AdamsBro

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Hello all,
I just began work on a Top-Flite spitfire kit that has been laying around for a couple years. I figured I would post some pictures of the progress as the project unfolds. I know there have been a few of these builds in this forum, just thought I'd be social :-). Anyway, here is what I've done so far. I built the stabilizer in the last couple nights, I took several people's advice from this forum and hollowed out the Stab-Core, because rumor has it these airplanes come out tail-heavy.

Feel free to post suggestions or advice, I certainly need it!

FlyerInOKC

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AdamsBro!

This kit is on my short list. I have TF Gold 182 under construction now and the 1/7th P-51 waiting in the wings with the retracts already bought. I will start looking for the Spite kit when I start it. I will be watching you thread closely and can't wait to see your build. Good luck!

Mike

FlyerInOKC

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Now that I have studied the pictures, did you have a problem with warped balsa? I see the third picture with a bunch of weight on what looks like a stab skin. I have a lot of comments about TF Gold kits having tendency to build a little heavy overall. Lightening the tail is a good idea, I don't see it affecting the structural integrity at all. I know from my experience TF uses liteply in areas I think would be better served with plywood. I recut the firewall and several pieces in landing gear area out of 1/8 plywood to replace the liteply. I have seen liteply firewalls delaminate over time. I also didn't like a side mounted tank and corrected it by using several smaller tanks in series. You may want to review the material in the firewall area and seak advised from those flying this plane to see if any modifications are advisable. Warts and all I still love Top Flite Gold Series Kits! Now if the would just convert that Beech Staggerwing to a kit....

saramos

One thing I did to help lower the weight in the tail a little was to hollow out the blocks used for the stab tips and rudder top and bottom blocks after they were shaped. It's not a lot, but every bit saved in the tail is good.

FlyerInOKC

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Great idea I wish I would have thought of it when I built the tail feathers on my 182.

AdamsBro

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Flyer, The balsa isn't warped too bad, but it wasn't perfect either. For making sheeting skins what I do is cut the two edges that I want to glue together with a straightedge, tape them together so I see no gap between the edges, and then fold them onto eachother. Then I put wood glue in the seem, fold back, and place on the flat table, and then I take wax paper and cover atleast the glued seemm, then I take quite a heavy piece of like 3/16 or 1/4 inch glass that I have, and put that on the sheeting while it is gluing. I add the weights to assure the piece lays perfectly flat while the entire piece dries. It's probably overkill I just don't want to re-do it hahaha. Thanks saramos for the suggestion I was planning on doing a little of that. I can't remember the formula but something like 1 ounce in the tail = 4 ounces in the nose, so every bit does help. I actually studied your build thread, and tubig's quite extensively before I begain building this one. No progress today I hope to build the elevators and potentially the fin tommorrow, I work slow but I will be sure to get more pics up as soon as something gets done!

Thanks for all of the input!

FlyerInOKC

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I surprised I didn't relate that picture to gluing skins together with as much as I have done recently for my TF project. I use the same process except I use fiberboard instead of glass. A stored piece of plate has a short lifespan in my garage.

Wayne22

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At last!! Someone who is building a non-biplane!!!!

I put an OS91 up front - a nice heavy engine....As I recall, there was little if any balance issues....

saramos

If I were to build another TF Spitfire, I would seriously consider going electric. The cost is higher, but I'm sure it would be a lot easier to operate and still have the potential of turning a large prop. Redesign the firewall and push the batteries as far forward as possible and it might not take too much to balance.

AdamsBro

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Flyer, yeah I don't have much experience with these top-flite kits but it does seem they like to use sheeting, and often! . Wayne, I know right it does seem that everyone is suddenly interested in bi-planes, which is cool too I guess! I'm kind of new to this whole warbird thing myself, to be honest with you. I am planning on using an older, but fairly new condition OS 90 fourstroke, hopefully this has enough power to fly it nicely. Saramos, I honestly have very little experience with electric airplanes at this point and time, and I am really trying to keep the cost down so I think I am going to use the old 90 fourstroke I spoke of previously.

