RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Goran, lookin good there..I do like that motor.. hope to buy one someday..Today it was rain and cold all day here in SW Mo. we had a high of 41 here at the house so maybe this is it for winter after today....I did get to work on the wing some today.. I covered the trailing edges of the wing and trim covered the openings.. Cut a 3/8" strip of covering to put in the fillet for the belly pan.. This will make your wing and belly pan cover job look better.. After you get the tiny pieces ironed on , the flat sheets go pretty fast..I ended up with two lines that show on the bottom and panel lines will hide those.. On the top I did not want any bubbles in the covering so I applied the silver stripes and then applied the Black persuit stripes on bare wood. I ended up with about a 1/8" overlap of black over silver.. Again use a paper towel under your little trim iron to keep from scratching the covering.. The wing lacks the flaps and ailerons covered and then we will start on trim and panel lines..Getting close.. I only have two weeks left to work on this then sit it aside to start a Club Group build on two types of planes. Different pilots are going to build Tiger 2 kits, Pete-n-poke kits and one sig kit.***8 tigers, 3 petes and one Seniorita.. should be fun! Have a good weekend and keep building! Terry

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Looking good there Terry. This will be the sceme Iwill be going with.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Yes I did when I rebuilt mine after crashing it. The original single servo method worked o.k. but I don't think anyone uses a single servo for this layout for ailerons these days.

Here's some pics. - John.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

There has NEVER been a problem with single servo set up on ailerons if the linkage is kept tight and you use a good torque servo.. Most people blame "Flutter" on this set up but actually they have drilled their control arm and servo arm holes out to big and created linkage slop and or have too much hing gap at the surface causing the problem.. I seal all the surfaces with covering down in the "V" slot anyway. this really increases the effectivness and also helps to avoid flutter. I have a pete-n-poke that when set up per factory specs would not have enough roll rate to get out of trouble....but when I Sealed the hiing line...the plane came to life and I use less stick travel to get the job done .......
ALL THOUGH +++ dual servos do give you some insurance if a servo was to fail... I have been lucky and never had one fail yet. I have started using dual batteries.. Most planes crash because of battery voltage.( according to Don's RC and AMA) Have a great day! Terry B
John, where do you get those metal servo mounts shown in the pics...that is nice!
Goran, I relly like that color lay out! Please show pics as you get there!

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Boomerang, Terry,
Thanks for the input. At this point I'll most likely go with the single servo since I've never built that type of linkage configuration (gotta try it at least once!), however as the build goes along I may make the mod. My main concern would be the linkage being sloppy and not getting a good aileron response, but I suspect that the majority of these T/F P-47s flying around are using the linkage per design without any issues...

Build Well! :)
Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

BTW Terry your covering job looks great!

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Well I got the wing finished today and the wing bolt holes drilled, I was not able to bolt the wing to the plane cause Idont have a tap to thread the holes. However I was thinking about using a diferent set of wing bolts that Igot in a grab box I purchased at a RC auction which are pictured in the first pic.I got 8 sets of them in the box, they have a sleeve so they do not come out of thewing and won't get lost andinstead of threading the block ablind nut is inserted and epoxied in.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Ben, looks like you are doing a great job there on the tail feathers, that was some of my favorite part.. what is in the weight bags??? cause I am thinking about doing some for building myself. Please keep loading pictures as you go! It is so good to see several of these things going together...thanks for the intrest! wish we could be at the same field someday.....I got to cover some this weekend and got pretty far so here is the pics... please forgive the tape on the flaps! I also put some Robart scale gear legs on the wire....I will paint detail later..and more trim to come... I just ran out of gas today! Have a good week and please post as you go !
Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Terry,
Thanks, the stab building and sheeting went very well, and I'm ready to add the balsa tips. I have #7 lead shot in my weight bags. I've tried sand too, but it's just not heavy enough. With the lead I can add or remove it to adjust the weight of each bag. I use double bags 'cause if you get a leak, or one comes open it's a royal pain to clean up! [:@]

Will keep posting pics of the project...

