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Very nice and clear build! Please keep posting.
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You wouldnt happen to recall the issue of MAN you saw the Ziroli article in would you? Id be interested in learning a new trick or two and I like how you did your fairings.
Cheers, Kevin |
Originally Posted by warbdluvr
(Post 12412473)
You wouldnt happen to recall the issue of MAN you saw the Ziroli article in would you? Id be interested in learning a new trick or two and I like how you did your fairings.
Cheers, Kevin |
This may be of interest in regards to creating wing fillets: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-s...g-fillets.html
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Fillets
Many thanks Wally and Chad.
Lots of great information there and thanks for the links. Im going to put that information to good use very soon. I have both the 1/5 pica P-51 and Spitfire waiting their turn. I can see there being a box of unused plastic fillets slowly filling up in my shop from here on. cheers, Kevin |
Belly Pan
With the wing fairings done, I worked on the Belly Pan to blend in from underneath. I built up with balsa gussets and planking, sanded and then applied the lightweight fairing compound. The plans indicated that this area had to be built up. This winter went by so fast working on this plane.https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...0dcdab5b21.jpg
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Rudder / Fin Details
I'm trying to get these pictures in as a thumbnail to make it easier to review. The new picture uploader won't let me.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...3edeb6d268.jpg Glassing Rudder https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...4988dbeb90.jpg Glassing Fin with .57 oz. fiberglass https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...98f792cd0d.jpg Sculpting tail light housing with lightweight 2-part eposy from Smooth-On. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...350485c5eb.jpg LED cover made from aluminum sheet https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...5500bfaefb.jpg Checking fit to LED https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...afc1a04131.jpg Checking location of set screw https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...905cdd1996.jpg Checking LED fitment https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...74a5a102a8.jpg Just trying to make it look scale. You can barely see the fabric lines taped onto the rudder |
Man, that is GREAT! Is that 'Free Foam Air" easy to work with?
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The Smooth-On product is good. Being an epoxy, it allows you time to shape before it sets. You can smooth it with drops of water or alcohol. I even used Windex and my finger so it wouldn't break up while smoothing. It has a fair amount of micro-balloons but you could always add more. I found a black dye that works with polyester and epoxy so it can be colored. I'm sure there are others. You don't need to add much. Drops will work. Here's the link on that stuff. https://www.fibreglast.com/product/B...nt_43/pigments. I like their products too.
I used it for the canopy build to keep it light weight yet strong. It can be drilled and tapped like wood. Without the dye, it has a light gray primer color. I go back and forth between epoxy and polyester fairing compounds. Can't make up my mind. Always looking for stuff that mimics balsa for sanding. Sometimes in modeling, you find stuff like this and it works well. I have no financial interest in these companies, but I was intrigued with Smooth-On's "FX" type products used in the movie industry. i.e. stuff for making molds, masks etc. I bought the small containers parts A and B and it lasts a long time. Being white and grey, it's easy to see when it is mixed. Here's the link. https://shop.smooth-on.com/free-form-air. Let me know how you like it. PS I just noticed Smooth-On had a sample pack of small jars for mixing colors. I just ordered it to give it a try |
Thanks for the links szempruw, but I didn't find the sample pack....can you give me a link? Stuff looks good.....
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Sample Pack
1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by tailskid
(Post 12416382)
Thanks for the links szempruw, but I didn't find the sample pack....can you give me a link? Stuff looks good.....
Attachment 2259684 |
Stabilizer / Elevator Details
I switched to glassing the stabilizer so I can attach the elevator. I prepped the elevator with EZE-Kote, and I didn't like it that much. Comparatively it seems a little softer than the Z-poxy finishing resin. I experimented by adding the Flite-Metal and detailed it by putting it on where the panel lines were indicated. I then added the pseudo rivets after priming / sanding again. This will all be painted red anyway, so I'm not worried about how it looks now. I read that most paints will stick to Flite-metal that is sanded, but we'll soon see. I took some comparative weight measurements and the Z-poxy was better than the EZE-Kote. I'll stick with the Z-poxy for the balance of the build.
