Flite-Metal

I had posted in other A6 Intruder threads, some going back to 2003, and decided it was time to create a dedicated thread on design/build of a series of 1:5.5 Grumman A6 Intruders. As you can see, we are well into this 115.3" w/s 117.6" long fuselage A6. Most, if not all of you, are familiar with the 1991 "Flight Of The Intruder" film. First things first...redesign the original one piece fuselage into a three piece for sake of easy transport and access to inside.
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The FX producer of the film lives in Houston. After a hurricane decimated his FX facility in Kemah he gifted what was left of the original A6's from the movie to Barry Raborn. After realizing this was damaged beyond what he deemed repairable...while I was visiting he gifted it to me. I had an A6 project in the planning stage so this was like discovering gold...

Flite-Metal

I immediately set about searching for the original movie 6 molds. I was about three months late to the party when they were sold to "someone" in the Pacific Rim...Because there were eight fuselages pulled from the original mold I set about searching for one of them. A month later I found one in Florida in an estate sale. The next day we were off to Florida to retrieve.
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To some this might appear ready to roll... Not hardly. The movie models did not have scale features nor functionality. Below is the short list of the improvements made to the original.

Retooling of original film 1:5.5 scale (115.63” w/s) A6 Intruder includes:
(*Features not on original "Flight Of The Intruder" movie A6 Intruders)

........*3 piece easy transport fuselage. (original was 1 piece 117" long)

........*Accurate removable nose. (Access to onboard systems)

........*Accurate scale intakes. 87cm2 ea. (105.61% FSA of each 110mm EDF)

........*Laser cut framed and counter balanced flying stabs.

........*Operating leading edge slats.

........*Operating wingtip deceleron airbrakes.*option.

........*Operating spoilerons. (A6's have no ailerons).

........*Operating flaps.

........*Operating retractable scale tailhook*option.

........*Fuselage features unique to every A6 version.

........*Martin-Baker Mk-7 ejection seats.*w/cockpit option.

........*Detailed cockpit and instrument panels.*option.

..........Aluminum main and twin nose wheels.

........*Electric or air retracts w/proportional electronic brakes.*

........*Extendable~retractable aerial refueling system (KA6D).*option.

........*Articulated retarded MK81 rail mounted munitions.*option.

........*TRAM "Target Recognition And Attack Multi-sensor". *option.

Flite-Metal

Flite-Metal

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Man I would love to repair one of these bad boys! Cool project

Flite-Metal

Mike,

Why would you want to repair what is available unblemished? I'd say if your heart's set on doing so we can
accommodate you when we are through with the movie 6. The new glass parts weigh less than half that of
the movie 6's.

What did you power your F-15 with?

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

A Kingtec 180G2. I just got a single pipe made as the Y pipe sounds horrible, (pluse a 5in matching dummy for the other side)

I enjoy the building and restoring a lot, and being in the Army with a family i have to stretch that rc budget.

Worst part, I'm still serving in Saudi Arabia and I'm next to there Airport, and they fly these amazing Toscano over head 6-8 times a day.

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Its the challenge for me, 2 of my favorite restoration, a crashed Diamond bright back, and a very sad large Airworld Cougar, that someone tried to use paint stripper on that destroyed the jellcoat making small cuncks missing all over.

Flite-Metal

Cougar and the A6 have the same plane form will fly like a pattern plane. What are you going to do to restore the 9's surface while keeping it light?

As for rebuilding movie 6 it would be tuff considering there are no canopy frames available...and it would be a bear to scratch with its double overhang ellipse shape..

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Viper1GJ

My Feedback: (20)

Nice restorations!

Flite-Metal

Flite-Metal

yeahbaby

My Feedback: (21)

Not going to put some carbon reinforcement prior to cutting edges or to help keep door shape? Might save you some headaches later.

Flite-Metal

The 1:1 has two longerons on each door panel...see below.



I have no access prior to cutting free of fuse. Will Hysol to adhere channel after rear and front doors are cut free. As large as they are I can
place them in place with tape then glue channels to door interior. There is an interior skin to the doors.

