BUSA SE5a, etc. Build

[wollins]

Oh sweet ... I really like the gun!

[piker]

It has been a while since I've added a progress report, so here it is:

It feels like I haven't accompliahed much on the SE5a over the past few weeks as I've been busy with work, but I guess, when I look back at it, I am still moving along.

I shaped and assembled all the Cabane and Interplane strut fairings to the steel wire contraptions I made a while ago, so that's a chore out of the way.  I've also been working on the final sanding of the entire model in preparation for covering, which feels like it's delays by several weeks.  I finished the final sanding last night, and started stainging the inide of the cockpit while I have good access before covering.  I also added a basic seat platform (the real seat was not much more than a couple pieces of plank wood with cushions and a lap belt added on) and a control stick mount (a piece of light ply with a hole in it) so I can added the control stick during cockpit detailing.

It's a matter of an hour at most before I can start covering.  That will be a good time to tidy my workshop a bit after all the construction and sanding 

Robert

[Gregor77]

Great!  I was up till 12 am fixing some issues on mine... I glued the mid wing and noticed it was 1/8 off center.. had to tear it out of the base and start again... Not sure what happened? 

[piker]

!/8" off center?  Close enough!   

When you way glued, are you saying that the wing is permanently attached to the fuselage, or are you referring to gluing the bolt mounts?

[battlestu]

Great!  I was up till 12 am fixing some issues on mine... I glued the mid wing and noticed it was 1/8 off center.. had to tear it out of the base and start again... Not sure what happened?

of an inch?... trim will fix that 

[piker]

O.K.  I'm finally ready for covering... well, except for separating the ailerons and cleaning up my dusty workshop.

The most recent activity on the SE5a has bogged me down a bit.  It's the fine tuning work and the work where some of the fiddling has to be done in preparation for the covering stage.  It's the part where progress seems to slow way down, and most of the excitment of the build deminishes for a while.  The work becomes a bit more of a chore as we don't see the big construction steps to keep us motivated.  On the otherhand, it's nice to finally get to the covering stage and the fine tuning work is necessary in order to end up with a good quality covering / finishing job in the end. 

There are still details to add that I can do after covering.  In the pictures below you may notice that the landing gear doesn't have the fairings glued on.  That's because I'm not happy with the way the kit suggests to do them, so I'll do a slightly more scale version during my detailing stage.  I also have to add details like the windshield, exhaust pipes, a bit more detail to the front end, etc.

What you may also notice in the photos (besides my messy living room/dining room...we're in transition as I'm laying new hardwood upstairs and will be doing the same on the main floor next) is some blotchy paint and stain around the cockpit area.  That's the base finish that I applied inside the cockpit while I have reasonable access through the fuselage structure.  My goal was to have no unfinished balsa or ply visible through the cockpit opening.  Unfortunately, I found (as I should have already known) that the stain doesn't soak into the wood where the glue joints are, so some fine tuning/creative painting will have to be done there during cockpit detailing.

Anyway, below are some of the pre-covering pictures that I took last night.  The photo quality leaves a little to be desired too   

[Gregor77]

Going back to my 1/8th off comment.  It is a tri-plane, 1/8 can effect all three wings.  I need to be off by 1mm max! 

So I fixed everything and this is great motivation to keep going.. did another all nighter.. as stated in another thread.  I need to start to solder and I am scared.  I guess worse case, if I screw up I can just torch the parts again and start over... lol!   

Wow looks great!   I was trying to post some images but my phones are over 2 megs each.   

I only have 20 pages of instructions left before I can cover....

[wollins]

O.K.  I'm finally ready for covering... well, except for separating the ailerons and cleaning up my dusty workshop.