Update for today, I began work on the elevators, it appeared easy as I read the directions and looked at the plans, but as I got into it, things got a little complicated. I think I may just be overthinking some things, like the taper from the midline of the stab to the tips, and things like that, and what exactly kind of wedge they want me to sand into it. But I am working through it, here is a couple photo's to show where I am at.

Thanks again for the replies I appreciate it! Keep em' coming!

buzzard bait

Good idea to do everything you can think of to lighten the tail. I would even weigh wood and try to get some real light stuff for those balsa blocks. Also, tail wheels are amazingly heavy. Sounds like a small thing, but it all adds up. A small foam wheel can help.

A guy in our club built one of these and powered it with an ST 90. It was so heavy and flew so fast that it made the ailerons extremely sensitive and he couldn't keep up with it. He got about 45 seconds of knee-knocking flight before it splattered all over the woods.

Not trying to discourage you...I just think the secret to enjoying these planes is keeping the weight down, and most of the secret to that is keeping the tail light.

If you keep the weight down, that old OS 90 FS should be really sweet in this plane, and to me, way more fun than electric.

Jim

saramos

I know about the sensitivity of controls. I had my throws too high and it made for a very hair raising experience! Be sure to set your throws per instructions, and setup low rates too. My first and only short flight ended with a slight scrape on the right wingtip and broken gear rails.

Scott

AdamsBro

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Buzzard and saramos, thanks for the heads up on keeping the control throws as per recommendation in the instructions. It certainly would be disheartening to have the first flight be an unsuccessful one.

At any rate, sorry I have not been posting as much as I should be, I have not really had much time to get in the shop. I did spend a few hours in there tonight and get the stabilizer and elevators pretty much complete. The only thing I have left is beveling the leading edge of the elevators, and also installing the joiner wire for the elevators.

I wanted to ask you all, what was the method that was finally settled on for joining the two elevator halves? I know I read a few different idea's in different members threads about different ways to do this to either add a more scale look and or add a more structurally sound setup. I am purely interested in making it more structurally sound, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a couple pictures of the stab with the elevators taped on temporarily. And the other picture is what I have done on the fin, which is merely the sheeting skin hahaha.

Again thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it.

AdamsBro

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Just a quick update. No pics, but I began work on the fin tonight. I cut the ribs out, and got the leading edge mid piece cut out as well. I began laying out the parts on the plans. Did not glue anything tonight, but will finalize and double check everything, start gluing pieces together, and probably finish the fin tommorrow, and potentially begin rudder construction. Pics to follow!

AdamsBro

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Here is another update! I began actually gluing some fin/rudder parts together tonight. I have the fin basically 100% done, and the rudder is probably 95% done. I have to just make a couple final adjustments to both the stabilizer/elevators and the fin/rudder and I will begin the ever so elegant process of wing construction. To keep cost down, I intend to use these retracts of which I found at hobby king. It seems like a hell of a value at 60 dollars, and I think even if they don't "drop" right in, a little re-engineering is worth it to save so much money on retracts. Here is a link for the retracts if anyone wants to check them out, and maybe provide some feedback on problems I may encounter. [link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__18242__3_Way_Air_Retract_Landing_gear_System_Tri ke_Large_.html]Retracts I intend on using[/link]

Also, I know the set is for a trike, but obviously I am only using the mains...

Anyways here is some pictures of what I did tonight. Thanks again for looking everyone!

AdamsBro

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Update

Tonight I started building the fuselage. It was a nice change from building tail-feathers! I opted to not start the wing, because I did not yet order the hobby-king retracts, and I want to have them physically here, so if I need to re-engineer anything, I can during the building process.

Anyways, fuselage construction went very smooth, as far as I am concerned. A couple questions, if anyone who has built one of these can remember. Did anyone encounter the plywood formers not fitting exactly as they should? I had to sand some of the notches on the plywood formers to fit into the main stringer, quite significantly. Also, due to that, the plywood on the ends would extend much past the stringer, so I rounded them off to match up with the stringer. I don't know if this is going to bite me in the end, but we will soon find out! Anyways here are some pictures.. Any input is appreciated, thanks!