Vulturetec

Howdy all, been working on an Antic Bipe project for a little while. I started taking pictures with the intent to post but never got around to it.

I bought the kit off of eBay (I'd been looking for a regular Antic or Bipe, this one came up at the right price). I don't know what changes they've made to the kit, if any - from the dated documentation in the box it looks like the kit was produced in 1975. I'm building it pretty close to the instructions/plans, except for using a hardboard rib jig rather than using pins, the finish on some of the wood, and a few cosmetic details. I'm using "Antique" Solartex fabric on it. This is my first experience with Solartex and the stuff is great!

My build-along gallery is here.

spad

Hi vulturetec
just checked your gallery - doing a great job there! A real labour of love it seems - on a real builder's model![8D]
2 questions though - do you have a pic of what the finished article looks like (model or full size) and what are the black diagonals between the fuse longerons/spreaders and on the wing between the ribs? Looks like carbon rod or tube??

Keep going with the gallery - well impressed by the attention to detail.

cheers
Rick

Vulturetec

Hi Rick, thanks... Proctor has a picture of theirs on their website here.

The black "diagonals" are thin/round bamboo. They're made from bamboo skewers I think, but very thin - I haven't been able to find any replacements that were the same size. They're functional though, the fuselage is really flimsy until they get set into position. The "drag wires" in the wings are made from the same bamboo material, they're also functional.

-sk

spad

Now that's fantastic...such character!
Thanks for the link n good luck with it - keep us all posted.

cheers
Rick

Vulturetec

A little progress... finished off the elevator:

hrrcflyer

Vulturetec,

Awesome looking model so far. Your model looks incredible, but it is WAY ABOVE my building abilities. A friend of mine just finished his Proctor Jenny. He put a Laser 70 four stroke, what engine are you planning to put in yours? Keep us posted.

Fly safe and have fun!!
David

Vulturetec

Hi David... thanks - I think my patience outweighs my building abilities. Proctor kits always look intimidating, but they're really not that big a deal. This is my second Proctor project. They have some unique challenges (the hatch area for example), but as long as you're patient and cut the sticks carefully you'll be ok. Except for the wingtips there is very little in the way of sanding and shaping, almost everything else that needs to be cut to shape is already pre-cut. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to cover the wings. I've read a lot about it, but I've never covered a wing with that kind of airfoil.

It doesn't need this much power really, but I have an old OS 90 4-stroke (the old version with the pushrods in the back) I might use, otherwise I'm going to be looking for a .70 4-stroke for it.

-Scott

Vulturetec

A little more progress... working on installing the plywood fabric support plates that finish off the strut attach points (they fill in around the brass strut fittings), and the hatches for the four bellcranks in the wings:

(click for the whole series)

kyliesgrampa

My Feedback: (42)

Just came across your thread on the proctor Antic. Looking great, I just got the nerve to maiden mine yesterday, they are definitly worth the effort. Mine is the bipe without the center extension and I believe it will fly standing still. I overpowered with a saito 100. It had to have the nose weight anyway and still needed a little more. Like to hear from you if you have continued with the project. mike

CrateCruncher

My Feedback: (1)

Bang-up job on the Antic Vulture! You also debunked one of the great myths of Proctor kits - that they are difficult and tedious. As you said they are actually well designed and the hand machined pieces fit with uncanny precision. I notice your cap-strips were hardwood and wingtips were laminations. The newer stuff is balsa and bamboo respectively. Not being the patient type I skipped the Ducco cement and nails method of rib capping for the method in the photo below. It allows you to pick up the assmbly in the jaws of the "clamp" and glue both sides. A shot of accelerator and viola, insta-rib!

Vulturetec

Interesting...the Nieuport 11 uses Bamboo wingtips also - sounds like they're doing the wings like the Nieuport now.

Your rib-jig is the way to go. I originally set out to do a rib jig like yours, but settled on just pinning each half down. Either way it's far better than trying to use the multiple-pin method outlined in the book.

CrateCruncher

My Feedback: (1)

Personally I think the laminations are better. Boiled bamboo can warp structures and straighten out over time. When I get to that point in construction I'll use two 1/8 balsa strips with a strip of 1/64 plywood sandwiched in between for strength. Sorry for the confusion. I'm building the Nieuport 11 currently. I forgot the Antic and Nieuport share the same rib web!

Vulturetec

Been awhile, but there's been progress.

First, got the top wings finished up. I made hinges (as per the plans) and fit the ailerons for final shaping and sanding to match the wings. The plans call for three hinge-pins, I'm using a single long piece of music wire for test fitting:




...with everything finished up and sanded I covered the ailerons with Antique Solartex, fitting the fabric around the hinges.




