Dumas Tiger Moth DH-82
 

I recently opened a box of sticks that I received from my dear wife last Christmas. She bought a Dumas Tiger Moth (DH-82) kit for me because it was on my wish list. Just this week I started building the kit and am, so far, pleased with how the kit goes together. I've already made some modifications to the kit instructions and materials and am considering other modifications and enhancements as my build process proceeds.

I substituted 3 strips of 1/32"x 1/8" basswood for the 2 pieces of 1/16" x 1/8" balsa specified for wing tip bows, rudder bows and elevator bows, all in an effort to beef up these most vulnerable portions of the structure. For the record, I am using Titebond Original yellow glue for most of the construction. I'm not in any hurry to get this bird in the air, so waiting a couple of hours between construction steps for glue to set up is not an issue for me.

I'm planning to add ailerons to the lower wing so I plan to decrease the dihedral of both wings by half. I should be able to fit a couple of 9 gram servos into the lower wing structure to provide for movement of these control surfaces. I'll probably opt for close-to-scale barn door ailerons rather than strip ailerons for these surfaces.

I need to redesign the front end to use an outrunner direct-drive motor instead of the geared motor for which the original was designed. I haven't gotten far enough along with construction to make that decision a pressing issue. Motor selection will depend on the projected all-up weight of the model when it is near completion. Aileron servo weight and selection of covering material will have a major impact on the all-up weight of this model.

I'm debating with myself about what to use for covering material. My current choices include silk over .5 mil mylar, tissue over .5 mylar, light weight rip-stop nylon fabric, 00 silkspan over .5 mil mylar or 00 silkspan without mylar, all applied using nitrate dope. That decision has yet to be made. My preferred flying field is all grass so I need a covering that is both light weight and puncture resistant. Various brands of Monokote or other similar materials are not on my preference list - these materials are relatively heavy and, given their shrink ability, will likely crush the delicate structure of the Dumas kit.

My preferred flying field is mostly "grab" grass, making it difficult to take off using the scale wheels specified for this model. I am not a scale freak so I have no problem substituting larger wheels to facilitate takeoff and landing activities.

I'd appreciate advice and direction from any of y'all folks who have build this Dumas model or something similar.