Geoff Gardiner

A bit of filling and sanding of the wing today. It's getting closer to being finished! More later...

It's the 72inch Tony Nijhuis Mosquito. I built it a few years ago now and it turned out a bit heavy. It is currently in bits on a shelf, after a nasty tipstall incident.

In a blatant attempt to tip the balance and in good 'Blue Peter' style.............. Here's one I made earlier.

This is my take on fitting the radiator on the underside of the wing. first I added some extra width to the base that gets glued to the wing. Instead of sanding a V shape on the underside to fit the dihedral, I cut it in half and sanded the top flat. Then I added some extra width to the radiator and sanded to shape. Here I really struggled to get the angles right to blend with the vac formed front scope - it just didn't look right. So I tried gluing on some scrap balsa and sanding to shape. I think I will go with this option. More later...

Do you think I would get 'rumbled' if I got some coffee stirrers as I don't take milk or sugar - nor drink coffee?

Ah yes, obvious now I think about it! Every day's a school day.

I hate to admit defeat, so I am giving Ron's lolly stick idea a go 🤞

So... Steaming improved things a bit but still had a bit of a warp. I next tried wetting the concave side but that has made things worse. I have some ammonia knocking around, that I have used for tight bends in balsa before, I might try using that. Failing that, I will cut a new part.

He looks a fine fellow. Is the file downloadable somewhere?

The rudder has straightened out but the fin is proving more of a problem. I have tried steaming it over the kettle to see if that does the trick. I had a try at covering with brown paper today, using white Gorilla PVA glue, and early indications are looking promising. I think I might try water based varnish to seal the paper before painting. More later...

Went to do a bit of brown paper covering of the tail assemby and found that the fin and rudder are warped. I have soaked them in hot water for half an hour and they are currently drying on a flat surface under some weight. I will see if this cures the problem. Rounded off the edges of the tailplane and elevators whilst I wait for it to dry. More later...

1 - Mosquito (full fat version) 2 - P47 Razorback (full fat version) 3 - Running out of hanger space (need to crash something)

Personally, I like the challenge of building so would welcome something more complex. Admittedly, I do have a few builds under my belt but with each build I always try something new in order to advance my skill set. Currently I am building the Mustang and will be trying out the ‘Brown Paper’ method of covering for the first time and also, I will be adding a bit more weathering than I have done in the past. I have not tried planking before so would welcome that in a kit. I would love a Mossie but would be equally tempted with a Razorback Jug. I fly electric and ‘full fat’ models always appeal. Size wise, I would be happy going large - anything up to 80inch span.

👍 for a razorback.

My glue of choice at the moment is Titebond Original, which I believe is an aliphatic glue. Are aliphatics any good with the brown paper covering method / heat reactivity, or will I need PVA? Cheers.