Value Planes Seagull with 4 motors

[Michael]

I already built one of these, and I have been flying it for 4 seasons. I've flown it off the runway, grass, water and snow. It handles wind easily.

See the link for my original construction thread, including a few modifications.

https://temac.ca/smf/index.php?topic=7850.0

In this thread I will not post all construction, nor any of the previously posted modifications, but I will post any new modifications, and the 4 motor setup I plan. The motors will be mounted in scratch-built nacelles on the wings.

These photos are of the model that I am currently flying.

[Michael]

The first photo isn't a modification, but simply to show that I've started construction.

The other photos show that I've enlarged the battery hatch to make it easier to place and take-out batteries from the fuselage.

I used a couple scrap pieces of plywood to hold the enlarged hatch together.

[Michael]

Fuselage construction is finished.

Modifications:

- The battery hatch is larger to accommodate larger batteries.
- The windshield is removable to facilitate adjusting a 3-way gyro-stabilizer when the model is fully assembled.
- The fuselage side sheeting is constructed separately from the fuselage supporting structure. Since I likely didn't build either of these perfectly strait, they didn't line up, so I cut the side sheeting in half, trimmed it to fit, glued the pieces on, and glued in scrap balsa, so everything would line up.
- Instead of using one long laser cut part to cover the front-bottom hull, which was difficult due a needed curve against the grain, I used some scrap balsa to sheet this area with the grain parallel to the curve.


The wing is next.

[GuyOReilly]

Nice looking fuselage. 
It will be interesting to see the nacelles for the motor and all that wiring.
Sure is fun when you have a project on the go.

[Michael]

This is important if any of you intend to build this model.

Step 31 of the instructions says to "Position and glue" the ribs to the wing spar.

Don't glue yet!

Unless the 1-piece vertical webbing piece of balsa is installed first (step 32), which has slots for each rib, the rib spacing is impossible to determine. There are no plans; the fuselage and wings are built as a 3-D assembly.

Also, the various wing spars, including the 1-piece vertical webbing piece of balsa, have a 1/8" tab at one end, and a 3/32" tab at the other end. These tabs are "seats" for inner and outer ribs. The 1/8" tab is for the inner wing; the 3/32" tab is for the outer wing rib. This is not indicated in the instructions.

Make sure to build a right wing, and a left wing.