Acme Spitfire Hints and Tips Wanted

[rbeckey]

During the Great Sale of September I purchased an Acme Spitfire to put aside for off season building. Low and behold, it is now the building season. The Spitfire is going to be one of my first projects.
Think of this as a unifying thread for Acme building. I want to know what you would do differently if you had to build yours again, or a little trick you thought of to make it easier.

 

[jflis]

well, i'm sure some of the best hints will come from others who have built it than me, but one good one I have heard is for beefing up the nose cone.

When constructing the nose cone, before gluing the base to it, invert the cone and fill the tip with 1/4" to 1/2" of epoxy to keep it from getting scruntched on landings. I haven't done that yet, but i certainly will on the next one

jim

 

[Mike]

I got my ACME last week, I've had to put off building it for a few weeks (exams) but I was quite surprised at how heavy the kit was. What kind of altitude will this thing get on a D? Will I be able to put a C in it with an adaptor?

 

[jflis]

You can fly it with a C11 for about 130 feet. Have never adapted it down to a C6 and am not sure she would fly that well. As you noted, she is a heavy model and needs a good kick in the pants at ignition.

The extra weight is due to the nose weight (clay). She certainly isn't going to set any speed or altitude records LOL

 

[rstaff3]

On mine cone, I used the shroud that came with the kit and overlaid it with a second cardstock shroud that had my custom printed pattern on it. These sections and the ring were all glued with 5-minute epoxy. The only other mod I did was to add a Kevlar leader for the stock shock cord.

In my experience, this is a tough kit. On the last flight it spit the motor (I recommend you tape the motor hook to the motor) and came in ballistic. The flat clay filled end hit hard. The only damage was that the top shroud partially separated from the next one down. This was an easy fix.

 

[swimmer]

rbeckey,

Just flew my Spitfire last Saturday on a C11-3. Mine weighs 6.7 oz. A C6 would not be enough enough power. We had a good time with the Spitfire as many were curious about it and where I got it. (see my post in "EVENTS")

I wanted to fly on a D12 Saturday but the screw eye pulled out of the nosecone plug at ejection. I'd glued it in but it pulled the balsa with it. So, epoxy into the hole, reinserted the screw eye and coated the end of the balsa plug with epoxy. Problem solved.

I used 80# card stock for the nosecone and put a layer of Titebond on the inside. The nosecone is very sturdy. Course, you can always build another. 100# cardstock was too rigid for me to make the nosecone.

I doubled the tailcone shroud. I used the shroud cover in the kit then upsized to 105% (100# cardstock) the one I got off FlisKits website and applied it over the kit shroud. Use epoxy to attach it. Water based glue makes the shroud spongy until it dries. Next time I'll use epoxy.

This is nice kit. Very sturdy.

One thing I did to personalize it was printed an extra fin skin (Avery Label Paper) and covered the launch lugs and standoff. They look like they are made out of boiler plate.

 

[swimmer]

One more thing.... to keep my motor in my Spitfire I bought some cheap O-rings. I slip one over the end of the motor and around the motor hook. You can use them over and over. Be sure to take a motor with you to get the right size.

 

[Larry]

I just finished my Spitfire. The one thing I did do was to add a second ring half way up the bottom skirt. My fins are real solid. Wish I had known about the nosecone deal, that sounds like a good idea.
I was going to post a picture, but my WIFE changed the editing program, and she's not home. I'll do it later.
Larry

 

[jflis]

Frankly, even *I* was surprised at how sturdy this little model is. To look at the instructions and construction you'd think this was a puzzle ready to come apart but she is one tough nut

 

[eugenefl]

Greetings all. This little hint will ensure your screweye won't pull a chunk of balsa or strip out the hole the screweye sits in. See attachment. (I just drew this up. )

 

[SwingWing]

Acme Spitfire Hints and Tips Wanted:

Line things up good or it will come out straight!

 

[rstaff3]

LOL! Build it straight and get laughed off the field hehehehe.

 

[Larry]

My Spitfire.

Larry

 

[Larry]

and the other side. First one was a little small. Sorry

Larry

 

[rbeckey]

I recall some mention of strengthening the rear shroud. What are some of the methods that were used for this?