...with the ailerons finished up I coated the lower portions of the wing ribs, center sheeting, and wing-tip with balsarite then covered the lower half of the wing. I'd been dreading covering the undercambered wing, but it was no big deal. I tackled it by tacking the fabric lengthwise, then pulled it tight to the corners. To keep things tight, yet tacked properly to the ribs I slowly tacked the fabric entirely to a middle rib, keeping it stretched chord-wise. Then I pulled the fabric snug to the next rib, tacked it completely chord-wise, tacked it to the trailing and leading edges, then moved to the next rib, and so on. In effect I was covering the wing rib-bay to rib-bay from the middle to the center of the wing, then from the middle to the tip.

After the lower fabric was attached I added pushrod-exit fabric reinforcements for the ailerons to the inside of the fabric, then covered the top of the wing. I used more "conventional" techniques to cover the top, keeping everything snug and wrinkle-free as I went. The end result looks great, and the ailerons/hinges all worked out great:








The next step was to cover the fuselage with some left-over scraps. I tacked the fabric directly to the frame, pulling along the edges.




FInally, for fun I stuck an old pilot (well, passenger) in the front-seat for a test fit. Seems to work!




Next step... make the inboard cable access covers, finish the set of lower wings, build the landing gear/tail-skid, rig the structural and control cables, and finish it up.

loochman

Fine Work. I'm going to purchase a Antic Kit for my winter project. Please keep up the thread, it's great and sure to be an excellent resource when I start my kit. I'm thinking on building the parasol version, any thoughts on that?

Loochman

Vulturetec

Yeah... I think the parasol version would be a heck of a lot less bother than the bipe! All the antics are essentially the same airplane with the obvious little mods to make them different.


Another update: Soldered up and painted the landing gear, so its starting to look a little more like a flying machine. I rigged the lower wings temporarily with fishing line to get an idea of the size of the Biplane sitting by itself:

Vulturetec

One wing left to finish up (repeat after me: monoplane, monoplane).

Here's the wing partially covered, bottom first:




Can't forget to install the fabric reinforcement for the aileron pushrod exit. Proctor originally called for using 'heavy paper'. 1/32" plywood will work too. I used clear plastic and just used to heat to fuse it to the glue-side of the fabric. Seems to work.





A finished pushrod-exit:




Test-fitting the bamboo wingtip skids. This particular kit is an early one from the early 70s. The skids were perfectly straight, a couple minutes in boiling water softened them enough to put into a form to give them the proper bend.

Vulturetec

Update: Except for some small odds and ends the covering is done. Lots of rigging and control cables to work on, and other bits and pieces.

loochman

Looking Great! Excellent Work!

What's that I see hanging in the corner? Another bipe!

Vulturetec

Yup - another bipe. Proctor Nieuport 11, pretty much ready for cover. I hung it up when I moved in here to keep it from getting broken and haven't touched it since...but that's next on my project list!



The Antic Biplane picture gallery has been relocated to here

Vulturetec

A little more progress - the tailskid is done! The covering is also completed. Two rolls of solartex was more than enough.



Building the tailskid - the main skid support is a single piece of bent bamboo. I made a reinforcement sleeve out of brass, drilled through it - the support - and the baseplate, then secured the support with a screw.



Installing the skid - like the support piece, the tailskid is made from a single piece of bent bamboo. I started by gluing the skid to the support. You can also see the tailpost and rear portion of the support piece, secured with thread and epoxy.


The completed tailskid, reinforced with thread and epoxy.



...and upright with the tail on!


Flashback...some front-hatch detail

Vulturetec

...permanently mounting the landing gear. To help seal the finish I covered and filled the holes with polyurethane just before adding the screws.


...and then on the wheels, ready to go!

Vulturetec

Trivial details... this kit is 33 years old and the brass parts had tarnished up pretty badly. I thought about painting them, but put them on the polishing wheel for a few minutes to dress them up.

Before:


After:

Vulturetec

Finishing the hinges... The hinges I made require hinge pins that are a little too heavy to easily bend over and secure. I was scratching my head over this, then found that the right size brass tubing fit perfectly over the pin and locked the outer shell of the hinges in place. One small piece of tubing soldered on each side of the center hinge locks a single pin in place. I had doubts about the single long hinge pin but the extra brass doesn't look bad.

The "locking" brass tubing on the center hinge:



The whole aileron with the hinge pin in place:

loochman

I'm still watching your build and I can't wait to see the plane fly. Nice work with the hinge pins, very resourceful.

Vulturetec

Thanks! Coming along slowly. One day it'll fly. I've got my eye on finishing the Nieuport now too if I have the time. Not too many pictures to show, but the Nieuport gallery is online here. Construction is almost identical to the Antic.