Willy Nillies J3 Cub Balsa Build Along

[Joker 53150]

The only other thing I can think of that would make assembly easier would be putting more part numbers on parts, or at least on the sheet next to the part. Some items aren't obvious and it took a bit of staring at your prototype pictures to figure out.

I've pretty much wrapped up the construction part of the build and am now starting on covering (video coming soon). So far I really like the covering I got with the kit. It shrinks very well with my trim iron, and seams aren't super visible. The only "complaint" is the backing on the blue covering is a nightmare to remove. On the other hand, the backing on the white falls off with no effort!

 

[Joker 53150]

Part 5, mid-way thru day 2 of the build. The ESC is wired to the motor, I fight for way longer than I wanted to trying to get the servo arms back on the servos, sheeting is done on the wing (including filler to smooth it out), etc.

 

[Willy Nillies]

Would a PDF downloadable sheet with all the parts as they are in the sheets be a good compromise? Engraving part numbers is very time consuming on balsa.... to the point it would take twice as long to cut parts. We'll see what we can do, but engraving all parts just isn't feasible.

Glad you like the covering. It's all we've used for a few years now. Manufacturer can't even tell us why some colors backing peels easy and other colors don't!

Great stuff! Keep it coming!

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Willy Nillies]

Part 5, mid-way thru day 2 of the build. The ESC is wired to the motor, I fight for way longer than I wanted to trying to get the servo arms back on the servos, sheeting is done on the wing (including filler to smooth it out), etc.

Outstanding!

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[chris398mx]

Part 5, mid-way thru day 2 of the build. The ESC is wired to the motor, I fight for way longer than I wanted to trying to get the servo arms back on the servos, sheeting is done on the wing (including filler to smooth it out), etc.

Now I remember why I quit building the FT Mini's.......my big fat fingers don't fit down inside to do the detailed work. This should be a fun build nonetheless.

 

[Willy Nillies]

Now I remember why I quit building the FT Mini's.......my big fat fingers don't fit down inside to do the detailed work. This should be a fun build nonetheless.

The Cub has a deeper fuselage and can be a little more tedious to get those darn little servo arms on, but most of our other kits are not so deep and relatively easy to do.

SIncerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Joker 53150]

Would a PDF downloadable sheet with all the parts as they are in the sheets be a good compromise? Engraving part numbers is very time consuming on balsa.... to the point it would take twice as long to cut parts. We'll see what we can do, but engraving all parts just isn't feasible.

Glad you like the covering. It's all we've used for a few years now. Manufacturer can't even tell us why some colors backing peels easy and other colors don't!

Great stuff! Keep it coming!

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

That would be a fantastic compromise. A simple .pdf on your website for reference and the questions would be answered. You could easily take a couple pictures of your demo models and show part numbers on the picture. A little extra work, but again it'd help nail down answers easily.

 

[Joker 53150]

Part 6, covering begins! Fans of the Cub will probably recognize the color scheme I'm going for. Also, I'm impressed with how well the white covers over blue without showing the dark color through it. I did a little testing on a test piece and verified this would work well enough before starting. This will result in a little extra weight from double-covering in areas, but I can live with that...

 

[Joker 53150]

@Willy Nillies - should there be any rib shear webbing? I just noticed it on a picture of your J3 build, and haven't found any extra material with my kit. Unless I used it elsewhere by accident!

 

[Willy Nillies]

@Willy Nillies - should there be any rib shear webbing? I just noticed it on a picture of your J3 build, and haven't found any extra material with my kit. Unless I used it elsewhere by accident!

The shear webbing is on the same sheet as the center sheeting.... all 1/16th. Shear webbing is vertical grain.

We can ship a sheet out tomorrow if you like.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Joker 53150]

The shear webbing is on the same sheet as the center sheeting.... all 1/16th. Shear webbing is vertical grain.

We can ship a sheet out tomorrow if you like.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

No, I've got plenty of sheet and can cut it myself. How many bays get the webbing, and is just the front or rear side that gets it?
Thanks!

 

[Willy Nillies]

We personally only go 4 bays out. That's one more than the numbers say. Any more and you are just adding weight.

We always put on the front of the spars. We include enough in the kits (except yours! Ugh!) to put webs all the way to the tips because some insist on it, even though completely un-necessary.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Willy Nillies]

We hate it that you didn't get the laser cut sheet for the center sections and webs.... it makes that part of the wing sooooo easy. No trimming or cutting, just pop out of sheet and glue in place.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Joker 53150]

No problem. Although do you count the two bays that are sheeted? I may cut those and get 'em done right now so I can keep rolling with covering tomorrow after work.

 

[Joker 53150]

We hate it that you didn't get the laser cut sheet for the center sections and webs.... it makes that part of the wing sooooo easy. No trimming or cutting, just pop out of sheet and glue in place.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

No worries, the next kit I get from you will be PERFECT! Besides, this is still FAR easier and less complex than the normal builds or plane rescues I do.

 

[Willy Nillies]

We do NOT put webs in the first bay. Completely un-necessary with the center sheeting on top and bottom.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Willy Nillies]

No worries, the next kit I get from you will be PERFECT! Besides, this is still FAR easier and less complex than the normal builds or plane rescues I do.

If you order another kit, we will be sure to include something that will more than make up for the missing center section/shear webs sheet.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Joker 53150]

If you order another kit, we will be sure to include something that will more than make up for the missing center section/shear webs sheet.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

"If"?!? Although my taste in planes leans heavily towards giant scale, these smaller planes are simply fun to build, and will be a nice diversion when I get tired of building big.

 

[Joker 53150]

Last update of the night (probably). The webbing is cut from 1/16" with vertical grain as instructed, all glued in place and ready for covering. I'm super tempted to keep going on the covering, but gotta pack for some time on the road for work this week.

@Willy Nillies, here's why I didn't want you to send the MIA sheet, I try to keep a good selection for building. It's nothing compared to stock for a commercial operation, but lets me keep busy! Sheet in various sizes, dowels, sticks, tapered pieces, ply, etc. I'm getting a little low on a few sheet sizes, but have no big construction plans on the horizon. For now. The storage racks were made from DFTB, possibly the last time I built anything with it.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Here is Part 3, which was where I finished up Day 1 of the build.

Maybe everyone already knows this but I discovered a trick while watching your build video. When the video is paused, hit the spacebar. It jumps forward a few frames at a time so you can see sections of the video in better detail. I can only get it to work on the YouTube website, it doesn't work when watching it from your post.