Build Well!
Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I just make them out of a piece of aluminium angle.

I'm not a fan of mounting servos on the back of hatches & this method allows you to mount the servo,
check & adjust the linkage then screw the cover on last. - John.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

John, that was what I was thinking last night after I went to bed... Your set up lets me install and adjust everything before the hatch.. ..Hey everyone, go back to John's post on the flap servo picture and use that...much better than mounted on the servo door..
Ben, where do I get the Shot for the bags and does it cost very much??
Thanks for sharing...Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Terry,
The lead shot can be found at most sporting goods stores that carry reloading supplies. This is what is loaded into shotgun shells. You can get it in different sizes, with the higher the # the smaller the pellets. The price if the stuff keeps going up, unfortunately. A 25lb. bag is around $45.

John,
The aluminum servo mount is a great idea, might have to give that a try... ;)

Thanks guys!
Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Hi guys,, it's slow moving now..I worked on covering the flaps and ailerons. To get the best look, dont wrap the top covering over the ends of anything. Cover the ends first then bottom and top last.. By using this method, you end up with single layers on the ends and it doesn't change your end gaps and causing binding of the servo.. If you are gonna have color changes.. Try just a 1/8" overlap on the touching colors and cover over bare wood.. This will help you avoid bubbles.
On covering the belly pan.. I cut a paper templete to fit the wing then tranferred that shape to silver covering and applied the first half of belly pan ...went to the top and then the other side.. This will yield no wrinkles since it is compound curved and done in two parts... Hope this works for you! Take care and post some progress! Terry B...

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

By the way, Hobby Lobby RC in Tenn. has their red plastic drop bombs back in stock with release for 5.99...well worth it and very tough.. I plan to paint mine silver and green.. they are under accessories and then Fun Stuff... go get 'em! Terry B.
Here's the link for those interested ****

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/bomb_for_..._1008_prd1.htm
PS, I ordered my stuff on the first of April... got my stuff on the 5th...great company service !

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

HINGES ! Well, I epoxied the dubro pin hinges in today.. Start out by adding a drop of machine oil on the pin of each hinge. I stand them up and let the SMALL drop of oil wick down the pin to the head of each hinge..Then I appy Vasoline to the outside of the center round part of the plastic hinge where the pin goes through, just a little here and keep it off the flat tabs. this keeps the epoxy out of the hinge slot from sticking to the plastic if you dont get it wiped clean enough.. I then apply 30 minute epoxy to each hinge slot.. Apply a bead of mixed glue to each slot with a tooth pick or pocket screw driver and push it down into the wood with a large Tee pin..Lay the pin flat and lever the glue down into the slot.. Do this 3 or 4 times for each slot to have enough glue in the slot to hold. Wipe the slots down with a paper towel and alch to remove any glue on top of the covering...I apply a Tiny amount of epoxy to the very end of each hinge tab before installing the first tab..Move the hinge in and out a few times to rub the glue around. Cut some 1" paper towel squares up before you start and use one with rubbing alch to wipe away any glue that comes out the slot as you push in the hinge..The vasoline will help keep the glue out of the joint but wipe it clean before the hinge joint gets there... Tape all the surfaces to proper alignment and keep the hinge gap tight untill glue dries..Look to see if the hinges are staight with the Trailing edge.. This avoids binding.. Move the ailerons close to the wing tip and the flaps close to the fuse to make sure there is no binding when using both.. I use the same method the set the robart flap hinges. I like the pin hinges on the ailerons and elevators to keep them free and mininize the draw on the servo... After everything is dry, work the hinge a few times to free it up.....Got the elevators and rudder glued in today so We are moving forward !
Good luck on this step...its worth the extra time..to be careful.
Terry

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Your doing a great job on the Jug Terry, very nice craftsmanship. Thanks for all the Monokote tips as well!

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I think I will use pinned nylon hinges on this model too. Thanks for the tips on installing them Terry. And thanks for the heads up on the Hobby Lobby bombs!