PS I don't like the huge pictures within the post forced by using the new picture uploader. I don't know how to make them smaller. I'm told that you can't put in thumbnails any more. I think I need a 4 foot LED screen now. Change is good ,right? https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...bc37aa7b52.jpg I'll finish stabilizer as much as possible, but I still have to add the fin to the fuse. The way I built the elevator and linkage compels me to instll elevator now since the linkage is internal. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...5e5bde7f27.jpg I used the stitch wheel to impress the rivet marks along the panel lines. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...efb2e07a69.jpg I might add some fake trim control rods later. Not sure yet. The trim tabs will be black. The stab / elevator / Rudder all red. (Bunnie / Miss Kentucky State Redtail scheme) |
Fin / Fairing Details
I mounted the fin an dorsal fin and blended them together with the epoxy putty. Like the wing, the stabilizer / fin union has a proud fairing detail that I wanted to also emphasize. Using 1/64th plywood, I made an approximate shape of the fairings based on my full size engineering drawing. I like having a harder surface to sand when you shape the fairing. I used CA to attach the plywood top and bottom on both sides. I used the epoxy putty again to roughly shape and blend the top fairing. I'll let that cure and then hit the bottom and blend. A mixture of alcohol and water lets me smooth out the radii and blend with my finger. The back of the full size stabilizer has a fairing blend here as well. The way I changed the build of the elevator stated on the Pica drawing way back in the beginning when I built it is allowing this more scaled look.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...ab5f905be2.jpg Rough fit of plwood top https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f789cfaac5.jpg Rough fit of plywood bottom https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...cbc5194f55.jpg Plywood CA'd to fuse and fin https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...0e4ba117da.jpg The right side fit the same way. I had to maKe allowance for my trap door in the back. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...81f3601493.jpg The epoxy putty is smoothed out to minimize sanding. I can always add more. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f6a87b626b.jpg The fairing detail on the fuse in the rear matches the full size fairing. It closes the gap a bit. I'll do the bottom after this sets and I have a firm area to push the putty around. It works in like clay. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...7a8b0ac4f3.jpg |
Its looking great Wally, fantastic job youre doing. I cant wait to get my Texan finished and get my Mustang on the table.
I recently read about someone glassing an airframe with fiberglass cloth but they used an acrylic varithane rather than epoxy. Have you heard of that or had any experience with it? I like the idea and Im sure its cheaper to buy. I was thinking of trying an experiment or two to see how well it works. I tried the EZ Cote on my Skyshark Avenger and didnt like it at all. |
warbdluvr, I have to agree. The Eze-Kote is ok, but I too did some experimenting and the weight actually favored Z-Poxy. I made up a test coupon and compared my elevator weight gain to that of Z-poxy. I used .57 oz glass on a 3 x 18 sheet of balsa as the test coupon and recorded weight gains. If you do the same, we can compare notes. I could only weigh to the nearest gram. If you want a summary of the test results in the spreadsheet, just let me know.
Only my elevator is EZE-Kote. It also felt softer. The rest is and will be Z-poxy. It has a harder finish for the flite-metal application and lighter too. I've read all the forum stuff I could find and although I am aware of the aqueous Polyurethane articles, the likely increase in weight from it is keeping me away from it. The reference I found was similar to the weight gain with Eze-kote. I estimated my surface area and plugged in the numbers on a spreadsheet. One reference, using epoxy, I rejected because it seemed way too low. Another reference, that I found in another forum, was close to what I tested. Saying this, and the relative ease of sanding the Z-poxy, I'll use that for my build. BTW, thanks for the encouragement and the compliments. Also, BTW, I'm sticking to sharing info on my build but I hope I don't get into a blog war over the best finish. I'm sure each modeler has their own good reasons for their choice. Some would say 1/2 to 1 lb. weight gain is no big deal. My goal is to stay under 25 lbs. FliteMetal w/ 2 coats Zpoxy WTS 24.37027 oz 1.523142 lbs. covering2 FliteMetal w/ EZE-Kote 30.8722 oz. 1.92951 lbs. covering FliteMetal @ .000948958 oz/sq in. w/epoxy 18.540181 oz. 1.15876 lbs. covering (Seems too low) FliteMetal w/ Z epoxy RCG 27.6000 oz. 1.725 lbs. covering Painted planes @ 3 oz/ 600 sq in. 42.2246 oz. 2.63904 lbs. covering |
Very helpful information. Thanks for sharing your efforts. I personally find this thread as well as many others on here to be a great help. Im still learning from everyone here constantly. It seems theres always something new or some little trick to be found.
