Well, I have finally cleared my building board of other projects and can now start on the Top Flite Spitifre Mk IX Gold Edition kit. Started yesterday afternoon, with breaks to watch football (both my teams got killed), I was able to build the stab and elevators. One of the things that takes the most time is locating the correct parts in the many sheets of die cut balsa, and bundles of different balsa sticks. It gets better as the build goes along, but at first there is a LOT of wood. I have ordered the retracts, oleos and motor for it and I have the ESC already. I was able to pick up a brand new 8 channel satellite Spektrum at the swap meet at Kitchener on Saturday for it. Hoping I can get it finished for Maidenfest.
Got the horizontal stab filled and sanded, hinged the elevators and joined them, started sheeting the vertical stabilizer. So far, so good. I have heard the balsa in some of these kits is not so good, especially the sheeting. Maybe TF has improved as this is a later kit, but the wood seems pretty good at this point.
Nice going Rob. Looks very tempting!
Started the fuselage this afternoon. A bit of figuring out what they wanted you to do, but went together pretty well and seems to be strait. Next step is sheeting the top of the fuse and then the bottom is built on that. The kit uses 3/32 sheeting which is pretty stiff and hard to bend and mould to the compound curves of the Spitfire, so Glenn, who built one of these last year, suggested I plank it rather than try covering it all in one sheet of balsa, so I may cut the 3 inch sheets into narrower planks and do that. Don't know for sure yet, have to see tomorrow.
Beginning to look like a Spitfire. This plane fuselage builds in 2 parts, the upper and the lower. The upper is pretty much done, filler is in, but not yet sanded. Horizontal and vertical stab are installed and look strait and true ( a first for a Dickinson model). I had to fashion a hatch forward of the cockpit, as this plane is designed to fly either gas or nitro and so no access to batteries was provided. I already had the hatch built, so I was happy when Glenn sent me pictures of the way he did it and it was the same as I had decided. Next up is the bottom of the fuse. Due to a number of build logs on this plane I have read, I have decided to cut planks and sheet the bottom that way, rather than all in one big sheet. I was able to find some light weight 3/32 balsa sheet at A&J which will replace the heavier stuff supplied with the kit. Spits are notoriously tail heavy so I want to make the back end as light as possible.
Nice!
You're progressing quickly!
The light (almost contest I would say, 3/32 sheet I got from AJ was very easy to work with and I did not have to resort to planking (whew!). I used alcohol and windex and the wood became very easy to bend to the compound curves of the Spit. There is a bit of work around the tail wheel strut, and of course a lot of sanding and some filling, but the fuselage is pretty much done. I am waiting on the retracts before I start the wing, and I also want to elongate the motor mount so as to be able to get the battery farther forward for balance. I don't have the motor yet either so I cannot do that yet either. The wing is built in 3 sections so I may be able to start the centre section before the gear arrives.
Fuselage is now fine sanded, filled and ready for fiberglass. The wing is built it 3 sections, 2 outer panels and a centre panel they join. Built the centre panel tonight. I kind of do not want to start on the outer panels until I have the retracts, which are on order. I want to make the landing gear braces fit the retracts as closely and as strongly as possible (for those of you who have witnessed some of my less good landing, you will understand).The kit included decals are for a plane flown by Douglas Bader. I think I am going to do it as Johnny Johnson's JEJ, with invasion stripes. As a side note, it is interesting to note that those invasion stripes were only applied just before the Normandy landing, and they used anything they had to paint them on. So rather than being the neat, hard edged stripes we often see, they were hand painted with brushes or brooms or really whatever they had at hand. Sometimes they covered fuselage numbers and sometimes not, just depending on who did the painting. I am at odds as to whether to make them "authentic" and just paint them free hand, or forgo the scale appearance and just use hard edged ones.
Wow! That's looking great, Rob.
