richard2287

Progress has stopped for a bit. I am waiting for an answer from Don Smith Plans. There is a piece of 1/64 ply that is shown on the fuselage plan as wrapping the interior wing cavity contour. In other words, it lays as if you bent it along the contour of the wing rib. Flat on the wing. But it seems to be part of the fuselage. The only trouble is, I can find no way that the shape, or the length of this piece called the "wing base" can be made to fit in the confines of my fuselage. And it is not shown on the wing plan, so I am sure it is part of the fuse.

I had a question on the sheeting of this plane, and sent Don Smith Plans a note asking to clear up my confusion. They came right back with the answer. So I think they are good people. I just don't want to overload them with questions. I hope this is the last I have.

So, as the poet said, "Here I sit so broken hearted". Waiting for an answer that I doubt if I get till Monday.

And I think I have about twenty hours in it so far. I have not kept exact count. But I think it's in the ball park.

Rich.

monarocoupe

Ok great rich.

I have just orderd my plans and parts So i carnt wait to get them
yes don is quite good at getting back to emails.
Sounds a bit odd this bit you describe, well we will find out what is does lol

20 hours thats really good you have heaps done, i am thinking of getting jesse
at lazar lizard to do my short kit.hear really good things.

Well i will await the next update rich,

Take care.

Lee

BoneDoc

My Feedback: (1)

If you actually scratch build this from a kit, do you get templates of all the ribs and formers to cut out?

monarocoupe

Hey Josh,

Yuo do get all of them ,i think you will find you need to trace them off
of the plans ,as i am pretty sure there are no templates.

Regrards Lee

richard2287

Boy do I feel foolish. I got a reply from Don Smith already. The 1/64 ply sits outside the fuselage, and attaches to the bottoms of the formers. It's on the top view of the plan. Thanks Don. My only excuse is that I have been out of the hobby for about 37 years, what with family and all. And this is only my second building attempt since getting back in the hobby.

Also, a balsa stripper makes short work of all those top and bottom compound curves. Much easer using 3/8 inch strips then 3 inch wide sheets.

Richard.

richard2287

This sheeting that came with this kit, is, I think the worst quality balsa I have ever had to use. If I weren't going to cover the whole thing with glass, I would scrap all the sheeting for the fuselage and buy new stuff. I have a suggestion for anyone that may be paying attention. The cowl is about 1/8th inch short of meeting the sheeting where the formers are on the plan. I am going to cut and add a doubler to the front side of formers 4 and 2. This is not a big thing, but had I noticed it before I got this far, I could have maybe done it before the sheeting went on. It would have been a little easer. Of course, you could just move the two formers forward about 3/8 inch while in the layout stage of the game and then sheet accordingly to the plan.
Richard

monarocoupe

Good pickup rich, ill have to check this when i do mine also,

Speaking of which , i belive its in the mail, so i am eagley awating it to come, and then i
will get jesse at lizard too do me a short kit.
was the sheeting precut for you of just normal planks of balsa.

So i am hoping in the next 2 weeks or so to start building....

Thank Rich

richard2287

Ya I'm waiting for you to get yours too. I hope it is all good. Makes it so much more pleasentwhen everything goes well and is right!
The sheeting that came with this full kit, is just stock three inch by 1/8 inch stuff. Fuselage sheeting is 48 inch, wing sheeting is 36 inch. I haven't just looked at every piece of the wing sheeting, but just thumbing through and feeling it, makes me think it is ok. Just the 48 inch stuff. Edges very crooked and or bowed. They lay flat, but you could use some of them for a marble circle. ha ha ha. Not quite, but they are bad, and they are so soft and punky that it's hard to pick it up almost, without snapping it somewhere along it's length. Very very poor quality. There are enough pieces to make the fuse. ridged, so I am just filling in with the softer brittle stuff as best I can. I feel sure the glass will more then makeup for any strength problem. (I hope)
Rich

I may add a few interior stiffeners before I button up the fuse. just to help where there are soft spots of inferior sheeting. Or I may think about it long enough to get tight jawed and strip it and go get some good stuff. I am still thinking this over.

BoneDoc

My Feedback: (1)

Rich, could you do me a favor?

How wide is the fuselage just at the root of the LE? I'm thinking of doing an electric, complete with a sound system, and I would like to know how big of a subwoofer I can fit in there. I just need to know the outer dimension of the width at the LE, since that seems to be the ideal place to mount the speaker .

richard2287

Bones, the width of the former, there where the wing LE would butt up to is 8 7/8 inch. So when the two sheets of 1/8th inch sheeting are put on in that area, outside dimensions would be 9 1/8 inch. That is outside to outside. Paint to paint. Inside sheeting max is 8 7/8 inch.
I think this is what you wanted. If not I'll try again.
Rich

BoneDoc

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks! I might go for a Jug instead then, since it seems that I can go bigger with a Jug.

richard2287

Well, it's beginning to look like a Mustang fuselage. Just a little minor sheeting left on the fuse. and I have the fin and rudder about half done. Next the stab and elevator. About 35 or 40 hours so far. I'm a happy camper! Am waiting for my hi torq servos to get here, so I can set up the tail installation.
Richard.

