110" Dauntless project
 

Hi

Here some facts about our new project.

Dauntless SBD5
wingspan 110" (enlarged Ziroli)
weight 38 lbs (expected)
engine G62 with Mike Reeves Torquemaster and Menz 28x14
retracts custom made

I began the building process a few days ago. I have to make the wood work and a friend who is the owner of the second SBD will do all the work for the cockpits and the undercarriage. Here the fist pics about the fuselages and the .30 Brownings.

I'll keep you informed about the building process.

NEO
whats up with your riveting job at your SBD. Cant wait to see the pics on the renderwurx site.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

nice guns totaly love them :)

the fuse 2 ofcourse :)

nice work


greetz

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

P51flier,

Wow, you sure work fast! Those planes are going to be awesome. You have a real production line going there. The guns are definitely cool.

Jim

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Joe,

Wow! What a project/s!! That's an ingenious jig/building method you've got going on there... I can't imagine doing 2 of these at once! Building only one has consumed my life for the past year. Guns look really cool... can't wait to see the rest of the building process.

I've just got the cowl riveted right now. I had to finish the control surfaces and touch up some surface flaws first. Then I had to pull off of mine for a couple weeks for a couple other small warbird projects, and I've been on the road a bit with my "real job."

I hope to jump headlong into the riveting this week and get it all done within the next couple weeks. Still waiting on some photographic confirmation of a few rivet specs from the Dixie Wing. They've promised to help me out soon.

Good luck and keep the pics coming!

Tom

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

I like the fuse jig!!

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Those .30 cals are amazing!!! Are they scratch built or can you buy some sort of kit? The detail on them is outstanding, especially the bolt levers.

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

The .30 Brownings are made by my team mate by light alu tubes and Polystyrene and some reinforcements inside. What we dont know so far is how that guns will react to the vibes of the G62 infront of the fuse.

The fixed 0.50 guns are also already made but not painted. The length of those guns is pretty inpressive. They are some 14" long.

The next steps will be the cockpit foor, the rear gun storage compartment and then the planking of the fuse.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Well, I made only small progress with my two Dauntesses because we had to check some data about the cockpit layout. All we found out is now taken into acount in the fuses like additional formers for the rear gun storage compartment. The cockpit area of one Dauntless is now already painted with a first thin coat of semi gloss cockpit interior green like color. Because we still dont have the rather yellowy green of the other SBD that cockpit area isnt painted yet.

Here are some pictures about the fuselages and the still unpainted .50 guns.

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Joe,

Glad to see your assembly line back online!!!

I just started my Ziroli SBD-3, I think I am definitely getting more valuable references and inspiration from you and Tom, Jim as well!

By looking at your pics, it seems you are going to make the cockpit cowling?

Again, WOW! what a amazing work you are doing there!!!

Wallace

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Especially the fuselage curvature in front and beside the windscreen over the .50 guns made us brood a lot. Also the area between the windscreen and the insturment panel with the canvas cover. We found some minor imperfections of the Ziroli design compared with the original SBD (i.e. height of the canopy, shapes of some formers). Most of the imperfections will be corrected, but real small defiations are not worth the work to correct them. As long as the overall appearance is good its okay.

The next steps are the planking of the fuse and the modification of the elevator for a 16mm (5/8") wing tube. The elevator must be detachable due to its wingspan of more than 40". Such an empennage would not fit into a normal station wagon or family van.

Yes, the cockpit, what a job. Thank god, its the job of my team mate who also made the .50 and .30 machine guns.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. Also take a look at the renderwurx site and check the links there. That renderwurx site is definitely the best SBD site for modellers in the web. The pictures about the building progress inspired me a lot.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Joe

I have not had the chance to look over the Ziroli SBD plan yet as they put my order on hold due to out of stock of Robart retracts, but I received the kit from PCK (Precision Cut Kit and good quality) almost two weeks ago and I did find the same problem as you mentioned comparing with original SBD. anyway, it should be very minor and easy to correct.

renderwurx is a "MUST SEE" website for me (daily routing), thanks to NEO!!

