Here are a few more pictures, hope you can find some building time.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974247http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974248http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974249http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974250http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974251http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974252http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974253http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1974254

That's looking good. Glad to see a shot of your extra bulkhead for the wing mounting dowels. I like that last shot with the horizontal stab in place. It's really looking like a Bobcat now.

I had a full day a week or so ago to focus on the plane. I finished up the flap internals, servos mounted, control horn and hinge blocks in place. I worked through the nacelle internals on paper and cut card stock versions to ensure it worked in all 3 dimensions. Now I just need another block of time to cut the real things. Slow and steady.

Hi Tim, those aft wing mount maple blocks are in the wrong position, had to cut them out and move bigger blocks just aft of the rear spar. This way you have some room to put balsa blocking in the wing so you have some meat to pass the bolts thru. In previous pics you can see the blocks I put in the LE for the dowels. I will put a little glass reinforcing on the front wing bulkhead. Glad you found some time to work on your plane, I have not thought any more about the nacelles, guess I'll just make it up as I go along. John.

Retractable gear
 

Finally found some time to build but got sidetracked trying a more scale retract solution. It's a little heavy and needs some tweaks, but was fun to make. Not sure if I'll use it or not.

http://youtu.be/9h9OrQBxW_4

Looks great Tim, what type of tubing did you use? Or is that solid rod? I was trying to build an F4F Wildcat retract and found using steel auto brake line was the strongest in smal sizes. Here are a few more pictures, that tail section takes forever to assemble, seems like I worked on that for 2 weeks. Now I am putting the strakes on the top of the cabin, a piece of wood will not bend enough to follow the contour of the top of the cabin, I had to make a template and cut them out, still didn't fit so more tweaking and custom fitting there. A very time consuming model. What are you going to use for the 5" dia cowlings? Someone sells fiberglass ones for this plane, but I am trying to do this build on a budget. I will check the local Dollar store for some aluminum pots, or a second hand store. Glad you found some time to build, John.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1979518http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1979519http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1979520http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1979522

Looking good! What are you using for covering? Did you hinge the rudder and elevator or go with the film hinge like you mentioned for the ailerons?

The gear is 5/32" rod sheathed in brass tubing for ease of soldering and to allow adjustment if I decide to install it. It makes the pieces very strong, but heavy. My biggest concern it that with the main leg cut in two, any twisting or lateral forces on the wheel are borne by the hinge. The diagonal strut takes some of the twist, but I'm concerned a rough landing will bend/break the hinge.

For the cowls, I bought ABS plastic cowls and dummy engines from Park Flyer Plastics. For the $20 to my door, I thought I'd see how they hold up. I saw the Fiberglass Specialties version, but for $70 with no dummy engine, I couldn't stomach the cost either. When you go looking for aluminum pots, do they need to be 5" or do you end up melting and casting cowls from aluminum?

With my gear solution unclear, I've left the nacelles incomplete and started cutting the tail plane pieces. I hope to get it built up over by the weekend and then on to the fuselage.

The covering is Monokote, I prefer the Hangar nine covering, but I had this on hand. The rudder is hinged with CA hinges and the elevator is Great Planes pinned hinges. Plan to spend a little time making the tailwheel strut. I used a DuBro Large tail wheel assy for the pre-bent wire and a brass sleeve to couple it to some 3/32 wire. Silver soldered it all including the steel control horn made from scrap. For the pivot bearing I used some alum tube I had that was 3/32 ID. Seems to work OK. If I can find the right diameter pots I will use them as the cowls themselves. Cut out the pot bottom and a place for the head and mufflers to stick out. I might try and turn some out of balsa using a drill as a lathe, dont know yet. Have not done any more work on the nacelle's yet either, J.

Thinking about locking your upper and lower struts together, maybe if you put a "tab" , rounded half tubing the next size up from the lug, so it sticks down from the upper strut and will catch the lower strut when it is down right at the joint. Might work to keep the gear centered and take the reward push from a landing OK. Kinda like a half splint on the back of the joint.

Well, here is my take on the plans as far as the fuse sides go, not saying it's the right way, but works for me, J.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982094http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982095http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982096http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982097http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982098http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982099http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982100http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982101

Made a small mistake on the nose section, failed to add the "ears" to former 2. Here are some pics, makes more sense now........http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982139http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982140http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982141http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1982142

Nice work with the stringers. It's good to see how you approached the roof to the cabin and the side door. Have you planned how you'll glaze the windows? The door has wondering if, once covered, it will just provide an outline or if you'll need to do something to call it out, thin vinyl tape for outline?

I didn't get as much time as I'd hoped over the weekend and the stabilizer is more fiddly than I expected, but the weekend looks rainy so maybe I'll hole up in the basement this weekend...

