frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Same here on the three ribs and longer rail. Seems pretty strong.

Messing around with doors and mounting now. Think I've settled on the design;

For the wheel cover I've used a brass tube fitted to the wheel collar/retainer. A hole in the side of the tube for a longer grub screw hold them together and allows access to the screw at the axel. A piece of dowel glued inthe tube at the other end allows for gluing and/or screw fastening of door cover at the bottom. Above the oleo a doubled piece of tubing cut out to form a "C" shape slips over the bottom of the strut and the open part of the "C" clears the offset. A short piece of rectangular brass tube soldered to the "C" allows for a piece of hard wood to slide in and is then pinned with a screw.

For the strut cover I'll make a few more of these rings with a tube soldered across to slide over the strut. The door will have the stand-offs and a screw will hold the stand-offs at the strut. With a ring at the top and a ring at the oleo it won't be able to slide up and down...the one at the oleo will have a notch to prevent rotation, the middle will be held by the cover. It's also a friction fit. The ring is doubled with the outer one having a slot across it to help hold the cross tube during assembly. the slot also allows the solder to bond the inner/outer ring during the soldering of the cross tube.

I only have one ring so far, the strut cover is just held on with tape for pics. This arrangement should yeild the same function as the 1:1 with the wheel cover riding with the lower strut/sliding up-down the upper strutcover.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

OK, I'm done with the first strut and ready to paint.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

and some more...

It was easy enough to make the middle bracket with a working clamp. Between the clamp and the notch in the lower bracket it doesn't rotate. The top one is just a friction fit. Paint will also help to "glue" it all together as well.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

Great stuff 24! Your Zero will be a museum piece if you keep this up

Cheers, V.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Thanks for the kudos.

I do tend to get obsessive sometimes. I need to turn it down a bit or I'll never get it finished.

RAMFlyer

My Feedback: (65)

Beautiful attention to details!!!! You have given me some great ideas for when I start on the bigger version.

RBean

friets24, absolutely beautiful work. I'm reluctant to put that much time in any RC airplane that can be destroyed/gone in a few seconds. Great detail.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Thanks guys,

RBean-I know what you mean on the possiblity(inevitability) of losing all the work. I don't get out to fly as much as I once did due to time constraints so I'm drawing the maximum amount of satisfaction from the building as possible. Almost at a point that I may be enjoying the creation more than the flying[&:]

I keep telling myself to keep it simple, that I'm not really trying to do a TopGun contender. Then I get carried away on something. I rationalized the gear by telling myself it would take just as long to hang the doors on the struts any other way as well.

I'm not intending to do a super detailed cockpit on this one and the surface detail will end with panel lines and weathering...not doing 26,000 rivets. Would like to do an opening canopy and scale exhaust though.

RBean

frets, I got the fly the Zero Saturday and Sunday. Now a total of 15 flights and 25 cycles on the replacement WingSpan retracts. So far so good. Total of 130 flights on this plane.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

RBean,
Don't know how many cycles on the gear in mine, probably somewhere between 50-80 or so, but one side just had a malfunction. Motor just whines away and no movement on the leg. Failed in the open position so it will be an easy removal. Sounds like the same thing you had with your 2nd set. I ordered this set last Nov as well; SN:111110063/64
Never been in the air as I am still in the construction phase.

I suppose I'll join the que now in returning a set to Michael[&:]

I really do like the fit and function of these so I'm hoping that they can get all of the issues sorted. Honestly, I don't really want work out a different mounting geometry for a different set either.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Made a bit of progress on other areas of the plane now that the second wing, flaps, aileron, landing gear and covers/doors are done.

I used some plastic modeler's putty to "erase" some of the lines that I didn't like/didn't belong and added some more at a few critical areas. I used chart tape to make the lines and gave them a light layer of putty to begin the build up. Gave them all a light sanding and will follow with high build primer.

I "deleted" the High Temp panels that were located at the exhaust area because they were not very well done and too large. You can see on this left side the panel lines were not even complete. the right side was worse. I'll use aluminium HVAC tape to put them back later in a better position, number and size. Also added some panel lines in the gun cover area and will follow up later with the AL tape for the hatches and other access openings.

There was a long thin panel at the rear of the wing filet missing so it was added as well

At the tail the tape wrapped around the front of the verticle and horizontal stab filets will provide a positive relief panel at the front part of the stabs which then transitions into the typical "line type" panel line toward the rear.

