RCU Forums - Vortex F3A build thread

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I am addicted to this build thread!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck4816s (Post 12534170)

I am addicted to this build thread!

I'm glad you like it Chuck. It's great to see some enthusiasm for classic balsa construction :)

Alex,

There is just not enough of this left in the modeling world, the ARF market has killed this..

Thanks Alex, for contacting Matt. Will he post here when he is ready to cut some parts?

Chuck,
Alex's stuff is just fantastic! this is the 5th design (that I know of): Radiance, Europa Pro (all wood and composite versions, Contrast, Audax, Vortex. What is ironic about the ARF market is that all those planes start life as a laser-cut kit. Several years ago (probably 10), I tried to get Oxai to sell me an unbuilt (aka 'kit') version of one of their pattern offerings. No way, $5,000 for an ARF or nothing. There are still builders out there, but numbers are dwindling :-(
-Will

Quote:

Originally Posted by flywilly (Post 12534183)

Thanks Will. I sent Matt the link to this thread, so i think he will post here later but now he is busy preparing for the Nats.
Vortex is my 3rd design, the first was Radiance followed by Audax. I have a lot more on my hard drive, but they were not developed beyond the basic concept stage.

As far as i know, the Contrast and Europa Pro are designed and produced by a team in Lithuania. Great designs, but they are not mine.

I've been contacted by many interested builders to Laser cut and produce kits of this. I'm working on it presently and it looks very nice. Matt and others will be working with me more than likely and test fly it before releasing it preferably.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frequent flyer (Post 12535195)

Great news !
It's good to hear there are many modellers interested in building this model, i certainly didn't expect that in modern ARF world :)
Let me know if there's anything i can do to support you.

I've been a little busy and didn't have time to post updates, but i should have more time over the next few days.

Regards,
Alex

Hi Don,
That's great to hear! I'm looking forward to getting one of the Vortex kits!
-Will

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...a222e0af89.png
Alex, that's interesting!!!
Metal Bug with prop!;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by xcead (Post 12535416)

Alex, that's interesting!!!
Metal Bug with prop!;)

Yep, a present from my wife :)

Hi Alex,
The construction is proceeding beautifully. Adding the sheeting really helps give perspective on the size of the fuselage. You should post a photo of the Radiance sitting in front of the Vortex to provide some size reference.

I have a few questions. The Vortex was designed entirely using some form of Auto CAD? The sheeting was applied using very 'old school' methodology. Is there a topographic feature in CAD that would allow you to map the surface of the Vortex? The 'map' could then be used to either laser-cut the fuselage sheeting or at least produce laser-cut templates which would facilitate construction repeatability. Just a thought.

-Will

Quote:

Originally Posted by flywilly (Post 12535974)

Hi Will,
At the moment Vortex is missing the composite nose and canopy, so you would have to use your imagination to compare it with Radiance :) Maybe i'll post a picture of both models when Vortex is more complete.

I used Solidworks to design my models and the latest versions have an option to flatten or unwrap a curved surface. I think it may work for simple curves like the turtle deck area but i wouldn't trust it too much for compound curves because you don't want to leave any gaps between the balsa panels. I used this option when i created the templates for film covering the Audax fuselage and some of the templates were pretty good, while others had to be slightly re-worked to fit properly.
Also the properties of the balsa sheets can change a lot from sheet to sheet; some of them are easier to bend than others, density and fibers direction can be different, so i think it's difficult to predict its behavior consistently.

Hi Alex,
Great build so far. What glue do You use in this build? I can see a bottle of Deluxe Materials "Aliphatic resin" wood glue in one of the photos - is that what You use?
/Bo

Quote:

Originally Posted by bem (Post 12536758)

Hi Alex,
Great buld so far. What glue do You use in this build? I can see a bottle of Deluxe Materials "Aliphatic resin" wood glue in one of the photos - is that what You use?
/Bo

Thank you Bo. I only used aliphatic resin for attaching the balsa covering to the fuselage structure in the curved areas. It was supposed to be easier to sand but this is not entirely true :)

For the flat fuselage sides i used polyurethane glue (similar to Gorilla glue) because it fills the gaps and it is compatible with CA. If you wipe the PU glue with a tissue you can use CA to tack the balsa sheeting in place. You can't do that with epoxy and CA.

For the structure balsa parts i used CA in general, and for the parts where the loads are higher (like the motor mount and gear support) i used high strength epoxy and microbaloons.

Alex

I've got the parts for the plugs for the Canopy and Cowl cut. I'm getting ready to assemble them to make the molds.

Weight of fuselage at this stage (without cowl, canopy and rudder) is 900g.
Vertical tail images:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...4af7a6ddae.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f77e46758a.jpg