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

We had to check some SBD pictures about the shape of the fairings of the fixed guns. But now I can post the pic of that area on our Zirolis. The next step will be the fin and the wing center section with the retractable gears.

Here the pic of the still unsanded area around the fixed guns.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless project - it began
 

Looking good on you progress, Joe.

I am also thinking about making a detachable horizontal stabilizer as it definitely can not fit into my car either. So I would like to know how you do on this portion if you have any pic available.
Are you going to make the elevator control surface linkage also detachable with hidden control horn inside the fuse or leave the horn as what the plan shows? it has taken me days to fingure out how to make them all detachable and still not quite sure about which way to go.

Thanks!

Wallace

110" Dauntless detachable stab
 

Yes, we are going to make the whole elevator detachable. We are going to use a 16mm (5/8") diameter and about 16" long wing tube for the stabilizer. The stabilizer will be divided just at the panel lines which are close to the fuse/stab fairing. All we have to make are two new ribs on each side and replace some other balsa ribs with plywood ribs. And of course the holes for the wing tube.

Hide the control horns or not, that's the question. We still did not find the final solution. However, the tailcone will also be detachable and that part will be made of glass and epoxy. Although our SBDs are 10% enlarged the space inside that tailcone is still limited. There are the linkages and hinges for the two elevator halves, the torquerod for the rudder and the tailgear. The additional hinges for the elevator halves inside the fuse are absolutly necesary to make tight linkages from the servos to the control surfaces. A sloppy linkage almost claimed the live of my 100" P47.

But now I have to lay the two SBDs aside because as the crew chief of a vintage Schleicher K-8 glider I have to do the winter maintenance job for the next two weeks. The fuse of the K8 is getting a new dress, which means a new covering.

Joe

RE: 110" <span class=
 

Anyone have a link to renderwurx?

RE: 110" <span class=
 

This is it. www.renderwurx.com/rc/SBD/

Jim

RE: 110" <span class=
 

Got it, Thanks Jim

Great Job!!!!!!!!!

RE: 110" <span class=
 

Hi folks,

some new pics about the cockpit layout which is made by my team mate.


The work on the fuselages and the wing center sections is proceeding slowly but steadily because of the carbon fibre reinforcements and the lightening holes. The area for the retract mount has also to be redesigned due to the non Robart style retracts which are mentioned in the original Ziroli plans. I'll make some pictures in the next few days and post them here.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless detachable stab
 

Joe,

Just check in to see if any progress on your SBD?

Have a wonderful year 2004!

Wow! I just posted and your pics just came right up!! Amazing work on your cockpit!!

I also started my SBD and it has been posted on rcscalebuilder website.



Wallace

RE: 110" Dauntless detachable stab
 

Hi Wallace,

the rcuniverse message about your posting came just two seconds before I quit editing my posting.

My average time in my hobby room is one or two hours a day. Although I am working almost every day I dont see much progress. All that covering of some ribs with carbon fibre, lightening the ribs, all the redesigning costs a lot of time. And all that work has to be done twice. Thank god the cockpit and retract job has to be done by my team mate. In the next days I'll grab the digicam and make some pictures of the heap of ribs only for the two wing center sections.

The job after the two wing centers sections is to redesign the stab to be detachable.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless detachable stab
 

Hi Joe,
Glad to see you back on your SBDs.
I have made the stab detachable, but I still have not done the elevators yet, wondering how to make the elevators detachable as well.
Keep the pics coming as soon as any progress and thanks for sharing!

Wallace

RE: 110" Dauntless detachable stab
 

Here again some pictures of the first wing center section of ma SBDs.
We are going to use two servos for the center flap and also two removable air bottles for the retract. Watch the carbon fibre reinforcement and the lightening holes which cost a lot of saw blades to cut out. Especially the cutouts for the retract mount caused the breaking of some blades due to the thickness of the plywood/carbon sandwich.

The next steps are the adjusting of the retract and its mount and then the second wing center section.

Joe

RE: 110" Dauntless project
 

Joe,
It looks cool on your SBD and I like the idea of using carbon fiber for the ribs.

Wallace