Psyborgs DGA-6 Mulligan group build thread.

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Ok got the care packages from @kilroy07 so I can participate in @mayan Build group of his DGA-6 design. First HUGE thank you to @kilroy07 for providing all the materials to do this with the group. Second thanks to @mayan for producing great parts blueprints and publishing them for us to use. Also for the build thread he is providing for us to build by and maybe contribute to making it better?

Anyways I have some minor mod ideas already and will test viability as my build progresses. I have also chose a livery thanks to Mayans decal sheet which I will use best I can to air brush them on to my build. Also to @Baron VonHelton for the awesome pictures of full scale craft and several really cool liveries they wear.

So in the first care package came this 3d printed cowl @kilroy07 designed and printed. I did some light sanding to remove the rest of the stingy parts from printing and primed it after a quick test in hopes the primer didnt melt it into a pile o goo. It didnt and actually primed really well given that was done with a rattle can. Krylon sanding primer for anyone who is interested.

IMG_20211009_164047_627.jpg


The next phase was testing what paints I have available here while learning how to use an airbrush. I started with and stuck to using some cheapie Walmart water based acrylic as it was the only opaque option I have and came up with this. Its not bad at all and I will do some testing on other foam with a clear coat as well to see if it shines up well and how much weight change happens. I am shooting really light so I do not think that will be an issue. As you can see the print lines still show thru but are pretty well covered.

IMG_20211009_204052_266.jpg


Then today the foam sheets @kilroy07 laser cut arrived so I was able to start the build after a much needed work bench cleaning / rearrangement. Its pretty straight forward so I'm not going into any detail here that is not already in @mayan's thread.

Here is the first batch of parts from his build progression.

IMG_20211012_191517_084.jpg

Here they are glued together after some edge sanding to smooth out the cupping from the laser. (its not bad its just my ocd)

IMG_20211012_195417_589.jpg


And this is where it sits for the evening. I did salvage a lid from some strawberries to use as a wind screen maybe but that decision will be made later after seeing what room would be under it to maybe make a faux cockpit somehow.

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PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
@PsyBorg thanks for building along with us, please give me as much feedback/ideas as possible so I can make this easier to build and fun to fly.

So far the build is easy and well done. My only suggestion since you are doing more picture based guidance and not video is to number parts on the plans and in the build pics to avoid confusion for newer builders and having several parts look very similar.
 

Ratcheeroo

Legendary member
Ok got the care packages from @kilroy07 so I can participate in @mayan Build group of his DGA-6 design. First HUGE thank you to @kilroy07 for providing all the materials to do this with the group. Second thanks to @mayan for producing great parts blueprints and publishing them for us to use. Also for the build thread he is providing for us to build by and maybe contribute to making it better?

Anyways I have some minor mod ideas already and will test viability as my build progresses. I have also chose a livery thanks to Mayans decal sheet which I will use best I can to air brush them on to my build. Also to @Baron VonHelton for the awesome pictures of full scale craft and several really cool liveries they wear.

So in the first care package came this 3d printed cowl @kilroy07 designed and printed. I did some light sanding to remove the rest of the stingy parts from printing and primed it after a quick test in hopes the primer didnt melt it into a pile o goo. It didnt and actually primed really well given that was done with a rattle can. Krylon sanding primer for anyone who is interested.

View attachment 209612

The next phase was testing what paints I have available here while learning how to use an airbrush. I started with and stuck to using some cheapie Walmart water based acrylic as it was the only opaque option I have and came up with this. Its not bad at all and I will do some testing on other foam with a clear coat as well to see if it shines up well and how much weight change happens. I am shooting really light so I do not think that will be an issue. As you can see the print lines still show thru but are pretty well covered.

View attachment 209613

Then today the foam sheets @kilroy07 laser cut arrived so I was able to start the build after a much needed work bench cleaning / rearrangement. Its pretty straight forward so I'm not going into any detail here that is not already in @mayan's thread.

Here is the first batch of parts from his build progression.

View attachment 209614
Here they are glued together after some edge sanding to smooth out the cupping from the laser. (its not bad its just my ocd)

View attachment 209615

And this is where it sits for the evening. I did salvage a lid from some strawberries to use as a wind screen maybe but that decision will be made later after seeing what room would be under it to maybe make a faux cockpit somehow.