It's kinda BIG!!

monarocoupe

Kinda Big , i like the sound of that lol,

Quick where are the pics rich lol

Still waiting for mine to come [] But i still need to get my kit cut tho.

richard2287

I have left the sheeting on some of the bottom for access to wireing and servos and attachments of tail feathers etc. It doesn't look like much since last pix, but the fin and rudder and filling the little places with strip planking/sheeting, has taken me about another twenty hours. Still haven't started on the stab and elv. Some times the smallest things!!!! But it's coming along.

My 83inch TopFlite Cessna 182 is for size reference again.

It doesn't show so much in the pix. but the Cessna looks like a toy beside the 51, when viewed live.

monarocoupe

Hehe is doeslook like a toy and the fuse isnt even finished lol

But looking good, are you going to do a scale cockpit rich. would look nice
Thants one big rudder and fin lol, have you stated on the stab and elevator..

Still havent got mine yet, hoping this week .

So whats next for the build...

Lee [8D]

monarocoupe

Yay Rich , My plans came today....

All i can say is this thing is HUGE and i love it lol
Habent got my canopy ,cowl or radiator scoop yet, must be in a seperate box
to come.

But i am very impressed, lots of building detail and part locations.

All i need now is to get my parts cut from Jesse, and ill be set

How is yours going rich,

One very happy Lee

richard2287

Hooray hooray!!!! I am happy for ya. And boy, they do look BIG when you first unroll them huh! hahahaha But the plans I got were on inferior paper. So I had a copy made. This also insures I can sell the origionals when I am done with them. I only got the wing plans, fuse. plans and stab plan copied. Only $37.00. I will recoup that when I sell them, and in the meantime I have much heaver paper to work on, and it is proving to be a "good thing". I am hard on the plans. I glue on them and I cut on them and I saw on them. I usually just have shreds of paper left. lol....

How long before the "Lizard" gets the kit back to you? However long it is, it will seem like, forever, huh! lol You got your plans pretty quick though. Mine took about three weeks to get here. It seems like you just ordered yours last week.....

I am still working on my stab./elev. and rudder/fin. I am waiting for my hi torq servos to get here. Since I am not planning on doing an exact scale model, I think I am going to put the servos in the fin and stab themselvs. Shorter/stronger rods. Heaven knows the plane is big enough to do it to. (You won't believe the size of the rudder when you get it built!) And the positions are shown on the plan for either way. I think I am going to go for the pylon racer look. Not absoutly sure yet, but I have always liked watching the Reno races, the 51s my fav.s of course.

You won't believe the size of the canopy and the cowl when you get them either.

I know it will seem like forever, but hang in there. Your kit will come. Best of luck and good building to you.

Richard

mario tavarez14

My Feedback: (37)

i just recived my plan from dom smith , and this is a huge plane and iam so happy , this will be my winter project and my 3rd scratch build
i just put the fuselage plan and the wing on the wall to study, well let see what happen. good luck to me guys

richard2287

Hay Mario, ya, it is a big un! And the more of it you get put together, the bigger it gets! ha ha ha ha. But that's the fun of it all. Well best to ya and good building.

Give us a little of what you plan for it. You know, engine, retracts, paint colors etc.

Richard

mario tavarez14

My Feedback: (37)

n

richard2287

Cool! Very impressive lineup. Wish I had that kind of talent. Oh well. I like to build. They don't look like yours, but I enjoy it a lot. Much more then flying them. Right now I am planning a Sachs 8.4 inch inline twin for mine. But all things are subject to change from time to time. So will see. I want to glass mine mostly, just to see if I can, and do it right. I am sure that the plane is more then adiquitly stromg with out it. There is a whole lot of lumber in this full kit I bought. I would guess the box weighed right around thirty pounds when I got it. That is with no plans, cowl, canopy or hardware.
Keep us posted with pix as you go.
Rich.

richard2287

I wonder, would one of you guys take a look at your wing plan, and tell me just how the ail. LE. is suppose to be installed. The plan says to build and cover wing complete. Then cut out ail. and flaps. So if you do it that way, you would have to have the LE. cut into pieces to go between the ribs. If you install it while building, but are suppose to make it a one piece install, you have to cut out some of the ribs, and this is not indicated on the plan, or on the ribs. And at just what angle are you suppose to install the ail. LE? Do you notch it for the one eighth by one quarter front top spar, or does it go under that, and lean back toward the ail. spar?

Something has either been left out here, or I am missing something.

Thanks for your time.

Rich.

richard2287

I think I have it. I was just looking at one thing, but thinking something else.

richard2287

I am trying to post some pix. Not going well. I'll try again. I have started on the left wing. I have about half of it layed out and glued. I am up to where it breaks for the three piece wing panel. I shot a pix of the "jig", that is shown under the wing layout, to get the right amount of washout built in. I was kinda stuck, as I got rid of my real tool a long time ago. So I couldn't make a quality cut from the 1/2 inch end to the 15/16 end over the length of approx 48 inches with six more inches with three other measurements, and all I have left is a hand saw. ha ha ha. So, I went to the local craft store and got a piece of one inch thick by twelve inch by thirty six inch styrofoam and cut it very carefully with serrated kitchen knife. It worked pretty well. If you can see in the pix. It was much cheaper that way then having a carpenter shop cut it. I wrapped the foam with cling wrap to keep it in shape for the other wing.

The pix of the fuse, is just to show it in the corner where I have to keep it, standing by a door and my accordion.

When you look at the end rib, it sure looks like a lot of wash out to me. But that is what the print says.

richard2287

Has anyone else started their Don Smith P-51 yet?

Richard2287