Looks very nice! Don't forget the tail hook, for some reason most leave that off and it is very simple. Just make the tail hook out of aluminum tube and shape a balsa hook.
I would think without having a chance to actually hold the tail wheel that it will hold up for a smaller and lighter .60 size Corsair. But I doubt it would be strong enough for anything bigger.
What is the weight of your plastic tail wheel? That would be the real benefit if it is significantly lighter than my originals, I can build one out of PC board right around 2 oz. Also not to mention the benefit for those that find it difficult to work with PC board.
Luke
ORIGINAL: Brad-C
Hi,
I know this thread dates back a few years and has been idle for a little while but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted information on this tail wheel design. Very impressive and scale looking, and the fabrication method is very creative. I would never have come up with this on my own so this thread has been extremely helpful.
I'm planning on doing the new ARF version of the TF 60 Corsair when it comes out and one of the upgrades is going to be this tail wheel. I'm fortunate enough to have a 3D printer at work so I've modified the design a bit and have built the first one to play around with. I'll have to modify this a bit to fit the plane I'm sure but this first one is based on the latest version from this post. Works great so far and I'm pretty confident it will be strong enough. This plastic has very similar properties to ABS and I've reinforced it in a few places with cf rod inside. When I finalize the design I'll CNC the linkage arms out of FR4 for strength but for now the printed material works ok. I'll be painting it too of course. Here's a few pics of it.