Tim51
Well-Known Member
So this will be the build thread to follow my earlier posts in the Plans section, which some of you kindly offered thoughts and feedback on. As yet I haven't come up with a name, but over the summer I've been cutting and fashioning parts, putting together a kit for a slow winter build over the coming months. Since posting in the Plans section, I've made some small adjustments which will become evident as the build progresses.
I've already documented some of the basic airframe preparation in the Plans thread, so if any one is interested you can refer back. What follows is basically a summary of the preparation of the other components.
First off, the centering rings were laser cut, then drilled for inserts and retainers:
My aim with this build is to attempt airstarting, so each CR was drilled for a aluminium conduit. Also shown here are the bulkplates for the Av bay coupler.
For the AV Bay coupler itself, I'm using a standard LOC coupler, with a postal tube inserted as a stiffener. bonded with Gorilla Wood Glue, reinforced inside with fibre glass. Wearing a respirator I painted the outside with CA...
And then squared off the edges with a sander:
The fins were cut from 4mm birch ply, then laminated with 200gsm fibreglass. This is an initial dry fit of how it will roughly look:
I say 'roughly' because, of course, I've yet to make the cuts for the outboards, which, as in the colour rendering above, bulge from the sides of the main airframe. The outboard 38mm MMTs are designed to take up to 3G casings. Each motor mount and retainer will be streamlined by a 54mm shroud and fairing as indicated:
To make the fairing for the outboards I first made a pattern using balsa and MDF. This was a balsa NC cut and sanded down half way:
I've already documented some of the basic airframe preparation in the Plans thread, so if any one is interested you can refer back. What follows is basically a summary of the preparation of the other components.
First off, the centering rings were laser cut, then drilled for inserts and retainers:
My aim with this build is to attempt airstarting, so each CR was drilled for a aluminium conduit. Also shown here are the bulkplates for the Av bay coupler.
For the AV Bay coupler itself, I'm using a standard LOC coupler, with a postal tube inserted as a stiffener. bonded with Gorilla Wood Glue, reinforced inside with fibre glass. Wearing a respirator I painted the outside with CA...
And then squared off the edges with a sander:
The fins were cut from 4mm birch ply, then laminated with 200gsm fibreglass. This is an initial dry fit of how it will roughly look:
I say 'roughly' because, of course, I've yet to make the cuts for the outboards, which, as in the colour rendering above, bulge from the sides of the main airframe. The outboard 38mm MMTs are designed to take up to 3G casings. Each motor mount and retainer will be streamlined by a 54mm shroud and fairing as indicated:
To make the fairing for the outboards I first made a pattern using balsa and MDF. This was a balsa NC cut and sanded down half way:
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