Spitfire

[GuyOReilly]

Just had to look at it assembled.
Covering starting today.

PS: @Andy Hoffer, yes the green tape will be removed...

[Andy Hoffer]

Bonjour @GuyOReilly

Gee!  At first I didn't even notice your beautiful Spitfire.  I was too busy looking around at all the neat stuff in your shop!!!   

Andy

[Michael]

It really looks like a Spitfire now!

[bfeist]

This is really looking good. Great progress!

[GuyOReilly]

I installed a battery on/off switch on the cockpit floor to eliminate the need to remove the wing to cut-off power to the ESC/motor/radio. 
Now I need to figure out how to make the cockpit removable to access the switch. 
An infamous case of the "5-Ps" - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.   
The sides are 1/16 so magnets would be difficult to install. 
Peanut Gallery, your comments, ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
Guy

[Andy Hoffer]

Hi @GuyOReilly

I would use magnets glued into the fuselage just in front of and behind the canopy.  Use a razor saw and X-acto knife to cut 1/2-inch deep x 1/2-inch thick slabs from the top of the fuselage where the front and rear of the canopy meet the fuselage.  Glue support blocks for the magnets into the fuselage, allowing room for the mating magnets to be attached to the slabs while keeping the outside surface of the slabs flush with the outside surface of the fuselage.  Epoxy the magnets onto the internal support blocks.  Fit the slabs cut from the fuselage with mating magnets.  Glue the mating magnets to the slabs.  Glue the front and rear (NOT the sides) of the canopy to the top of the slabs only, not to the adjacent fuselage surface.  You now have a removable canopy which is strongly affixed to the fiselage.  The 1/2-inch slab width and depth will give you a large enough surface to grip for removal of the canopy for access to your on/off switch.

Andy

[GuyOReilly]

Thank you Andy for this suggestion.
It will be held with magnets, just not too keen on cutting the fuselage.
Zoom meeting was fun, glad to exchange ideas with you as it provided options and revised strategies.
Looking forward to meeting again soon.
Guy

Hi @GuyOReilly

I would use magnets glued into the fuselage just in front of and behind the canopy.  Use a razor saw and X-acto knife to cut 1/2-inch deep x 1/2-inch thick slabs from the top of the fuselage where the front and rear of the canopy meet the fuselage.  Glue support blocks for the magnets into the fuselage, allowing room for the mating magnets to be attached to the slabs while keeping the outside surface of the slabs flush with the outside surface of the fuselage.  Epoxy the magnets onto the internal support blocks.  Fit the slabs cut from the fuselage with mating magnets.  Glue the mating magnets to the slabs.  Glue the front and rear (NOT the sides) of the canopy to the top of the slabs only, not to the adjacent fuselage surface.  You now have a removable canopy which is strongly affixed to the fiselage.  The 1/2-inch slab width and depth will give you a large enough surface to grip for removal of the canopy for access to your on/off switch.

Andy

[Frank v B]

Guy,

There is another option. 

In the IC days I always put the RC switch inside the fuse next to a servo.  I then drilled a hole through the switch slider (handle) and led a piece of piano wire through the fuselage via a servo eyelet. A small wheel collar held it all together so the push-pull would work.  I made the piano wire come out through the side of the fuselage, or in some scale planes made it come out behind the canopy of a Spitfire as an aerial or as a control column in an open cockpit.

Two photos of the mock-up.  Nylon landing gear straps allow the switch the be screwed to a servo rail.

Frank

[Andy Hoffer]

Guy,

There is another option. 

In the IC days I always put the RC switch inside the fuse next to a servo.  I then drilled a hole through the switch slider (handle) and led a piece of piano wire through the fuselage via a servo bushing. A small wheel collar held it all together so the push-pull would work. I made the piano wire come out through the side of the fuselage, or in some scale planes made it come out behind the canopy of a Spitfire as an aerial or as a control column in an open cockpit.

Two photos of the mock-up.  Nylon landing gear straps allow the switch the be screwed to a servo rail.

Frank

Nice @Frank v B !  Another elegant solution! 

@Guy is now caught between a rock and a hard place!! 

Andy

[pmackenzie]

I seem to recall some used to use things like the machine guns or other scale features to activate the internal switch.
But I would always worry that the weight could cause the switch to activate when you didn't want it to 

There are high tech options as well, Zepsus magnetic switch being one. They even have BEC versions:

https://zepsus.com/product-category/product/

[Frank v B]

Pat,

I learned from first principles that to push the switch "in" would be "on" especially in hand-launched planes where brushing up against it when launching could turn it "off" if done the other way.

The discipline was to leave the RX battery disconnected until ready to fly.  Always answer the question "what could possibly go wrong".

Frank

[GuyOReilly]

@pmackenzie I like the magnetic switch.... mabe for the next project as the switch is already installed.
@Frank v B yes, push is on and pull is off.  However, as you can see in the pictures, the swich is mounted with on forward and off back.  Adding the suggested and, might I say, elegant pushrod would result in locating it forward of the canopy, which would be unsightly.  It could not be mourned toward the rear as there is no access due to the fuselage shape and armour plate.  I thought about side mouning it, but that too has its problems.
As per my Zoom meeting with @Andy Hoffer, the canopy will be removable, and mounted on a plywood base for rigidity and support. The canopy will be held with magnets and pins for alignment. Pictures will follow once assembly and construction is completed ✅.
Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions, they allowed me to crystallize a solution by talking through the problem / challenge. 

[GuyOReilly]

Inspired by @Andy Hoffer 's suggestion to use magnets to hold the canopy in place.

Here is a quick video showing the firm grip of one set of magnets, another set will be added later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUshGSyp_k&feature=youtu.be

Photo #7646 shows the canopy under pressure to ensure good epoxy fit and bonding.

Thank you for all your great ideas and support.

[GuyOReilly]

The aileron servo motor hums when connected, and not a nice tune at that... 
Seems that the pushrod is putting some pressure on the output arm.
Considering changing the setup to 2 servos, but that would require opening the wing skin.
Any suggestions before I proceed with the the surgical operation? 

[GuyOReilly]

It is not perfect, but I am very pleased.
@Gregor77 thank you for your help.  It turned out better than I ever expected, thanks to your tips.
A few touch-ups needed here and there; I am a happy camper!   
In the end, I decided to go with Tamiya paints XF80-XF81-XF82, diluted approximately 30% with 90% alcohol.

#7666 - all taped up...
#7668 - a piece of tape left a straight line on the left side, touching up with a brush.  50/50 rule @Frank v B . 
#7779 - not bad, not bad at all, paint peeled off just behind the cockpit - DARN!