a while back when i was building one of these for someone i recommended they use a gas conversion after seeing that someone on this forum had fiberglassed the fuse and put a ryobi on it and it flew fine with plenty of power. but the guy wanted to use his moki 120.

I figure it will be enough power. From what I hear it is a great motor to use, but I will be at the uppper end for it.

I should have pics soon!

something i will look forward too. those are pretty planes.

Manks, How did your build turn out? I just discovered this plane, it looks real cool and I'm thinking of getting one.

-Andrew

Well, with the flying season over now it has come time to get back to the building board. I have not done much to the Chipmunk in months, between flying in the summer and a busy fall work schedule I have not had the time. But over the past couple of weeks I have slowly got back to the Chippy.

I finally mounted the fin and stab last week, and cut holes in the tail to insert servos. The plane is built, there is really not much more for me to do, or glue together, it is now all about finishing.

I am smoothing out the fuse, filling in any gaps and getting ready to fiberglass. I will be off for two weeks over Christmas, I will spend a good deal of that time in my workshop doing the glass work.

I also have the wing ready to cover. I ordered some servo extentions from Tower hobby and they came in today, so I put them into the wing, had to cut a couple of new holes, but no big deal.

I also have to mount the Engine. It is almost ready to go, I just need to drill a couple of holes in the firewall for fuel and throttle, again, no big deal. I am wondering the best way to mount it, I am not sure I want to rely 100% on glue with this big a plane, I am thinking maybe some kind of screwed in reinforcement - we shall see.

New pics soon.

Cheers!

Manks

Hi Manks,
Just wondering if you have any plans for modifying/finishing the canopy? Al Kretz, a scale competitor, was doing a Chipmunk build in R/C Report complained about the canopy but didn't finish the review so I don't know what he did about it. What are your plans for that area? Thanks.
GarySS

A Canopy came with the kit., it is the Brit one, not the Canadian. I think you can get a Canadian Canopy somewhere, but I cannot rememeber where.

Yeah, the canopy is just a molded thin plastic "shell" in two parts (as you know). It seems flimsy, but light. I was just wondering if a Flitemetal treatment on the "framework" or some other enhancement would work.

I am not at the level of building where I am doing mods to canopies or anything really complicated, maybe the next build!

I think I will use what came with the kit, it does seem OK, if there is a techniques you could share with me it would be apperciated.

BTW - as an update on the build:

I just (like 10 min ago) put the last piece of fiberglass cloth on the fuse, it looks great. I am using .53 oz Cloth and a finishing resin. This is my second glassing job, the first was a test on a .20 Texan that I have as a static model - this one is turning out better. I have found that I need much less resin than the first time around.

The technique I am using is cutting and laying the cloth out, then mixing a small amount of the finishing resin - this is a much thinner expoy than regular 30 minute, it is a bit easier to sand, and gives a very nice glossy finish. I used a small foam brush and a plastic key card from a hotel. I will drip a bit of expoy in the middle of the cloth, then work it out from the middle with the key card. The card is perfect, it is thin and easy to use, while being flexible enough to fit the form of the fuse. You would be amaized how little resin you need if you use the card in this manner. I use the foam brush in some places if I need a little dab of resin to make it stick.

After getting the cloth as flat as possible - there are always a couple of little bumps and ridges to sand off - I use a roll of regular toilet paper to get the execess resin off the plane - again there is usually not much because I am using as little as possible.

The thin resin sets up over night and I can lightly sand down the fuse the next day. I have spend maybe 6 hours on fiberglassing this holiday, that includes the light sanding.

Once the first coat is set and fully cured, I will do a full light sanding with fine and very fine paper (600 grain), then lay a second light coat of resin to seal everything up. Waiting a few days to let the epoxy cure, then a detailed sanding of the fuse. I will check for any problem spots I missed the first time around and fill them in with glazing putty (bondo) again using the key card as it is a perfect applicator. I will then resand the trouble spots and prime the fuse for painting, look for problem areas again, bondo, sand, final prime and paint.

Once that is all done, I will work on some cockpit detail, then start covering the wing with cloth.

I am beginning to think that this project may actually be finished by the end or the Winter!

Hopefully by the end of January I will have the plane ready to install the radio, motor and electronics!

I would post photos, but there is not that much to see rigth now, the fuse looks almost the same, just a bit shinier because of the glass. The Wing is also about the same, all I have added is some the servo wiring. When I start to paint I will take a few more pics.

The big fuse has been glassed, sanded, filled, primed, taped and the first coats of white paint are going on. There are some spots to touch up and I will have to do a light sanding on it to get rid of some paint drops. but so far so good. I will be painting the cockpit and nose later tonight I hope at least, it is looking pretty good so far.

