fockewulf37

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Well I had a little time today so I framed up the mold for the rear half of the cowls....

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well,
I have been working on the cowls. I thought I had a good plan but when I tried it I just did not get the results I wanted. I made plugs for teh rear part of the cowl and then a plug for the front. Once I got them all done I fugured out it would just be best and easiest if I would build the rear as one piece and then put the front cowl piece on to finish it out...You can see the pic's.

I made the front piece by cutting out a circle in 1/4" ply then drill a 1/4" hole in the middle. I then added 1 1/4" of balsa to the top. I drilled the hole on through and added a bolt and blind nut. I then put it on my drill press and used it as a lathe a fashioned out the front of the cowl. Here are the pic's.

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Here is the first cowl. I frame up the rear part . It 4" tallI then will have to make a 1/4" ring that the front cone will be glued to ..

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

OK that first cowl was not done with a jig or crutch to make sure it was very straight. I think it was fine but I fugured there had to be a better way. I have 3 more to build..

Well I cut 6 more cowl formers. this time without any cut outs in the center. I then drilled a 3/8 hole in the middle. I then took a piece of 1" X 6" pine board. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the center and placed a 3/8 dowle in the middle. I then took some scrap balsa cut it to the correct length to make the this part of the cowl to be 4" tall. I slid the first former on then the spacers, spaced out..I then placed the second former on top. This made a perfect jig so I can make perfect cowls. I just added stringers and applied glue. Sheeted it and they came out perfect. I then cut a ring for the front cone to make it perfectly round and placed inside the front cone. It now fits perfectly to the outside of the cowl... I would just have to trim out the inside of the cowl to make it fit the nacelle and we are in business>>>>


Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Ok, I have not disappeared or quit working. This is just a busy time of year. Vacation and summer camps,etc.....
Ok I got the nacelles finished. I cut a 1/2" from the rear of the nacelle front and then glued a ring inside the ABS front. I then glued this to the front of each cowl. I also opened up each cowl front...

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

I am offically waiting on my gear to get here. It should be here next week. So i have turned back to the tail. I plan on finishing up the horizontal first.
I am installing 2 Hitec HS 81 servos in the horizontal to drive the rudders. These each have 40 oz of torque. It won't take much to move the rudders. These servos are light and that will help...

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

No I have not quit working on the Halifax, I have been really busy with honey do's and summer time activities.
I also had a set back. I was working on a canopy plug and it went to crap and now I am starting over..

Anyway I make some progress. After getting the rudder servos in place. I went ahead and glued the verticals in place. Both are nice and straight. I also rechecked the rudders and made some small adjustments.

I then finally figured out that I m just going to place the elevator servos at the rear. I know you can see them but they will be painted black..

Then I moved to the top of the center section of the tail. I maded templtes of th eformers at the front and rear of the horizontal. i Then clamped them into place. I then glued the to the horizontal. I took some 1/2" stock and cut it to airfoil shape and glued it between the 2 formers. I then needed tubes for the screw heads to go into. Being a paramedic i have access to all sizes of syringes that I use once. So i took the right size and cut them to length and glued then to the top of the center section centered over the holes.I then ran stringers and sheeted. I then blended it all. Now it fits perfectly...

Ty
http://tysplanes.com/

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Ok,
I see its been about a month since I posted any progress. I have been very busy with family stuff and a electric fly-in...

Well I got my Gear in from Shindin machine. I was needing a set of his standard gear. I told him I needed a double leg gear 10" from pivot point to axle. Lenny and I do alot of work together. So her wanted me to try his new gear that should carry planes up to 75 lbs. Its a little taller than the standard upper but VERY STURDY!!!! It is way over kill for the Halifax... I did find once I got them and held them in place I had figured the legs wrong. They should have been 8" from pivot point to axle. So I am making the changes myself.. It was pretty easy to do. I have one cut to size I just need to clean it up a little....

