Friday 8 December 2017

Typhoon work continues - cockpit and spars

I picked up a Hurricane 1/5th scale super dash kit from Mick Reeves models, along with a gun-sight and compass kit.  About 3 hours to get this far:


And here it is - all done, and a bit of dry-brushing later:


I mounted the fuselage on the centre section to check things over around the cowl mounting.  I have some filler work to do around the wing blend too:


The centre section spar tube gluing up to the old centre spar:


Once all done, the anti-rotation pin assembly was also let-in to the back (10mm carbon rod and tube).  A lot of the tip panel has been sanded back here too.  The fit is lovely, all slides together and no slop:


The final tube now laid up and setting:

Not very exciting yet, as it's a lot of repetitive work making tube mounts and clamping stuff up, but she'll be a solid wing again soon that can be sanded back and readied for primer in the near future.

Thursday 30 November 2017

Typhoon Wing Work

So I got the Typhoon wings in from the shed, as I need to start looking at how the cowl fits, and as that makes in and around the centre section of the wing, I need to have that near for testing.

Get it in the workshop and...


Hmmm, yes it is a bit of pain.  OK plan B then - cut it up with a circular saw...


This was always something I was going to do at some stage, to make the aircraft more transportable and storeable (is that a word? it is now!), plus the wings are in a bit of a sorry state.  There's a couple of creases where it looks like she's had a wing in the dirt at some point, some veneer had lifted, the TE was a bit bent here and there....so this'll make it easy all round.

The flap servo boxes were odd...not even tied in to the bottom skins! 

Same on the ailerons..not great : 

I then started removing hardware from the retract wells.  Here's I have pulled about 2 pounds worth of half inch ply that is heading for the bin: 

The tip panels then needed slots cutting in for a new joiner / spar system - note that the full depth ply spar only runs into the tips by about 5 inches - again not what I wanted to see, but glad I've found it :


Similarly, the centre section gets gutted a bit for joiner assembly access.  Here, the spar runs full depth and width - lovely : 

So the joiner then - 38mm OD aluminium. Oh yes. Quite cheap and quickly delivered by SLEC : 

I chopped the joiner in half (1.5 feet per side) and chopped the phenolic outer into quarters (9 inches each).  The first of the outers was then joined to a 3mm liteply back plate that'll act as a shear web in the tip panel, and the glue area was increased by using half inch triangular section balsa.  The whole lot bonded with gorilla glue : 


Dried and solid now, and the other three outers in the background with their balsa end-caps added :

A quick test-fit in the tip panel, nice and tight : 

Laid into the tip section with the spar inside to check angles: 

OK, enough for now, time to get the first side glued up!

Thursday 23 November 2017

Typhoon Tail Titillation

Tiffie's tail continues.  Both elevators now sanded to final finish, and the rudder needed some attention too.  I re-made the TE top part of it, and also created a new trim-tab that will be secured after priming.



All on and connected, feels good :


I removed the tail-wheel assembly early on, so I neatened up this area with balsa planking and filler :

Sanded smooth this afternoon.  This will be glassed lightly before priming :



So with the hard remedial work done on the tail end, time to look at the nose.  I have a long length of M12 studding running through the firewall that is secured with large washers and locknuts.


This then protrudes through the cowl space and out through the spinner's location, giving me somewhere to attach the spinner, and hold some lead right in the front of the aircraft :


This will then get shortened down to a sensible length for normal operation.






Wednesday 22 November 2017

Typhoon elevators, part 1

So, the Tiffie first.  The original elevators were quite heavy, and have been re-hinged many times, making a mess of the tailplane too.  A quick 10 minutes later with some 3/32nd balsa, and I've got the core of them laid out and drying.  Thicker blocks are there for Robart heavy duty pin hinges.


Then added the top skins with wood glue.  Their is a false LE on these of 1/8th inch balsa, which will have half inch balsa glued on the front of it for shape and strength.


Everything shaped here, along with a block balsa tip, LE's shaped, hinges added.  Much smarter, less wavy, and much lighter.  Next!



Tuesday 7 November 2017

Workshop change-around; C17 / Typhoon / Rafale progress

It's been a while since I've posted, but things have been hectic.  I've moved a lot of models around the house in preparation for the new extension being built (work started today!), so now I've moved my benches around, creating a just "work" area and a storage area for the server and models where I used to have a workbench.

"new" workbench from through the room which is now model storage


"old" workbench, unmoved but cleaned up
So all that means is that I now have a lot more clear room to build in, and all my tools can be right next to each other.  Here is the C17 tail, undergoing a trial fit now as I am adding a location tab at the front.


Here's the location tab - two layers of 3mm liteply wood-glued together, and gorilla glued into the tailplane assembly.  This will then fit inside a liteply pocket in the fin.


So whilst all that was drying...the Typhoon fuselage also had some love - I removed all the servos and wiring, and started on sanding down the paintwork.  A couple more hours on the sandpaper and I will risk a light primer coat to see how smooth she is.  I'll be building new elevators and rudder, as well as a new cockpit installation in this one.

Then lastly, the Rafale is nearing the end of it's build.  Here ready for bottom colour..


Bottom colour on!


Cockpit masked ready for primer...


Primer done!


Lot's more to do on all the airframes, but things are so much easier now with the reconfigured work area.



Thursday 12 October 2017

1/6th Scale PSS A10 Thunderbolt II - all done (again!)

I rushed to get this one done for the Orme event, but as it turned out, there was not enough wind for me to risk chucking her off.  Anyway, I had forgotten to put photos up, so here they are.

Re-painted, weathered, panels lines, then lacquered

on the balancing rig



Tuesday 10 October 2017

PSSA at the Great Orme - October 2017

A mixed event really - lots of new planes to see, and great to see the guys again with a great meal out.  Rain interrupted play on both days, but Sunday had the best wind if a little off the main slope. 

It looks like we'll manage at least a couple more gatherings before the year is out though.

Oh, and yes the F15 flies - just needs the C of G tweaking a bit, and she'll be good to go :)