Got the outer wing panels built this afternoon. I got the retracts the other day and they fit right in the rails, but I am going to have to cut away part of one of the inner ribs to make them fit properly. I think there is something on RC Canada about it so I will look and see how he did it. I am off to Florida for a week, so no more building for a while. I am meeting Roger That in Fla and we are going to maiden a P51 he has down there. Apparently the field he flys at there had a 500 foot paved runway, so it should be fun.
Anyway, see you in a week.
Got back from a wonderful week in Florida. Actually got to fly at Sarasota RC Club. 500 foot paved runway, clubhouse with electricity and lockers. Even a simulator to practice in the clubhouse. Trip home on Sunday was harrowing. 2 hour flight delay, no food on board the plane (they ran out on the way down), beautiful white sand I brought from beach mistaken for cocaine......really, put into holding pattern over Lake Ontario. Then, 9:30 pm sunday night, when we finally got to the car buried in 6 inches of ice and snow, the battery was dead. 11.5 hours travelling time in total. It was like Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Anyway, back to work on the Spit. Got the wing joined and the landing gear installed. Next major job is sheeting the wings, which I hope to have done this weekend. Glenn built this kit last year and suggested I extend the motor box to accommodate battery being slid farther forward to better balance the plane, so that will be done after the wing. If anyone is thinking of building this kit, my advice is to read the instruction book section on what you are going to assemble right to the end before you start building. There is a lot of pieces either not identified or misidentified and it pays to try and understand what it is they are trying to tell you. In the end, for quite a bit of this kit, I have built it the way I thought it should be done. I guess the maiden flight will tell whether this was a good idea or not!
Hey Rob,
Have you made any progress on your Spitfire? It is looking great!
Been busy at work and at home so progress has been slowed a bit. Wings are sheeted, gear is in and works, flap system in complete (bit of a pain those were). Plane is christened, spot on right wing is blood from an errant exacto #11 blade. Next is to fiberglass the plane. First time trying that on a plane. Fingers crossed it works out.
Since I started this build, I have been dreading the fiberglassing as I have never glasses an entire plane before. I intended to use water based polycrylic, but read somewhere that because it is water based there is the chance the wing sheeting might warp. Michael advised me to put a very light coat of the polycrylic on first, before the glass. I did that, let it dry, and then applied the cloth and another light coat of the resin. I squeegeed it out to make sure there were no wrinkles. It now sits drying as I prepare to make dinner and watch the Leafs. If the rest of the glassing goes as easily and well as this I will be a very happy camper. Next build it a TF P47 razorback and I will not have to worry about the glass part. I think I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This plane has not been hard to build, just a lot of steps. I know the plane has been done again and again, but I think I will do Johnny Johnstons plane, JEJ, with invasion stripes (makes it easier for these old eyes to see).
Re "It now sits drying as I prepare to make dinner..."
Yeh, right, she said you could be the boss.... ;)
I have finished fiber glassing the fuselage. I glassed the wings using water base polycrylic which looked really good until the next morning when I discovered the water had warped and bubbled most of the top sheeting. It reminded me of my dear old Irish Grandmothers washboard. I think it happened for 2 reasons. First I did not get the bottom of the top sheeting really well glued down to the top of the ribs and second, I should have used some kind of barrier that was water resistant on the sheeting first to stop the water from penetrating the sheeting and warping it. I bitched around with the warped sheeting for a couple of days but could not seem to get it to an acceptable state, so there was nothing for it but to remove all the top sheeting and start again. The picture is with the new sheeting and I will glass it tonight or tomorrow, this time using finishing epoxy, which is what I used on the fuse. A bit more work, and messy to clean up, but I like the result I seem to have achieved on the fuse. The radio and motor, retracts and servos are all installed, so the next step is to mount the wing to the fuse, blend in the wing to fuse fairings and get ready to paint. Maybe I will wait to see how it flies before I send to Callie for the graphics for the Johnny Johnson's livery I intend to do.
The plane has been sanded after the fiberglass, sanding sealer and spot filler. Down to 220 grit, will do 320 and then 400 wet sanding and then......................I will begin painting it in camo colours. Can't wait, but someone said to me, when you think it is ready for paint, sleep on it for a night and then look again. Good advice me thinks. Have to glass the ailerons, but that is a quick job. Looks more and more like a Spitfire I think.
