Graham Davies 3

Looks great Richard. Timely, as I had a bit of a mishap with the Tempest. It may have been an FW190 coming out of the sun...

Be careful Dave, liteply is not particularly strong. Being a plywood, a percentage of the grain is always 'the wrong way'. Given the likely weight saving, I think I'd either stick to the plan method, or do a full build up. Last thing you want is a tailplane folding! Graham

Hi All, Thanks for all the input; really interesting. Peter J, you are right; the [itch couple is not the only 'issue', There is also a huge roll couple, but I was kind of expecting that. I did indeed set some mixers, but it will take a while to get them optimised, partly because I have to really gird my loins before attempting knife edge flight as it really 'kicks off' when the rudder is applied! I get a couple of goes per flight as that's as long as I can hold my breath... It's good to hear so much understanding of the issue. I can accept traits of a design; that comes with the territory with scale models in my mind. Graham

Thanks Martin

Thank you Peter(s). Graham

Nice Paul. Question for you; do any or all of your Pitts do odd things on Rudder? Both my scratch builds have a very pronounced pitch down when rudder is applied; most noticable in knife edge. Do your do this, or is it a function of me following full size dimensions? Thanks Graham

Hi Graham, Definitely go electric; it makes painting SO much easier! I have a Tempest and use a 4250 size motor of around 560 or 600kv (can't remember now!) which turns a 14x6. I use 4S 3700 packs and get 7 minutes with some reserve flying in a scale manner. The motors are freely available on Ebay, but not as cheap as they were. Good luck Graham

I put my Regianne on the ground ready to fly and then spent half n hour looking for it. Curse those effective camouflage schemes...

Instructions??? INSTRUCTIONS????? I barely got all the bits! And some of those were from other aircraft, just to keep me on me toes... ***Disclaimer: I didn't get actual kits, but what could be best described as 'workshop sweepings'. Warbirds Replicas ACTUAL kits are superb... 😀

Nice work Richard

I used mine as a 'warbird trainer'. I have loads of low winger hours, but wanted a model that I wasn't too invested in (so not frightened of!) that I could learn to fly in the correct manner. A heavy acrowot was ideal as it didn't bite as hard, but had many similar characteristics. As you've just described, I think you'll enjoy it. It will need a bit of thought to do aeros (just like a warbird), but they will look much more realistic than when a model is overpowered. And once you can land an AcroWot without bouncing, you can land anything!

Hi Andy, I had a similar story where I bought a separate fus and wing at a bring and buy in the 90s. I actually resurrected it a few years ago and it also was rather heavy. Mine had a 65FS up front. It will fly at 3Kgs on 4S, but might be a bit 'gentle'. As a first low winger, it will be fine, but be careful of slowing it down too much as the stall speed will be higher than if it were lighter. One thing you may find is that they tend to 'float on' on landing, so be prepared for a long approach, and as I said, watch out if you try to slow it down too much. Good luck; keep us posted. Graham

Blimey Toto, that's a pretty comprehensive set of tools and consumables! I build all the time and make do with some aliphatic resin and a spoon... 😀

Daren, I'm doing a 74 (1/6th scale) spitfire from underlay insulation. Just gathering a few more bits and pieces before I crack on in. It's going to be reasonably 'scale' and if I can make the sums look right, it will be a Mk1. Full fat flaps and retracts, target weight below 8 pounds; 6S power. I found a plan on outerzone which I believe is a slight upscale of Brian Taylor's design. I intend to use these for outlines and some key points such as the retract mounts. The rest will be from my fevered brow... I'll keep you posted Graham

Great model Ron. These things offer disproportionate amounts of fun. My fatty Me109 never fails to raise smiles, and flies far better than it has a right to. And it cost pennies! What's not to like? Graham

Table top looks great Martin. such a shame I can't make it. Fly the flag for us underlay builders! Graham

