96" Grumman Albatross flying boat kit/scratch built model

Papa · December 29, 2014, 04:27:48 PM

Looks like a real airplane now!

It will be fantastic when it's glassed and painted.

Jack.

piker · December 29, 2014, 05:48:30 PM

Really Beautiful!

Looks kinda like Mickey Mouse

Michael · December 30, 2014, 09:06:26 AM

the 'filling' has started.

piker · December 30, 2014, 09:26:58 AM

Did you mention how you're planning to finish the model? Are you glassing and painting the whole thing like your DC3?

Michael · December 30, 2014, 09:35:02 AM

I haven't decided yet.

Michael · December 30, 2014, 03:58:51 PM

The fuselage and tip floats will be fiberglassed and painted, the rest will be covered with Monokote.

wollins · December 30, 2014, 08:22:03 PM

For the benefit of other folks (ok, mainly me!

) ) planning to do similar stuff with similar sized planes, PLEASE record and share your before and after weights for the fiberglassed and painted parts!

Thanks!

Colin

Michael · December 31, 2014, 12:22:35 PM

Quote from: wollins on December 30, 2014, 08:22:03 PM
For the benefit of other folks (ok, mainly me!planning to do similar stuff with similar sized planes, PLEASE record and share your before and after weights for the fiberglassed and painted parts!

Thanks!

Colin

No problem.

Michael · December 31, 2014, 12:27:24 PM

I've been working .

battlestu · December 31, 2014, 12:33:26 PM

yep it looks filled

Michael · January 02, 2015, 07:51:00 PM

All construction, filling, sanding, radio installation, linkages, motor installation, ... done!

Covering is next!

I'll look everything over carefully first.

I may want to use solid balsa instead of clear plastic for the front windshield.

Michael · January 02, 2015, 09:04:52 PM

Yup!

Balsa windshield.

Michael · January 02, 2015, 09:42:22 PM

Covering has officially started!

Much of this plane is in silver or light grey colour, so this will have to wait, since I have no such Monokote yet.

Hopefully I'll start preparing the fiberglassing parts later this week.

Michael · January 03, 2015, 06:15:59 PM

Most of the tail is covered now (white, aluminum and red), but there will be some black and decals added.

The aluminum colour is extremely difficult to work with.

Michael · January 04, 2015, 04:50:57 PM

I've spent about 5 hours covering one wing, and that doesn't include working on the flap, which needs to be covered in fiberglass, as well as the cowls.

The aluminum colour covering remains difficult for me; it seems to retain some characteristics of aluminum foil. It creases and remains hard, and also doesn't shrink like the red and white Monokote.

As difficult as it is, the really shiny spots in the photos are not covering problems; they're just reflections of light.

All internal wiring for the wing is complete.

I also added a bit of black trim to the leading edges of the tail, and it really looks better.