The most recent activity on the SE5a has bogged me down a bit.  It's the fine tuning work and the work where some of the fiddling has to be done in preparation for the covering stage.  It's the part where progress seems to slow way down, and most of the excitment of the build deminishes for a while.  The work becomes a bit more of a chore as we don't see the big construction steps to keep us motivated.  On the otherhand, it's nice to finally get to the covering stage and the fine tuning work is necessary in order to end up with a good quality covering / finishing job in the end. 

There are still details to add that I can do after covering.  In the pictures below you may notice that the landing gear doesn't have the fairings glued on.  That's because I'm not happy with the way the kit suggests to do them, so I'll do a slightly more scale version during my detailing stage.  I also have to add details like the windshield, exhaust pipes, a bit more detail to the front end, etc.

What you may also notice in the photos (besides my messy living room/dining room...we're in transition as I'm laying new hardwood upstairs and will be doing the same on the main floor next) is some blotchy paint and stain around the cockpit area.  That's the base finish that I applied inside the cockpit while I have reasonable access through the fuselage structure.  My goal was to have no unfinished balsa or ply visible through the cockpit opening.  Unfortunately, I found (as I should have already known) that the stain doesn't soak into the wood where the glue joints are, so some fine tuning/creative painting will have to be done there during cockpit detailing.

Anyway, below are some of the pre-covering pictures that I took last night.  The photo quality leaves a little to be desired too   

Damn, that's a clean build Rob! Now I'm embarrassed because you saw the innards of the Typhoon last night where I just threw together some rough servo rails etc. (I guess I figured that's an area nobody sees!) BTW, I still can't get over how great that gun looks! FANTASTIC job!

Colin

[piker]

Just a quick update:

I'm full-on into covering the SE5a.  The fuselage is covered, but waiting for a treatment to the front end to recreate the look of painted metal, the upper wing is covered as is the stab and fin and rudder.  The lower wing has the lower covering on, and last night I started to install the wing servos before I can put the top covering on, but I ran out of time.  I'll finish the servo extension soldering tonight, then cover the top of the bottom wing.  After that, just all the bits and pieces (ailerons and elevator halves) to be done.

I will have the covering done by the end of the week.  I will probably then finish off the covering on the CL-215 Water Bomber while I'm in the covering mode.   

[sihinch]

Photos - make me jealous!? 

[piker]

Since Simon insisted, I took some photos last night.  Not much to look at, but:

I got the servos installed in the wing and started the bottom wing upper covering (first two pictures) last night.  I'll finish that off tonight.  The other pictures show the fuselage, stab and fin/rudder as covered.  10 points if you can spot the mistake I made that I noticed when I laid the parts out for the photo.  You may not see it if you're not really familiar with the SE5a.  Don't worry, I will be able to fix it.  The last picture shows the top and bottom of the top wing.  I will add the appropriate perimeter edging, as is done on the stab, to the wings and fuselage bottom.

I need to pick up another roll of drab green covering tonight.  That will be 12 metres of covering in total!

[Gregor77]

The mistake is that you should have used the beige or light covering on the rudder for the nationalmarkings?

[sihinch]

You made a float mount by mistake???

[piker]

A float mount would not be a mistake    Actually, I did consider that and figured that if I do want to put floats on, I can simply use the mounts that are there for the land gear.

Greg, you are right.  That IS a mistake that I'll have to strip and redo.  Thanks for pointing that out.  But also not the mistake I was talking about    I was referring to the trim around the bottom of the stab.  First, i've determined that I made it too wide, so I'll adjust that, but the mistake I was talking about is the trim at the TE of the stab.  Shouldn't be there as the "real" TE of the system is the TE of the elevators, not the stab.   I know... not very exciting   

Finished the covering on the bottom wing, the elevator halves, and one aileron.  Three ailerons to go, then a recover of the rudder (ugh), and the fine tuning of the perimeter trim.  Then I'll see about the painted metal look for the forward fuselage.

[Gregor77]

Hey Robert!

Why is the beige covering so transpartent.. I think you ordered the wrong covering... Not like it matters... but looks very transparent..