Finished all the controls tonight. Should be ready for Mayden fest next Saturday. I am having trouble finding a 3.5 inch spinner, so if anyone has one they want to part with let me know.
As you can see, I am already trying inverted flight. Damn Iphones!
Rob,
You got the iPhone made for the Australian market. :D
Frank
Rob,
My iDevices have been doing this for years to the point, I hold the iPad upside down to take photos I'm going to post on TEMAC's forum.
Recently, I think I found a solution...time consuming at best.
Using the iSystem photo editor, try rotating your picture 360* so it appears right side up on your iDevice. Save the change and then post it. LMK if it works for you.
Bill
BTW, when I expand your posted pictures on my iPad, they invert again and are right side up...either way, model looks great...no big roundel on the fuse sides or are those still to be applied?
I think the Spit looks amazing, inverted or not!
Quote from: Wingnutz on May 06, 2017, 08:17:08 PM
Rob,
My iDevices have been doing this for years to the point, I hold the iPad upside down to take photos I'm going to post on TEMAC's forum.
Recently, I think I found a solution...time consuming at best.
Using the iSystem photo editor, try rotating your picture 360* so it appears right side up on your iDevice. Save the change and then post it. LMK if it works for you.
Bill
BTW, when I expand your posted pictures on my iPad, they invert again and are right side up...either way, model looks great...no big roundel on the fuse sides or are those still to be applied?
Hi Bill, thanks for the advice. I have found that if I use my Iphone and use the buttons located on the side (the volume buttons) facing down then the picture posts properly. I took the upsidedown pictures using the camera screen and did not notice where the buttons where. Problem is you cannot tell if they are upside down until you actually post them.
Anyway, the spit is finished now, just goint to taxi test it. It came out to 9.8 pounds (with 6s battery installed, which is pretty good and just about what I think it should be. I hope to maiden it next weekend and after that and I know that it flies I will spend some time detailing it, get a pilot, guns, invasion stripes and apply the rest of the decals.
I was lucky enough to see the Spit at Rob's place yesterday. It looks fantastic!
Good luck with the test flight, Rob!!
Rob,
Looks great. Not an easy build at all.
Please, please do three things when you maiden it:
1) Nose heavy CG. Find someone who has built it (gas or electric) and see where they put their CG. Do not rely on the plans.
2) reduce the elevator throw. See my note on maidening Spitfires and Mustangs in my post 'How I maiden airplanes"
in the Flight Instruction section. http://temac.ca/smf/index.php/topic,3826.0.html
3) Have Glenn stand beside you. :D
Good Luck.
Frank
Thanks for the advice Frank, and I will be sure to do all of those things. I spent too long on this sucker to write it off on the first flight.
Quote from: octagon on May 07, 2017, 08:34:25 PM
I spent too long on this sucker to write it off on the first flight.
That's my specialty!
Simon,
re: "That's my specialty!"
As long as you and I are good at something. Please note that my contribution is that I will not be flying for the next two weekends since I will be out of town. Rob is safe to maiden it while I am away. ;D.
Frank
Ok, so this is probably only of interest to a Battle of Britian nerds like me. When I was trying to decide about the invasion stripes I wanted to paint on the Spitfire, I was not sure if they were painted on the top and bottom of the wings and fuse or just on the bottom. I have pictures of them both ways, and I have a picture of Sid Bregman in front of his Spit and they are only on the bottom. Yet there is a famous Robert Taylor painting of JEJ's plane, with Bregman's plane in the formation and the stripes are on top as well as bottom. I found out today why the discrepancy. On June 5th the air ministry ordered the stripes painted top and bottom. After the successful invasion, and as the Allies made there way inland, the same ministry ordered the camo returned to the top wings and the top of the fuse. This was about 3 months after the invasion. So, the way I detailed Sid's plane was as it would have appeared in September or October of 1944. About 3 months after that, the invasion stripes were painted over entirely.