View attachment 209616

View attachment 209617
Awesome work going there!(y)(y)As I had mentioned I have been playing with the airbrush a bit and experimenting with different paints and have been having good success with Testors Aztec opaque paints
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
DING!!! Round two!

Started the day off getting the front plate pieces shaped and mounted. Worked the bend on the sides to shape it. Then added the top strip to form the top section where the wind screen will be mounted. I think I would advise to cut that strip about 5mm longer and be able to sand and shape it for a better fit with no gaps. I think this is a section that will be hard to reproduce exactly every time and having just that one piece a bit longer would give way more adaptability.
IMG_20211013_143213_753.jpg


After that all cooled and would stay in place I worked on the bottom of the fuselage per @mayan's walk thru. Then began peeling and working the bends on the lower sections. As I mentioned earlier in this thread I like to sand down the paper to meet where the foam cups from laser cutting. It to me gives the ability for a better glue joint without adding extra weight to fill those gaps. That all stack over time and can be critical on some builds specially in the tail areas. Doing this meant some of the inside foam where the paper meets the fuselage had to be sanded back to make the skin sections fit better. Easily done using an emery board. If people want or need I can make a quick video how I do my foam work and joints or other ocd things I do.

IMG_20211013_152456_836.jpg
From there it was a matter of working the bends and systematically gluing the skin to the formers as they rolled around the arch. I was out of practice doing this so I thought it would be a good idea to start small and work bigger so I did the inner two first. Worked great until I tried to mate the final larger tail section. Ended up doing some custom shaping and lost about 3mm on the back end to be able to have minimal gap at the large end. If its a problem after the tail gets added Its a minor issue to correct.

IMG_20211013_163101_118.jpg


All is all so far this has been an easy build. Very nicely laid out and the cuts and folds are all spot on. Gonna hit it again tomorrow and see how far I get. Hopefully I can finish the fuse so I can start filling in gaps and smoothing wrinkles in prep for painting. May even get ambitious and try to have it in primer by days end.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Round three.

Was up early today so I got an early start. First thing I did was make the motor mount block and glue the firewall to it. Next thing I did evidently BECAUSE I was up so early was procced to misinterpret @Mayans process and glue the motor mount box and fire wall into one of the formers.
SOOO dumb. BUT it made me re evaluate this part of the build and I decided to hard mount the front section as one piece. So I proceeded to sand the former to fit snuggly into the 3d printed cowl where I glued that in permanently with white Gorilla wood glue.

IMG_20211014_122354_758.jpg


I shaped and fit tested a second former and glued that in as well with the wood glue after I had added the round filler piece on the fuselage so I could get the depth to sit flat against that. I did not how ever take a picture of that round piece installed prior to getting started wood gluing all the seams and spackling any uneven spots, wrinkles or seams.

IMG_20211014_122406_743.jpg


While that was drying I cut and fit the clear windscreen in which took the majority of the mornings work time. I used a razor blade to score a channel in the foam in any area I could reach and cut tabs in the plastic to fit into them. Then after it was properly fitted and shaped I ran a bead of glue all around it in hopes to actually keep it in the plane. :ROFLMAO: More side windows are in the works once I look more at the real examples @Baron VonHelton posted in @Mayans build thread.

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Here is what the cowl will look like when mounted.

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Finally this is where it is at right now so the spackle is drying and will get sanded down after lunch time. that way I have enough time if more is needed before priming. I will grab some food and fresh coffee and get started work on the tail feathers to have the entire fuse done and ready for paint.

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PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Soooo. How many of you were betting on Bills Law making an appearance in this thread? Well it snuck in the post with the Cowl adaptation.... Anyone care to guess how?

Picture the motor I just tried mounting sticking wayyy out in front of the cowl because I failed to think about it having to be recessed.

It also bit me in the rear this evening when I went to do the first sanding on the light coat of primer I put on earlier this afternoon. Well It looks like a wrinkled old man now after all the work to spackle and sand and feather all the edges. I never had this primer do that and I dusted the first bits super light like always. then dusted two more super light coats letting it dry in between.

