Wisdumb

I should have another one out shortly... I ran into a snag (I'll detail it in the video) and am trying to come up with a "fix."

Wisdumb

Here we have Episode#9. I started running into some difficulty as you will see in the video. Nothing major, you can learn from my mistake(s). That's what these are for. Ok, enough chit chat, lets get on with the vid!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUepAPEehr0[/youtube]

Wisdumb

Hey gang,

MrN79

Thanks again for sharing, I know it's a lot of work to get those videos shot and then upload to here. Nice recovery on those little errors you had in the build. I'm working on a 1/8 scale F-16, but enjoy your build so much, i'm going to buy a kit to work on during the winter (or keep in my attic to build at a later date).

Thanks again,
Mark

Wisdumb

Thanks for the input MrN79. I think you will really enjoy the plane if you do get it. This is my first fiberglass plane and it seems to be going along well. The rudder was probably "good enough" as it was, but I want this thing to be as good as I it can be. Even though I goofed up the first rudder, I think it was a great learning experience. I want to make the mistakes for others out there so they don't have to.
For those following along, I think I've found a solution for the arms at the base of the torque rod (that I forgot to install before gluing everything in place). I have some helicopter parts for my blade 400 helicopter that fits on the end perfectly. I should be able to put a ball link on each side and there is already a hole to put a set screw. I will test it in plastic, and if it works will get a metal one for the "final" installation. The advantage of this will be that I can epoxy this fitting to the torque rod and set the set screw by drilling a small hole on the underside of the vertical stab without having to cut a chunk out to get to everything.
It might be tough to envision right now, but I think it might just work!

MrN79

I'm going to give Charles a call tomorrow to see what he has available. I have the single F/A-18, and like the quality of their products. Keep those videos coming...thanks again.

Mark

Wisdumb

I got a little bit more work done on the "new" rudder.  I bought a belt sander for this task and let me tell you it was well worth it!  

LoneRanger

My Feedback: (1)

hey just wanted to drop you a note, your videos are great! keep up the good work, watched 9 in a row tonight!

L.R. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Wisdumb

Wisdumb

Update #4: I think the torque rod modification will work out great. The arms line up perfectly with the pre-drilled holes on the torque rod. The dimensions are almost identical! All I had to do was bore out the center to the same diameter as the torque rod, flatten a spot where the set screw seats and voila! So far there doesn't seem to be any clearance issues, even when the vertical stab is mounted on the fuse. Take a look:

Wisdumb

And now a detour from the rudder/vertical stab. Behold the landing gear. I'm going to disassemble them, clean with alcohol, then use self etching primer before final white paint.

Wisdumb

Wow! I have to say these gear are beautiful! I thought they were awesome before, but once you add the paint they really look nice! This was an all day process just for the nose gear, but well worth the effort.

Hints: 
-Take your time
-Use several light coats (no heavy drippy messes that way)
-Don't touch! If you aren't sure if its dry it probably isn't
-You can get the spots you missed later, wait for your last coat to dry first.

Wisdumb

I think I've decided on the "color scheme" for my bird.  See below.  Unfortunately Oregon doesn't seem to have anything interesting and I'm not interested in the crazy color schemes... I want this thing to look military, not like it has a paid sponsor.

Wisdumb

I'm making the decals for the vertical stab now. For those of you wondering how, here's what I'm doing:I ended up with the first image below. The PROBLEM is that this is a bitmap image, meaning that when I try to use it I will end up with a jagged pixelated image. We don't want that, sooooo....

Illustrator
1) I opened the image in illustrator
2) I used the "autotrace" tool and adjusted the "threshold" so that it would smooth things out to my liking and not take away any of the details
3) I adjusted a few lines that autotrace wasn't able to identify correctly and voila!
The final image I ended up with is a vector graphic, meaning it is based on points and math and junk... (translation: I can blow it up as big as I want, even full size, and it will be razor smooth.)
I will do the same thing with the "Arkansas" wording and stripe as well.

Wisdumb

Back to the Gear!

Ok, I had to take a day off from painting... the nose gear was quite the process. I'm starting the main gear now. I think I can do most of this without too much disassembly. I think I'm only going to remove the back mounting plate, the air cylinder, wheels and the ball joints and paint them separately.
I DO need some input though... take a look at the pictures below. I'm trying to figure out where to mask. I'm thinking in the highlighted circle... See the pics below:

Wisdumb

Here's the painted and assembled gear. I'll touch up and weather it a little later. I also still need to paint the wheel hubs.

Wisdumb

PROGRESS REPORT:

Well, after "baking" my gear in the sun a couple days I have to say I'm much happier. The paint shrinked and the small wrinkles disappeared. I also put the "L" brackets on correctly.

I had hoped to have the gear installed this week, but it looks like I'm not getting my gear door cylinders (Again!) I even stated on the phone that I would be taking the following week off just to build this plane in hopes I might get them this time. Time to try another supplier :-(

I've also been working on the control arm for the rudder torque rod. It looks like I'll for sure be using plastic for this. I bought the aluminum and couldn't remove the bearing. Check out the completed piece below w/sullivan spring ball mounts.

Wisdumb

I've found a 1/9 scale pilot that I think I'll be happy with (he doesn't look like a 1950's test pilot or a Piper Cub pilot!) I found it at aeroloft.com for 28 bucks, full figure. I asked them to send me a photo and this is what they sent. With a little work I think I can get it looking pretty awesome!

Wisdumb

Woohoo! I finally got my air cylinders! This time I got them on my first attempt direct from the Yellow website in 3 days flat! Now I can install the gear, doors, duct and bulkheads! This in turn will allow me to finish the wings! (Can you tell I'm excited now?) The only bad thing is I'm headed out of town this weekend so I'll have to wait. Bummer!

Wisdumb

Ok, I haven't been killed or maimed in the line of model building action. I bought a more suitable workbench and have been installing that. I have also been working on some of the vector graphics to be my decals. Check 'em out! (I haven't yet converted the refueling markings to vector yet or resized to the correct scale in relation to the other two decals)

Wisdumb

Hey Gang,
I will have a video coming this weekend for sure. In the meantime I'm proud to say I got an honorable mention from B1-Bob in one of his latest videos. Check it out at 7Min 30seconds below. For those of you who haven't seen his videos, he is a wealth of knowledge and has really helped me learn a lot (especially glassing and finishing). While I'm at it, I'd also like to thank some others on the forums who have some great build logs and have offered great input such as Ron101, Gunradd, Timrob, and Pepperpete. I appreciate all of you who have helped me along.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YIvEvDU0Ok&playnext=1&videos=vmVALYDowqc& feature=sub[/youtube]

fastcrash

Very, very nice work! You will have an awesome aircraft once youve finished. Keep up the good work, and keep the videos coming please.

Wisdumb

Hey gang,
Check out the "new" work area and see what I'm plotting next in this quick video. I'll post another tomorrow after I get some 4-40 pushrods from the hobby shop. I want to finish and be done with that rudder!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REIlxDdfnDc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Wisdumb

Could it be true? Am I really just about done with the vertical stab? YES! Now I can paint it, glue the rudder on and get some decals on the thing. Woohoo! Toot toot!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rly_4cf8M0k[/youtube]

Wisdumb

Starting to make some progress! Check out the video. I also got my Castle Creations 165HV Ice speed control today. Things are starting to come together, woohoo!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjW_5KigLGQ[/youtube]