Haven't made much progress over the last week, but I sure appreciate seeing input from everyone else.

Build well!
Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I wonder when Top Flite is going to stop making these kits?..........I am still trying to buy the discontinued FW190 but I have not seen any on Ebay or at the market place. I have a chance to buy a partial kit that is missing the Canopy for 250.00, I think that is too much. Also Top Flite no longer makes the canopy. These are awsome kits for under 200 bucks.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Top Flight has not said they are gonna stop making these kits I just figure they will since they have two sizes of ARFs and ARf seems to be selling these days! takes less talent than kits or building peroid.. On your FW190 kit, You can find someone on the internet to make you a canopy or I will visit with you about making one your self...Thanks for the replys about my post.. I do enjoy helping people with their modeling! Carl Watts of Springdale Arkansas got me into airplanes back in 1970 and man he could build a nice one..Usually he did paint, wet sand and hand rub finishes..Learned alot from this great man!
Back to the covering.. Most of the time for the last few years, I use the trim iron to do most of my covering. Once you get used to this method you will like it. Use the flat shoe on a trim iron and work a very small area along the leading and trailing edges to seal the covering down pulling the wrinkles out and pull the covering tight when applying it. Use low to med. heat on this step incase you need to re-position the covering..I dont move the iron on the covering, just place it on one spot as I go. Once I get it tacked into place, I use a small piece of paper towel under my iron on high to go around the whole outside edges to make sure it is attached well to the wood. The paper towel keeps the scratches away..Dont push down and make dings just let the heat do the work.. When its all sealed down, Use a new blade and make a TINY pin hole in each corner of the loose covering to let air escape, now use the heat gun with a nozzel and shrink the covering. I work from the middle to the edges and keep it movings slowly. When it is tight you can go over the covering again with the heat gun and rub it down as you go with a Soft bath rag or HOT GLOVE from top flite..Go slow when heating and rubbing down..I actually trim and seal the edges of the covering down before I shrink it...TIP* I use brand new single edge razor blades to trim, I dont get but three or four cuts out of a blade before I have to switch..Wish we could put on a class.. but hope this all helps!
Happy flying! Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I got two of the stars and bars on this Friday.. Here is a easy way to get em on straight.. I cut real close to the decal with a new hobby knife blade then use tape on one edge to hold decal into place on the wing... Set it on the floor and have a good look to see if decal is straight..If not sure, ask your sweety to eye ball it .I lined up the outside edge of the stars and bars to the wood block seam that made up the wing tip..I use yellow masking tape here (Rather than the lite tack blue tape) when satified, carefully raise the decal up using the tape as a hinge...peel off the paper backing and spray windex glass cleaner on the monokote area where the decal lays down...This allows you to get all the bubbles out.. I hold decal in place with one finger and use a new paper towel to wipe windex out from center out to edges... Wipe it several times to sweege out as much as you can..wipe from decal to monokote only, one direction ..walk away and leave it overnite...IF any small edges are up, you can rub them down the next day...worked well for me,, hope this helps!
Terry

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Yea I didn't get a whole lot done this weekend, I got the belly pan built and cut apart. really didn't enjoy that part but it looks pretty good. Alos got the wing fillets in and filled I just need to add another layer of balse filler. The last thing I got in was the cowl ring, did not glue the cowl mounting blocks yet was waiting to build the cowl before i did just to make sure I place the mounting blocks correctly. Sorry no pictures had to clean up early sunday wife wanted to go pick up a fish tank for my son's birthday present.</p>

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Sounds good Goran, No big hurry and the fish tank trip is very important too... HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Jr.)
I ended up sanding my blocks back a little to fit the cowl size...Look back at the older post I think I ended up with the blocks the same height as the fuse sides when all was done. I did sand a angle to some of the blocks to match the cowl shape too...Test fit the cowl as you go to get a flat wood to cowl fit inside...
Doing good folks... keep those cards and letters comming in ! (Not sure what show that was from but still sticks with me)
Have fun! Keep posting...
Thanks, Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

