Dr. Zooch Lifting Body build thread

[aerostadt]

Interesting interpretation, Rick! I like the gloss white on the Shavit centerpiece. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished model.

 

[NJRick]

thanks Aerostadt!....I love this little kit...its fun to come up with paint schemes and stuff.
I have loved your Mercury Atlas build over in the scale....she is just spectacular!

Interesting interpretation, Rick! I like the gloss white on the Shavit centerpiece. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished model.

 

[hornet driver]

Hornet....great post! was the F-8 maneuverable? I don't think we had anything in the inventory that could turn with a Mig-17 back during the Vietnam war....I am not a pilot, but seems like the F-8 community kept the art of dog fighting alive back in the '50's and early '60's. Just seemed like the F-8 was a HUGE jump in performance compared to anything the Navy was flying in the mid to late 50's.

I can tell you that it was pretty crisp on the controls, That said, It was not a turn and burn bird. Compared to the 14 and esp. the 18 , you really had to trade airspeed for maneuvering--not a lot of excess thrust--small control surfaces---etc. I never had the chance to try her out in a one on one scenerio but I can tell you she could hold her own with the best if you kept her where she wanted to be--fast . Probably more comparable to the Mig-21 than anything of the era. Of course that was 30+ some years ago. Anyway, back to the build, enough of me.

 

[Owen Eldridge]

Yeah, the Zooch kits are really great. I haven't built his lifting body yet, but I've built his Soyuz, Vostok, Mercury Atlas, Mercury Redstone, Saturn V, and Saturn I Block II. I built all of them following threads by NJRick, Mushtang, Luke Strawwalker, and hcmbanjo.

 

[NJRick]

OK...time to bring the booster together...I will use pictures taken during the build. When we first sanded the tank, we used the handy body tube marking guide to mark the lines for the SRB's, engine clip and Orbiter attach pad.



I usually lay a strip of tape down over the line to cover it during painting.


then using the double glue method...its just laying down a thick line of glue and letting it set and then attaching the SRB's and allowing them to dry

 

[NJRick]

SRB's are attached!



There is more work to do with the booster, namely the attach pad, launch lugs and braces for the SRB's...but we'll come back to these later...now....its time to start working on the Orbiter! I like this booster...its a certainly is white..but I think the Israeli Mig Killer orbiter is going to look nice on that booster!

 

[Owen Eldridge]

Looking good!

 

[NJRick]

OK....now its time to assemble the Lifting Body...first we use the templates that Dr. Zooch provides


then I recommend a new blade for the exacto knife here and carefully trim out the sheets of balsa


I like to add some filler to these parts to smooth her out somewhat...I find that the filler will tend to warp the balsa so I use some sheets of wax paper and set the filled balsa under some stacks of books to make them flat...then sand them smooth


once they are dry its time to build this vehicle!

 

[NJRick]

Dr. Zooch's instructions suggest using a strip of masking tape to make a hinge on the upper fuselage sheets and then gently using the hinge to make a semi pyramid shape


what I find helpful is to lay a light bead of wood glue down the edges of the LB bottom...this will help the upper LB halves to attach


I usually do away with the tape and attach the bottom of the fuselage sheet to the glue and then repeat the process with the other side and gently make the pyramid shape by hand. Then use pins as suggested by Dr. Zooch to hold the halves in place


don't worry if there is some overlap, it will all be sanded smooth. I then put a small bead of wood glue in the upper seam and then let this dry. Once this is dry, we will put a good dose of glue down each of these seams.

the LB is starting to take shape!

 

[AfterBurners]

Very nicer work...with my eyes I can't imagine building this let alone launching it and picking the orbiter out of the sky.

 

[NJRick]

OK...once the initial glue has dried, I remove the pins and put a nice bead on the outside seams and then a nice bead on the inside seams...and we'll let this dry....the next step will involve adding the ballast and then sealing up the orbiter with the rear end and then attaching the fins..I broke a fin while sanding one so I am making a new one right now..no biggie! Then we are going to fill the outside seams with filler and sand them smooth.



here is a picture of the orbiter in the palm of my hand ..kinda give some scale to this bird...small, but very workable.


she looks a little rough right now, but she will clean up nicely when we fill up those seams and don't let the fragile looks deceive, she is tougher than she looks! I have flown these multiple times with out any damage to the structure at all.

 

[NJRick]

thanks Afterburners!! its a fun build! I can't wait to paint her and put the decals on the LB...as my son would say, she will look "filthy"....that is the new way of saying "looks cool" I suppose..... she is small but I have not had any real problems spotting this little rascal up there! these things really zip thru the sky too...they don't soar but they do fly and they come in quick! :shock: just a lot of fun to fly as well.

