Comp ARF Spitfire
#129
Thread Starter
RE: Comp ARF Spitfire
Man this thing flys great! I had 1 issue on lift off the bottom half of my gear came out on one side. I got her down with only minor damage.
This is what i found the lower half of the gear is heald together with a steel pin. The gear cover brackets hold that pin in place. I removed the gear cover brackets and made my own. So if you have these gear check for that pin holding the lower half of the gear together. If you have the old style you can depress the gear and push the pin out very easy. Im lucky it let go just as i was breaking ground.
Its time for the repairs and some dirt on it now that i know its a keeper.
This is what i found the lower half of the gear is heald together with a steel pin. The gear cover brackets hold that pin in place. I removed the gear cover brackets and made my own. So if you have these gear check for that pin holding the lower half of the gear together. If you have the old style you can depress the gear and push the pin out very easy. Im lucky it let go just as i was breaking ground.
Its time for the repairs and some dirt on it now that i know its a keeper.
#132
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: , MA
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RE: Comp ARF Spitfire
This is a great build...good to see that the comp arf can get put together relatively quickly and with good results for a "beater" as you call it.
My only comment is that Sailor Malan looks like a ten year old in that 1/4 scale cockpit. Plenty of video clips on the internet to see the proportion of fullscale pilot to fullscale spitty. Your best pilot's stature makes the spitty look like it's the size of a P47.
I agree that Best Pilots do make the "best" pilots. Maybe they would consider creating a 1/4 scale Sailor...The comp Spit is worthy of a Best Pilot in the correct scale.
My only comment is that Sailor Malan looks like a ten year old in that 1/4 scale cockpit. Plenty of video clips on the internet to see the proportion of fullscale pilot to fullscale spitty. Your best pilot's stature makes the spitty look like it's the size of a P47.
I agree that Best Pilots do make the "best" pilots. Maybe they would consider creating a 1/4 scale Sailor...The comp Spit is worthy of a Best Pilot in the correct scale.
#139
My Feedback: (7)
My Spit
Here's some "almost finished" pics of my plane which is being built by my friend A J Lee. We are waiting on a JTec muffler, some nomenclature dry transfers for the small stuff from Callie and ProMark and the prop. After, just complete the radio install, balance and its RTF. Hope you enjoy
#141
My Feedback: (7)
It's was just latex paints. We started with what Testors recommended for their 1/48 model and picked up those. Painted a sample and had the latex paint made up to match. It's still a little tacky and some say it takes up to a month before it's finally set. BTW, I had my friend and builder, AJ Lee, build this model. He really does a great job and you can tell he really enjoys it. I wish I had half his skills.
Last edited by patrnflyr; 01-26-2014 at 05:33 PM.
#142
My Feedback: (7)
Well, today I "remaidened" the Spit. My son flew it a month or so ago and we had a few issues that needed to be addressed. He told me (and so did Terry) that it flies like a big Cub and I have to agree. My engine was burbling rich and one flap connection failed so I flew it without them. I'll bet I was developing on 70% power and it's definitely a floater. Can't wait to get the little stuff fixed up and fly it at Warbirds over Texas in two weeks. I agree with Terry, I'm looking at it as a "go to" warbird that's easy to fly which I can pull out on weekends just to fly as a beater. (An expensive one though). It's an impressive plane and gets lots of attention. Seems like it'll be pretty durable too.
Last edited by patrnflyr; 05-31-2014 at 04:36 PM.
#143
My Feedback: (7)
Ok, would like to mention something else. Let me start by saying the plane was not built by me but a professional builder. The first "cowled" flight went really well. Flies like a cub most of the time but was really twitchy on elevator so I turned it down to low rate and turned up ailerons to high rates to suit my tastes. Had a great seven minute flight and was coming in for a landing. Nice approach speed and there was NO FLARE! I had the elevator rates set at low and I had them pegged with up stick. Not a really hard landing but enough to make it bounce a little. That's when I was shocked when the plane just squatted down and went nose down! Went to pick it up and ALL the rails holding the gear in were broken. Glue was intact and the gear just broken all the rails up. Post mortem yesterday showed there was very cheap plywood used for the rails and the outboard ribs had no doublers. Thanks goodness as it lessened the damage but they shouldn't have broken to begin with. Our rebuild included some very good Midwest ply with carbon plate sandwiched between them. Have everything ready to glue back now. I was just disappointed that they used such poor wood for such an important piece of the plane. I guess they worked like BVM flex plates as there was little damage to the skin and limited to the bottom. Hope to have it flying soon. I've enclosed a pic of the rail after pulling it out of the wing. Just crumbled apart!