While putty was drying and between sandings I modified the rudder and one of the elevators...the original former/ribs have been left in place; just carved down below the fabric adhesion level.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Here's a few examples of the positive relief panel and the HVAC tape from a previous project. Here in the USA it's branded as ShurTape and is available at the big box home improvement stores..Lowe's, Home Depot etc.

Hint...if you use this stuff, sand the lettering off and give the whole piece of tape a buffing with some 400 or 600 grit followed by a wipe off with acetone(best) or alchohol before cutting your shaps and applying them to help out with the painting...ask me how I figured that out[&:]

The first three are how the pos relf panels looked at base coat (trailing edge of wing root filet) along with some of the HVAC tape panels, then how they look finished and how nice they weather.

The last two pics are the way one was taped off and the finished result. You can use the Chartpack tape to create panel lines within the raised panel as well. Note the small right angle at the top front of the stab filet done with black Chartpak and how it shows up in the last pic.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

It's been so hot here the past several days that I'm not able to be in the shop for very long. Over 100 degrees five days in a row and that puts it at around 115-120 in the shed, even with the fans on full blast[X(] Work has been nuts, keeping me out till close to dark anyway, but the shed is still an oven even as late as sunset. The HVAC guys around here are doing 15-18 hr days....

Decided to use some of the free time (as in; not able to be in the shed/shop for long) to do a fast build and paint on a subject model indoors to see if I really like my intended scheme.....Yep, it's a keeper.
[1:72 Tamiya A6M5 plastic model]

With this heat the filler primer is drying very quickly so I'll probably peel my masks and panel line tape from the fuselage and see how it all came out in the cool(relative) of the late evening.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

I like it !
V.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Peeled all the tape and base coated the silver/aluminium. Started with the foil taping. Not a whole lot to do on the fuse.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

I like to watch your work

the rounded parts of the hatches, do you cut them with a "compass-cutter" or something else? I probably lack the necessary patience, but I do not get as good results when I cut them out myself

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Scissors on the larger ones and for smaller stuff I cut a rectangle or square as the end result dictates then start cutting off the corners with a modeler's knife until it's rounded. The HVAC tape is much like aluminium foil with an epoxy like adhesive so it cuts pretty easily with an Exacto knife.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Hi all,
I see that frets made a lot of work!Great job frets!
Today I started my DLE 55 with scale silencer, and it looks that everything is OK. Without scale silencer it has 5850 rpm with xoar 22/12 (the temperature was 18°C) today with scale silencer it has 5790 rpm and the temperature is 34°C, with propeller Bambula 22/10 I measured 6530 rpm and today 6280 rpm, so I thing that the difference is irrelevant. I´ve just finished the cockpit and during the next days I would like to finish electric equipment as batteries, ignition and switches.

Frets, the silver colour is only base for the final painting?

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

Yes, it is just a base colour. The next colours, Light green/grey and the dark green, are then only applied in a very thin coat so it can be rubbed off and worn away to show the silver under it.

I like your scale exhaust and your weathering

That also looks like a dionysisbaccus (Luke) canopy?

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

I use this method with the silver painting on my Bf-109G, it is very good when you want to make the wear out painting.

My weathering?? I wrote it, because I started the engine in last november, and the temperature of the air is important for the power of engine.

I don´t understand your last sentence: "That also looks like a dionysisbaccus (Luke) canopy?" I think that Dionysis Baccus was a Zeus´s son, wasn´t he?And is the god of wine. []

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

I think you just answered the question LOL

dionysisbaccus (Luke) is a member here who makes some "upgrade" parts

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

So now I understand Yes, I´ve get an inspiration from some members in this link. And I have the picture of the interior from Mirce.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Here is the link with the video, but the quality is too low [] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOJwQhb2hsE

glazier808

My Feedback: (1)

Very nice Prekin, it looks the part for sure!

Did you all here that ESM is going to release an 80" Zero? I'm always amazed at what you all have done with the CMP version. It will be nice to have another offering to bash up as well.

Casey

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

That's pretty cool info Casey.

Wish ESM would come up with a 70-72" version. They seem to take the scale lines and profiles a bit more seriously.


Anyway, I whipped up the nose guns tonight and put my heel through the top of a wing at the wheel well...one step forward and two steps back...literally...I was backing away from a bee in the shop Not too bad. Still it'll take an hour or two to get back to where it was before.

(Last pic is full scale reference pic)