mihaj

I just want to keep this discussion alive.
So I'm back with more pics.
I haven't done much just because of my commitment to Yak-3 project. Being optimistic, I think we should have at least 5 kits ready by mid April.

Hopefully we will start cutting parts for Po-2 in the same time frame.

Here is vertical stabilizer ready for CNC.
Materials are the same as on horizontal stabilizer.

Cheers.
Mike

The PIPE

Dear Mihaj:

The PIPE Here AGAIN...and coincedentally, I've got a set of Polish-drawn scale drawings from Bob Banka on the Po-2...those scale drawings ARE still available from him, as drawing set no. 5013, for $8.00 for the set of two scale drawings! Those are scanned onto my PC, and using DesignCAD 3000, I'm hoping to do one up in Giant Scale (TRUE 25 cm=1m size) and I'd bet an OS Sirius five cylinder four stroke engine would look GREAT on its nose...it even LOOKS like the full scale plane's M-11 engine, at least from a distance!

It's only in its very early stages on my CAD setup here at home, and it WILL be a while before I can get back to CADding it up some more...but where the unit that used it with FEMALE pilots was named the "Nachthexen"-the "Night Witches"-by the German Army in WW II, why not go "all the way" and name one after a very FEARSOME Russian folklore witch... BABA YAGA ...for an RC Scale model that, although it is VERY doubtful that any Po-2s in WW II flown by that unit WERE named after that Russian folk tale witch who lived in a cottage that MOVED AROUND on a set of gigantic chicken's legs, I'd bet that for a "imagined model of a Po-2 full scale reproduction" the Baba Yaga name would be just TOO appropriate for one of them!

It would have nose art with the Cyrillic letters for "Baba Yaga" on the nose behind the engine, and with possibly the head of Disney's fearsome looking evil witch from Snow White on the depiction of the human figure portraying the role of Baba Yaga herself...riding around the sky NOT on a broom, but in a giant pharmaceutical ceramic MORTAR, and with a matching pestle to swirl around inside the mortar to make it all fly through the air, with her RIDING in it as Baba Yaga did in the stories about her...and with her "free hand" holding a BOMB or hand grenade about to be dropped on the despised Nazi invaders.

It's "just an idea"...but for an aircraft that is among the TOP FIVE produced aircraft of all time (along with two OTHER Russian aviation designs...the heroic Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik, AND the later Antonov An-2 biplane frieghter, each being made in numbers that approached and even surpassed FORTY THOUSAND aircraft)...and that DID have FEMALE pilots flying it into harm's way in WW II against the Wehrmacht...having an RC Giant Scale Po-2 model named Baba Yaga, who is ALSO a famous symbol of Russia's past in its folklore, is just too tempting to pass up!

It WILL be QUITE a while before I can get to it...but if I get myself an OS Sirius engine in the coming years, a Po-2 named "Baba Yaga" WOULD be a perfect home for one of those beautiful engines!

Yours Sincerely,

The PIPE!

mihaj

WOW!!!!!!
I'm fascinated by your knowledge. Are you Russian or ex CIA spy?
It is a grate idea and I can see the parallel between "Baba Yaga" and "Night Witches".
Carry on! And good luck with your project. I hope my project will be implemented in 1/4 scale at some point.
I'll be glad if anybody will find this tread informative.

Thanks for your attention.

Mike

mihaj

Hi there,

As usual I don't see too much of an interest/excitement about Russian aircraft on RCU but it is OK.
Anyway, this thread is steel active. I was mostly working on our second prototype of Yak-3 and just a little on wings for Po-2(U-2).
Hopefully I will have some more pictures and info next week. I think that I have all my ducks in the row with design concepts for this model. Now it's just a matter of time.

Cheers,
Mike.

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Mike, keep the info comming plus some pics of a kit under construction. That would spur interest for sure. BobH.

mihaj

Bob,
Thanks for insparation. We will start cutting some parts on our CNC in two weeks.

Stay tuned.

Mike

dottney

My Feedback: (2)

I'm very interested in Russian aircraft. I saw on your Yak thread that you guys are thinking of doing an I16!!! iI'm sure producing kits as a sideline is quite troublesome but keep in mind there are those of us out here who like kits and like less often modelled planes.
BTW, I linked up to this and the Yak thread via the EZONE thread you started. There's alot of unusual stuff in the Scale and Foamies forums over there. Check out J Morgan's threads in the Foamies, you'll be impressed.
Dave Ottney

mihaj

OK,
I had a little bit of time to work on this project.
Some mods were done to the wing and the center-section was completed.

