Back in 1976/1977, I built 2 Vertigo II's. I was 14 when I built the first one. It met an untimely demise due to a (then) cheapo Futaba receiver failure. I built the second one in 1977. It went through several iterations, experimenting with anhedral in the stabilizer, etc as well as three different paint jobs. The Futaba radio was pitched in favor of a Kraft Signature Series 7 channel radio. I wish that I still had that. Power in both instances was a Lee Custom (K&B) .61 with the Perry pump, Perry large bore carburator, and PDP. Exhaust was an OPS pipe. Not huge power, but I didn't have much choice back then. It was so cool to have all that free time to work on stuff that I wanted. My time is much more limited nowadays, so this will be a slow process.
I scrounged around and acquired two kits. One fuselage is not so swift, and that is the one that I will be building here. The other fuselage is is much better condition, and I will be using it in the future as a plug to make a mold. My previous Vertigos were heavy, coming in at about 9lbs or so. The goal this time is to lighten it up considerably. That means foamy wheels in place of the nice but heavy Kraft wheels, (maybe) taildragger vs. tricycle gear, balsa skins instead of 1/64th ply, Moneykote in place of paint on the wood surfaces, etc. I really enjoy flying my Venus II, in no small part due to it's light wing loading, so I believe that relieving this airplane of as much pork as possible can do nothing but enhance it's performance. The engine is currently slated as an O.S. .55AX with a pipe. This thing puts out about the equivalent power of the old school .61 I used in my old V-IIs, it is lightweight conpared to a full case .61, and it's paid for. Subsequent builds of this airplane will sport a much more formidable power plant.
You can't go back to the past, but sometimes you can reach back and pull it forward to today. So, buckle up, and let's go for a ride.....