Piers Bowlan

Thank you kc, that would be great, my old mags are not easily accessible just now. Thank you.

You are right kc it was your sharp eyes that spotted it, but like you I won’t count on this anomaly being corrected! Personally not being supplied with hardware like a fuel tank and engine mount ( for my electric model), wheels that are too small for my grass field and ‘rubbish’ control horns that I consign to the bin, is a plus. I would rather pay for good quality balsa than hardware in a kit that I will never use.

Sam on page 4 of the very long thread I linked to, there is a discussion about the LE length of some of the ribs being ‘wrong’! Despite this many models have been built from the plan without too much head scratching. It didn’t put me off at any rate, but I thought I would give you the heads up on it anyway, since you asked.

The build thread is here. Peter has designed over 200 model planes ( and one boat!), many of which have been published in RCM&E. Most of his designs are simple builds and all fly well. Many Oodalallys have been built and flown successfully, which was why I didn’t hesitate to press ‘buy’! I have the free plan that came in the RCM&E April 2013 edition, I think, but it is in storage at the mo as I have just moved house. I will get a new plan with the kit when it arrives from Sarik. They usually take about a week to ten days to deliver as they cut the kits to order. Hope that helps.

It might be worth considering Peter Miller’s Oodalally if you fancy a build. The kit set consists of the plan, cnc parts and additional wood pack to complete. It is available from Sarik Hobbies (currently £151 reduced from £178 ). There is free shipping too. I thought it good value so I just bought one as my Winter build. Peter’s prototype was for IC but mine will be an electric conversion.

‘They’ll be gone in a year’ a week is a long time in politics! 🤣

Thicker gauge wire would certainly stop the bending but wouldn’t the lack of give result in the existing wooden blocks being pulled out of the wing in the event of a heavy arrival? Presumably the oleos in the full sized are bolted to the main spar but when you don’t have a main spar in a foam wing, it is a dilemma.

This chap can sell you a copy of the Magnatilla Plan. It is a sharing site but he sells plans too.

I agree, it may depend on the type and density of the foam, type of wood veneer ( obeche or balsa) glue type and finish (film, glass/epoxy or paint). I have built a couple of models with brown paper/PVA covering reinforced with carbon fibre strips. Very strong, stiff and light but I don’t know how the weight would have compared with a fully built up structure. I would say the build time is comparable too. I think I will definitely build more wings like this in future. I like it.

Submitted my responce and email receipt from CAA received. I wasn't too sure what, 'it must be submitted 'by the 7th' meant. Is that midnight of the 6th or the 7th? Bit academic now! Night night.

David, I see the Keith Humber Tri Pacer plan is still available from Sarik Hobbies (£21), I am sure they will post it to you. https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/piper-tripacer/

That is a great incentive, the PSSA similarly have their mass build gathering on the Great Orme during the Summer. Once Richards’s prototype model have flown there should be quality videos posted on the forum of them flying as does Richard Harris with his autogyro builds prior to the plan appearing in RCM&E. Likewise a mass build 2024 article in the Mag would be good for those who don’t frequent the forum.

I have never met anyone who has shelled out £500 for a foamy warbird but I would suggest that no matter how cheap, in the main, they would be unlikely to buy, build and finish a kit. If they have money to burn they will just go out and spend another £500 on their next ARTF foamy when the last one gets battered or destroyed. Just my view.

Meanwhile… back to the OT. Earlier in the thread Richard said £90 for a kit could be too much for a newbie (to paraphrase). I presume ‘newbie’ as in new to building, not new to the hobby. A FW190 in the hands of a tyro pilot will not last very long I suggest. As others have said, there are loads of dyed in the wool builders on this forum, so why lose sleep over how many newbies these kits will attract? There just has to be a reason for mass participation. What better motivation would be the ’RCM&E 2024 WR Mass Build’. These mass builds have attracted a lot of participation in the past. The PSSA A4 Skyhawk mass build sold over 70 Sarik Hobbies kits apparently. Forum members could encourage participation by their MFC, as Ron and others have suggested - mass builds within the RCM&E mass build. The multiple build threads on this forum would encourage others to join in. A thread on covering techniques perhaps. Someone would inevitably try and put an IC engine in one even though they are designed for electric, just to be different. It all adds to the fun. All this hinges on a couple of kit designs being available for delivery late December (many people have spare time available over the Christmas period. The idea is to finish the model in 2024, you don’t have to wait until 1st January to start it! Can a couple of kits be developed in that time frame? Over to you Richard.