For dottney:
Yes we are thinking about I-16. It may be our next project.

Cheers
Mike

Jim OHaver

I would send you pictures of "my" Po-2 model, which has somewhat of a history, behind it, too. For some reason, though, RCU won't let me upload the image. I am at a loss. Jim

mihaj

Hi Jim,
I can't wait to see them.

Mike

Jim OHaver

The upload seems to be working today. The interesting "history" of this model is: This model is built from plans that first appeared in the April 1977 issue of Model Aviation under the Title "Bed Check Charlie," by H.G. Bowers. Hurst Bowers may be a familiar name to some in the scale fraternity. He was and is a prolific scale modeler and all around helluva nice guy. If you look, you'll see his scale model designs all over the place. The interesting history of the Po-2 model in the pictures is this: this is not just a model built from Hurst's 1977 plans; THIS IS THAT PROTOTYPE MODEL, built by Hurst almost 30 years ago. I "inherited" it from him in the late '80s when I lived back in Virginia; it was in rather poor shape, having hung in his basement rafters for some years, the wings were badly deformed from repeated temperature and humidity changes (and the fact that dope continues to shrink in perpetuity--which is why almost all doped airplanes warp in time), and some of the original covering had shrunk to the point of rupture, and where it hadn't ruptured, was warped beyond redemption. I stripped the wings down to carcass and recovered them, adding a closed loop cable-driven ailerons to it while I had the wings uncovered (it had originally been a 3-function model). The silkspan and dope on the fuselage and tail was left intact, with only so much patching as was needed to cure holes. I also replaced the pushrods to control surfaces with scale-type cable-drives while I was at it. Thus modified and with wings recovered in micafilm and dope and re-rigged to cure some strut misalignments, it flew again in 1988 or 1989 or so on an OS.10. Here's the heroic part. I still have it, and it's STILL FLYABLE, with but some minor repair work, as some of the original 1976 silkspan and dope has gone rather tatty and brittle by now! The .10 glow won't fly it here at 5000 feet altitude in central Arizona (and besides, I burnt up that OS.10 flying this model with an old TopFlite white nylon 8x3 prop), so it needs an engine upgrade and will likely get an MVVS 1,5 cc diesel installed shortly, which should haul its 3 lbs nicely, I think. I think this last resurrection here will probably finish its career, as it's getting a bit oil-soaked, which no amount of K2R spray seems to fix (and you can't get the good K2R paste in a tube anymore that really did work!!!!). Anyway, both the U-2/Po-2 and this model of it have led heroic existences with longevities far exceeding the life-spans of their more sophisticated peers, and I think I may be in the running for the longest-lived non-Hangar Queen RC scale model. Now howzzat?

On an unrelated topic, I am a passionate scale modeler and amateur aviation historian, with a special fondness for Russian aviation history, so am delighted to find others to kibbitz with.

Jim

Jim OHaver

I'm quite interested in Russian stuff, too. You have any underway? I am working on final draft of some plans for Pe-2. Looking at 2 x .06 PAW diesels and retracts all around, but may go electric, too. No wood cut yet, but soon, perhaps, if I can get the other bazillion projects ahead of it off the bench.....
Jim

mihaj

WOW Jim! That is an amazing story and a good looking replica too.
That model is almost as old as me!!!

As far as ongoing projects; I have 1/4 scale Polikarpov I-16 about 80% done but I stopped working on it a year ago, because I was not satisfied with my profiles for fuze formers. I'm planning to start from scratch again sometime.

BTW good pronunciation skill you got there.

Cheers
Mike

mihaj

Hi group,

I'm back, and I'm thinking about abandoning this project (for now.)
Since it's almost done it won't take too much time to finish, but at this point I started to realize that .40 size is not what will draw attention. Furthermore, this model may look more impressive in 1/4 scale.
Please don't think that I'm jumping from one project to another without finishing, I just think that I choose the wrong size and subject for this time.

Regards,
Mike

P.S. I'm starting a new thread today!
Check it out. It may be something that you want to build next.

Jim OHaver

From where did you get that color scheme? I have a fair amount of Russian materials, and that style is a new one to me.
JGO

The PIPE

Dear Jim Ohaver:

The PIPE here yet AGAIN...STILL haven't even FLOWN my dependable Balsa USA Swizzle Stick yet this year, as I've been BUSY doing things for my MOTHER here at home this summer...she's got ME running telephone and cable TV lines out to her newly enclosed back porch (the telephone line IS all up and running...the cable TV wiring is STILL only half done)...but that cable TV line SHOULD be all hooked up THIS weekend, so I'll be able to get back to RC flyin' in the coming weeks, especially as my FAVORITE flying season...a NEW ENGLAND AUTUMN ...is coming up in about a month or so!!!

