TooJung2Die
Master member
Good instructional video! I wonder if anyone has used plastic sheets cut from 2 liter soda bottles. It'll be curled but should tape down flat enough.
Winter Build 2019-2020: Top Flite P-51 (0.60 size)
- Thread starter willsonman
- Start date
I suppose you could but as it heats, the curl would be lost and become a non-issue. The problem is that the majority of that plastic would be scuffed, marred, or have contaminants that may affect the heating and pull. I's clean it with soap and water first then dry and clean with microfiber cloth and isopropyl alcohol. That would be fine enough for you to paint the part. The unfortunate thing is I don't think you get a tremendous amount of plastic from a soda bottle and they are rarely cylindrical anymore. in the old days, when they were, this would be and almost no-brainer.
Finally getting back to some building here. I've got one wing panel mostly framed out. It's all pretty straightforward per the instructions.
I'll reiterate something from the instructions. The build tabs for the ribs are on the top of the wing. So the wing is built upside down over top of the plans.... which are a top-down view. So the right wing is built over the left wing plan and the left wing is built over the right wing plan.
I'll reiterate something from the instructions. The build tabs for the ribs are on the top of the wing. So the wing is built upside down over top of the plans.... which are a top-down view. So the right wing is built over the left wing plan and the left wing is built over the right wing plan.
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I should also note that I pre-drilled holes where the bell crank push rod sleeve would go for servo wires to be run through the wing. I also drilled holes in the outer ribs for a wing tip navigation light to be wired in. This right wing panel will also get a trio of formation lights on the underside in the scale position.
Before sheeting I need to install the leading edge as well as ply reinforcement plates for the retracts.
Before sheeting I need to install the leading edge as well as ply reinforcement plates for the retracts.
I hope they put that in bold type in the instructions. I haven't run across that method in a kit before and can see myself messing that up really easily...
As long as you follow each step, you shouldn't miss it but some may associate the text with images and this set of text does not have an image. Read everything. Top Flite made good kits with good instructions.I hope they put that in bold type in the instructions. I haven't run across that method in a kit before and can see myself messing that up really easily...
So, after what transpired here in our nation's capital yesterday I had to put down the tools, leave the shop and be with my family. Keep in mind that what happened was about an hour's drive from my home. Moving on.
I was able to get the mounts for the flap and aileron servos installed as well as the ply plates for the retracts. The leading edge of the wing was installed after making a "V" cut for the bend in the wing. I'll note that the instructions call for a single servo with bellcranks to drive the ailerons. I'll be going with individual servos for the ailerons. I'll be using Futaba S3102 servos which have more than enough torque as well as a smaller footprint to fit inside this slender portion of the wing. No pictures as things do not look that much different from my last update.
I was able to get the mounts for the flap and aileron servos installed as well as the ply plates for the retracts. The leading edge of the wing was installed after making a "V" cut for the bend in the wing. I'll note that the instructions call for a single servo with bellcranks to drive the ailerons. I'll be going with individual servos for the ailerons. I'll be using Futaba S3102 servos which have more than enough torque as well as a smaller footprint to fit inside this slender portion of the wing. No pictures as things do not look that much different from my last update.
I got the wing panel framed out entirely. It still lacks the retract mount rails but I'm finally making some progress. The rails need to be a bit more narrow to properly support the Robart retracts. The instructions tell you to modify the rear rail to accommodate your specific retract. I need to trim out the rib reinforcement plate and quadruple check everything before I smear epoxy everywhere.
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OK, I got pictures to cover my thoughts on the body shape. Review my comments on post 97 about the body shape question I have. I Hope all of this comes through good enough for all to understand. My first picture shows the "odd" shape of the body at former 9, and that hourglass shape that is formed has had me worried for some time, as I have made copies of all the formers for this build. My former shape is "perfect" and the upper part of F9 is F9B, that also fits perfect ( from the kit ). I then started thinking about a small pattern kit I have from Joe Bridi called the Sun Fli 420. The side view of the body shows what appears to be the shape of the root rib of the wing, but that rib from the kit does not match the shape on the plan, it is bigger. The first rib out from the root rib does not match, it is smaller... WT Heck ?? Ah Ha!! that rib that is shown on the plan is what the rib would look like if it was a rib that would be located "between" the other two ribs... Lofting ?? Now I can get back to the Mustang. I placed the body upside down over the plan, and aligned the body from the firewall to the trailing edge of the wing, and every thing matched the plan. From there back to the tail, did not match (see the next 2 pics). I got to thinking about the Bridi kit and grabbed a speed square and look what I saw...the body matched the plan to a "T", it was just at the widest part of F9, so the plan is correct, and the build is correct, it is just that you are not looking at the shape at the "top" of the body, but at it's widest point... (palm of hand to forehead). Go ahead and build the body and don't worry about what I found cause it looks normal to me. Comments are welcome.
I also wanted to show how I index my booklet and some factory notes that came with the kit.
Neil
I also wanted to show how I index my booklet and some factory notes that came with the kit.
Neil
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I was finally able to get a video update put together on the Mustang. It's long, but I cover a lot of ground.
It's progress but some progress was not made in the right direction.
Wildthing
Legendary member
Sucks about the reaction, you should maybe wear latex gloves also
I have nitrile gloves but that does not cover my arms. Someone suggested a tyvek suit, which I suppose would solve the issue but the reality is that the wood needs to be treated as a hazmat. It needs to be sealed up with fiberglass ASAP.
I'm party frustrated with this project because it has been my longest running "big" project now. Normally I'm knocking out one of these in 7-8 months at most. To be going on for this long is driving me nuts. At this stage I think that it probably should just be thrown away but I've got so much time already invested and these top flite kits are not replaceable at this stage. I think I can make it to the finish line as I know enough about microbiology to keep me safe but it is just slow progress.
I'm party frustrated with this project because it has been my longest running "big" project now. Normally I'm knocking out one of these in 7-8 months at most. To be going on for this long is driving me nuts. At this stage I think that it probably should just be thrown away but I've got so much time already invested and these top flite kits are not replaceable at this stage. I think I can make it to the finish line as I know enough about microbiology to keep me safe but it is just slow progress.
Tench745
Master member
I wonder about soaking/dunking the balsa in alcohol. Probably too late at this stage, but it might kill whatever contaminant is on/in the wood without affecting the glue.
Don't hurt yourself trying to get this done.
If it is a fungal spore than isopropyl alcohol will doo very little. The spores are designed to survive even a mild-grade nuclear apocalypse. Bleach would be the best bet or better still would be some form of sodium hydroxide but both of those create a BIGGER respiratory issue once you get into sanding. Then there's mixing with other chemicals as you further finish the model... and then there's warping to consider. Can you tell I've sat awake at night trying to figure out how to move along? Really the best thing I could think of was to just take it all outside and bake in the sun for a week or so and see if the UV radiation would help kill anything. If I did that I'd have to spend the day babysitting the parts by rotating them for even exposure, unless I purchased some sort of motorize rotisserie. Mustang on a spit, that would be a nice YouTube video caption.
Tench745
Master member
It would be funny to watch anyway.
It feels kinda ridiculous to basically don a hazmat suit to sand an airplane, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Just seeing this and sadly, no, no new updates. I shot a video for DuBro a few weeks ago that involved using the Mustang as a demonstration of a piece of hardware and even after handling the model for that short amount of time I did develop a few small bumps on my arms. It continues to gather dust but I will come back to it eventually.
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