When you got the cowl to fit did you finish the cowl first? I currently just wicked a drop of CA on the bottom of the cowl and the top is free and then I wrap the cowl around trying to get the fit. It just seems that no matter what I do the cowl will not be glued completly perfect its looking like the top will be angled towards the back and it seems like there will be about a 1/4" to 1/2" gap at the back, that i would have to fill in with bondo after I use the fiberglass tape. I'm still trying to get it so this doesn't happen it just looks like this may be the outcome though. I did cut the cowl on the lines like the manual says but im starting to think I should have kept the overlap sections just a little bit longer. [:o] well hind sight is 20/20.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Goran, I did sand the area and used CA + Glue to completely assembly the cowl first. The cut lines on the cowling parts were very hard to see.. I left a little place to fill on top and bottom of the cowling area where the overlap was done. I filled it with epoxy and micro balloons. Then I used 30 minute epoxy after sanding the inside areas and installed the fiberglass tape on the front to rear seams and around the ring..
IF you need to widen your cowl, make it the width you need, CA the areas that make contact and then use the fiberglass tape to make it stronge... You will have a little more fill work to do but the cowling will work for you.. I kinda wish I had made my cowl a little more Funnel shape to let the heat escape out the back a little more but I assembled mine the way is was marked .
ANOTHER THOUGHT on the Ailerons. I wish I had set those up with Ball links instead of clevis connectors.. since the ailerons are on a angle and the push rods are 90 deg. with the bell cranks, there is some geometry issues there.. I installed my horns at an angle to match the trailing edge angle ( as you should) and everything works just fine but a ball link would be smoother.. (I would have to move my horns to change mine over now and drill new holes) Just a thought if you want to consider this..
Good luck Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Well I spent all night working on the cowl, but alot of that was wasted on the dummy radial. Well I spent over 2 hours trying to get the dummy radial to fit over the DLE 20 and the only way to get it to work is to basially cut the entire engine out to the point where only 3 cylinders are showing and only about 1/3 of those cylinders are removed. I may still use it though just to direct the airflow over the enigne only, but I'm not sure thought it would make it look nice but like I said almost none of the dummy radial is left. I did end up having to have a gap on the cowl where it contacts the fuse, I have not epoxied the fiberglass tape inside of the cowl yet but I will need to use epoxy and micro ballons to fill in the gap I had to create. Well the only things left are the pieces behing the canopy and the finish work on the fuselage and the wings and then I will be ready for fiberglass.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Well tonight I got some work done on my plane tonight, I decided to finally move everything outside into my shop since its finally warm and staying warm. I'm kind of bored with all the finishing work on the fuselage so I move to the wing. I remove the flaps and ailerons and started fiberglassing them. I am using 3/4 oz cloth as that was the lightest that my LHS had. I first started off by cutting out a sheet large enough for the surface to be glassed. I then laid the glass on top of the surface to be glassed. I mixed my resin 50/50 and then I added denatured alcohol until I got a thinner consitancy that I was pleased with, I then would brush on my resin on the the glass and then wrap it around the edges of the flap/aileron until the entire piece was covered with the resin. I then hung them to dry over night and once dry I will apply 1 more layer of resin thats not as thinned out as the first coat. I only got 1 aileron and 1 flap glassed, I had to do some light filling on the other flap and aileron and tomorrow I will finish the other 2 pieces. The wing is basically done all I have left is to finish sanding my fillet of balsa filler around the belly pan and tomorrow after work I will do that clean off the dust and then glass the wing. I will post pics later this week on my progress once I finish glassing the wing.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Goran, I will be anxious to see the glass work.. that is alot of sanding and work... Turns out well when sprayed though! Good job
T