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

I have also reworked my first failure at a canopy plug. I moved to using the blues foam. It alot easier to work with and has not taken too long to get it sanded to shape.
I have the plug basically shaped out here. I am in the process of adding filler to any gaps I have.... The canopy on the Halifax is asymetrical. So its kind of a pain to make...


Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I got the canopy plug all sanded out. I then put a coat of 2 oz cloth on it and sanded it out. I then placed a layer of 1 oz cloth the top of that. I sanded that also. It sanded out really well. I decided that the plug was just way too large for my table so I went to my Grandfathers 24" band saw and cut it down. I then went bac and put a 1/4 ply on the back and then a tapered balsa on the from to allow or easy removal from the ABS...

I then sanded all that really smooth and felt like trying to pull one to see how it would fit. Well the first pull did not pull down all the way due to air trapping. I then drilled some very small holes along the front of the canopy windows and then holes in the bottom of the plug. This allows ari to be pulled from teh inside the plug as well. The second one turned out really well.. Now to figure how to add frame line to the plug... But I was also suprised that it pulled so clear over the epoxy. I figured it would fog as it got hot....

I cut the first one out to see how it would fit and it fit well. its hard to see in the pic's. I also have it moved back too far in the pic's..

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

I went down to piddle a minute and figured I would throw some frame work on the canopy to see what it looked like...

This is close to what it will look like....

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well,
I have the alierons and outboard flaps cut out and hinged. It took a little while but I got it done. I do mine just like you would do a foam wing.
When I drew the wing I placed a spar along the bottom of the wing to give mr a place or hard point for hinges later. I first cut away the alireon and flap up to the spar. I then made sure thatI sanded it smooth. I added a small amount of spar material on top of the existing spar so I would have a little meat for the hing to go throught if it was a little high. I then capped the end with 1/8" balsa. I then remove 5/8" from the leading edge of the alieron and flap. I added some spar material in the area where the hinges would go. I then capped each with 1/8" balsa and then applied a 1/2" leading edge. I sanded it all to shape and then applied hinges...

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Hey yall,
It worked. It was sugessted that I use tape to make my panel lines. Wel I use some of the 3M tan tape. not the blue flexible tape. I place all the panel lins on. It took me 8 pulls to finally get on with out any creases in the wrong places. I think the panel lines craeted some strange suction and it would crease. I pulled 3 earlier without panel lines and did not have any creases...

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I move a little further back and started work on the top turret. I made this like I did the Nacelle fronts. I chucked the foam and ply blank into my bench drill press and sanded to shape. I then added 3 layers of cloth and sanded it out. I put the panel lines on with tape. The finished parts looks pretty good. I know the turret looks grainy but that is just do to the flash it looks nice other wise. I ordered more ABS yesterday. I was pulling the turret out of too thick PETG which caused some webbing as you can see. but a pull out of just plain ABS went really well...

Ty

Props4ever

Amazing workmanship Ty,

You are one heck of great designer and builder of this Halifax!, I am very much impressed with your work so far specially all the plugs that you made to make vac-formed parts is just amazing indeed!. Since you have all the designs and plugs for this bomber, just curious to know if you will be making kits or short kits of it also for guys who would want it or this is just one off model....
I for one would be interested in either type of kit or just plans with all the vac-formed parts to build one for myself in colors of Royal Pakistan Air force just after the Independence in 1947.

Cheers
Sam

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Thanks for the comments Sam.
I plan on making a Plan available once I am done with all the major construction of the model. I am also looking into the price of laser cut short kits as well. I may actually be building a second model when I am through in the MK1 version also..

Do you have a pic of that color scheme..I don't think I have seen that one...



Ty

Props4ever

Ty, sounds good to me, let me know when you finalize on what you decide in terms of kits or plans for this beast. Here is crude picture of RPAF's Halifax bombers, there is print of a beautiful painting floating around on the web by Hussani and i also have old FLY PAST magazine with all early PAF aircrafts in it...

