FT Spitfire Build
- Thread starter fliteadmin
- Start date
Hey DM, that looks great, considering it's your second build. Yes, the Depron is harder to work with but there is a trick you might use on your building...... Packing tape along the outside of your (scores/bends). before you make the bends/folds... It's not as nice looking, for painting, but you could paint while the sheet is still flat....
At any rate, your Spit looks great, hope to see a video of it flying...
I enlarged my plan to a 55" wingspan, and took a while to build it last year, with the first test flight late November. Was out this week for the first time this year and had several GREAT flights with it.... Slower moving and a lot easier to see and control...
At any rate, your Spit looks great, hope to see a video of it flying...
I enlarged my plan to a 55" wingspan, and took a while to build it last year, with the first test flight late November. Was out this week for the first time this year and had several GREAT flights with it.... Slower moving and a lot easier to see and control...
dangermouse650
Junior Member
Very nice, i have started to upsize my builds as well, the bigger they are the easier they seem to fly.....
Greenjeans
Junior Member
The FT Sptiz was the 3rd plane I built. Started learning with the FT Old Fogey. Went to the 4 channel Tiny Trainer. That airframe really became fun to fly when I upsized the motor. Then I maidened the Spitfire. What a wonderful design! Flies really solid and doesn’t seem bothered by a breeze. With the Suppo 2217/7 and a 3 cell it has unlimited vertical.
I was kinda sucked back into the hobby by a desire to re-live my RC childhood and FT videos expounding on the cheap costs; $2 for 2 sheets of foam board to build an airframe.
So thought I’d share the cost of my Spitz. Scratch built, no landing gear, no paint job. US $ early in 2016.
$12.50 Airframe (the stuff that would be disposed of given a total crash)
$57.00 Altitude Hobbies FT Spitfire power pack (motor, ESC, servos, wiring, 2 props)
$33.50 Other reusable hardware (Lemon Rx, spinner, 2 batteries and stuff)
$103 Total
Pretty reasonable for the performance of the design.
And all that fun flying - - - - Priceless
I was kinda sucked back into the hobby by a desire to re-live my RC childhood and FT videos expounding on the cheap costs; $2 for 2 sheets of foam board to build an airframe.
So thought I’d share the cost of my Spitz. Scratch built, no landing gear, no paint job. US $ early in 2016.
$12.50 Airframe (the stuff that would be disposed of given a total crash)
$57.00 Altitude Hobbies FT Spitfire power pack (motor, ESC, servos, wiring, 2 props)
$33.50 Other reusable hardware (Lemon Rx, spinner, 2 batteries and stuff)
$103 Total
Pretty reasonable for the performance of the design.
And all that fun flying - - - - Priceless
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Greenjeans
Junior Member
‘Scale’ Sounding Board?
When I decided to build the Spitfire I combed through all 130 pages or so of this thread (at the time) looking for modifications and tips. I adopted those I wanted and would do a few more after now gaining experience flying FT foam airframes. One of the tips I tried, but which was not needed since I made a battery hatch on top, was the addition of a simple flat foam piece to fill in the bottom of the cowl up to the nose.
I thought it would be a battery hatch so covered the rear seam with tape for belly landings, but only spot glued the front corners until a later time when I had the complete electronics package. Because I have an air scoop on the bottom of the power pod, I had to carve the front edge of this flat board of foam to make clearance for the scoop when the pod was being inserted into the airframe.
I think what I’d inadvertently done was to create a reed - like in a musical instrument.
Every flight so far when the plane is going fast - as in pulling out at the bottom of a dive - something is vibrating. But the sound is almost that of an engine when it flies past! If I weren’t worried about fatigue I’d leave it alone for the ‘scale’ sound. I think the foam board is the source of the vibration since it has a sharp edge and the middle is free to flex and move. I’ll find out next time the weather clears enough to fly...
Because my ESC was getting warm inside the pod, I’ve now moved it to the bottom of the power pod. Then more clearance was needed to slide the pod in, so I cut the foam board back a bit from the nose so it now has a flat edge, and Glued all three sides down since it will never be used as an access hatch. Next time I fly we’ll see if the sound is gone. If so, then it might be a safe addition to the design to add it back in. And the length of the board might be tuned for pitch. ? TBD
(Hope it’s not the tail feathers vibrating.)
Edit: It was NOT the bottom battery hatch. So now that you’ve read to this point, ignore all the above speculation. The sound is still there so now looking at the tagboard that forms the top edge of the nose. Also will check pushrods vibrating, they are long since the servos are mounted inside under canopy.
Further Edit: It was the tagboard on the top edge of the nose. The sound was reduced at the flying field by sticking masking tape to the front edge of the tagboard. The sound disappeared after gluing a former under the tagboard edge at the very front of the nose.
When I decided to build the Spitfire I combed through all 130 pages or so of this thread (at the time) looking for modifications and tips. I adopted those I wanted and would do a few more after now gaining experience flying FT foam airframes. One of the tips I tried, but which was not needed since I made a battery hatch on top, was the addition of a simple flat foam piece to fill in the bottom of the cowl up to the nose.
