Norman,

Thanks for your interest. Sent you an e-mail.

John

Hi John, same questions as Norman...would pay for kit up front if needed.

Hi gang,

Since the e-mail requests for kits are continuing to come in, I thought I’d let everyone know just where this project stands, what I could provide right now, what’s not ready, unknowns, etc.

At this moment I can lay up the fuse, cowling, and belly hatch cover. I could provide foam h-stab cores and spars, plug in wing hardware, and misc. wood parts to build the rudder, elevators, etc. I do NOT have a plug for a canopy. The one on the prototype is for the Ziroli Hellcat and is a little too small. Had to cheat a little with the way that I cut it out to get in on there. There is also a question about proper gear. This one has Robart gear (150ZF6F) and may not be strong enough for a 55lb. Aircraft. Sierra Precision is in the process of building a set of custom gear but I’m still waiting on them. The Robart gear is also a little too short but none of that may matter when the next one (folding wing) is built because that one will need specialized gear. Designing the folding wing hardware and gear is still on the ‘to do’ list, slated for this summer. So for now it’s a plug in wing model.

Now, about those plug in wings. I really want to build a new set from balsa and ply, because I ran into numerous problems with the foam cores used on the current model. For starters, the cores need to be 6 inches thick and I have yet to find source for foam that thick. There is also a serious concern about the method used to attach the aluminum plug in blade spars to the foam cores. With foam they can only be held in with epoxy and that makes me nervous. I’d sleep easier with a ply main spar that I could bolt them to.

Now, as for the fuse, there are no panel line or rivet detail in the molds (long story) and many may scoff at that. I also used polyester resin and I know that there are countless modelers who hate polyester but it’s what I’m familiar with. This fuse has several sharp corners that require some tricks to keep the cloth in place during the lay-up and it required some modified resin to pull that off. Right now I don’t know how to perform those tricks with epoxy resin so for now it’s polyester (sorry). There is also a problem in that there is currently no joining collar on the back of the forward fuse section. This thing would need to be shipped in two parts so I have to add the collar to the front molds. It’s no big deal but still needs to be done. Boxes big enough to ship the fuse parts still have to be sourced.

Several have asked if advance money would help. Well, I’ve heard of several horror stories about that kind of thing so the answer is NO. Money is not a problem, it’s time. I work 10 hour days so it’s basically a weekend thing. There is no way I would consider accepting so much as a dime from anyone until I have parts in the boxes and ready to go. I can’t build glass parts right now because I have to do it out in the garage and it’s a little too cold for polyester resin right now. I need the weather to warm up some.

The prototype only has one flight on it so the jury is still out on how it flys. Discovered a serious problem last weekend that may delay additional flights. I turned on the transmitter and receiver switches and NOTHING!! No response. The batteries were hot and after several minutes of on and off it suddenly started working again. It did this once before shortly after radio installation (but only for a few seconds) but a fellow modeler convinced me that it was because my receiver antenna was still coiled up and tied (the way they come new) and it had gone into hold. I wasn’t convinced but I wanted to believe him. The bottom line is that I’m not taking it to the field again until I’m confident that this is fixed. I think it was one of the switch harness but I’m not sure. They will both be replaced this weekend so we’ll see. The bottom line is that it’s another delay since my decision on this projects future depends on how well it flys.

So, for now, a month or two will allow me to make a more informed decision about this thing. I plan to keep all interested parties updated as things develop, so hang in there.

John Fangohr

John, I hope you do not mind me sharing your hellcat update with everyone else.

Some of John's flight testing has been captured on video.

Check it out at http://astro.umsystem.edu/mmrca/

Hi John My hats off to you Sir,very nice Hellcat. I have allways wanted to try and make a mold for a warbird. but haven't made it yet. Is it possible to make a mold from a plane allready built minus canope? Thanks and good luck with your Hellcat.

Rich,

Thanks.

In regards to your question, the short answer is yes. If the finish is or can be fiberglass, the open areas sheeted off and glassed, and properly planned and executed, there's no reason why not. The first question you have to ask is, is it worth it? If you're only going to pull a few parts from the finished molds, you have to consider that you could build those same parts from balsa and ply much more quickly than it would take to finish a plug, make molds and finally pull the same number of parts from it. I knew this when I started but did it anyway. Thinking back on all of the work it was, I would never do it again unless I was certain that it was going to turn into a kit or marketable in some way. It's just too much work! The upside is that you will learn a skill that only a few have, and this knowledge will benefit you throughout your modeling career. Best of luck if you decide to try it, and let me know it I can help in any way.

John Fangohr

John, your a "real craftsman". Great job!

FalconWings,

Thanks, but I have to admit, I lost this aircraft a few months ago...............elevator pushrod broke in flight. Total loss, nothing left except a few misc. parts which now hang in my shop as a monument to the total stupidity that caused it (long story). Anyway, a new one is underway......but this time with a folding wing. I’m not very far along yet but will post some pictures as soon as I can get some wing hinges that look close to scale and get the wing attached and working.

Stay tuned,

John

That sucks!

Jeff,

Now you know why I needed and bought that Husky engine! That Quadra ran great but there's not much left. I'm hoping that the Husky, being piston ported, will provide a bit more power. The Quadra was reed induction, and although it flew it OK, it was a long way from overpowered.

John

Very interesting thread....I'm working amongst a group of guys who meet every saturday for building sessions. There are three or four plug and mold projects going on at any one time, so a lot of what was mentioned rang true. ... Good luck!!

Well...I hope it runs well for you, and I wish you better luck next time. I know how you feel. I lost 3 last summer.

John, is the husky going to give you some more additional weight up front?

FalconWings,

To tell you the truth I haven’t weighed it yet. Since I don’t have a muffler for it the total is still up in the air (so to speak). I’m not worried one way or the other........the Quadra package was 10 lbs. and the first one needed an additional 6 lbs. up front. But I plan to make the tail much lighter on this one so I have no idea where I’m going to end up.

Regards,

John

I decided to bring this old thread up to the front.

John, how's your folding wing Hellcat going?

I just got the plots of the formers to cut the foam slices for the fuse plug of my self designed 110" Hellcat. It started about one year ago with the collection of all available data about the F6F. A few months ago I began to construct a 3D model inside the computer. Although I'm a mechanical engineer I'm not a ProE power user so I had a pretty hard time to learn the 3D cad basics. All I wanted to get from the CAD system are templates for hot wire cutting the foam parts for the fuse and the wings. Well, this particular job is almost done.

The next few weeks the foam slices will be glued together and roughly sanded to the right shape. I hope the heavily glassed plug will be ready for detailing until xmas. The molds should be finished in spring 2008. I allready have some experience in making small plugs and mold. But such a big bird is a real challange. I'm glad to have a friend who made a full composite 110" P-47 recently. He promised to help when ever I need him. And I suppose I'll his need his help very often.

I have no intention so far to make full composite wings. They will be made of balsa sheeted foam and will be plugged to the fuse with a 2" wing tube.

The undercarriage is custom made by WABO in germany and the engine is going to be a DA100 with BMB mufflers. The weight of the finished plane must stay below 55 lbs which I think is realistic. My 110" Ziroli Dauntless weighs 47 lbs.

If you want to see some pics I'll keep you informed about the progress.

Joe