Well I am into my next build now, as I get more into the hobby I am getting more excited about flying multi-engine planes.

I have started to build a Top-Flite DC-3 kit. So far it has gone very well.

I have built tail and about 90% of the fuse so far and here are my observations:

The quality of the kit is very good, the parts all fit very well, the wood is of as good quality as any kit I have built.

If you are building the scale rudder, it is much more complex than the non-scale rudder and takes a lot more time and precision. I love the look of the rudder and the set up is solid, but it is a few more hours of work to get done. I think in the long run it will be worth it, but so far this is the biggest problem area on my model.

The fuse is not that difficult to build, good quality parts that fit very well. I am not using much CA on the kit as I have on others, preferring wood glue, so there is a lot of pinning and clamping, takes a bit more time, but I think worth it. I am really trying to use CA when I really need it. The more difficult part of the fuse is the sheeting. The DC-3 fuse is very rounded and shaped like a bullet, this makes sheeting difficult. I am spending a ton of time sanding and filling in gaps and leveling the fuse. So far the results have been pretty good, but it is some work to get it done well. I still have a some smoothing and sanding to do on the very nose of the plane, that is the biggest problem area for me.

I am using light weight drywall compound to fill the gaps, this is as light as balsa filler and a fraction of the cost, I have used it on most of my planes, it seems to work well, I may have used a bit too much in the tail, but it was needed. I do not think that balance will be a major issue.

Questions I still have to work out: Looking for help / opinions

1) Do I want to have a hatch at the tail for easy access to the rudder and elevator controls - I think it is worth the extra effort to do that, the question is how to do it. I think having easy access with small screws would be best, the manual suggest you just leave it attached with covering, then if you need access cut the covering, I do not like that set up very much. I still have to think this part through. I think small screws into light ply will do the job.

2) Do I want to allow easy access to the nose of the plane through the cabin. Again I think yes, because it would be much easier to add weight up there if I can access through the cabin top. The nose is empty and to do an easy balancing it would be helpful. Again, not sure it is worth the extra effort, as I could almost as easily add weight into the fuse with the wing off, but I would not be able to get it as far to the front.

3) Retracts! The big question. This plane should have retracts, but the complexity of the build, not to mention the cost of the build goes up a ton with this little addition. I am not sure how the plane's flight will be affected with the addition of retracts either. This is one I am really fighting with my self over.

I will post some photos shortly.

Regards,

manks