ABC STEM Trifecta Group Build

[Vimana89]

So yesterday didn't end up being the day that inspiration really struck, though I skimmed the build video a bit for reference. Today is a different story, I'm starting my build, and have everything popped out for the fuselage, and the elevons set aside with the wing related sheets. First impressions? Those are some big elevons! This is a stable design though, so that should help it still have good maneuverability.

 

[Grifflyer]

Quick tip, take your time with the nose cone it's easy to mess up...

 

[Vimana89]

Quick tip, take your time with the nose cone it's easy to mess up...

Just did the bevel cuts and everything on all the fuselage pieces looks good, time to bust out the glue gun. I don't plan on making the power pod removable, and my 2806 mounts more easily to a 2" firewall than a mini one. Solution? Mount the 50mm firewall directly to the power pod holder.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Yeah doing the nose cone is best when you do it like in the build vid. The top and bottom halves need to be slowly glued together a inch or two per side at a time, meaning you start at the tip, glue an inch of one side, line it up, and hold till cooled, then do the other side only an inch. Line it up so the two sides are symmetrical. then go back and do another inch on the first side, repeat the same on the other side and hold it to be symmetrical and so on. As you get further back you may be able to do more then an inch at a time. And do lots of dry fitting to make sure the seams come together evenly, just so you know where to trim a little more bevel or not. If you take your time it should come out clean and even. On the seams after it was complete and cooled I even sanded off the excess glue that oozed out with 100 grit the smoothed it with 220 grit. Mine almost looked so nice that I didn't want to fly it knowing it would take a nose hit at some point. Pro tip- take pics before the maiden, it will be the prettiest it will ever be lol

 

[Vimana89]

So you guys were right about the nose part, that was an extremely awkward and difficult technique. It took me a good bit of time and effort just to make it look like wrinkled crap, but nothing structurally wrong with it👍. This will take a lot of time and patience in the future if I really want to make the nose look nice, but for this first one, it will suffice just fine. As I don't want to spend a lot of time and effort making this pretty, but still want some aesthetic quality, I'm going to fill in the wrinkles and wipe down with glue, and paint the nose with acrylic paint. Won't be perfect, but should hide the crudeness better and smooth it out.

 

[Bricks]

What works really good is light weight spackling compound to use as a filler adds just about nothing for weight and sands easy.

 

[The Hangar]

So for some reason I wasn’t being notified by this thread, so I just caught up and now y’all have a bunch of likes😉 @Vimana89 its looking good, and although the nose is a little wrinkled, you won’t be able to see it in the air. @BATTLEAXE as I mentioned before, I was super nervous for my maiden as well. I may consider building a Charlie and alpha wing in the future for my fuse. Right now it’s in storage while the waterproof planes are occupying the space in my hangar. @Grifflyer you better finish your spitfire quick so you can start on the edf alpha! I’m looking forward to that one!

 

[The Hangar]

@Vimana89 I just had a thought. I’ll bet the smaller noses are harder to build. I don’t think I even used tape for mine, and it turned out pretty good. Probably you all had thought of that earlier, but it just stuck me🤣

 

[Bricks]

What I did when first building these type of planes was I used expanding foam in the nose to help with crash resistant's after the nose was built. Now I don`t do that any more but is sure helped save the nose just do not get carried away with the foam as it expands a lot depending on foam, and does not add a lot of weight.

 

[Piotrsko]

So you guys were right about the nose part, that was an extremely awkward and difficult technique. It took me a good bit of time and effort just to make it look like wrinkled crap, but nothing structurally wrong with it👍. This will take a lot of time and patience in the future if I really want to make the nose look nice, but for this first one, it will suffice just fine. As I don't want to spend a lot of time and effort making this pretty, but still want some aesthetic quality, I'm going to fill in the wrinkles and wipe down with glue, and paint the nose with acrylic paint. Won't be perfect, but should hide the crudeness better and smooth it out.

Never see it from Bakersfield. Or from a hundred feet up come to think of it.

 

[mayan]

Quick tip, take your time with the nose cone it's easy to mess up...

+1

What I did when first building these type of planes was I used expanding foam in the nose to help with crash resistant's after the nose was built. Now I don`t do that any more but is sure helped save the nose just do not get carried away with the foam as it expands a lot depending on foam, and does not add a lot of weight.

Great tip, thanks! I kept breaking the nose the last times I tried flying the charlie.

 

[Grifflyer]

...@Grifflyer you better finish your spitfire quick so you can start on the edf alpha! I’m looking forward to that one!

Now now, you can't rush perfection

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I used expanding foam in the nose

I thought of this when I was building mine and it makes sense since I ended u building 6 or nose sections for my prop and slot adventure. All said and done the impact energy has to go somewhere and if it isn't the nose it would be deeper in the plane and harder to fix or replace

 

[Vimana89]

So another mistake I made was not watching a certain part of the vid close enough and making the assumption that the back end of the nose with the tabs was to be straight 90 degrees and the sides fit flies to the power pod holder. The result required me to cut a couple extra tab holes and affix the front of the top plate in a kid of odd way, but the result lines up flush and don't anticipate any issues, aside from having a bit less space for electronics(still plenty of room compared to my normal builds). Upside is the 2" firewall will fit really flush👍. On to the wing, and then electronics and linkages and finishing up1

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Yea they were supposed to be angled but it won't matter. If I remember correctly doesn't it tab into the top fuse plate as well?

 

[Vimana89]

Yea they were supposed to be angled but it won't matter. If I remember correctly doesn't it tab into the top fuse plate as well?

Yeah I had to adjust that slightly but still works.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

This will be fun to watch you fly it

 

[Vimana89]

About to fire up the electronics and screw in the servos and dial her in for maiden. I have to find somewhere that tells me what the recommended CG is. This "speed build" kit took a lot of hours, as the build involves a lot more desperate parts and sophisticated techniques than my own designs or the DR1. Impressions? Ingenious, slick, and clean, and well engineered.but for my my style of not using programs or laser cutters, something like this would be a nightmare to draw up by hand if I were designing a similar build with all the tabs and slots(no prob with the kit though). Even printed plans would be tedious with all those cuts. Those nose is gorgeously designed, but is a tough technique to master. Way too many bevel cuts going on throughout🙄. I tend to design minimalistic in terms of tabs and slots and separate small parts. That's more subjective stuff related to preference. Objectively, only thing I'd change about the design is add some actual air flow from the intakes into the electronics bay, which I did.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

That plane looks like its ready to pounce man, that's a mean build and she will treat you to dessert in the air. Good luck on the maiden

 

[Vimana89]

That plane looks like its ready to pounce man, that's a mean build and she will treat you to dessert in the air. Good luck on the maiden

Thanks! I found there actually is air flow in to the electronics bay just from the canopy. So actually, nothing Id change design wise. My extra air flow can only help though. Just have to dial in all the electronics still.