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Flite-Metal

After three weeks I had not received the 6mm sq. C/F tube ordered from Hobby King... They were not going to advise availability issues...
Found a manufacturer of 1/4" square x 78" CF tube. They provide a cut down service to reduce UPS cost. Should arrive within 10 days. Small
dim square tube is not readily available as is the round. C/F in these are unidirectional and do not bend...
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Flite-Metal

From this:

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To This:

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For proper perspective imagine the larger images multiplied 21/2 times for the actual part sizes.

Here is the hole they go into:

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NZjet

Why do you have multiple threads running on the same thing. Pick one and stick to it!

Flite-Metal

NZ,

Not all of these eight A-6 Intruder threads were begun by me. Most by multiples over many "years". I have two. I did consolidate to a single thread but revisit others when I have passed a particular mile post. Hyperlinks to the main online thread are shown. We are not suppose to overtly direct subscribers out of RCU. I have been encouraged by subscribers and Flite-Metal customers to continue posting progression of my project.
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As for why I post in the other 6 threads...I am weak minded and only been in this hobby a short while. I do need assistance from time to time. RCU has proven to be an excellent resource of suggestions to issues, if not outright answers. That is the premise of this forum which I joined when it was first begun by a Denton County, Texan...

Respectfully...

Flite-Metal

Sam, in Kentucky, is calibrating the Creality 10S Max after its assembly. We need to print the pair of inlets after editing the front opening to match fuselage inlet..

FenderBean

Man I really want a large A-6, worked with two different manufactures of the last few years and still no movement past the gear. Hope you guys end with a very nice model!

Flite-Metal

We want nothing more than to satisfy that for a growing number of people...none of whom want it to ROG and return...minus only the energy in the batteries more than Sam and I...:^)

Daily, I am "surprised" aka...xissed with something disappointing due to manufacturers overstating their product performance and an equal number understating performance. Its painfully obvious too many have the opinion all they have to do is create graphs and grids. Its frustrating to spend valuable time just to hear their distributor walk back on a manufacturer's web misrepresentations.

What may appear slow progress to some... is an occasional stagger step...Proves again nothing is better than watching U-Tube resources for performance proof before investing.

When it is flown by Barry Raborn, then and only then will it begin rolling out of the log cabin and barn.

Flite-Metal

I am looking for USN placard and stenciling. Unlike the USAF the USN placarding and stencil nomenclature is virtually the same on jet and prop aircraft. I have the USN Mil-Spec and revisions B and C. Unfortunately there is a minimum of explicit nomenclature in that document. Because the marks are the same across all the aircraft the maintenance manuals and T.O.s are where the placards and stencils are for maintainers.If anyone has access to the A6 surface maintainer's T.O.s I would certainly like to buy decent photocopies of the stencil dims pages. Below is what these look like. Most are black and white with a color guide column showing the FS #and its placement.I have a few in color. Most stencils on an A6 are yellow, black or white.Because the majority of the nomenclature is "yellow" and "white" against a process blue background they are not useful...

Flite-Metal

I had hoped to scan the nomenclature of the 1:32nd decals however this proved to be problematic with unacceptable aberrations due to ink wicking across the clear carrier when enlarged. So I am using DIY Sunnyscopa (Korean manufacturer) rub-on process. This produces an excellent alternative to custom dry transfer. The saving grace is the yellow nomenclature will have a gloss white surface beneath. I am reproducing nomenclature with military stencil font.

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Laser Printed.................................Transfer image carrier sheets are available in white or clear
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Inkjet PrintedBecause this process utilizes 8 1/2" x 11" transfer surfaces any image which fits within this area can be created in one step. Larger images can be printed on multiple sheets utilizing split clean edge printed image portions and applied individually.

Flite-Metal

White background clean edge images with non-white perimeters.



Sunnyscopa created rub-on perimeters need not have to be hand trimmed to prevent white outside image...aka clean edged graphic. All CNC cutters use a software providing an ability to trim an image exactly along the printed image. Above is a blueline from an auto trace of the ejection seat danger placard. The CNC cutter will cut along the blue (or other color) line to perfectly trim along the image shown right of the blue cut-path.

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CNC cutters are cheap...cheaper than custom dry, water slide decals, or transfers when utilized with the afore listed Sunnyscopa products. Depending on the font size this will work for colored nomenclature... ;^)

Ron S

My Feedback: (2)

Ed, you have another opportunity this weekend to bring some Intruder parts out to Bomber field, to let the A-6 fans look over them!