The only thing I can think of is it is older style white FT foam or Adams readiboard bought locally. Other wise its the primer is too old or I didnt shake it well enough and it wasnt mixed well or a combination of the two.

So no progress report tonight and I will pick up in the morning by going backwards and carefully deconstructing the cowl and seeing what can be done with MR. Wrinkles.
 

mayan

Legendary member
So far the build is easy and well done. My only suggestion since you are doing more picture based guidance and not video is to number parts on the plans and in the build pics to avoid confusion for newer builders and having several parts look very similar.
Thanks I add numbers to the parts. As for the tail issue you are having of it running short at the end don’t fuss about it the last addition to the tails is made from poster board which you can cut just a tad longer to cover up the gap.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
You know, I thought the same thing about the cowl... I still want to look into a fake radial motor and maybe push it back a bit...

I am going back to look at @Mayans build. Doing what I wanted looked good til you add the motor. Now that the power pod has been surgically removed I realized there is a big gap now so I think I missed another former and skin piece on the nose which is what threw me off track to begin with I think.
 

kilroy07

Legendary member
I am going back to look at @Mayans build. Doing what I wanted looked good til you add the motor. Now that the power pod has been surgically removed I realized there is a big gap now so I think I missed another former and skin piece on the nose which is what threw me off track to begin with I think.
There is the thinnest curved piece that will fill that gap.
I'm going camping with the family this weekend, but I plan to spend some serious time next week re evaluating the cowl/engine thing.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
There is the thinnest curved piece that will fill that gap.
I'm going camping with the family this weekend, but I plan to spend some serious time next week re evaluating the cowl/engine thing.

Ahh cool!! enjoy the trip and the time away from civilization (I do use that term VERY loosely these days)
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
There is the thinnest curved piece that will fill that gap.
I'm going camping with the family this weekend, but I plan to spend some serious time next week re evaluating the cowl/engine thing.

Yes I did that. I see now where the differences are. If you look he uses the 3 formers up front to hold the power pod in place as well as where he mounts his outer cowl ring. Thin inner part is flush and how I made mine. Since we are using your printed cowl That ring is no longer used as well as the angled piece in front of it to finish off the look. THAT is what sets the motor back inside deep enough have just the prop out front.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Ok Catch up time. Had to take a step back and disassemble the cowl and surgically extract the motor mount. So I carefully cut that out and began the process of using pressure around the edge of that front foam piece to get it broke loose without damaging the 3d printed cowl. I lucked out as the foam fit so tight in there the glue was just around the edge . Places where it had wicked between the foam and the cowl had luckily just peeled the enamel paint off the primer leaving no damage to the primer or the cowl.

Next was the need to lower the motor mount deeper into the cowl. I started by cutting down the motor pod and then that square foam section in the nose until I found approximately the depth I wanted. Then I had to work out a way to keep it all attached to the plane while in flight. After cutting down both the motor pod and that square frame BBQ skewers were not going to work so I set the motor pod on the square frame and places some balsa ply (free from tangerine crates btw) next to that and cut slots to sit the ply deep into the frame for good glue support. I thought that I would need to be able to remove the motor pod so permeant gluing lost that battle. This is what I came up with for the motor and cowl mount. I soaked the ply in thin CA around the holes I cut so they would not wear too fast.

IMG_20211016_181214_604.jpg


IMG_20211016_181159_680.jpg


IMG_20211016_180903_034.jpg


Between the pressure pushed outwards on the balsa ply and the welding rod retainer the cowl sits very snug and tight to the fuselage and the motor is pinned in properly in a manor it can not vibrate loose. This safety feature will be reinforced with the addition of the faux motor I came up with.

I started with this.

Using the remaining internal cowl section I had not used I made 2 more without the cut out for air flow. Then I glued that original one into the cowl as a doubler. I coated all that really good with white Gorilla wood glue to make it near as solid as balsa so it would hold up to vibration and wear over time. The two new pieces were glued together after removing the paper to get this.

IMG_20211016_164247_130.jpg


I then began cutting out the foam "Jugs" for the motor.