Once I am done with painting I will do one clear coat to give it a nice finish, then I will cover the wing with cloth and paint that, then all that is left to do is the cowl, final mounting of the engine, installation of the electronics and the wheels. I am pretty proud of this project, it will be almost 18 months from start to finish, but it is worth it for me, as long as the plane does not crash on it's maiden flight!

OK, the painting of the fuse is done, here is how things are shaping up, to me it is looking pretty good. There are a few touchups that I need to make, but overall, it looks pretty good.

Well the build continues over the day, I have finally mounted the firewall and motor, also I have put the cowl together, used a bit of CA, then a strip of 5 oz glass cloth and 30 min epoxy. I have cut down the edges, and filled with lite drywall spackle.

After I put the motor on I was shocked at how heavy the plane felt so I brought my son down the bathroom scale and we weighed it, right with out covering on the wing, radio gear, wheels and no gas tank the plane is 11.5 lbs. I figure there is another 3 - 4 pounds of gear that needs to be added, so flying weight will be around 15 - 16 lbs, right in the middle of the recommended 14 - 17 lb range.

nice work! looks alot better than the one i built

That fuselage and canopy are coming out great! It's coming together!

Thanks, I am pretty pleased with it so far. I have a few touch ups on the paint that need to get done, just have to go to the auto paint store to buy some touch up paints, and another can of the red to do the cowl and wing tips. I am having some trouble with dripping paint, I try to have a smooth finish, but it is not that easy to achieve, the three color scheme is a bit of a pain, but it will work out I am sure.

I am now ready to mount the cowl, it is not perfect, but pretty good, again there are some touch ups that I need to do, but don't have the materials for it now.

The cowl is a 2 piece, I used some CA, then strips of fiberglass cloth with epoxy on the inside, then a mixture of epoxy and micro balloons to smooth out the seams, that still needs a bit of work, I have to work a bit more to get it perfect.

The weight of the plane will be about 15 lbs, maybe 16, well within the MFG suggested range of 14 - 18, I am really excited about the prospect of flying it THIS season. A bit nervous because I have only flown a .40 size trainer for one season and am not sure I have the skills for this plane yet!

Don't want to hijack your thread but could you possibly tell me what the width of the firewall is at the widest point. I'm currently thinking about buying a NIB kit and was wondering if my OS FT160 twin would fit inside without cutting the cowl too much.
Thx

The Fire wall is about 4.5" across, it is an insert, with about 3/4" of space on each side. The engine I am using is somewhat bigger than a 1.60 I am sure that engine would fit my plane quite well.

What kind of kit are you looking to buy?

I'm looking at a Dynaflite chipmunk, the same as yours. ARF's are ok, but you can't beat a built up kit, the ability to reinforce if needed and to personalize it more.

So if the firewall is 4.5" with 3/4" of an inch on either side that you saying the width of the cowl is 4.5" + 1.5" -> 6".

I just measured my OS FT160 twin and it's 7.5", looks like the valve covers would have to stick out or I could just get a Saito 180 for it. Either way I like the look of the it and if I get one it definately would have to be in RCAF colors.

Dave
AB, Canada

Do you have a line on the kit?

It has been out of production for several years, you are lucky to have found one. I do have a review of the plane from about 2001, the author put an OS 160 on it, and said it fit very well, you should have no problems. If I can find the article I can try to scan it and send to you.

Good luck on the kit, it is a good one, the rear fuse is a pain in the butt to do. If you want I am happy to provide any thoughts on the build

I sent you a PM with my email address in case you find the article, kinda looking forward to getting back into some balsa dust [:'(]

I found the article, it is pretty long, and I only have a hard copy, if you want I can photocopy it and mail to you. The guy does use an OS 1.60 FX on the plane, the muffler fits inside the cowl with the engine mounted at about a 20 degree angle.

Thats alright, I found the article on the IMAA website but there is no link to file. I guess I'll determine which engine when I get my kit in, whether I go with the OS FT-160 twin or G26 .

Thx

Just wondering where did you source the kit from? It has not been produced for quite a while, you got very lucky finding one.

I got it on Ebay tonight of all places, I didn't get it for $100 but close to what they use to sell for at Tower Hobbies. Either way I got one and thats all that matters. I can't wait for it to come in now, what I need to find out is where to get the bubble canopy for it.

I've read in the forums that people used to get it from a company in Canada that is no longer in business, do you have an idea where a person can source one out? You need that bubble canopy for the RCAF look.

I think I found a bubble canopy that will work, the Great Planes Super Chipmunk 1.20 canopy should fit the bill...