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I pulled about $20 worth of plactic before I got fed up and called an expert. I even tried the .020 plastic. I called a friend of mine that pulls alot of canopies. He said that this is a common problem . He said that he makes an appliance that pushes the PETG down onto the plug before the suction is applied. He talked to me about having to weld the part to make it the right size.
Anyway after thinking over what he described it hit me. I have several spinners that are large. I have the 7.5" Me109 spinner. I took it and made a handle for it. I then set it up as normal. I was also told I should pull it slowly and I had been doing it fast...
I started heating up the PETG. I then heated the spinner also, so not to cool the PETG too fast. Once it was hot enough I flipped the PETG onto the mold. I immediately pressed the spinner over the mold and then slowly pulled the suction. It pulled a perfect turret...Yeah!!!!!


Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

I have been working slowly on the rear turret. This is just the busy season with kids and school... I am working from the 3 view and i can see the sides of the turret are more flat than round. Am I need to shape it this way anyway so it can be removed from the pulled part... So if you see any possible departure from dead scale forgive me. I am also working on making the bottom of the turret/fuse out of ABS also to keep it light...
You can see in the final pic how I had to position the rear turret so it can be pulled and removed from the pulled part....

I am putting the final coats of epoxy on the plugs...

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I tell you that everything works out great in theory but it can go to crap really fast when applying it to the real world..
I have made canopy plugs for larger Warbirds that less complicated than this. On the rear turret there are just too many curves to pull it in one piece.
I tried it several times without sucess...So I have to revert to cutting the mold in half and then pulling it in 2 halves. I know the true turret had no panel lines in it. But I have to join it in the middle... So I have made a form so it can be joined. I will have to paint this Black and the rest of the panels a lighter color so it would be less obvious.. Any way It woked out well in the end. I will just have to confess to anyone that confronts about the panel down the middle......

So here are the Pic's:

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I have been really slack. I have not taken as many pic's as i should over the last week. I ran the two servo leads down the fuse for the elevators and rudders. I finished all the sheeting of the fuse and sanded it all out. I then went ahead and fiberglass the whole fuse. It turned out pretty well. I only put on coat of glass on the fuse. I will fill the weave with my favorite high fill primer...
I also moved back to the wing and finished cutting out the inboard flaps. Now I need to biuld the wing tips and sand and glass the wings.
I have also started on the plans. I all the fuse and tail printed out. side view and formers. I have to add all the mods I made to the cad drawing. Like the tail wheel installation. wing saddle cut out etc....

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I have been trying to get the wing finished so I can glass it. I have all the control surfaces sanded and matched. I the moved to the wing tips. I know I have been saying 140" wing span but I was wrong. By blowing up the correct wing tip to the correct size. I found that the wing tip are 7" each. So that gives me a total 146" wing span...

Here is how I built the tips. I start with the outline of the tip and also the same final wing rib. I did change the location of the tip spar to make the tip build easier. I proped up the tip by a little less that half the height of the rib to make it tapper correctly. I glue the rib in the correct position. I then glue the bottom spar in place and sand an taper the bottom and top spar so they make a nice point. I then sand and taper the bottom sheeting at the angle of the top of the rib to zero off the tip.

I then start at the center of the spar and sheet rearward. The sheet going forward. I then cut off the sheet at the angle of the leading edge. I cap that with 1/8" balsa and then apply the leading edge. I then glue the whole thing on with epoxy. This makes a very light wing tip.....

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Hey ya'll,
I have not forgotten this build. I have glassed all the parts except for the control surfaces I have the holidays, My every 4 year test at work. and I have crated 2 planes and shipped them off.. so I have been really busy..

Hey here are my vid's on crating planes for shipping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2MEXbhu9Kk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pePb1LmajXI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf9R44TVCLM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW_uhe0PDAg

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

Well I had a few minutes. I was working on the center section. I needed to make the Nacelle contour to the wing on top. So made a template and then cut the parts out of fiberglass sheet . I then covered the area with tape not to get any on other parts of the wing and then I glued the fiberglass piece on .....

Ty

fockewulf37

My Feedback: (102)

I took it out and got a few pic's this morning....


TY