GWS FW-190 build

[sihinch]

When I joined TEMAC and learned to fly, the GWS warbirds were a great way to have fun. They were cheap, easy to build and I had great fun chasing Greg Cadez around the sky with them!

So I decided to build another one!

I found an EPO version of the FW-190 at A&J for a great price so I jumped in, for nostalgia!

I'm going to try and build it strong and light and do a killer paint job on it! That's the plan, anyway.

Here is the beginning after about 2 hours work.
The fuselage has the rudder and elevator control rod guides in place and the wing mounting nut.
The wing has a carbon rod in each wing with a wire dihedral brace.
The tail has a glass fibre rod along it and the battery hatch uses the GWS mentor of plastic pins - super simple but effective.

[Gregor77]

Cant believe that you found one!

[sihinch]

Unlike David's fabulously designed L-39, this GWS kit relies on old fashioned tech!

The elevators are joined by a wire. And having learned from making this mistake before, you have to feed the elevator joining wire through the gap in the fuselage for the horizontal stab, BEFORE you glue in the stab! Luckily, I did remember that today!

Now, this is a later EPO foam kit, not the EPS version, so it's a bit heavier. So I tried to beef up the way the elevator wire mounts to the elevators. I added a thin wooden plate on top of the wire joiner hoping it would stop any twist.  Unfortunately, despite being better, it's not eliminated elevator deflection difference side-to-side and I fear the heavier EPO foam model will exhibit this in flight.

I might see if I can get some wax paper down in the hinge line and add some extra epoxy.

[msatin]

Perhaps some fibreglass might stiffen it up a bit?

[sihinch]

It's been a while, I know! Even the forum is warning me that I'm posting on an old topic!

Anyway, I did get back to this build. I've now mounted all of the servos. I've started doing the pre-shading and, I'm not sure if this is sacrilege, but I've mounted an old spitfire pilot in the cockpit.

Next steps are to pick a suitable motor and I'm going to mount it.

[Frank v B]

Spitfire pilot in an FW-190- No problem.
It is a scale version of the FW-190 Farber landed in Wales in 1942 when he defected.  The Pembrey incident.
It was definitely flown by a Spitfire pilot then to get it to a location where it could be tested.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qA0wAwFsw

Frank
(with a pound of salt please!)

[Gregor77]

Sadly if the company bumped up the kit a bit and made a proper arf, it would have done very well.  I gave Tuc Ho a model of this plane and it flew very well.  now Eflite came out with a larger scale version, but this is a nice size for a backyard fighter. oh yes the old park zone model, I think Piker has the last one on the planet after the front wing joint failed and caused most to dart in the ground.