I dont think there will ever be a single best way to finish a plane(or build for that matter). We all end up at the airfield, how we choose to get there is all up to us. I picked up a can of polycrylic today on my way home so time to try a couple tests. Ill try and measure the weight as close as possible so we can compare results. |
P51 Radiator Door
Thanks to a forum Brit friend who built a Pica P51, I opened up the rear bottom and created a trap door where the radiator door is supposed to go. It is an option on the plans. I didn't think I would need it, but per Phil, He had to add more weight to the tail because he was too nose heavy. That DLE 55 RA I'm planning might do that and this spot is absolutely cavernous. I hinged the door. I will put magnets on it to hold it shut. I built a 10 1/2 x 3 3/4" box that would hold the Lipo batteries that I need anyway for the retracts. I'll make it removable for charging outside the plane. If I don't need the weight in the rear, I'll have room up front anyway. It's nice to have cg balancing options. The door will look a little more scale and will give me those options. Putting it in now or when building the fuse really didn't matter much. I cut right between the bottom triangular stringers, flush to the bottom sheeting and about 1/2" from the bulkhead going aft.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...849034d923.jpg You could put your fist in there! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d047dc1ab6.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...660d0d4ee3.jpg The box will easily support a 6 cell Lipo. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...f33e56752e.jpg Maybe add a non-functioning center rod??? |
Scale Fuel Dot?
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...9ccbc6bf34.jpg
Ground Here???? This is the full size look. I tried to find a functioning fuel dot that would be close to the real filler cap. This is the best I could find. I will paint the center or get a decal to make it red. Somebody was going to make one, but abandoned the development. It isn't in the exact location, but it matched my cockpit detail and I will use it to fuel the plane. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...c5d6811cdd.jpg The hole I use for the linear servo matches full scale a bit. I have no idea exactly what it is. I think it's electrical ground plug. . https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...25a6b0ba5a.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...48f5f53a14.jpg I'll wrap this tubing in black cloth tape to make it look real. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...91cd8d256a.jpg Too bad this was never made. |
Walter, you do perfect detailing on your Mustang. Here are some pictures of friendīs Pica 89" Mustang with JP Warbirds instrument panel.https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...fa08973458.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...7acb62607b.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...8b3f60b648.jpg |
Your Build
Originally Posted by szempruw
(Post 12420627)
Thanks to a forum Brit friend who built a Pica P51, I opened up the rear bottom and created a trap door where the radiator door is supposed to go. It is an option on the plans. I didn't think I would need it, but per Phil, He had to add more weight to the tail because he was too nose heavy. That DLE 55 RA I'm planning might do that and this spot is absolutely cavernous. I hinged the door. I will put magnets on it to hold it shut. I built a 10 1/2 x 3 3/4" box that would hold the Lipo batteries that I need anyway for the retracts. I'll make it removable for charging outside the plane. If I don't need the weight in the rear, I'll have room up front anyway. It's nice to have cg balancing options. The door will look a little more scale and will give me those options. Putting it in now or when building the fuse really didn't matter much. I cut right between the bottom triangular stringers, flush to the bottom sheeting and about 1/2" from the bulkhead going aft.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...849034d923.jpg You could put your fist in there! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d047dc1ab6.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...660d0d4ee3.jpg The box will easily support a 6 cell Lipo. I've been following your build with great interest as I have been given a large P51 by a friend who was going to trash it when cleaning out his hanger. It requires a lot of work, but that's fine as I enjoy building. I don't know what kit it is, but someone has started building it and stopped. Looks like they decided to make it a display as it is sorta painted. It has a glass fuse, foam core glassed wing. I hope your build is progressing well. Looking forward to seeing more reports. I'll try and up load a pic. Cheers, Cruisen. Australia. Maybe add a non-functioning center rod??? https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...bf2f945927.jpg |
This is a shot of the lower rear of the planehttps://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...85d948f4bb.jpg
The center rod that raises and lowers the door |
would still happen to have the wing plan I have been given a old kit and I'm missing the wing plan. |
Plans
4 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by greg349
(Post 12463778)
would still happen to have the wing plan I have been given a old kit and I'm missing the wing plan. |
Hi Walter, any progress on your Mustang?
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Thanks that is what I need. |
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