Tinkerbell Biplane Scratch build because I had lots of balsa collecting dust

[rockyboy]

Love the fuselage jig!!

 

[Duffusmonkey]

Anyone have suggestions for attaching the upper to lower wing strut? The wings are rubber banded on but the plans make it look like the strut is hard mounted to the upper wing and slides into a slot in lower wing. I was also planning in installing ailerons with a linkage to upper and lower wing. I found a video on YouTube that shows how I plan to hook up the ailerons. I wan to hide the linkage behind the wing strut. I think I will put a tab on the upper wing and screw the wing strut to it. On the lower wing I think I will put a tab that I can attach the strut to using a rubber band

 

[TooJung2Die]

Sounds like the struts are more for appearance than structural support if they slide into slots. All the biplanes and triplanes I ever built had permanently attached wings and struts. I did it that way for simplicity, strength and that's the way it was designed. On the Guillow's SE5A I considered making the struts from harder wood than balsa for strength. Then I realized if anything breaks it would easier to repair or replace a strut than a wing. A couple of hard somersault landings cracked a balsa strut. I was very happy it wasn't the wing framework. Easy fix.

 

[The Hangar]

Love the fuselage jig!!

+1

 

[Duffusmonkey]

Long Story, Covid hit and my boys were sent home from college so I lost my building room. I temporarily packed my projects up and never restarted them. I didn't even fly anything (I an NOT a good pilot) . I had a really beat up UMX Timber that I bought for the electronics but I had a hard time getting My Flysky transmitter with OpenTx & DSM module to do flaps and SAFE. Every time I got the desire to fly I got frustrated trying to remember how to Use this janky setup. All my kids have since moved away form home so I set up my Workbench and Finished my Drifter 2 glider. I wanted to fly the UMX Timber to get some stick time so I decided to stop being cheap and just buy a NX8 transmitter. It is so much easier to use jut because everyone else knows how to use it. I have been having so much fun flying that Timber that Now I want to finish the Tinkerbell!
I am now trying to decide if adding flaps to a biplane is a good idea or not.

I finished building the Ailerons for the lower wings, Maybe I will add bigger ailerons to the upper wing and use the control surfaces on the lower wings for flaps. Or maybe I will get impatient and just finish it with Ailerons on the lower wing only.

 

[Duffusmonkey]

For a sanity check I decided to compare the weight of my new UMX Timber Evolution to my model with everything but control linkages, landing gear and monokote

Timber 135gm
Tinkerbell 154gm.

Already 19gm heavier and I estimate I still have another 20gm to add. Making it about 30% heavier

But comparing the wings of the Tinkerbell to the Timber I think ai should a lower overall wing loading so I am getting optimistic that this will be a good flyer.

One modification I made to the plans was to increase the size of the rudder and elevator to get more control authority but I am still going to have significantly less than the Timber.

Just for fun I also posted a picture of my beat up timber that I painted red. I finally fried the Receiver gluing it back in place for the 3rd or 4th time. I am just keeping for spare parts.... the landing gear might work on Tinkerbell

 

[skymaster]

I decided to scratch build a balsa model... because I had a lot of balsa just collecting dust in my basement. There are so many plans for RC planes on the internet that actually spent a few days looking for candidates. I kind of gave up because they were too many options. I decided to build one of the first plans that caught my attention. The Tinkerbell designed by David Boddington , The plans were published in RCModeler magazine in 1993.
https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=6306

I picked this plan because I wanted a small biplane and I already have a powertrain that I THINK will work in it. To be honest I have never built a model completely from scratch and it has been a LONG time since I built anything balsa. But I am having fun so I decided to document it.

One of the reasons I picked this model to scratch build is because all of the wing ribs were the same size. I just made a template out of plywood then used that to guide my knife while cutting out all of the ribs.

So when you buy a balsa kit do you get everything you need to build the plane?

 

[RcLew]

Awesome build, nothing fly's like a stick kit, that's what my dad told me when I bought a foamy, he scratched built just about all his planes and covered them in silk then dope, he was right, my 1st stick kit was an M.E.N. Trainer, had many enjoyable flights on it. I bought a few Laner rc planes back in the 70's, he just shook his head, KID'S he would say laughing. I miss him!!

 

[luvmy40]

So when you buy a balsa kit do you get everything you need to build the plane?

Take this for what it is. A 30 year old memory of the last balsa kit I bought.

Most kits have all the wood needed. A combination of die cut sheets, cut to length sticks and blank sheets and blocks. Any molded plastic pieces if there are any for the plane. Some hardware, like landing gear wire, gusset plates, and (maybe)landing gear mount, control horns, push rods and clevises. Maybe control surface hinges( I seem to recall having to make my own hinges)No electronics. No motor/engine. Maybe some tissue paper skin material. Plans and directions.

 

[Duffusmonkey]

Awesome build, nothing fly's like a stick kit, that's what my dad told me when I bought a foamy, he scratched built just about all his planes and covered them in silk then dope, he was right, my 1st stick kit was an M.E.N. Trainer, had many enjoyable flights on it. I bought a few Laner rc planes back in the 70's, he just shook his head, KID'S he would say laughing. I miss him!!

I love making balsa planes, but as a poor pilot I love flying foamies. They can be easy to set up and fly, they bounce better than balsa and since I don't have a big investment in time I am not as worried about crashing them

 

[Duffusmonkey]

I just couldn't decide if I wanted rudder only, Ailerons on one wing, Ailerons on both wings, or Ailerons on upper wings and flaps on lower or... So I just added 2.5G servers to each wing control surface separately. Now I can finally stop wasting time and start covering the wings

 

[Duffusmonkey]

Wings Done

 

[Duffusmonkey]

Now I just have to fly it