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Tiger 72.


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  • 1 month later...

It's been a while since I last added anything to this blog - I have been doing some building but a combination of work and family holidays have restricted progress for a while so there hasn't been a great deal to write about. Anyway, I have been out in the workshop over the last few days and here are the results.

I have built the belly pan for the wing centre section - the sharp corners will be rounded off when I do the overall sanding and finishing prior to covering.

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This morning I have been making a battery box and loosely fitting the cowl. You can probably see in one of the pictures that I had to relieve the forward part of the hatch to fit the 5s battery. I have also made an adaptor to allow the M10 thread of the motor shaft to meet the M4 thread of the aluminium spinner.

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I know the cowl is off centre - that's not its final position, just a loose fit!

I have ordered the covering from SMC and my decals arrived from Pyramid models just yesterday so I hope to start covering next week when I get back from work.

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Not really much of an update as I've been at work for a few days but I thought I might as well add this picture anyway, since it harks back to a post on page 2. I managed to get into the workshop for a few minutes this evening and fitted the two serves in the fuselage. I had been concerned that I wouldn't be able to reach the screw heads because of the mounting plate for the wing bolts. In the event, a ball headed hex driver reached with no problem at all. When I get around to selling plans and parts I'll tweak the positions so that it's not an issue.

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Thanks Percy, too kind, as ever! Anyone thinking of building the enlarged version might be interested to know that my dad is planning on putting a 17cc petrol engine in his and I am very much looking forward to seeing how it works out! There is a certain amount of family honour at stake as Dad is currently further along with his Tiger than I am but, while he reads this blog, he doesn't post. My order of Oracover arrived today from SMC and, while it is exactly what I ordered, it appears that I ordered too dark a shade and I will have to decide whether to send it back or save it for the next project (in which many hours have been invested in CAD drawings...)

I have made a promise to SWMBO that we start offering plans for sale this year so I need to pull my finger out and get this finished and flown!

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  • 4 weeks later...

After three days in the workshop with a covering iron and 5 metres of natural Solartex, I finally have a covered model, ready for the paint scheme! With all servos fitted and the motor installed, the weight is now exactly 3KG (6.6lbs). Depending on the battery I use (4s or 5s) that will add another 500-600 g (just over 1lb). Add a bit for the paint finish and the final weight should be somewhere around 8lbs. As the motor choice was based on a finished weight of 8-9lbs, I am feeling pretty optimistic. This should give a wing loading of around 15oz per square foot which I reckon is pretty good for the size of model.

Anyway, here it is - I am back at work for the next five days so painting will have to wait until I get back.

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Thanks Percy. Funnily enough, I had intended to use film originally and I was going to do a red and white colour scheme, but then the Ballerina appeared in the mag looking very Tigerish and I felt that finishing my Tiger in a similar scheme would make the two models look almost identical. So, I did a bit of head scratching and decided to emulate the light blue and orange scheme of the Gulf racing colours. Unable to find film of the correct colour, I decided to paint it myself and I have always found tex to be a very good substrate for paint. Also, if the Tiger had ever existed as a full size aeroplane it would have been fabric covered and painted so it seemed a good way of reproducing a scale-ish finish.

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Yes it is! Funny story actually. We moved here just over a year ago and when we first looked around the house it had normal grass lawns but by the time we moved in the previous owner had replaced them with artificial grass. At first I thought that I would rip them up at the earliest opportunity and lay turf but then I realised that it doesn't need mowing or watering, my daughter's paddling pool can be out all summer without leaving a discoloured patch behind, if it's a wet day she can play out without getting muddy, and best of all the dog can't dig it up!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I've been working a bit too much lately but I managed a couple of hours in the workshop today and got the R/C all hooked up. Closed loop on the rudder, heavy duty snake on the elevator. I need to put a couple of locking nuts on the closed loop clevises but I have run out so an order has been placed with Model Fixings this evening which hopefully will arrive in a day or two. Nigel has been glued in place with epoxy and, just to make sure, he has a self tapping screw up his bottom which must have made his eyes water! Outstanding jobs: fix the esc in place (at the moment it is flapping about a bit), fit closed loop locking nuts, add a few details (windscreen, stick, throttle etc.), ballast as necessary to achieve correct CG, fly. Gulp. I have a lot invested in this model so the maiden flight is a daunting prospect - I may be on the lookout for a more capable flier than I to take that job on.... Anyway, here is the fruit of today's labour!

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Morning Jim,

I too have been following your build with interest and really like the model.

I read that your dad installed a petrol engine in his and that got me thinking. Do you think a Laser 100 would suit this model? If it did then I think I've found a future project smiley.

regards

Ant

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