That's an AMAZING story about YOU getting your hands on an ACTUAL AMA magazine model construction plans prototype...about the closest I'll EVER get to that amazing set of circumstances is thanks to something that came in the mail about ten days ago...my old RC Giant Scale buddy HANK ILTZSCH's planset for HIS RC Giant Scale Bristol Scout D from the March and April 1981 AMA magazine, that I had ordered from the AMA!

Hank designed that plane nearly a quarter century ago, and the plans ARE still available from the AMA as planset No.328...I was an EYEWITNESS to that plane's initial flights, and NOW I've got the plans to build one up myself...mine would use an RCV 120SP powerplant, and will be built up as an EARLIER version, the Bristol Scout C No.1611 of Lanoe Hawker from the summer of 1915! The drawings of Hank's Model D Scout WILL have to be slightly re-done to make the needed changes to the Scout C version, but Windsock Datafile No.44 on the Bristol Scouts has just about ALL the info I'll require to make THAT change!

If I had gotten that smallish Po-2 myself, my VERY FIRST thought would be...will an HP 21-VT 3.5 cm3 four stroke engine (which IS now made in the USA by MECOA) be a good choice for a powerplant for it??? I'm STRICTLY a FOUR STROKE flier, with a bit of interest in electroflight RC Scale in there as well...and that small Po-2 SEEMS like it would be perfect for a "little Baba Yaga"...with HP VT-21 power in its nose, and FULL FOUR CHANNEL controls!

I've heard one of those VT-21 "tiny" four strokes run, and that little JEWEL of an engine is SO AMAZINGLY QUIET that at altitude some people think the plane that the VT-21 is in is really an electric powered plane...and it is TRULY "that quiet running" of a glow four stroke!

Since the plans for Hurst Bowers' small Po-2 ARE still available from the AMA as Plan No. 181, for $7.50 before postage, you COULD build another one easily enough and get yourself an HP VT-21 (webpage on it is at http://www.mecoa.com/hp/vt/21.htm ) and have yourself, IF you decide to modify the planset to use ailerons on the wings (for FULL four channel comtrols) you'd have yourself a GREAT early morning flier for cool, calm conditions...that makes SO little noise that I can imagine other fliers WILL think it's electric powered!!!

But the Giant Scale idea with an OS Sirius radial STILL appeals to me...for a Baba Yaga to chase the Wehrmacht all the way back to Berlin sixty years ago, as the REAL ones did!!!

Yours Sincerely,

The PIPE!

mihaj

Hi Jim,

I've got that color scheme from here. http://vvs.hobbyvista.com/Markings/Po2/po2-part1.html

Ceers,
Mike

Jim OHaver

Very nice; have added the link to may archives. JGO

bubbleboy

Hi all...I have a nice set of plans for a PO 2 that I am going to build in 1/6 Scale. Also a pic of the I-152 that is nearing completion.

mihaj

Hi There,

This is a very impressive model. Please keep us posted on your Po-2/U-2 project.

You can olso join us on www.RCSCALEBUILDER.com.


Regards,

Mike & George

RED STAR RC

akodrun

hi everybody!

i was looking for some informations about PO-2, and found this
great forum.
firstly, mihaj, great work with tihs po-2 project!!!
it is very impresive work!

in my aero-club our engeneer is just finnishing last jobs on REAL PO-2!
we all hope that it will fly till end of this month, again after 45 years.
you probably know, that this is one of few flying exhibit.
it will be great to acctually fly with them.

now, i am very enraptured with po-2 model, and would really much like to
get some drawings for it. can you, please help me!

contact me, please on [email protected]

im adding one picture of our po-2!

wish you all best!
andrej

WycheG

My Feedback: (4)

So ... any of you guys ever wind up actually building a PO-2? I only ask 'cause I got a set of the 1/6 scale RCM plans on the way and want to know what kind of engine you used, landing gear, wheels, tailskid or tailwheel, etc. I got the June '73 RCM magazine with the construction article, but any additional information would be great.

Greg

shede

Seemingly belated, but I just this evening re-joined RCU. I'm reading through both threads with great interest. This one showing the CAD process is especially fascinating.

Thank you
OC

jim4599

My Feedback: (3)

hey guys iv'e got the an-2 plans. if you want them i'll give them to you at my cost of reprinting, and shipping

aviatic

Try www.rmk-models.com. It is great. Design of Polikarpov Po-2, scale 1 : 3.[8D]