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I decided to build a tank tray that I can remove and service if needed,,Did I miss something,, there was nothing drawn on the plans for this need,,,.I like a three line set up with a fuel dot..This also allowed me to tie the battery down to the bottom of the tank tray. I didnt want to see the switch on the side of the fus above the wing so I check inside the bulkhead ahead of the wing dowel plate and centered it between stringer just on the curve to hide it a little. I use the backing plate from the switch to make the cut out through the sheeting...Well it was time to install the servos... YEA ! That all went well in the fus but I was unhappy with attaching the servos for the flaps to the servo cover..so I came up with some scrap ply to make some servo mounting trays that could be glued down inside the wing under the servo door. I used the extra plywood rails included with the kit for this purpose( they were for Retracks.) You will need to assembly them completely and then drop it down in with epoxy on the bottom of the rails to attach permently...By using screws to attach the servo trays to the rails, it will allow you to remove it when you need to change something.. I'm not gonna use the plywood gear pants so I wanted to dress the wire up with some robart scale look-a-likes...(About $10.00) I also put just a little short piece of fuel tubing on the wire after wheel coller to round off the sharp edge of the wire that is left. It looks better and also helps avoid hanger rash! Well, now its time to start workin on the cowling cut outs.. Maybe next weekend..Stay in touch and post something! Terry B.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

I have made very little progress over the last couple of weeks, but I am ready to hinge the stab. I have a Slot Machine that I'll be using for the first time, so before I do the P-47 stab I have a practice wing I'll try first [X(].

I did a few practice cuts, and wow this thing is pretty cool. I have to change from a CA hinge blade to a nylon hinge blade as the slot needs to be a little bigger.

Terry, Looks like on pg. 21 of the instruction book it refers to gluing in the tank floor. I like your idea of a removable tray just in case... And the landing gear looks very cool!

Thanks for the motivation!

Build well!

Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Ben, that tank floor is sure worth the effort.. I had two 1/4" square balsa strips glued to the back of the firewall with just enough space between them to match the thickness of the tank floor that I cut out of scrap ply.. I used some 1/4" square balsa on the sides of the fus for the back of the floor to rest on and be screwed down with allen head screws.. Very easy to remove.. I'm gonna go back and look at the page mentioned about the tank.. I missed that all together... Thanks for the reply.. keep posting...I enjoy what others are doing on their models! Lets have a GREAT WEEK.
Terry B.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Ben, also on the hinge slot machine, mark the locations and take your hobby knife and make a slit where you can place the hinge blades to start with into the wood.. By having the slot, it stops the cutters from jumping around when you start it up...This is the best luck I have with it... Love the slot machine for this funtion!
Terry B.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Still chippin away at the 47.. got the flap servos mounted and working just great. As mentioned before, I did not like the idea of mounting the servo to the cover door and trying to adjust the linkage that was inside so this is the finished result of the Servo trays I built. The rails are epoxyed to the wing skin and ribs, the four screws showing let you take the plywood shelf out for service. This system will allow you to adjust everything and then put the cover on..I am cutting on the cowling tonite, got one rocker arm cover hole made , starting on the other.....slowly but surely. keep working keep working! Post something! T

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Terry, Thanks for the tip...

Wow what a time saver that slot machine is! Made 12 slots, 6 in the stab and 3 in each elevator in just a few minutes... A couple are a teeny bit crooked, but all in all I'm happy!

Here are a few pics...

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Sorry I didn't get any progress done on the fiberglass other than the ailerons and the flaps. I ended up deiding to take a small break from it, so I ordered my new T-Rex 550E flybarless heli which I just finished setting up tonight. I will try and get some work done on my bird between now and may 6th but not sure how much will get done have my sons birthday, holidays and military obligations to do in the next 3 weeks then on the 6th or so I have my annual training so wont be home for 2 weeks. But I will try and get somethings done between now and AT and post pics as I go.

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Keep an eye on the the slots you cut. I found with mine the blades quickly become bad and start to cut away from each other creating an ovaled hole on the inside that you can't see. Periodically cut a test slot in some scrap so you know when to replace them...

