*Unofficial* FT Spitfire Master Series

[CrshNBrn]

Here's a fun one- remember Lawn Darts? I'm working on detachable wing mod- see for yourself how it worked at 0:23. Post-mortem revealed a broken balsa spar in the wing that was helping to hold the rubber bands on. I think the basic idea using rubber bands around the wing spar is okay, but it needs more reinforcement like plywood instead. Other than needing a new nose, Clo-Clo survived in remarkably good shape.

 

[Apple Pie]

Here's a fun one- remember Lawn Darts? I'm working on detachable wing mod- see for yourself how it worked at 0:23. Post-mortem revealed a broken balsa spar in the wing that was helping to hold the rubber bands on. I think the basic idea using rubber bands around the wing spar is okay, but it needs more reinforcement like plywood instead. Other than needing a new nose, Clo-Clo survived in remarkably good shape.

That’s was spectacular! Nothing quite like a mid air explosion 😀

 

[GremlinRC]

Hey all, Made a bit of progress on my 150% build. Fuse has been stripped of all paper and replaced with glass fibre cloth.
Started on the cockpit the other day, still an awful lot to do, but its starting to come together.

Hi Danbob. Just a quick question as I'm considering something similar. What did you laminate the cloth with. Clearly anything polyester based is out. Did you use WB polyurethane?

 

[danbob]

Hi GremlinRC, I used eze-kote, bit pricey but works well. I did about 5-6 coats, with a light sand in between each coat (after the second coat), the last coat i mix some talcum powder in with the eze-kote, helps bring a super smooth finish on the final sand

 

[danbob]

Great job on all the new builds in here, mine has still not had her maiden yet due to lockdown, but hopefully i can get out one evening now if the wind drops

 

[Apple Pie]

OMG this is a magnificent plane! I maidened mine today and was smiling like a fool the whole time. My setup is a GForce 3542 motor, 50 amp ESC, 11x5.5 APC prop, 5000mah battery. Wow this thing flies beautifully and what a sound it makes when you crank the throttle, which can only be outdone by the sound it makes in a dive. Absolutely insane and must be experienced by anyone who is a warbird fan. One feature of the design I appreciate is when you hit the throttle it doesn’t go into a steep climb. A nicely designed wing profile generating just the right amount of lift. This one is a winner 😁

 

[Marty72]

OMG this is a magnificent plane! I maidened mine today and was smiling like a fool the whole time. My setup is a GForce 3542 motor, 50 amp ESC, 11x5.5 APC prop, 5000mah battery. Wow this thing flies beautifully and what a sound it makes when you crank the throttle, which can only be outdone by the sound it makes in a dive. Absolutely insane and must be experienced by anyone who is a warbird fan. One feature of the design I appreciate is when you hit the throttle it doesn’t go into a steep climb. A nicely designed wing profile generating just the right amount of lift. This one is a winner 😁

This is great to hear. I love the plan ole FT Spitfire and was looking for the proper motivation to build a Masters series version. Getting fb has been a problem, ordered some from FT but it's back ordered. Thanks for the report, I think I'm motivated now.

 

[The Hangar]

OMG this is a magnificent plane! I maidened mine today and was smiling like a fool the whole time. My setup is a GForce 3542 motor, 50 amp ESC, 11x5.5 APC prop, 5000mah battery. Wow this thing flies beautifully and what a sound it makes when you crank the throttle, which can only be outdone by the sound it makes in a dive. Absolutely insane and must be experienced by anyone who is a warbird fan. One feature of the design I appreciate is when you hit the throttle it doesn’t go into a steep climb. A nicely designed wing profile generating just the right amount of lift. This one is a winner 😁

You have the timsav needle cutter, right? Would you be willing to send me the g-code so when I finish setting mine up I can have a proven file to test it out with? I also really want to build one of these!

 

[The Hangar]

This is great to hear. I love the plan ole FT Spitfire and was looking for the proper motivation to build a Masters series version. Getting fb has been a problem, ordered some from FT but it's back ordered. Thanks for the report, I think I'm motivated now.