IMG_20211016_164312_852.jpg


IMG_20211016_165048_211.jpg


Next I cut out the base plate to open it up to look more like the real engine. It sat too deep in the cowl so I added more foam "jug" parts on the back. When that didn't stick out as I planned I doubled one side of the jugs to get this.

IMG_20211016_181021_271.jpg


Next was just shaping and then painting. The inside is slotted to sit on the balsa ply and keep centered and from rotating. The inner jugs are now deep enough that Velcro can be used to further hold it in place yet still be removable. This addition also keeps the motor pod pin in place so it cant move too far side to side nor tilt forward to interfere with the motor.

Here is pics of the painting and shaping all the way to the final product getting me back on track so I can glue in the tail and get ready for final paint on the Fuselage once it stops raining.

IMG_20211017_120326_470.jpg


I also trimmed the Cowl leading edge and valve bubbles in metallic red. It looks like candy drops on the cowl but not sure if the contrast is what I want.. too dark?
IMG_20211017_120410_286.jpg


IMG_20211017_121010_314.jpg


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And here is the final painting of the faux radial. I did my best to mix paint to get close to an aged aluminum color and the roughness of the foam makes it look even more like the original castings. Now I just need to find something to use for the pushrods for the valves to complete the look.

IMG_20211017_130455_191.jpg
 

mayan

Legendary member
Ok Catch up time. Had to take a step back and disassemble the cowl and surgically extract the motor mount. So I carefully cut that out and began the process of using pressure around the edge of that front foam piece to get it broke loose without damaging the 3d printed cowl. I lucked out as the foam fit so tight in there the glue was just around the edge . Places where it had wicked between the foam and the cowl had luckily just peeled the enamel paint off the primer leaving no damage to the primer or the cowl.

Next was the need to lower the motor mount deeper into the cowl. I started by cutting down the motor pod and then that square foam section in the nose until I found approximately the depth I wanted. Then I had to work out a way to keep it all attached to the plane while in flight. After cutting down both the motor pod and that square frame BBQ skewers were not going to work so I set the motor pod on the square frame and places some balsa ply (free from tangerine crates btw) next to that and cut slots to sit the ply deep into the frame for good glue support. I thought that I would need to be able to remove the motor pod so permeant gluing lost that battle. This is what I came up with for the motor and cowl mount. I soaked the ply in thin CA around the holes I cut so they would not wear too fast.

View attachment 209977

View attachment 209978

View attachment 209969

Between the pressure pushed outwards on the balsa ply and the welding rod retainer the cowl sits very snug and tight to the fuselage and the motor is pinned in properly in a manor it can not vibrate loose. This safety feature will be reinforced with the addition of the faux motor I came up with.

I started with this.

Using the remaining internal cowl section I had not used I made 2 more without the cut out for air flow. Then I glued that original one into the cowl as a doubler. I coated all that really good with white Gorilla wood glue to make it near as solid as balsa so it would hold up to vibration and wear over time. The two new pieces were glued together after removing the paper to get this.

View attachment 209973

I then began cutting out the foam "Jugs" for the motor.

View attachment 209974

View attachment 209975

Next I cut out the base plate to open it up to look more like the real engine. It sat too deep in the cowl so I added more foam "jug" parts on the back. When that didn't stick out as I planned I doubled one side of the jugs to get this.

View attachment 209976

Next was just shaping and then painting. The inside is slotted to sit on the balsa ply and keep centered and from rotating. The inner jugs are now deep enough that Velcro can be used to further hold it in place yet still be removable. This addition also keeps the motor pod pin in place so it cant move too far side to side nor tilt forward to interfere with the motor.

Here is pics of the painting and shaping all the way to the final product getting me back on track so I can glue in the tail and get ready for final paint on the Fuselage once it stops raining.

View attachment 209979

I also trimmed the Cowl leading edge and valve bubbles in metallic red. It looks like candy drops on the cowl but not sure if the contrast is what I want.. too dark?
View attachment 209980

View attachment 209981

View attachment 209982

View attachment 209983

And here is the final painting of the faux radial. I did my best to mix paint to get close to an aged aluminum color and the roughness of the foam makes it look even more like the original castings. Now I just need to find something to use for the pushrods for the valves to complete the look.

View attachment 209984
Love it! It’s beautiful