I kicked myself for not picking up a 'Cuda from Laine at FF2016 so I made sure that as soon as he was set up I would be there to buy one. Each one has its own unique serial number and I got lucky number 0066.
I'm using this as a brief refresher to balsa building. My big project this winter will be... HA! you really thought I would let it out now? No, but it will be balsa. Laser cut kits are SO much nicer than the days of die cut (or die crush). There are things to be aware of so I'll give some pointers along the way.
First off, when you take the parts out of the sheet, never trust that the part is ready to just pop out. Here you can see that the top of the part looks very cleanly cut.
On the back side, you can see that not all of the wood fibers are cut clean. Use your razor blade of choice to score the lines so that the part will cleanly come out of the sheet. This goes for balsa as well as ply.
More and more we are seeing airplanes that require no plans to build from, which is great! The parts key together and the CAD precision ensures proper fitting. In this picture, you can see how there are ply pieces that clamp the one end and you can use that to let glue dry. Notice the TitebondII oozing out of the sides. Use your finger to wipe the excess away. In tight corners, I use a q-tip. The beading of the glue is excess weight but also, when you go to assemble the part, the beads will prevent the part from fitting properly. Look ahead in your directions to figure out what is what and think ahead on what you will do. Using TitebondII will allow you some time for the glue to dry if you miss something.
Methodically following the instructions eventually yields you something that resembles an aircraft. The fuselage is taking shape. Note that the cut away marks on the outer perimeter are exposed here and sheeting will be applied later. They are the lighter marks compared to the dark, laser-singed, parts. Some light sanding quickly removes them. If you have parts that will be visible through a film covering, you can always use a rubber eraser to remove the scorched wood. I do not recommend sanding as it generally removes too much wood and grinds in the scorched wood particulates.
Even the sheeting tabs together. Proper care for alignment is always an issue on these bits but be careful and use your standard FT techniques. The table is still your friend. Notice that I am building on a sheet of glass. I had a great experience with this on my last balsa build. Parts glued to the glass easily pop off when dry and the surface can be washed or scrapped with a razor to removed residue. It also ensures that I am working on a flat build surface.
Those who want to build along with their kits... feel free to join in and post here. It is such a quick build. What you see here represents about 1.5 hours of careful work. Yes, those are LEDs. Lots of fun things can be done with your airplane during the build process. Again, think ahead and be creative with your solutions.
I'm using this as a brief refresher to balsa building. My big project this winter will be... HA! you really thought I would let it out now? No, but it will be balsa. Laser cut kits are SO much nicer than the days of die cut (or die crush). There are things to be aware of so I'll give some pointers along the way.
First off, when you take the parts out of the sheet, never trust that the part is ready to just pop out. Here you can see that the top of the part looks very cleanly cut.
On the back side, you can see that not all of the wood fibers are cut clean. Use your razor blade of choice to score the lines so that the part will cleanly come out of the sheet. This goes for balsa as well as ply.
More and more we are seeing airplanes that require no plans to build from, which is great! The parts key together and the CAD precision ensures proper fitting. In this picture, you can see how there are ply pieces that clamp the one end and you can use that to let glue dry. Notice the TitebondII oozing out of the sides. Use your finger to wipe the excess away. In tight corners, I use a q-tip. The beading of the glue is excess weight but also, when you go to assemble the part, the beads will prevent the part from fitting properly. Look ahead in your directions to figure out what is what and think ahead on what you will do. Using TitebondII will allow you some time for the glue to dry if you miss something.
Methodically following the instructions eventually yields you something that resembles an aircraft. The fuselage is taking shape. Note that the cut away marks on the outer perimeter are exposed here and sheeting will be applied later. They are the lighter marks compared to the dark, laser-singed, parts. Some light sanding quickly removes them. If you have parts that will be visible through a film covering, you can always use a rubber eraser to remove the scorched wood. I do not recommend sanding as it generally removes too much wood and grinds in the scorched wood particulates.
Even the sheeting tabs together. Proper care for alignment is always an issue on these bits but be careful and use your standard FT techniques. The table is still your friend. Notice that I am building on a sheet of glass. I had a great experience with this on my last balsa build. Parts glued to the glass easily pop off when dry and the surface can be washed or scrapped with a razor to removed residue. It also ensures that I am working on a flat build surface.
Those who want to build along with their kits... feel free to join in and post here. It is such a quick build. What you see here represents about 1.5 hours of careful work. Yes, those are LEDs. Lots of fun things can be done with your airplane during the build process. Again, think ahead and be creative with your solutions.
The parts were stripped out and put aside for a future build, but looking at the fuselage again last night I realized that only the nose is damaged, and its completely repairable. The wings didn't fare as well and both were completely wrecked in the impact. Talking to Laine at FTFF he reminded me that the wings are available by themselves, so maybe I'll have to go ahead and order them so the fuselage has another shot at flight.
