with my planned paint scheme anyway.



Nice to know the cockpit looks good though.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Would smoked or blue tinted windows have worked better?

Love that RAF Polar Squadron theme. I did mine in the high-vis USCG profile, but perhaps next time........

RedDwarfIV

Maybe. I'm basically doing mods on the fly - that paint scheme was done by tracing over some plans I found on the Internet, using Paint.NET and my tablet PC, so it's sort of out of date.

Actually, it's Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. I love it too though.

By the way, although I put the 'N' on the tail because I didn't know what the letters were there for at the time, so I just put an 'N' since it was right by an image of a compass needle and a star. Hence, North Star. I've since decided that ZK-564 flies from the fictional seaplane tender HMS Nighthawk. There is no actual Nighthawk in service - it was a name given to the unit of naval personnel who had left RAF Drem at the end of WW2.




Yours is really good.

Yak Dude

RedDwarfIV I like how your canopy is coming out also. The clear should be nice so you can add detail on the inside. Here is a short YouTube video with several touch and goes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AezI3yF5UPQ

Or you can just type in "Northstar touch and goes" and it should come up. 1 min and 23 sec. Wes.

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

Yak Dude, with the drought reported in your area for the last 3 years, any water left in that reservoir?

RedDwarfIV

Here's my NorthStar from the top.



The side.

The underside paint is mostly done, but I'm not happy with the placement of the roundels or the black identification lettering on the underside of the wing, so I'm going to fix that as soon as I have the materials. No point showing that right now.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

Overall, it looks pretty good to me!!

Bob

RedDwarfIV

New markings!

RedDwarfIV

Having (basically) completed one Northstar, I was wondering about how I could use all the things I bought and then didn't manage to use on it... for a second one.

PLANS:
Twin-tailed.
Ducted-fan electric drive. This should neatly avoid the "lawnmower" problem my Dad brought up with flying a prop-drive plane in a local park. Easier to run, too.
A more rounded fuselage.
No lights. With my 6-Channel controller reserved for 001, I'd be using the 4-Channel controller instead. Or, if I did fit lights, they'd have to have a permanent or manually adjustable setting.
FPV?

Cougar429

My Feedback: (3)

If you plan to fly from water you need to keep the sharp edge between the bottom and side sheeting or it will make a nice boat.

Believe me.I know this to be true. Back in the 80's I built the fiberglass Parkinsons version and their round edges would not let it break suction. Would not even get onto the step.

What radio are you using? Pretty much all programmable systems should accommodate multiple discreet models.