1/4 Scale Cubs - Sig and Balsa USA, Rescue and Re-Build

[Joker 53150]

Here is the simple method I'm using to keep the window closed when the door is closed & latched. A couple short sections of wire were cut and installed up into the window frame. Corresponding holes were drilled in the top edge of the door, so all I have to do is close both the door and window together, latch the door, and it all stays secure.

Now that the wires are glued into the window frame I can fire up my soldering iron to make the holes in the top edge of the door a little prettier. The covering material is a bit frayed from the drillbit, but the heat will fix that right up. The plane is now ready for flight again, although there is still a bunch of work to do on the cowl.

 

[Joker 53150]

I'm getting a little creative on the dummy engine mounting. Normally it looks like the cylinders are simply trimmed across the bottom so they stick out the right distance, and are then glued to the cowl. While I'm not as detail-crazy as some people (Willsonman...) I wanted to do something a little better with the install to make the cylinders look like a separate piece from the cowl. To do this I am recessing them about 3/32". It's going to add a couple ounces to the nose compared to the original cowl, but a plane this size can handle that with ease.

Under the two cylinders in the picture is a big hole, which is where the stock carb sticks out. Not ideal, but that's how this engine is.

 

[Joker 53150]

Some of you may be old enough to remember the movie "Gremlins", and how they'd multiply if you got them wet. Well, 1/4 scale Cubs must be related to Gremlins and one of mine must have gotten wet...!

It's hard to pass up a plane when the seller offers to drop it off at your door, so this Sig 1/4 scale joined my fleet today. That puts me at 1 Balsa USA 1/4 scale Cub and 2 Sig 1/4 scale. I was told this was a 1/3 scale over the phone, but the wing measurement didn't match and the engine wasn't big enough for it so I assumed it was really 1/4 scale. The covering is decent, but needs a little touch up here and there, but appears usable for now. The windows are all cracked, hazed, and brittle, so they'll all get replaced.

The engine is an RCGF 30cc twin, which will be the first two cylinder engine I've had. All the electronics for it need to be installed still, but the engine is mounted. The cowl still has cut-outs from the previous engine, which was glow.

Aaaaaaaaand, it came with floats! They also need a little TLC, but appear to be in good shape. The twin cylinder engine should be plenty strong enough to handle float flying next year.

 

[TooJung2Die]

The first thing I noticed was the super-realistic looking engine heads on both sides of the cowl. Those are the real engine heads! Love it!
Don't feed the gremlins after midnight.

 

[rockyboy]

That's a very cool delivery!

 

[RattledRC]

Some of you may be old enough to remember the movie "Gremlins", and how they'd multiply if you got them wet. Well, 1/4 scale Cubs must be related to Gremlins and one of mine must have gotten wet...!

View attachment 145812


It's hard to pass up a plane when the seller offers to drop it off at your door, so this Sig 1/4 scale joined my fleet today. That puts me at 1 Balsa USA 1/4 scale Cub and 2 Sig 1/4 scale. I was told this was a 1/3 scale over the phone, but the wing measurement didn't match and the engine wasn't big enough for it so I assumed it was really 1/4 scale. The covering is decent, but needs a little touch up here and there, but appears usable for now. The windows are all cracked, hazed, and brittle, so they'll all get replaced.

View attachment 145813


The engine is an RCGF 30cc twin, which will be the first two cylinder engine I've had. All the electronics for it need to be installed still, but the engine is mounted. The cowl still has cut-outs from the previous engine, which was glow.

View attachment 145814


Aaaaaaaaand, it came with floats! They also need a little TLC, but appear to be in good shape. The twin cylinder engine should be plenty strong enough to handle float flying next year.

View attachment 145815

Aaaannnndddd now this plane has a new home! Woah talk about resurrection of an old thread.... 🤷‍♂️
Anyway, @Joker 53150 would'nt part with the floats, yet... but the RCGF 30CC Twin is alive and runs beautifully!

 

[PsyBorg]

Hey at least he let you have that rubber propeller!!! The way that thing bends when it spins is AMAZING!!!!!

 

[Joker 53150]

Aaaannnndddd now this plane has a new home! Woah talk about resurrection of an old thread.... 🤷‍♂️
Anyway, @Joker 53150 would'nt part with the floats, yet... but the RCGF 30CC Twin is alive and runs beautifully!

We should have done the maiden this past Sunday, weather was good. That twin runs very nicely, I really have second thoughts about letting it go!

For the floats, I’ve got two (at least) sets for 1/4 scale Cubs and could hook a nephew up.