Very nicer work...with my eyes I can't imagine building this let alone launching it and picking the orbiter out of the sky.

 

[AfterBurners]

You really have a talent building these kits. You attention to detail is outstanding.

 

[NJRick]

thanks Afterburners! I appreciate the kind words! I just enjoy building, like everyone here...I find it to be very relaxing ...that is until I glue my fingers together or something. What I love about this kit is the painting options are limitless...you could paint these LB as the Blue Angels, or go with a Battle of Britain Spitfire or even better, go with a D-Day Spitfire Mk.IX with the invasion stripes on it.....hmmmm....that would look sweet wouldn't it?

You really have a talent building these kits. You attention to detail is outstanding.

 

[AfterBurners]

I think you could do some cool paint jobs on it for sure...surprise us all. I'm anxious to see the finished kit.

Yes building can be relaxing. It seems I have more patience building rockets than I do with people at times...I stay in my cave all hours going on the forum and building rockets and working on other hobbies. Definitely relaxing!

 

[NJRick]

the next step is to add ballast. The Zooch instructions recommend that you use 9 BB's ( extras are provided). I have found this to be spot on with my flights. She will fly perfectly on this weight.


just drip some wood glue into the nose and drop the weights in and then add some more glue to hold them in place....then set the LB on her nose and let it dry.



I will try to get more work down on her tomorrow. My wife and I are going to a friends 25th anniversary party so this is probably it for today. I have a first coat of filler on the seams and I will want to finish that up....then we close up the LB by placing the last pieces into place, finish the remaining seams and then add the control surfaces and this baby will be ready for painting!

you can see in picture #2 that I added a seam of wood glue on the inside of the Orbiter for added strength.

 

[Owen Eldridge]

A D-day Spitfire paint job would be awesome. You've got to try that some time. Oh, and have you seen Dr. Zooch's lifting body videos on Youtube? They are hilarious.

thanks Afterburners! I appreciate the kind words! I just enjoy building, like everyone here...I find it to be very relaxing ...that is until I glue my fingers together or something. What I love about this kit is the painting options are limitless...you could paint these LB as the Blue Angels, or go with a Battle of Britain Spitfire or even better, go with a D-Day Spitfire Mk.IX with the invasion stripes on it.....hmmmm....that would look sweet wouldn't it?

View attachment 150838

 

[NJRick]

The Orbiter is taking shape up here....now its time to close the orbiter up....first check your aft lower aft fuselage segment and make sure that you have gently marked which way is forward. Its easy to confuse the correct direction, but there is a slight difference in the shape. If you look closely, you can see that it is not a perfect rectangle.


then glue that section and the aft fuselage section into place.


now, when I built my first LB there are some seams that are pretty scary, but Dr. Zooch tells you in the instructions that they will sand away. I am posting some pictures of the seams so you can see what the LB looks like after its glued together, before sanding.


I took some 320 grit paper to these and gently sanded them down, just as the Doctor advises. Here is a picture of her sanded down and the first layer of filler applied. Amazing what sandpaper can do to balsa wood!


I'll let this dry up here and then will sand and fill a couple of times until these seams come out nice and smooth. After that we will glue on the control surfaces.

 

[sodmeister]

It`s always a nice treat to come visit this build ,I do really like the booster so far ,she`s a beauty !

Yessir,things are comming together nicely.This should be a spectacular looking build when completed (I know it will)

Take care

Paul T

 

[NJRick]

the LB was filled and sanded until I thought she was as good as she was going to get....now its time to hang the control surfaces...Dr. Zooch provides a nice little fin alignment template to help set these fins at the proper angle...I uses the double glue method with a bead of wood glue set down and then attaching the fin, making quick adjustments with the template


it really isn't too difficult to line these up...just take your time and you will be fine. Then we set the final central fin and our LB is ready for some paint!


I will let this dry overnight and then will move on to putting an Israeli paint scheme on this little guy. I have the decals I would like to try to use....hopefully it will turn out how I am picturing it!

 

[NJRick]

thank you for the kind words Paul! I kinda this booster too, I think the camouflaged Lifting Body will stand out well on her, especially the colors of the Israeli scheme. I think the decals could make this look really sharp...not sure yet about the over all scale of them though....kinda working that issue now....she is a fun build!

It`s always a nice treat to come visit this build ,I do really like the booster so far ,she`s a beauty !

Yessir,things are comming together nicely.This should be a spectacular looking build when completed (I know it will)

Take care

Paul T

 

[lvgdgts]

Hey, NJRick. I'm curious about the hobby pins you're using above. Are they only stuck in the balsa, or do they go through your mat? If they're in your mat, do they leave holes, or does the mat fill in when you pull them out?

