Charles_McG
Ciderwright
I’ve long had an interest in boosted gliders and want to move past things like the Tercel and Hummingbird.
I think I’m a fair modeler, but I’m not really an airplane geek. I picked up an Aerotech Phoenix- but it intimidates me. I tried upscaling a Tercel and discovered that I knew less than I thought.
So I chose the J & H Firefeather as a new starting place. With built up wings and fuselage, it looked like an opportunity to learn techniques new to me - without being so expensive it scared me to build or fly.
I’m going forgo the traditional unboxing pictures. I took them, but with enough detail to scan and make cutting files. I don’t think it would be fair to J&H to post them.
One note about the kit: it has as many instructions as a Wildman kit. There are follow-along YouTube videos, but it’s not the same. I’m making my own supplemental notes as I go.
First up, framing up the wings. This is just piecing together the leading spar, the tip piece, the flaperon, and a root edge piece. I started with the tip, making the interior curve smooth.
That actually leaves a little gap at one end or the other of the root. There’s enough flex in the leading edge spar to close it up and easily.
I assembled on parchment paper with super gold CA. The table has a protective cover, so has a little give. I held pieces with gentle pressure to keep things even and flat. I redid one root piece.
I built the root edge against a ruler as a straight edge, but the wings aren’t really square anywhere.
The ribs tuck into slots. I put them in place on a hard cutting board so I could get the bottom (flat) edges even with the frame. I dropped in a drop of thin CA to set them.
That’s it for the first night. Time for a whiskey.
I think I’m a fair modeler, but I’m not really an airplane geek. I picked up an Aerotech Phoenix- but it intimidates me. I tried upscaling a Tercel and discovered that I knew less than I thought.
So I chose the J & H Firefeather as a new starting place. With built up wings and fuselage, it looked like an opportunity to learn techniques new to me - without being so expensive it scared me to build or fly.
I’m going forgo the traditional unboxing pictures. I took them, but with enough detail to scan and make cutting files. I don’t think it would be fair to J&H to post them.
One note about the kit: it has as many instructions as a Wildman kit. There are follow-along YouTube videos, but it’s not the same. I’m making my own supplemental notes as I go.
First up, framing up the wings. This is just piecing together the leading spar, the tip piece, the flaperon, and a root edge piece. I started with the tip, making the interior curve smooth.
That actually leaves a little gap at one end or the other of the root. There’s enough flex in the leading edge spar to close it up and easily.
I assembled on parchment paper with super gold CA. The table has a protective cover, so has a little give. I held pieces with gentle pressure to keep things even and flat. I redid one root piece.
I built the root edge against a ruler as a straight edge, but the wings aren’t really square anywhere.
The ribs tuck into slots. I put them in place on a hard cutting board so I could get the bottom (flat) edges even with the frame. I dropped in a drop of thin CA to set them.
That’s it for the first night. Time for a whiskey.