I have just bought the Balsa USA Taube 40 kit. I just love the early years of flight and the Taube was a great plane in its day. Has anyone built this kit? I have built kits from Sig and Great Planes but never a Balsa USA kit. How is this kit compared to the SIG 1/6 scale cub I built. I thought that kit was the kit from hell. I hope this kit is more like the Great Planes pete-n-poke I just built.
Also I would like to know of a good colth covering to use. Is Coverite better than Koverall?

Thanks

Jim:

If you survived the Sig 1/6 Cub almost anything else will be a walk in the park. At least in comparison.

Some like Coverite, I prefer the Koverall. I still feel more comfortable doping the fabric down, haven't gotten to trusting iron-on cloth.

Bill.

Bill

Thanks for your reply. I did get the Sig 1/6 scale built kit finished and it was a challenge. The plane did turn out to be a good flyer.

I have used monocote for my last two kits and they turned out OK, but I still like the look of cloth better. Does Koverall apply just like the silk span or silk itself? And does it add much weight compared to monocote after it has been painted?

Thanks

Jim:

The Coverite applies like ordinary film, and it is said to need no paint. Supposed to shrink similarly to film coverings.

Koverall is a polyester silk replacement. Application and finish is exactly the same, except the koverall has to go on dry, and it is shrunk with heat instead of using water.Koverite does have a "Grain," it shrinks more across the weave than with the length of the bolt.

My impression of Coverite, remember I've never used it, is that it has to be heavier than most films.

Koverall can be just slightly heavier than the heavier films, or it can go way up. It depends on how much dope you use. It can be finished acceptably in three coats, or you can keep painting and sanding for a longtime. depends on you.

Neither Coverite nor Koverall are too expensive. Get some of each and see how you like it on a test panel or two. Use 1/4 square balsa sticks to make some matching frames, match both size and weight, then use a different covering on each. Might even be able to get small bits from a local flier to try. I would strongly recommend the use of "Balsarite for Fabric" with the Coverite, or Stix-It, on the wood to ensure adhesion.

If you do the panels, weighing them bare and then covered, you'll have a real world example, notthe manufacturer's pipe dream, it would be good information for all of us to have, you'd get a big thank you at least from me.

Bill.

Bill

Thanks again for the input. I will try both on the balsa squares you suggested. I think that is a great idea and doing it this way I will see which one I prefer.

Thanks

I built the larger taube 90.

Man, what a job, but, I did not really have any problems building it.

Fltbuff

Do you have any pictures of it? Does you kit have ailerons? Mine is a 3 channel kit, but I am thinking of making aileron's for it. what do you think?

built mine when it was a new release (1981?) with the first os 40 fourstroke. great flyer on three channels for puttting around touch and goes etc. fairly easy build was only my second kit. had a lot of fun with it.

Jim. RCM had an article on the Rumpler Taube a few years back, where they added a different tail and ailerons to the Taube. It was plan #1173, from the August 94 issue.

I used their aileron ideas on my Taube 40 that I built (and crashed) a few years back. You can see them quite clearly in this photo:


Mine was cloth covered. I used 21st Century fabric for the white. The red was Black Baron paint over Koverall. Very underpowered with an OS 40 Surpass, but it looked quite majestic rising off the ground. It died on its second flight thanks to a faulty elevator linkage. (MY fault!)

Yes, the larger kit has ailerons and they are quite large.

jstanton I built one also and I used Solartex to cover mine and it turned out just fine for me. Flew it for quite a while (had a little misshap) waiting to be rebuilt again. The first time I flew it I forgot to check the CG and almost made it its first and last flight. But made it to the ground and corrected the problem and flew it for about three years. I also once flew it in a pylon race and won. Of course by the time she made it off the ground the other planes had already had two or three laps in. I also put flying wires on it which helped a lot on the looks. A friend of mine saw the plane and wanted one for himself so I built him one.

Nchrome

Did you add ailerons to your Taube 40 or did you fly her as a 3 channel? I plan on adding ailerons to her. What do you think. I also plan on using a Tiger Shark 46 engine with an 11x6 prop. Will that power her OK.

Thanks

jstanton I flew mine as a three chanel trust me you wont need the ailerons. I powered mine with an OS35 and it flew her just fine (as far as scale) but it will handle what you are going to use. Be sure to balance it though.

Nchrome

Thanks for letting me know. I plan to start building this kit this week. I am looking forward to flying her.

Thanks

For what it's worth, I would recommend that you try planning early in the construction phase to add pull-pull cables for the tail surfaces. You will note the distance from the end of the fuselage to the rudder and elevator.
When I built my first one I used simple pushrods and there was quite a bit of flex in the wire.

I do agree that ailerons are not really necessary. It flys quite nice on three channels.

As I recall one tricky part was holding the fuselage straight and true during assembly. The angled sides make it tricky to hold everything straight.

I also used coverite, but it was pre 21st century with the paint like surface.

If you chose to use 21st Century, I have found it works quite nice as long as you don't overheat it. Make sure you use the temperature specified with the roll.

Enjoy, it really does fly nice and won't look like all the arf's at the field.

Hoops

Hoops

I was wondering about that. I was thinking of using the old dowl push rod system for the elevator and rudder. I think that will work the best and there will not by any give in the push rods that wasy

I am thinking of using koverall for my plane. I kind of like the old way of doing things and using dope with cloth just sounds like it is the right way to get the looks I am wanting.

Thanks for your feed back on building the body. I will take my time and be careful at that point.

Thanks

If you like fabric coverin IMHO any of the tex's (Solartex, Worldtex, Colortex) are better than Coveral or the others; goes around compound curves better, sticks better and all around easier to apply.

Rodney

Will my local hobby shop have these tex fabic's instock or do I have to go to a fabric shop to look for them?

Thanks

Hello....

I am considering buying a taube they look great!
I was wondering if the "Completely updated and redesigned" plans show you how to add ailerons to the Taube 40?
if so does it use one or two servos?

darels I cant tell you about the new plans but trust us when we say that you won't need alerons on this bird. But do make sure that you check the CG with the tank empty. And if you decide to over power it make sure that the diheidrial brace is epoxied in place and glass the joint of the wing halves. Cause they will fold on you when you try to turn with an over powered engine. Mine is still waiting for me to get back to her and get her ready for this year I hope.

i need to find plans to, i think is a balsa usa taube kit. its in a plane brown box with taube stamped on end of box thanks bill

i need to find plans to, i think is a balsa usa taube kit. its in a plane brown box with taube stamped on end of box thanks bill

Bill

I no longer have the plans for the Taube 40, but I know you can oder a set from Balsa Usa web page.

www.balsausa.com

thank you bill