I’d get the sbk if I was you. I’ve cut out two MS planes, P-38 and Corsair, and they are a pain to cut out! However the price of the sbk is similar to a 25 pack of ft foam so there is a downside.

 

[Apple Pie]

You have the timsav needle cutter, right? Would you be willing to send me the g-code so when I finish setting mine up I can have a proven file to test it out with? I also really want to build one of these!

Alas, I have a wood CNC called the XCarve that I have adapted to use a needle cutter for foam cutting. So the GCode files I have won’t work the same for you. 😕

 

[The Hangar]

Alas, I have a wood CNC called the XCarve that I have adapted to use a needle cutter for foam cutting. So the GCode files I have won’t work the same for you. 😕

Oh, ok - no problem.

 

[Apple Pie]

Maidened mine the other day and here is the video. Get some popcorn and crank up the volume 😁. Sometime during the flight the paper on the hatch cover started peeling which leads to a bit of a flapping sound too. Fixed that part up and ready to go again...

 

[The Hangar]

Maidened mine the other day and here is the video. Get some popcorn and crank up the volume 😁. Sometime during the flight the paper on the hatch cover started peeling which leads to a bit of a flapping sound too. Fixed that part up and ready to go again...

How did you land?

 

[Apple Pie]

How did you land?

Power off glide and land it like a seaplane near the shore. Hopefully wading distance, if not then paddle out and get it. These things float like corks. During construction I open the servos and spray them with corrosion X before installing them, as well as spray the receiver, and seal both ends of the ESC with silicone. Totally waterproof setup which I learned about from a FT video by Peter a few years back. I typically only fly a plane once per session so I hang them up to dry for a bit and they are good to go again.

 

[Marty72]

The cutting of templates is done, now starting the fb cutting. This is going to take awhile...........

 

[Douglas]

Hi all,
Been working on my Spit for the last month, its almost finished but still a bit of painting and weathering to finish off and the odd thing.
I glassed the airframe before painting which added around 100g-150g in weight, but has given a better suface for painting and stiffened up the foam a fair bit
Few pics of it so far View attachment 162134 View attachment 162135 View attachment 162136 View attachment 162137 View attachment 162138 View attachment 162139 View attachment 162143

This looks fantastic, but what does “glassed the airframe” mean?

 

[shadeyB]

This looks fantastic, but what does “glassed the airframe” mean?

Some fibre glass cloth and polyeurathene coating Probably

 

[Marty72]

I've got most of the work done on my Master version. It's been a bit more frustrating than I expected. I've have some detail work still left and clean up but I got the wings, vertical and horizontal stabilizers squared up, so I'm happy to stop here for the day. After I finishing the detail work, I'll prepare for Paint. I should maiden by the end of the week. I'm running a Rimfire 3536 1200 w/ 10x7 prop to start with. I'll see how that goes, if I feel I need more juice, I toss in a 4s battery. The balance is looking really good right now, looks like the battery (whatever I use), will be at the cg which is perfect.

Here's some pictures of where I finished off tonight (and pictures of the subassemblies). It's a whole lot more work than the basic FT builds.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I've got most of the work done on my Master version. It's been a bit more frustrating than I expected. I've have some detail work still left and clean up but I got the wings, vertical and horizontal stabilizers squared up, so I'm happy to stop here for the day. After I finishing the detail work, I'll prepare for Paint. I should maiden by the end of the week. I'm running a Rimfire 3536 1200 w/ 10x7 prop to start with. I'll see how that goes, if I feel I need more juice, I toss in a 4s battery. The balance is looking really good right now, looks like the battery (whatever I use), will be at the cg which is perfect.

Here's some pictures of where I finished off tonight (and pictures of the subassemblies). It's a whole lot more work than the basic FT builds.

View attachment 175037 View attachment 175038 View attachment 175039 View attachment 175040 View attachment 175041

View attachment 175042 View attachment 175043 View attachment 175044

I would say for the first build on a MS you did well man. It is a different monster for sure. I cant wait to fly mine

 

[Marty72]

Thanks. I'll try and reserve judgment until it flies.