Build Log - Giant ~120" P-61 Black Widow

[Liam B]

Nice! Are you planning on transporting this as a single unit or will it be in a couple of parts?

DamoRC

I'm doing a center fuselage and tail, and the wings will plug in to the center wing/fuselage.

 

[Liam B]

All done cardstocking the bottom

I have just started the other boom.


I won't get too far from finishing it because I will be away all weekend. I might put some time in on Monday, though.

 

[Liam B]

The other boom is finished. I also have the turret servo installed. Next job is to continue the tail boom to the tail. Then I'm going to install the wire landing gear. I'm using wire gear instead of bar stock to save weight. Wheels will be off my Carbon Cub. Needless to say, the Cub won't be coming with me to FF because I don't want it damaged, and I don't have the money to fix it if it does.

 

[Liam B]

Alright. The tail is nearly done. I just need to build the elevator.
Here's a few pics of the plane and boom assemblies:


Here's how the rudders attached:

 

[Claire]

Hello, thank you for sharing some good stuff. This is really perfect since I don't have any work next week so I planning to create a new plane and this is it. All the information is so cleared to me and I think I will surely do this plane. With a proper guidance and instruction of you.

 

[Liam B]

Hello, thank you for sharing some good stuff. This is really perfect since I don't have any work next week so I planning to create a new plane and this is it. All the information is so cleared to me and I think I will surely do this plane. With a proper guidance and instruction of you.

Cool! Thanks for taking a look!

 

[Liam B]

I've made the nose pieces, and I'm just about to install them. The paper is pealed in the front to add a curve on the nose.


As for the elevator, I'm out of waterproof foam so I'll have to find something a bit stronger than the dollar tree stuff. I'm thinking of using corrugated plastic (the stuff that election signs are made of), like this:

 

[PsyBorg]

No rules in the play book that say you can't make control surfaces out of sheet balsa either. (I get mine from the little tangerine boxes I buy each month for free) Coming along nicely.

 

[Liam B]

No rules in the play book that say you can't make control surfaces out of sheet balsa either. (I get mine from the little tangerine boxes I buy each month for free) Coming along nicely.

Thanks, PsyBorg! I'll look into that.

 

[Liam B]

Got the nose wheel gear on. It's just a 1/2 inch thick wood stick. I realize now that the wheel will be off center, but it will still track straight. This was my first look at the plane being at its normal height. Looks scale so far!

 

[Liam B]

Nose covering is done. Now I just have to finish covering the bottom and attach the nose wheel. I bought the hardware for it, but haven't started assembly.

 

[Liam B]

Done with the front of the bottom nose. I'm leaving the other uncovered for now just in case I need to adjust the CG.

 

[Liam B]

Main landing gear are in the process of being bent to the right angles, but the nose wheel is complete. It uses two aluminum pieces of bar stock bent to fit a lego wheel. This lego wheel baring bracket is then screwed onto a piece of light scrap wood I had lying around. Not only is the wheel lego, but the axle and bearings are too!

 

[Liam B]

Next task is to install the back landing gear. I'm using two 6" wheels off my Carbon Z Cub (I bought pneumatic tires for the Cub, so no loss there). They aren't particularly spongy, but they are very light and the right size.

 

[DamoRC]

Looking good! The covering looks a lot smoother that I thought it would be.

DamoRC

 

[Liam B]

Looking good! The covering looks a lot smoother that I thought it would be.

DamoRC

Thanks! I was pretty skeptical of the covering myself, but I'm pretty pleased with the job.

 

[Liam B]

Alright. No work will be done this weekend because I will be away from home. Feel free to ask any questions though.

 

[Liam B]

A bit of an update: I'm kind of in a holding pattern here. I need more foam to complete the wings and covering, and I'm still waiting to figure out what to use for the elevator. I might just double up foam. Either way, I haven't ordered more yet, but will this weekend. Priority right now is building and installing the rear landing gear. So I guess I'll do that while I wait, along with trimming other stuff.

 

[Liam B]

The P-61 has been gathering dust. No work has been done. I'm about to order some more foam finally and am going to start working on covering the tail booms and installing the rudder servos. Rear landing gear are also ready to be built.

 

[DamoRC]

Stick with it! It will be great to see it up at FF West.

DamoRC