RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Put me down for two of those canopies [sm=thumbup.gif]

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Luke!!!!!!!!!! Man... I am now wanting to buy a HellCat just to bash it into something spectacular like yours!! Man... How do you do it?? Those ARF/Kit Companies should send you a prototype before they put a model into production so you can show them how to make them better before they sell them!! Oh wait...But then they wouldn't be so much fun!!:D

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Dion,

I guess I'm going to have to send you more money!!!:eek:


Wayne

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

You got it Richard, first 2 are yours! Thanks!

So I inspired ya! Cool! I'm not sure how I do it really, I just make stuff up as I go! I like working with stuff that needs help, it does make it fun!
Thanks!


Wayne sending money is a good thing! Really though, you don't have to get a new canopy... do you? Just pretend that ugly thing isn't there and it'll be fine! lol :D Thanks Bro!

Some REALLY fun stuff is coming up, can't wait! Ha!

Dion

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Luke, go ahead and make some more. I'll take 2 of the new canopies as well pleeze!!
J

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

You really have a niche in the ARF market. What you are doing here could turn out to be a huge business. If manufacturers keep on pumping out bad, non-scale looking ARF's, then you might end up being a very wealthy guy ;)

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Here is my Wing Hellcat with the RCV 90 installed. If you noticed Ialso added the radial engine....thanks to you guys. I will probably be doing the gear door mod....thanks to you guys. You know, you ARF guys arent so bad:D:)

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Looks great Ram-Bro. Have you ordered Dions scale gear doors?

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Wow... you're canopy looks soooo Grumman. I'm in that line too :)

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

You got it John!

Right now I'm just a guy with great extra cash flow, not sure if I want to make the investments neccessary for a full on business! You make a good point though.

Ram-bro, that's a nice installation, just make sure you have air baffels built in to direct airflow or she'll run hot.

Thanks iiat, my canopy is probably the simplest of the mods you can do and it will give you the most dramatic change in appearance. Next best mod to do is cut 6" out of the wing, but that takes a little more work!

Of course I get the FIRST canopy! You all will have to wait, sorry! Here are some pictures of how she fits and looks, the production canopy will be even better. I've kind of changed my ideas for fixing the cockpit area after setting the canopy on it. Not as much will have to be cut out to fit a scale cockpit.

Dion

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

The canopy looks HOT [sm=thumbup.gif] How soon do you expect it to be ready for everyone to order?

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

just great , another "must have thing" from Dion , that is all my wife has to see , I told her after xmas I would slow down , then I ordered the parts now I just have to have this canopy lol
:D

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Thanks Richard, I'm very pleased with it myself! Can't wait to see how it changes these planes, we'll definitely know the planes that have my canopy! I hope to have them ready to ship next week some time, at least that's what I'll shoot for.

LDM, sorry man, give me your # and I'll talk to your wife and explain... lol! I know better than that! When I train a new RC pilot I always give him the wife briefing, it's mandatory before he solo's! :D

After sinking those CJ's into the wing and using the smaller tire I was not happy with how low it sat. So I started studying the CJ gear to see what I could do. Heating the aluminum axle piece I found that it will pop right off! Held on with Lock-Tight, cool! Then I measured my wing and decided that I could extend the strut 5/8" and hit the trailing edge spar. I machined a new aluminum piece and it turned out great, looks better than a cast one although I'm going to paint it anyway. I've done a lot of work to the fuselage too, I'll post more pictures later...

Dion

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Thanks Dion , I need the help lol
NIce work on the struts

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

I'm finally getting spark from my g-26,hopefully ill do my maiden tomorrow in my hellcat,I'll let all of ya know how it goes.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

I have started the Sierra Precision retract installation. First it was necessary to narrow the blocks in the kit so the retract would fit between them. I also cut the height of them so the retract fit down in the wing about a 1/4" below the sheeting . The gear door is one of Dions. The black material is thin carbon fiber mat to provide some strength for the sheeting. I also added some short ribs under the sheeting alongside the area of the strut.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

I did not think Sierra had shock type of struts , is this a new feature ? I have seen the set for the CMP 73 " P40 and they appear to be straight in line struts with no sissors supports

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

The Sierra retracts are equipped with shock struts . The scissors are an option as are the gear door blocks.l

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

The scissors do make the struts look very nice and scale.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Like I told Hal, he's got me beat on the retract installation! Now to make sure I stay one step ahead I told him he aint getting no new canopy! His retracts look too nice! :D Just kidding Hal, don't worry you'll get one! I know Hal is going to have a nice plane, can't wait. I cut the cockpit out of my plane and sanded most of the paint off, think I have tennis elbow now. I thought it had primer on it but they sprayed most of the fuselage with the gray, so it has huge over-spray! I also used some thick glass cloth and epoxy and filled the holes for the external push-rods from the inside. Next I'll fill all the dorky panel lines and huge muffler hole in the bottom firewall area.

Dion

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Can't help repeating myslef... I love this thread. Great stuff guys. Question: do you think the large open "smile" on the chin of the Hellcat cowl is enough open area for cooling?

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Plenty. I even had to block some of mine off to reduce the inlet area and force air to go through the cylinder heads. Remember you still have the opening above the "smile". The chin really needs the two vertical "vanes" as on the full size. Perhaps Dion will fabricate those.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

as I understand it , the outlet should be around 4xs the area of the inlet.....So its not the size of th einlet but the size of the outlet that is important.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

Hal, you have gotten this far with your retracts, you should do a scale wheel well openings. They are not round but squared off up to the rear of the wing.

RE: CMP Hellcat
 

I have to say I love this thread as well , there is more cool , fun info on scale planes in this section then in most building sites .

As far as Sierra , I am glad to hear that the sisors are an option , that made up my mind on trying a pair out , I just did not like the straight strut .

Ram-bro , cool detail , I will he to get a book on this plane , there is a lot of details that can be missed but I am also waiting for the "How to -Hellcats "by Dion -[8D]or book two , " Scale ARFs for Dummies "I need both of these books !!!!