I thought about that too, and some striping tape would work, and then maybe covering the door seperately might work too. I will cover the window frames in white, and then some panels in silver and glue them on the inside of the fuse for the side windows, and will build the front windscreen out of balsa,. from the inside top section of the roof down to where the glass would hit the nose section and cover that in silver as well and then add some white framing, I think. I know what you mean by "fiddly", every part of this model is like that,J.

http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blo...ound-cowlings/ This how I will do the cowlings.

That's pretty clever. If the ABS plastic cowls I have don't stand up, I'd probably make them before I ponied up for the fiberglass.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine and he suggested we turn the cowls out of blue foam and glass over it, then melt the foam out. He has a small lathe that will turn up to 6 ". Gonna go that way due to the expense of long sheets of 1/64 ply.

Here are a few more pictures.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983311http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983312http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983313http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983314http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983315http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983316http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983317http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983318

Front end looks good. I know a lot of time goes into the shaping and filling. Do you have any thoughts on target weight on the airframe?

I did get a chunk of time over the weekend and made it through most of the horizontal stabilizer and elevators. Still need the center sheeting on the stab and to carve the elevator tips.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1983320

Looks good Tim, No idea what this puppy will weigh, the 2 .46's ought to haul it though, John.

Got the servo tray in and the flight controls rigged, put everything together to check fit, and tomorrow I will start covering the fuse.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984149http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984150http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984151http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984152http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984153http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1984154

That's a lot of work for something you don't even get to fly. :p

I have the fin and rudder put together and shaped the elevator tips. I still need to shape the LE of the stab and fin and hinge the rudder and elevators before I install the tips. Question for you on the elevator joiner. Did you bother attaching it to the TE of the stabilizer? The plans talk of sewing a tube to the stabilizer for the joiner to pass through, I'm leaning towards not putting it in.

I've cut the fuselage sides and added all the interior wood and I have all the bulkheads cut that had patterns on the plans, I just need to measure and cut the four piece bulkheads for stations 7 & 8 on the plan and then I'll be ready to join the halves.

Good progress Tim. One thing you might do is make the leading edge of the wing solid from the inboard side of the nacelles to the center section joint. When you pick up the assembled airplane your hand goes right there to lift it, the 1/16 sheet cracks really fast. I wen ahead and fiberglassed the wood there and so far so good. Going to start on the nacelles today, haven't spent any time at all on this project in the last month or so. Was going to do blue like the 2nd Sky King ship was, but did not like it after I got started so I went with the original red, John.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1990153http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1990154http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1990155http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1990156http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=1990157

The picture with the incidence meter was me setting the right engine to 3 deg outboard thrust, the left is zero/zero, per my twin guru.

Covering job is going on nicely. While Monokote has its detractors, it does seem to have a depth to it that many of the lighter coverings don't. Your windows turned out good as well. I'm thinking of doing mine with individual pieces of plastic for each pane, maybe from a soda or OJ bottle, but the silver covering looks good. Decisions, decisions.

I see you outlined the door with red. Was the structure underneath visible at all under the white?

Great idea to beef up those inboard bays to support lifting the model. I will absolutely do that, thanks.

You got me with the 3 degree outboard thrust on only one engine. It's been recommended to me to put outward thrust on both sides to reduce the effects if either motor goes out. What's the thought process in only doing it to one side?

I've been on vacation for the last week, so I haven't touched mine. Hoping to work on it tonight for bit. Keep up the good work!

Greetings Gents - I'm so glad I came upon your build log here on RCU. I have plans in hand for the Bobcat / UC-78 / AT-8 / AT-17 / T50 (whew), all printed up and I am starting to accumulate materials/equipment to get underway. From reading through your posts I can see you are figuring out a lot of what was left to the imagination on this plan. You're way ahead of me and I hope you all get airborne before the end of the season, or end of the year for those in the warmer climes. I want to be flying as much as possible during this summer but getting things in place so I can be flying the Bobcat next spring here in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
I am not looking at doing a super-scale model, rather I want to constrain build time (it will take enough anyway) and get flying.
Is there any reason not to do a foam-core wing? Weight? Strength? That will be new to me, I need to practice with cutting and sheeting foam on something smaller first to get my act together.
I do plan on cutting flaps. Great info coming from you'all on redesigning the nacelles for fuel tank size/position. I'm planning on foam plugs to do fiberglass cowls. Maybe make them pretty hefty for adding weight up front. While at it, maybe a nose as well as I believe the nose "dome" was held on with cowl latches on the full scale plane. There is a Bobcat in the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading PA I want to go over and see. There are no online photos that I have found of that plane, just one obscure one on the museum website. Not sure if that is to entice fanatics to drive over, or not. It is about a 4 hour drive for me - saving the trip for the next non-flyable weekend day I can break free.
I started a build log over on RCGroups but will post to both sites.

Cheers, Keep the info and pics coming - looking great!

Poughkeepsie Pete

PS I am using 2 unused Super Tigre GS-40's (ball bearings and rings) - I figure they ought to have the right amount of power. Hopefully they come in as described and they break in well.

Photo of full-scale at MAAM in Reading:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2016184