You guys are producing some awesome work!!!

I almost dropped the buck on another topflite p47 but I work insane hours now and just dont have the time to build. I decided to go with a esm 71" p47 arf and a dle30. My hobby guy is looking to carry the esm line. You can view them at troybuilt models. I'll probably start the p47 this coming winter. I gotta finish my 30% Pilot-rc Yak54. I will be flying the yak this sumer, along with my 30% extra 260...

Here are some pics of my toplfite p47 build. Oh and btw when you go to glass your plane use a roller! I tried it with mine and WOW next to nothing for sanding, the roller did a beautiful job!

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Wow Tom, that is great work.. explain this roller system you used to make the wing look that smooth.. GREAT WORK . Also, explain the panel lines I see in your primer.. Looking good! Thanks so much for the pictures! Keep em comming! I worked on my fus strips some today but not much progress.. Every take care!
Terry B

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Goran,
We'll try and keep the thread going while you are away... :) Keep up the good work!

Tom,
Thanks for the heads up with the blades...

Build well!

Ben

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Well, I was originally gonna spray the stripes on the fus and the Side vents, but after discovering that the vents would be both black and silver colors I decided to cover them, I got the fus strips put on and normally I would do this on bare wood but since the silver was already on, I just applied the black over the silver with low heat and worked the temp up with each pass.. I applied the stars and bars by placing them with masking tape (Straight and centered) then sprayed the fus with wendex, raised the star up to peel off the paper back, lowered the star to the covered fus, made sure all was straight and then started rubbing the liquid out from under the decal with a folded paper towel from the center out only. DO NOT wipe the reverse direction across the edge of the decal, your paper towel will raise the edge and stick to the glue on the decal.. One direction, center out all directions like a sunburst...Thanks and post something..

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

For panel lines I used 1/64” vinyl tape. The stuff you get from craft stores for doing raised letter head on paper. I can’t remember the specific name. If I remember I will post it here. But the vinyl separates nicely from the paint. Once you have your first coat of VERY thin primer (filler type) covering the whole plane (of course you sand most of it off as the first coat is just to fill scratches) then you tape out the panel lines, spray over the lined areas, lightly sand JUST down to the tape, remove the tape and presto panel lines… For the bigger shapes I used black electricians tape and cut to what I needed.

If you go this route watch how much paint you use. All you need it 2-3 coats to be effective as the primer gets heavy…

With the roller I used 3m spray glue (very light mist) on the wing and then pressed the fiberglass down so it held itself over the difficult areas like wing tips. Then I used zpoxy finishing resin with a 4” foam roller cut down to 2” (the foam soaks up a lot of expensive resin…) and rolled out each side of the wing separately. It took 3 applications to JUST fill the weave. I used .5oz cloth. I don’t use thinned out epoxy I have had rubbery experiences that way. I used 100 grit for a very light scuff between coats, just to knock down the bumps. Finished up with 220 then primed to fill the scratches and used 320 prior to final priming

I did the fuselage the normal way with playing cards and chucks of fiberglass. The sanding took FOREVER to smooth out and I went through the fiberglass in places during the sanding. The roller way is the best!!


BTW Terry, your covering is fantastic! I chickened out on ultracoting mine (I prefer ultracote, I hate the newer monokote...)

RE: Topflite Gold kit P-47
 

Tom, you are gonna end up with a front row finish plane.. I wish I could see your fiberglass process done in person.. I did my control line plane using clear dope, sanding sealer, base coat/clear coat paints annd wet sanding between each step.. it did well at the nats (Got best Brodak award for finish and craftmanship) took me to second place aerobatics 2009 but I think this fiberglass system you use is gonna be much more durable.. Looks great and thanks so much for the pics and posting.. please keep em comming.
my P-47:Well, still slow going and now I am head up stairs to do some painting in the hall way...YEA! but I did get some panel lines on, the side vents covered and the bomb drop mounted.. Now, off to sweety jobs!
Have a sunny day!
Terry B.