Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

I'm about to get rolling on the construction of a Yellow Spitfire for a friend and thought there may be some interest in the build. I will be doing the majority of the work necessary to get the airplane ready to finish and then we will be working together to do the final detail and paint. With any luck the model will be built to competition level standards in the hopes of attending a few team scale events with it when completed. It will also serve to showcase a few of the products that I currently offer including my built up stab to replace the supplied fiberglass unit, my cockpit kit, my laser cut vinyl surface details, and maybe a few other items if opportunity arrises. In the interest of scale fidelity and with an eye towards competing I intend to modify the wing with scale flaps (including the short inner segments) and scale Friese type ailerons. I'm sure there will be other modifications as the build proceeds. The model will be equipped with a Rimfire 65cc electric motor for power and will be supported by Sierra main gear retracts converted to electric (using Down and Locked components I believe) and a Lado electric tail wheel retract. I will start gluing parts together within the next few days. Construction will not be at lightning speed but, as this is a commission build, progress should come at a steady pace.

Since I am totally illiterate when it comes to electric power I will let the owner chime in if he so chooses with more details about the power system. What I do know is that the Rimfire is a fist full of motor!

Attachment 2235326

Construction will start with the new built up tail feathers for which I have already cut the parts. Here's the plan and kit.

Attachment 2235327
Attachment 2235328

I will also be working up some new bulkheads for the cockpit area in order to incorporate my cockpit kit which is actually designed to fit the slightly smaller Taylor Spitfire.

Attachment 2235329
Attachment 2235330

The airplane will be built as a full span, high back Mk.XIV as supplied by Yellow. Right now we are leaning towards a SEAC scheme for the Spit, probably the 152 Squadron aircraft flown by Sqn. Ldr. G. Kerr seen here:

http://www.squadronprints.com//image...gular/0573.jpg
http://www.rollmodels.net/nreviews/a...c/P5150560.JPG

Stay tuned for more as we get the ball rolling...

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Hi Chad Iam very much looking forward to working with you on this one, I can speak to the details of the power system and why electric. Istarted flying RC with NiCd batteries and a foam cub, as I progressed with bigger planes Istayed with Electric, its what Iknow and what Istarted with. As the motors and batteries progressed in size so did my planes. I currently have flying a pretty good Electric fleet, all these fly typically for 8 minutes and have reserve for another 4 if needed.

ESM Swordfish 85 or so inches
ESM LA-7 80 inch
ESM P-39 - in the shop 90% done with 90% left to go :-) Stole that line from Chad, I have been posting progress on the ESMP-39 thread.
H9 - P-47 RazorBack
BH T-28 79 inch
Aeroworks Sport Cup 110 inch
and several others, please don't tell my wife http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...eeth_smile.gif !

So an Electric Spitfire only seems to make sense, one thing for sure there will not be any holes in the cowl so the outline will not be affected. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...ades_smile.gif

The Power for the Spit will be the RimFire 65 CC running on 12S with 8,000 mah batteries. The speed control will be a Castle Creations 120 HV and the prop will be in the 20 X 13 range. This combination will provide 10 minute flights with some reserve and should yield speeds in the area of 90 MPH. This will not be a speed deamon but the goal is for a scale build which will be flown scale with scale speeds. The Gear is Seirra but the actuators are a set of Lado 666 that I had from another project.

Cheers,

Rick

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Nice!

Casey

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Chad & Rick,

Great idea for a build. There can never be too many Spitfires!

I have seen this, or a very similar, paint scheme in the air, and one thing I will say is that the white lines on the wings greatly improve visibility. I think you will like it! I know nothing about electrics, so there will undoubtedly be a few things I can learn.

Chad, I didn't realize you offer a cockpit kit. It looks great!

-Ed B.

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Hi Chad
looking foreword to this build ,my favourite mark of spitfire too

Andy

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Thanks gents for checking in and for the encouragement. And thank you Rick for the additional information in regards to the power system you have chosen for the Spit. Having seen a few of Rick's other large electric warbirds perform I have little doubt that the Spitfire will be more than adequately powered. Rick has spared no expense in the pursuit of the best quality accessories for this build and I am confident that the finished airplane will be a very reliable and user friendly scale bird. It should also have very good contest potential if I can maintain the same high standard in construction as can be found in the various components. I'm sure other builders out there can appreciate that it's much easier to get excited about a project when you know that all your hard work is not going to be compromised by sub-standard accessories!

