Sig 1/4 Scale Clipped Wing Cub
 

After a 22 year hiatus I finally found myself with some time on my hands to get back to modeling. I started R/C modeling with my dad and grandfather back in 1979...I was 8, but the bug bit hard. I flew nearly everyday it was nice enough until I started college in 1989...it tapered off a bit after that but I had built a 1/4 Sig Cub converted to an L-4. My intention was to take it to Toledo...I grew up in Ohio so Toledo was in our backyard. During September I had it out flying on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Wham...midair...after I collected the pieces and my thoughts I did the math. The money I invested in the Cub I could have had a good start on a pilots license. So...that is what I did, and haven't touched an R/C since. Quite frankly...I missed the hobby and the camaraderie. It is similar in 1:1 circles but it is a different mindset.

Last year I bought a Sig Kavalier, built it up and had a ball getting back in to flying. While buying the Kavalier the Cub was staring me in the face...maybe it would be good to build another? So, last August the big box from Sig showed up at the doorstep. My wife and I live in a modest 3 bedroom apartment...no shop, no paint booth, and no room for big Cub :) You only live once...

Here is the plan...
1. OS 120 FS
2. Coverite Fabric
3. Stock J-3 colors with a made up airshow theme
4. Full Cockpit


Jim

This was the L-4 and a Cub I had never finished 1994...
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I officially started building Sept 11 2016 when my wife departed for Mexico on a business trip. I didn't want to do a marathon but I got a good jump on it the first two weeks. Here are some more...not having a shop, I'm doing everything by hand that the dremel won't do :) I wanted a functional door and a scale cockpit, and, being a Clipped Wng, it will see a lot of aerobatics. The door mod severely weakens the wing mount. I made new upper supports with wire embedded in the wood. Should be super strong and makes the doors possible.

Jim

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Add a few more photos before the night ends...it is still amazing to me how hard it is to find kits. The fuselage takes a lot of patience...lots of cutting and fitting. I will say there is a huge difference between the kits of old and now. Laser cutting and CAD engineering have done wonders for the hobby. It is still fun to build these old school tanks.

Jim

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One more post...hope you guys like this stuff! The fuselage progresses quick once you get the halves glued together. The turteldeck and front cowling really start bringing out the Cub lines. With the door cut out I could do some cockpit work while it was still accessible. I planned on covering the cockpit per the original.

Jim

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Very nice, I never build a cub that big, my Goldberg one is 18 and 4 years old, the wings, the tail and one wheel are 18, the fuse is 4, I got the pieces back from my friend who I sold it to 14 years later, she is flying good and on floats now and then.

Keep posting please.

R/Cing has sure changed in the last 20 years...ARFs were quite the novelty when I left...they were heavy, poorly built and the designs were terrible. We thought they wouldn't last...hah! like RocknRoll was just a passing fancy :) More from the build...I wanted to get the cockpit details done early as the fabric finish, although tough, is vulnerable to dings and tears. I used bass wood from the hobby shop to make the floor and baggage cover. The fuel selector, throttle covers and instrument panel will be made from thin aluminum. Covering the cockpit is much easier at this stage as well. My last Cub I built an elaborate latching mechanism to secure the door...I actually used Full Scale Cub drawings...using magnets never crossed my mind back then..another great idea provided by forums such as this

Jim

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Looking good. Can't beat the Sig 1/4 Cub kit. I have built 3 full wings and 1 clipped in the past. Similar story, I learned in the early 90's through 2000. Built a ton. Left for several years to just get back into a year ago. You are 100% correct. ARFs were heavy, frowned upon etc. Little different story now as the world has changed to instant gratification and everything has become disposable. Still love to build.

Keep the pics/posts coming

Thanks Ragwing...I actually came across a beautiful Hangar 9 Christen Eagle last July. It flies great...I mean it really flies great, and looks really nice. BUT it just doesn't have a soul. ARFs certainly have their place, I'm not denying that but there is something about building. Here are few more...

The cockpit door framed up and magnets placed...the cowling halves put together and fit to the fuse for a later date. This is about the time you need a wing :)

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Here is another batch...more of the wing build. The size really becomes apparent quickly. One thing that happened, when I pulled the right wing off the building board it sprung. It was twisted like I have never seen a wing twist. I've built probably 45-50 models and I've never had one do this. I re-pinned the wing to the board with an offset twist and soaked it in Windex. When it dried I released it and it was better. I put it back on the board and braced it so it was twisted back about 1/2 from where I needed it and soaked it again in Windex. The next day I released and it and thankfully the warp was gone. In the mean time I was all cued up to order a wing kit and start over. This hobby always throws a curve-ball when you least expect it.

Jim

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With the wing framing all but complete I built up the landing gear from the wire provided. Since this will be sport scale I elected to use the stock gear rather than the Robart gear, which I will get when I tackle the Balsa USA Cub. Here are few more...this was after about a month and half of weekends and a few evenings. The closer I get to the end of a build the more I obsess over completing it :)

Jim

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Here is another batch...Sig Cubs are really labor intensive. To add to that, I decided to do scale Frise ailerons. They really work much better than the stock "boards" and really cut down on adverse yaw. On a stock Sig Cub, when you apply aileron, the nose swings the opposite way of the turn and requires a lot of rudder to keep it coordinated. With the Frise ailerons, air is drawn up through the pocket created by the airfoil shaped ailerons and the trailing edge of the wing...it's aerodynamically more efficient lessening the adverse yaw and the amount of rudder needed.

