Building the BUSA SPAD 13
I was undecided about do a construction thread on my Balsa USA ¼ scale SPAD 13. After reading the instruction manual and studying the plans I began to realize this was going to be a complex project. Hopefully a detail construction thread will help answer some of my questions in building the airpalne. Jim (TMOTH) on RCSCALEBUILDER COM did an excellent thread on finishing the SPAD 13, which I plan to use many of his ideas. I have found some modifications I will make, the size & assembly of the landing gear wire for starters. I have read many favorable comments on how well the SPAD flys and it scale appearance. This was the main reason why I selected the SPAD for my next scale project. I began building the top wing as per instructions. A new building board was required cause the wings are recommended to be built as one unit. The 1/16 balsa ribs surprised me, they don’t seem strong enough for a model of this weight. Also, there were no shear webs between the spars, so I added webs on both front & rear spars. The bottom wing landing gear mounting could use some attention as well. I will welcome all comments, ideas, suggestions, advice and helpful hints during this build.
I plan to build it close to scale with as much scale details as possible. I have done some research (WEB) on the SPAD 13 and the people who flew them. I also bought a couple books form Osprey (SPAD VII & SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I) several good color pictures and details of the pilots. I have a color scheme in mind and the American Ace who flew the airplane.
I have completed to first phase of the top wing construction. The bottom wing is next on the building board. Here are some photos of the top wing construction.
Rich