While no actual Spitfire construction has been accomplished yet I did learn a few things today that will be directly applied to the Spit build. I'm sure many of you are aware that split flaps, such as those on the Spit, can be a real nightmare to make rigid and keep from warping. As it so happens the other commission build I'm currently working on also has split flaps and I decided to construct them from G10 fiberglass sheet in an attempt to rectify those issues and still end up with a scale-ish looking flap. I had two concerns with using the G10 which included the best method of cutting the material as well as gluing it. (I've got minimal experience with working with the stuff.) Both concerns were for naught however as I found that I can cut G10 up to 1/16" thick with the laser quite nicely and, after roughing with sandpaper, CA works very well for sticking it all together. This is good news since there are a number of areas of both builds where G10 is the material of choice. Below is a picture of a small section of flap which, while not for the Spitfire, illustrates exactly how I plan to construct the Spit flaps when the time comes. It is very rigid, perfectly straight, and the trailing edge is less than 1/32" thick but still very durable. On top of that it is practically ready for paint! If there is any down side it is that the G10 is a bit heavy. (Negligable on a model this size though.)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...pse4ee9761.jpg

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Looking forward to this build for sure. Having Chad products available for the YA Spitfire will make building another one very attractive to me. <div>
</div><div>Since you are going electric, why not go the counter-rotating route? Very, very few of those out there and the sound is very distinctive. </div><div>
</div><div>Whit</div>

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

As a lover of electric flight I look forward to seeing this one fly!
very cool

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

I still have a new YA kit in storage maybe this will be the catalyst to get it going. I was considering making my kit up as a light blue photo recon version.

Saturday I had the opportunity to take photos of a MK IXB that happened to visit us here at Felts Field, WA. Its from The Historic Flight Foundation. It was flown along with their B-25 in formation and solo and it was just awesome.
I have several cockit photos I can share and I specifically took photos of the data plates on the instrument panel.

Question: has anyone made a built up wing kit for the YA Spitfire?

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Mk IXB cockpit photos for reference...

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

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RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Oh, don't do the light blue version! There was a reason they painted it that color!

It looks great on the ground but in the sky? Where are you?!! Parts of mine are painted "SKY" and if I roll her the wrong way, "now you see it, now you don't!"

Invasion stripes!

Whit

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

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RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Here you go Chad I had these of your Spit from Airliners.net

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

@ Whit,
I know camo works! Lol I was looking at the PR version with the invasion stripes and another P prototype version with the yellow underside.

I like the idea of going electric and adding a sound module but I want to find low frequency 4-4.5 inch speakers. I read a report commissioned after the war about sound and trying to quiet down aircraft. They studied the Spitfire and recorded its exhaust sound from idle to full power. The low end frequency is 32Hz and the high end is over 100Hz. Today the sound systems have speakers capable of only 50-60Hz and to me they sound like tin cans, the low frequencies are missing to add that rich note from a Merlin. So in order to be more authentic I would like to test lower frequency speakers and a calculated box to get the right sound.

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

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RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

I look forward to your posts on the YA Spitfire!

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Thanks Whit, glad to have you onboard. I would love nothing more than to put counter-rotaters on this thing but the call is not mine to make. Actually, if I can ever put enough pennies in my piggy bank to purchase the counter-rotating power system it will go in one of these:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q..._Mojave_02.jpg

Me too Ron! Thanks for checking in.

I think we're going to duplicate the original wartime version rather than the restored one in the pics. I think Rick is looking forward to the weathering process and I know I prefer my warbirds with a bit of "patina". Besides that, we plan to compete and the restored one is a Mk.XIX which would require moulding a new canopy. I do like the PRU blue and intended to paint my first Yellow Spit in those colors but ended up selling the bird before it was finished. Thanks for the all the Mk.IX pictures too!

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Chad is your client going for the Vario Prop 5 blade prop on this one? They have a newer hub called 16 and they offer a 5 blade version. I have the 5 blade 12 hub and its really cool. They are very affordable and specifically designed for E power.

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

I would not put a vario on this motor. Mr. Ramoser thought that this motor was too big for use with the varioprop. They are not to be used at over 9000 RPM. I have the "series 16" in 3 and 4 blade. They really are not designed to work under a aftermarket spinner. They work well on corsairs and jugs. (No spinner). The only way you will get one under a spinner is to have a new shaft made for your motor, as they are not long enough to accommodate the hub and spinner nut/washer.

Casey

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

You could use a spinner that bolts around the spinner and into the backplate.

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Nope, not enough bolt to get the prop nut on then. The hub on the "16" series is 1inch thick.
Moot point anyways as I directly asked about the application of this motor and was warned not to use it on it as he felt it was pushing the limits of the prop system.

Casey

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Prop selection will be left totally to the discretion of the owner but all talk thus far has indicated that the optimal two blader will be used and a static 5-blader will be made up for show. I will let Rick explain the reasoning in regards to prop choice if he wants to discuss it. Did I mention I'm totally illiterate when it comes to electric power systems? I think I'm about to get an education!

RE: Yet another Yellow Spitfire build thread
 

Should be great work Chad..love your stuff.

JQ