I thought it would be a battery hatch so covered the rear seam with tape for belly landings, but only spot glued the front corners until a later time when I had the complete electronics package. Because I have an air scoop on the bottom of the power pod, I had to carve the front edge of this flat board of foam to make clearance for the scoop when the pod was being inserted into the airframe.
I think what I’d inadvertently done was to create a reed - like in a musical instrument.
Every flight so far when the plane is going fast - as in pulling out at the bottom of a dive - something is vibrating. But the sound is almost that of an engine when it flies past! If I weren’t worried about fatigue I’d leave it alone for the ‘scale’ sound. I think the foam board is the source of the vibration since it has a sharp edge and the middle is free to flex and move. I’ll find out next time the weather clears enough to fly...
Because my ESC was getting warm inside the pod, I’ve now moved it to the bottom of the power pod. Then more clearance was needed to slide the pod in, so I cut the foam board back a bit from the nose so it now has a flat edge, and Glued all three sides down since it will never be used as an access hatch. Next time I fly we’ll see if the sound is gone. If so, then it might be a safe addition to the design to add it back in. And the length of the board might be tuned for pitch. ? TBD
(Hope it’s not the tail feathers vibrating.)
Edit: It was NOT the bottom battery hatch. So now that you’ve read to this point, ignore all the above speculation. The sound is still there so now looking at the tagboard that forms the top edge of the nose. Also will check pushrods vibrating, they are long since the servos are mounted inside under canopy.
Further Edit: It was the tagboard on the top edge of the nose. The sound was reduced at the flying field by sticking masking tape to the front edge of the tagboard. The sound disappeared after gluing a former under the tagboard edge at the very front of the nose.
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Greenjeans
Junior Member
Hatch mod; go to this forum post:
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?11479-My-power-pod-battery-hatch-mod
I’ll have to go check the plane to make sure what the Prop is, but think it is a 9x4.7 (inches).
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?11479-My-power-pod-battery-hatch-mod
I’ll have to go check the plane to make sure what the Prop is, but think it is a 9x4.7 (inches).
Ethanator10000
Member
Bit of an odd question, but what finish of paint did you use/reccomend? It seems like there are so many of them and I have no idea what's best for projects like these.
Thanks
Spitfire222
Not a skater
Bit of an odd question, but what finish of paint did you use/reccomend? It seems like there are so many of them and I have no idea what's best for projects like these.
I don't think that's an odd question at all.
I use Rustoleum and Valspar spray cans in either satin or matte/flat finish. There's no real right or wrong, but a Warbird with a glossy finish just seems wrong to me, unless it's racing at Reno! dangermouse650
Junior Member
Ethanator10000
Member
I don't think that's an odd question at all.
Thanks. Your plane really does look amazing.
jtbluefeather
New member
Since this Spitfire was made from a kit I had covered in polyurethane a few years ago, it was in pretty rough shape even when built. Paper delaminated, wrinkles here and there, missing parts from three years in storage, etc. So after the build and maiden, and consequently falling I love with it, I decided to use it to practice painting as well. I decided to go with the RAF paint scheme from D-Day, in the ETO. The markings are from Johnnie Johnson's plane. He was a Canadian ace. I'm going to take it out for a spin later today. Second build is in the planning stage, no power pod, removable wing this time. But for now, here's my Spitfire....
Spitfire222
Not a skater
Looks great, nice job on the paint job! I'm also likely going to build a 2nd Spitfire to be painted in late-war colors instead of the early-war colors that my current one is in. Which canopy is that? I used a Durafly Spitfire bubble canopy that I had to cut the rear off in order to fit.
jtbluefeather
New member
Thanks! It's the stock Durafly one. Fits well enough, but I had to add a little on the cockpit sides to bring them up a bit. Still not perfect, but this was a practice plane! I was going to save the stickers for the "real" build, but I may not get to it for awhile, and i's easy enough to get more when I'm on to the next build. I've got enough to do before FF16 that I won't get to the second Spit until after!
jtbluefeather
New member
I also made this detachable so I could access the electronics easily. I shaped the foam with a sanding block. On my next build, I may glass it, or just use a balsa block. The canopy is hot glued to the foam.
dangermouse650
Junior Member
Don't worry hack73, we all have to start somewhere...
Ahhhh, a fellow who likes Canadian Pilots! JJ was in the books I read on Douglas Bader, the tin leg man of the Battle of Britian... Like your models, old and the new..... Keep up the great work and lets see a video of your flights.....
like your canopy and hatch design.....
Art
like your canopy and hatch design.....
Art
jtbluefeather
New member
Thanks Art! I don't know if it was liking Canadian pilots (though I admire anybody who flew the Spits) as much as finding a decal set and paint job that caught my eye! Still, reading up on Johnson did up my admiration for the guy! Here's a short vid of a flight I took yesterday. I nosed it in, and will be determining if I want to fix it up or just build the second one later today.