Jim

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one more post for the evening...getting the fuselage covered and installing the radio gear. The cockpit will be complete with seats, stick, throttle covers, trim cover and the Fuel on/off selector. This means the radio gear needs to be hidden in the baggage compartment. An access hatch will be built in to the bottom of the fuse.

Our club here in Redmond was invited to the Museum of Flight at Boeing field not too long ago so she got her first airing. The last two photos illustrate the aileron modification.

Jim


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Moving along fast

looks great

That is some real nice building and love the photos and backgroung story
Love that this was a family hobby
Your years of experience in build are showing and all looks great

A fellow at my field had a mid air on his first flight with his new 1/4 scale cub ( Ouch )
I took the plane home in a grabage bag and rebuilt the entire plane

Nice to have a very large Scale Cub as flying large scale is a special experience

My trainer had a large Cub that he had a Zenoa G - 38 in that flew really great

Enjoy this many faceted hobby

Thanks guys!, it really has been a joy getting back in to the hobby. My wife has been great, and patient with all the hours I've spent squirreled away in the spare bedroom. Progress at this stage is negligible...not a lot to photograph but much headway is made with the big stuff. Hinging, servo mounts, inspecting joints one final time, fuel tank installation...it all adds up though. The cowling was first built up out of thin aluminum. Back in the day we used Lithoplate. Nowadays it is unobtanium! I found some aluminum at a hobby shop that I thought would work...unfortunately it is super soft...if you sneeze on it, it dents. So I went with 1/32" plywood. I primed it and painted it with monokote rattle cans, It turned out pretty good, although the monokote yellow has a bit more red in the finish than the 21st Century fabric. That's ok...I've rarely seen a full scale Cub that has matching colors.

The markings with the kit only support Hazel's airplane, so going on the many builds here and RCSB, I went to Callie for the graphics. Holy moly they are nice! I could never paint them that well and they apply beautifully.

The screws in the boot cowling are for appearance only...I still need about 50 more of these screws, but it really adds some dimension to the Cub "look".

Thanks again!

Jim

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Here is another batch...The cub is covered with inspection plates. They are about 4 1/2" aluminum covers that allows access to the major inspection points. Again, these are just for illusion on the model and adds a bit of dimension to the finish. I used the soft aluminum that was to be used for the cowling to make the covers. I glued a 1" washer to a piece of balsa and formed the 20 covers by pressing the aluminum around the washer. Once formed I cut them out with a pair of scissors. I taped them to some paper and sprayed them with the Monokote Cub yellow. They will attach to the airframe with tacky glue. The jack screw covers and elevator torque tube covers were made from 1/32nd ply and also painted yellow.

I also made the upper door...it did take some windexing and twisting to get it in the pocket. I used JB Weld to build the door and it didn't dry exactly straight. One application of windex and some twist it fits like a glove. The Lightening bolt goes on pretty easy, although it is pretty intimidating to get straight. Just measure and take your time :) at least that is what I kept telling myself.

Jim

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nice added scale details. those little things sure make a difference

moving along at lightning speed

I try to put atleast an hour a day in on her. It's always good to have a plan before you sit down at the building table. I really can't wait to fly this thing!! The door is installed...I put a beam across the wing bay and embedded a magnet to hold the door open...hopefully in flight. Made the "eyebrows" and covered them. Covering the wing progresses.

Jim

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One more batch before I go to bed...Covered the wing...well most of it. I misjudged the covering and ended up a roll short. So, after finishing the top right panel I built the sticks for the cockpit. These won't be functional, just for show. I'll paint them with the next batch of window framing...the finish line is in sight!

Jim

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This post will pretty much catch up to the project as of this week. The wing is completely covered, the ailerons are glued on and the front windscreen is placed. I'm leaving the glare shield yellow. Not much left to do other than build the wing struts and the cowling. I want to maiden her before I get too deep in the rest of the details. Yesterday I ordered some more graphics from Callie, which should be in next week. My goal is a maiden flight in two weeks.

The windscreen installation went smoother than I anticipated. I didn't use glue...just potato chip bag clamps and dubro servo screws :) It's really looking like a Cub now!

Jim

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Very nice job, do love a good sized j3

Jim: Years ago I built a Balsa USA quarter scale Cub. Still fly it, even after several rebuilds after....uh...incidents. Powered by a G-23. What are you using?

thanks! She is a labor of love for sure.


Hopefully this his one will be around just as long. Can't beat a cub. I've got an OS 120 FS, it won't be overpowered but it will look Scale. I've never tried the gas engines...even back in the 80's.

jim

Jim: Years ago I built a Balsa USA quarter scale Cub. Still fly it, even after several rebuilds after....uh...incidents. Powered by a G-23. What are you using?

here is another quick update. Building up the cowling properly is a project in itself. Worked all weekend and it doesn't seem like I made much headway. But that's all part of it! I built the carb air box from scratch and installed the plate inside the cowling that will hold it. I also cut around the dummy engine so I can make the cylinder fins fit up to the rocker arm covers. Since the engine is side mounted, only one side is getting done, although I will install the cooling baffles on both sides. Cubs just don't look right without them ;) The engine is mounted, and the cowling needs fiberglassed painted to finish the firewall forward. I also had some fun with the printer...I've got the mini manual made and I'll add a sectional and couple other little items as it gets close to being completed.

Jim


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Quick update...I finished all the window framing except the upper front windshield cover. Lots of screws...still over 100 to go with the wing fairing covers. It will add dimension to her...trying not to go too overboard but these little details will make her look the part. Hopefully I can get the cowling through paint by the weekend so I can concentrate on the struts. I'm still shooting for a maiden next weekend...

jim

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