 

[Joker 53150]

Aaaannnndddd now this plane has a new home! Woah talk about resurrection of an old thread.... 🤷‍♂️
Anyway, @Joker 53150 would'nt part with the floats, yet... but the RCGF 30CC Twin is alive and runs beautifully!

I forgot to ask, did the starter I gave you work? If I remember correctly that one needed to be re-wired, but the price was hard to beat! If not, I've got at least 3 extra "backup" starters.

 

[RattledRC]

I forgot to ask, did the starter I gave you work? If I remember correctly that one needed to be re-wired, but the price was hard to beat! If not, I've got at least 3 extra "backup" starters.

Didn't even need to rewire, It works perfect!

Hey at least he let you have that rubber propeller!!! The way that thing bends when it spins is AMAZING!!!!!

I agree! Ya know, Ive come to appreciate people like @Joker 53150 that are looking out for other people's safety by giving away a rubber prop or two...😂

 

[Matthewdupreez]

hi guys what size prop are you spinning on those 1/4 cubs... and at what rpm?

 

[nhk750]

I'm just starting a kit build from the beginning and converting to electric over at RC Groups, 1/4 Scale Clipped Wing Cub on Floats build, and am planning on using a Power 160, 245Kv motor on 10s with an 18" or 19" prop, I have attached a pic of the parts I have accumulated.

 

[speedbirdted]

I've joined the club!

I've gotten what I believe is a Sig clipped wing, totally by surprise. A friend of my grandfather's brought up that he had an old airplane in storage and invited me to come take it if I was interested. I wasn't expecting a Cub but I'm not complaining either!

First order of business is this thing was INCREDIBLY dirty when I first got it. The guy who had it had stored it hanging upside down in a barn since at least the early 1990s, as that's when the guy who built it died. As a result of that a thick layer of dust and grime was covering absolutely every square inch of it. It had also become a mass grave for bugs and there was a wasp nest hanging from the dashboard.

Initially it looked like this. Yuck!

Other than the filth, this airplane has actually held up pretty nicely. I'm not sure what the covering is but it seems to be some sort of fabric, and I think it has epoxy paint judging by the way it's cracked all over. The original builder of this airplane was very competent; the structure is sound and the paint job was done excellently. I will try to save the original covering as much as I can but I may have to do some repainting here and there. There's a slight bit of damage to the rear fuselage, but I think the most difficult part of fixing that will be just getting the paint colors to match.

Power wise I think this was set up with an OS twin cylinder of some kind, judging by the mount that's there, the cowl cutouts, and the remnants of a dual glow driver setup still being there. Either what I'll do is put in another OS twin, an inverted single, or maybe a gasser. Or maybe electric, why not. I don't really know...

 

[Matthewdupreez]

Lucky you 😂

 

[cyclone3350]

I've joined the club!

View attachment 212034

I've gotten what I believe is a Sig clipped wing, totally by surprise. A friend of my grandfather's brought up that he had an old airplane in storage and invited me to come take it if I was interested. I wasn't expecting a Cub but I'm not complaining either!

First order of business is this thing was INCREDIBLY dirty when I first got it. The guy who had it had stored it hanging upside down in a barn since at least the early 1990s, as that's when the guy who built it died. As a result of that a thick layer of dust and grime was covering absolutely every square inch of it. It had also become a mass grave for bugs and there was a wasp nest hanging from the dashboard.

Initially it looked like this. Yuck!

View attachment 212035

Other than the filth, this airplane has actually held up pretty nicely. I'm not sure what the covering is but it seems to be some sort of fabric, and I think it has epoxy paint judging by the way it's cracked all over. The original builder of this airplane was very competent; the structure is sound and the paint job was done excellently. I will try to save the original covering as much as I can but I may have to do some repainting here and there. There's a slight bit of damage to the rear fuselage, but I think the most difficult part of fixing that will be just getting the paint colors to match.

Power wise I think this was set up with an OS twin cylinder of some kind, judging by the mount that's there, the cowl cutouts, and the remnants of a dual glow driver setup still being there. Either what I'll do is put in another OS twin, an inverted single, or maybe a gasser. Or maybe electric, why not. I don't really know...

Wow! What an amazing find U got there. The colors R phenomenal. Looking @ the pics & almost competing mine, I would say with 99.9% certainty, that it is a Sig. If I was to guess, It may also be Sig Koveral for the covering. That was very popular and worked extremely well with epoxy paints. I wish I saw this thread before I finished mine. Lots of excellent ideas and great builds here. Welcome to the club & keep us posted.

 

[nhk750]

You can see by the rear gear block, that the builder installed, that this plane is set up for floats too. Im in the middle of building the Sig 1/4 with floats right now.