 

[Owen Eldridge]

NJRick, The edges of that Lifting Body are looking sharp, literally. It's gonna look awesome painted.

thank you for the kind words Paul! I kinda this booster too, I think the camouflaged Lifting Body will stand out well on her, especially the colors of the Israeli scheme. I think the decals could make this look really sharp...not sure yet about the over all scale of them though....kinda working that issue now....she is a fun build!

 

[NJRick]

thanks Owen...she is in the paint shop now!

NJRick, The edges of that Lifting Body are looking sharp, literally. It's gonna look awesome painted.

 

[NJRick]

hi Ivg....my wife is a quilter...those are conventional sewing pins. the cutting mat that you see there has seen better days but it still does the job..the pins are primarily in the balsa, but one or more may come thru into the cutting mat....the mat will fill in when they are removed.

Hey, NJRick. I'm curious about the hobby pins you're using above. Are they only stuck in the balsa, or do they go through your mat? If they're in your mat, do they leave holes, or does the mat fill in when you pull them out?

 

[lvgdgts]

Thanks. I bought a tissue-covered balsa airplane kit at Hobby Lobby yesterday and wasn't sure if I could use my mat for the pins.

 

[mjennings]

lvgdgts, I can't speak for NJRick's mat, but mine is pretty thin, I don't think there would be enough meat to hold pins in on mine. I like a drop ceiling tile for doing pin construction on. A 2' x 4' should be about $5 at home depot or Lowes (at least it was the last time I bought one) cover that in wax paper, and your glue won't stick your project to the board.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Daddy! the old Mirages and Kfir's....that is a GREAT suggestion and I am going to go with those deltas! I have the paints for this one..I hope...but I have Model Master acrylic paints and I think I have the FS numbers matched (so they say that is..) Thank you for the suggestion!!


ps- How is Hauptmann Kitty doing? still playing the shrage muzik at your Lancaster?

Hauptmann Kitty is still overseeing and approving all rocket construction in the basement. The Lanc needs some minor repair and more motors to fly again. I have a high power Mig 3 for his next target which will be painted as a Moscow Hawk - Winter 1941 scheme. The Hauptmann in his ME 109 G needs some competition at High Altitude and the Mig 3 is my best bet. He has also ordered me to construct a rocket powered Ju 87 for his pal Rudel, but I think I want to go with an Afrika Korps paint scheme on a C model that will first need his approval. At least these olde tyme rocket planes don't glide and land fairly close.

A camouflage scheme always looks great on a rocket until just after you put it on the pad and walk back a bit. As it blends into the surrounding country side you then think that it might not have been such a good idea from a recovery perspective. I guess you will eventually end up painting everything bright orange. On my Sunward Mirage painted the IAF scheme the LCO skipped right over it. When I asked him to launch the one on pad 10 he said "what rocket?" With a real good lookin' from his old eyes and reaction from the crowd he finally realized it was there.

 

[NJRick]

MJennings that is a great idea! that should do everything IVG is looking for....at a cost of $5. Great suggestion!!

lvgdgts, I can't speak for NJRick's mat, but mine is pretty thin, I don't think there would be enough meat to hold pins in on mine. I like a drop ceiling tile for doing pin construction on. A 2' x 4' should be about $5 at home depot or Lowes (at least it was the last time I bought one) cover that in wax paper, and your glue won't stick your project to the board.

 

[NJRick]

Daddy...I see...Hauptmann Kitty continues to make bold and daring build suggestions pushing the envelope of the Luftwaffe! I did not realize the Hauptmann is comrades with Ernst ...but, it should not come as a surprise. I think the Afrika Corps Ju-87 is pretty cool looking....are going to look for the long snake decal for the sides? The Hauptmann makes wise decisions. Hopefully he will approve of your plans.

Hauptmann Kitty is still overseeing and approving all rocket construction in the basement. The Lanc needs some minor repair and more motors to fly again. I have a high power Mig 3 for his next target which will be painted as a Moscow Hawk - Winter 1941 scheme. The Hauptmann in his ME 109 G needs some competition at High Altitude and the Mig 3 is my best bet. He has also ordered me to construct a rocket powered Ju 87 for his pal Rudel, but I think I want to go with an Afrika Korps paint scheme on a C model that will first need his approval. At least these olde tyme rocket planes don't glide and land fairly close.

A camouflage scheme always looks great on a rocket until just after you put it on the pad and walk back a bit. As it blends into the surrounding country side you then think that it might not have been such a good idea from a recovery perspective. I guess you will eventually end up painting everything bright orange. On my Sunward Mirage painted the IAF scheme the LCO skipped right over it. When I asked him to launch the one on pad 10 he said "what rocket?" With a real good lookin' from his old eyes and reaction from the crowd he finally realized it was there.