I have found a foam hot-wire cut wing whether EPS, EPO, EPP or whatever, if reinforced with thin carbon fibre strips let in, is immensely strong. Especially if the wing is then brown paper/PVA covered. Light too 💕. I havn’t found using large pieces of carbon necessary, for my applications at least. Keep it simple:- foam + carbon + brown paper/PVA 😃

I think Richard’s comment was a bit tongue in cheek David so don’t take it personally. We all finish our models as best we can whether scale or not, taking into account time constraints. As long as we are happy with it, it is all that matters.

I have a feeling it is dissolved by dope or acetone. When glassing, epoxy resin/glass is OK but polyester resin/glass will dissolve it. I use brown paper and thinned PVA but add thin carbon fibre strips let into the foam as spars. The brown paper shrinks slightly as it dries providing a good surface finish for painting. I cover both sides ( top and bottom) in one session to avoid warping.

Personally I would prefer a F4F Wildcat in preference to a Hellcat. I think the reason why the Wildcat is not often kitted is its feindishly complicated retract mechanism but if you are going for belly landings it is not an issue. As an alternative to the Pacific theatre blue scheme there is also the camo scheme of the British Martlet version too. The Tempest is not often modeled which is a pity, although I have one of the World Models kits (but sadly not flying yet). Incidentally I built a PSS Blackburn Firebrand out of foam using 3 view images I downloaded from the internet. Once I had cut the fuselage formers from thin ply, hot wire cutting the fuselage sections was easy and quick, which were then just glued together. Once reinforced with thin ply and carbon fibre strips the structure became very stiff, paricularly when I had it covered with brown paper and PVA. A kit of uncovered foam (EPS) sections plus a few reinforcing pieces of wood for the wings and fuselage would be cheap and quick to produce (?). How many people would want to try their hand at brown paper covering is another matter however. I suspect some people would rather spend £500 on an RTF foamy and not have the hassle and mess of building something themselves. Each to their own.

Hey Fu (Futura57 is a bit of a mouthful) your Quark seems to fly very well and appears to be a simple quick-build model. Have you considered submitting it to RCM&E for publication as a pull out plan? Tony Nijhuis scale mini 1960s EDFs are really delightful if numerous and Chris Williams scale gliders are things of beauty but how many have we had now? Quark would be different and a quick build to boot. A popular combination. NB, a nice hi-viz Quark contrasting colour scheme might go down well with the management 👍

I must have been about seven when my dad built a KK Conquest glider. It had one flight, it flew beautifully until our excited wire fox terrier trashed it after it landed! I used to ride my bike to the little park at the end of the road to fly my rubber powered Frog interceptor. Later, a control line KK Hurricane. For my 14 birthday I was given the coveted macGregor SC radio and like Windymiller in an earlier post, built a Snipe from the Aeromodeller 1970s plan. It regularly used to crash on Epsom Downs after the elmic escapement jammed and I would spend the following week carefully piecing the balsa jigsaw back together again. The little Cox Babe Bee engine always seemed to survive and in fact I have it to this day although it is a bit like Tiggers broom, so many parts have been replaced!

I will have to put it on my build list (it’s a long list!)

Ron, if your PS2 wings weigh the same (model laterally balanced) and it has a slight tendency to roll with no aileron trim applied, it may well be rolling as a further effect of yaw caused by the propeller slipstream. A small amount of rudder trim may also correct a tendency to roll as one is a further effect of the other. This is just theoretical and of no consequence to how one flies. Engine offset (or not) is a matter of personal preference. All the above assumes no warps of course (I will quickly add, most unlikely with Ron’s model!)

I am glad you are firing on all cylinders again Cuban8, so time to drag out all those old projects to see where you are. No time to waste! 😊 So why is it that we get distracted and lured into starting a new project and leave our current one to languish? (At least I do) Personally I like ‘sculpting’ a new model; sharp tools and soft wood (or foam) etc. The covering or painting I find a boor plus the myriad of jobs needed before the first flight. It you hit a snag the project can drag on and become a chore rather than fun. As hobbies are supposed to be fun I start another project. 🤭 That is my excuse anyway, I wish I could be like Paul 😇

My dark secret is that I am a serial ‘non-finisher’. There, it’s out! I do finish models of course but I have a long list of various models in various states on built, usually awaiting covering! These include Peter Miller’s Alley Cat, Derek Woodward’s Holly, Peter Rake’s CL215 and my OD PSS Blackburn Firebrand, that just needs painting. Post house-move I am itching to get them finished but there is always the prospect of that ‘exciting new project’ that beckons temptingly!

I was tempted to build Max’s very stylish Diamona when it was featured in the EFI mag some years ago but other projects (and life!) got in the way. Are there any aerodynamic advantages with a box wing configuration, possibly reduced wingtip vortices and drag reduction? Maybe it’s USP is that it looks cool 😎!