So christmas was good to me.. a brand new P-38 Profile from greatplanes! and two .15 OS engines.. yay!


now... the question Ive never built a model, only assembled ARF's.


SO!.



Aside from buying everything on the "recommended" list that came with the kit.. and having too much stuff... I was wondering if anyone had some beginner advice for a first build.



Im setting up a dedicated table for this build, planning on getting some like hard "Foam" to put down to pin my plans too, But I have absolutly no equipment for building.. So what are some items ill need? Any type of lists or basic items you need for any building? God.... i have to do covering too.. Heat guns? *Sigh* I think this is going to be a long journey... just hope it works

Hiya Dorsil, I reviewed this plane for RCU a few years ago. It's a blast! I used two .25s and it was pretty nose heavy requiring a lot of tail weight. I think the two 15s will be a lot better.

Here's the review for more info:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=352

Make sure the table you are using for the build is FLAT and STURDY. No flexing or warping. Any warp in the table could translate to warp in the plane.

For pinning, you can either use an acoustic ceiling tile (relatively light), or you can also use a piece of drywall. The drywall is a little heavier, but I like the way the pins will stick in it better.

Cover the plans with wax paper and pin them down to the table to build directly on the plans. To flatten the plans out, you can use an iron.

Work slowly and carefully. Read the directions 5 or 6 times before you cut. Measure carefully. Measure twice, cut once.

Save all the punched plywood or balsa sheets. If you screw up a part, it can be used as a template to make a new one.

If you screw up a piece of balsa, you can always buy another at the LHS or craft store. Its not expensive.

If the directions say use 30 minute epoxy, use 30 minute epoxy, not 5 or 15.

Thin CA is wonderful stuff for building, but make sure you have good ventilation, and wear a half face respirator with a NIOSH approved organic vapor cartridge. CA reactions don't start bad, but over time can get really nasty. I don't even open the bottle anymore until I have the respirator on. You can buy them at the local home improvements center (look in the paint section).

Take your time. Work slowly. Enjoy the process. If you rush to flight, you'll be disappointed with the results.

Have Fun.

Brad

When you get to the covering it is best to have an iron and a gun although it CAN be done just with an iron. If you MUST choose only one, buy the iron. Have you seen Minn's videos yet?
I personally like Tite Bond II better than CA but the choice is up to you. RCKen likes Elmers. Says it tastes better or something like that[:'(]. I outgrew that glue eating phase weeks ago. It's real bad with CA, tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth just like Peanut Butter.[&o]

Test fit everything thoroughly before applying glue.

Congrats on building one!

From what im reading so far.. Its a matter of "Pinning" An item into place.. and basicly making sure the other part fits to it.. and put the recommended glue in that joint.. let it dry.. and move onto the next one till you have a skeleton.

After that.. Premout Engines.. ensure a solid fit.. "Reinforce" Engine area IE the Boone, as im reading that possibly weak with this build.

Remove engines.. Cover plane.
Install Servos.. Install recieve..
Remout engines..


Fun?




Im actually really excited to be building my first plane.. it seems like quite an undertaking

Thin CA is the only adhesive that doesn't get applied prior to final assembly. It penetrates into the joints. All others (epoxy, med & thick CA, wood glues) should have the bonding surfaces "buttered" with the adhesive and then final assembled. Their drying/curing rates allow for this to be done. Extra adhesive that may squirt out of a joint may be cleaned up before setting with alcohol in the case of epoxy or a damp rag for most wood glues.

here is a tip that no one has mentioned. On certain parts like ribs or unusual looking formers or such either xerox or scan them into your computer. If you scan them into your computer you can print out instant templates if you need to replace them due to clumsy fingers in assembly or crash or you can use them if you want to make doublers for high stress areas of the wing like if you are going to be mounting retracts.

Instead of wax paper, cover the plans with plastic. Buy one of those cheap drop cloths, but make sure it is at least 2 mils thick (4 mils is better). They only cost about $2 but the CA AND ASSOCIATED PARTS do not stick to it. It can be a pain trying to remove wax paper that has been CA to what you are gluing.

Titebond, Elmer's, etc are actually lighter in weight than CA and in MANY applications are as strong as CA, but they do take substantially longer to dry.

I would also suggest getting a box of 100 #11 blades. You will be surprised how quickly you go through them, especially cutting covering.

A plastic triangle square is also very handy. I remove the 90 corner about 1" up on each side, then curve the inside of that area so it will fit around/over built up areas. For instance getting the rudder square with the elevator.

A word of caution about xeroxing plans...I have not yet found a copier that truly copies at a 1:1 (lifesize) scale without tweaking. Most produce a slightly undersized copy...about 98% of full size. Be sure the one you use produces a true lifesize image.

Most copiers have some way to set the copy ratio, and if yours does produce an undersize copy you can always set this ratio to something over 100% or 1:1 to get it to exactly match your plans.

If you just assume the copy will be made lifesize you might be unpleasantly surprised when you spend a bunch of time producing a replacement part that is too small to work.

Hi Dorsil
Suggest you read up on flying twins if this is your first. There is a lot of info in the Twin & Multi Engine RC Aircraft Forum. I built this kit about 3 years ago and it still is one of my favorites. A well engineered kit. Very accurate laser cut parts. I suggest using one throttle servo per engine rather than one servo and the long steel shaft that came with my kit. No easy way to correct something on the shaft due to an error or a crash. Most models, including mine, came out nose heavy. I used two .25 Magnum engines.