Hi, I have really enjoyed reading all of the Flair Puppeteer build threads. They have been very helpful. I am nearing completion of my Puppeteer and would like to pass on some of the things I have done to enhance its appearance. As you will see, I was not content to have it look like a “Puppeteer”, I tried to make it look like the Sopwith Pup (standoff scale) of course. I have found this to be a rather hard build. Things are not as clear as I would like them to be. I believe if I ever decide to build another, it will be done differently. I really should not complain, I never seem to be able to follow instruction completely anyway. Some of the additions I have made on mine are:
1. I installed a tailskid made out of ¼” plywood. I really do not like a wire skid. Looks terrible.
2. Next, I made my landing gear flexible. I found the supplied metal to not reflect the correct stance of a Pup. I decided to bend my own. While doing so, I mounted the wheels on an axle, which I bound approximately 1.5 inches to the lower spreader bar. This gives the wheels some flex when landing.
3. After looking at numerous pictures of Pups on the Internet, I determined that the vertical stabilizer is mounted on post slightly above the horizontal stabilizer. This was accomplished using bamboo skewers normally used for “pegging” spruce fuselage pieces.
4. I used Kevlar for pull-pull controls on the tail feathers. Looks great.
5. I glued small square spruce to the leading and trailing edges of the cabanes. I then sanded them round, painting them to resemble all wood.
6. I used 1/32 plywood for the decking around and in front of the cockpit. I stained this to match the cabanes, tail skit, and wing struts.
7. I added some visible structure to the tail post at the rear under the stab. I used wood instead of the metal as on the real aircraft.

As you can see, I like to “bash”.

I am having problems with the wing struts. I would appreciate any help that might be given on how to attach the struts to the wing. Also, how should I attach the flying wires to the cabanes and wing struts? I think I have exhausted my imagination trying to solve this problem. Any help that could be given would be appreciated.

If this post is successful, I will post some pictures next time.

Thanks,

Jim Walton
Columbus, Georgia