Latest B&Q foam creation: A 1:1 scale model of the mini Yak that I managed to tent-peg a week or so back. I bought the little Yak from a clubmate, and it's been a go-to for about a year. It encouraged me to try new things, and you know what sometimes happens when you try new things... These lightweight ARTFs are not built to crash. The poor broken body is respectfully included in the pictures. A moment's silence, if you please... So, I made another one! Mostly from the 6mm black laminate floor underlay. I wasn't going to cover it, but the hinging was rather ugly, so I covered it in brown paper/ PVA. Painted with emulsion and a lick of water based varnish. 40" span, 2lbs 4Ozs with a 2200 3S pack... Graham

So, to contribute... This is a 'one week from cause to effect' project I dumb-thumbed the little Yak I bought from a clubmate. It flew brilliantly and encouraged me to practice the things I'm not so good at, and it ended badly when I lost which way up it was. It ended up tent-pegged, and these lightweight ARTFs are certainly not built to repair. So, BUILD A NEW ONE! Crash was wednesday. Thursday was spent in a moving, private mourning ceremony. It was emotional.. Started on Friday, 1 1/2 hours. 1 hour on saturday and then a good day at it one Sunday. One hour this evening and this is where we're at. Not much more to do; maybe an hour before painting and finishing. It's made from the black 6mm laminate flooring underlay from B&Q, with a bit of 3mm white (Diall) stuff for the curved parts of the fuselage. A few bits of lightply, 1/32" ply and a couply of carbon strips from a recently retired foam 3D indoor thingy, and coffee stirrers to stiffen the ailerons etc. Cowl is a lump of polystyrene, glued to a lightply disc, and spun until it was roughly the right shape. The top hatch is a lump of polystyrene onto a lightply base sanded to shape. I've been able to salvage a little bit of the canopy, so it's not far off. I'm not going to cover it. I'll mist coat it in white emulsion, and then spray an emulsion colour scheme before a thin coat or two of water based varnish to give it some gloss. Not weighed it yet, but the original is very light, and this is lighter! The elevators, rudder and ailerons are not fitted in the pics as the stiffeners are still drying. The poor broken body of the original is there out of respect... Graham

Loving your work Daren, I did a fatty Me109 earlier this year. It never fails to raise a smile at our strip, and flies really well

I don't need one, but I may buy an Orange RX just to celebrate!

Great day here in Suffolk. 4 of us and a day without incident. A few flights with my Regianne, and my recently maidened foamboard Pitts. Thanks to Peter Miller for the great pictures...

This is not dissimilar to how I build Don. The problem is (having built several this way AND a couple of Richard's kits as well), there is a LOT more building to do than there is with Richard's very well thought out kits. That suits me, but from what I hear on here, it's more than many want. If we can spend a bit less time on the build, we can spend more time on the finishing, and that's where the magic happens...

Valid opinion, FS. I had not built and detailed warbird before I met Richard and always felt they were out of my reach. I have since found that this is not only not true, but it's opened a huge door to a whole area of the hobby that I find hugely enjoyable. This is regardless of the subject, or the finish style... Like yourself, many in my club prefer 'sport', for want of a better term, schemes. Most are film applied. To this end, I have built 'sport' type models using very similar techniques that Richard and others had shared with me. One being my latest Pitts below. The point is, regardless of your preference, this TYPE of build approach has something for everyone. Trevor; I too was a 'film only' builder. I don't bother now as I find more flexibility in painting, and far more availability. And it really is easy. I'm very much on the learning curve and each model has good and bad aspects. But it is fun! Graham

Couldn't agree more Don. If it's light, it will fly slower. If it flies slower, it can be made to look very realistic. Win win!

Surely, if it builds into a great looking, tough, reliable and great flying model, does it matter? Those that really love to get their teeth into a big build project are probably not going to be interested anyway. If we get to the correct end result, a lightweight and realistic funfighter upon which we can lavish a bit of scale cleverness, then our work is done here!