Rosco Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi all,After much thinking, I have decided to build the Ballerina.I'm not going to blab on too much but if you look up Flite Test on YouTube, then you will get an idea of how I'm going to build it.I have built foamboard models before with different degrees of success so this is more of a challenge to me than anything as I have built previous models a bit different to the FT lads but will be borrowing some of their ideas that seem to work for their builds.It will not be a quick (timewise) build but the actual method of building is rather quick, I just won't be working on it on a regular basis. I must say a big thanks to Lucas for providing me with the plans. I still haven't seen the December Rcm&e issue on the shelves and it is nearly February! Stay tuned..... RoscoEdited By Rosco on 31/01/2016 00:29:53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 I've made a start.First of all, the size of the original model is rather large for the size of what parts I have in my parts box. I didn't mention it before but I'm going electric. I have a battery box full of 3s 2200 batteries and the electrics to suit so I scaled down the plans to 70% which makes it a wingspan of 97cm or 38inches.That may seem quite small to some but I'm not a club member and at the park from which I fly, that size is quite suitable and it will make transportation easy too.Carrying on....First job of the build is to sort out the plans so I can work on them. I have printed them out and taped them together.I still have to get some foamboard but it is good to actually see what the model will look like as a visual physical presence. It also helps me to start to think about how I'm going to tackle the build as a foamboard project.Sorry I cannot add pictures from my phone but when I get a chance I will add them.To give you an idea on how I'm going to tackle the build, here are some ideas that I have so far...I want the wing to have an airfoil profile. I can use a rib for a guide on how the airfoil shape will end up.I have used Kfm airfoils in the past but will be trying to make an airfoil profile on this model.The fuse will be just the same as a balsa build - box style design but I don't need to use all the bulkhead/formers.Turtledeck and nose can be shaped using some stiffer card (to hold its shape).I'm still not sure about an undercarriage at this point but like the idea of an undercarriage.Those are some of my intentions so far but they are open to change as I go. Until next time...Happy Building RoscoEdited By Rosco on 31/01/2016 02:54:52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Welcome aboard Rosco. Good to see you back in the MB again. Another depron Ballerina eh. There must be something in this depron stuff since it seems to be getting more popular. I might have to have a go at something bigger than a Dep Stik with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi Chris,Thanks for dropping by!My build will be from foamboard which is a little different to Depron. I have actually never used Depron but it does seem to be a good medium to build models with, judging by some of the models I've seen being built on here.Foamboard is basically a sheet of foam with paper on either side. The foam consistency seems to vary from country to country.I source my foamboard from a local art and craft shop but remove the paper from it to remove some weight. Foamboard is not as flexible as depron and will break if pressure is put on it to curve to tight. It seems to be much stronger than Depron though..according to some who say Depron is brittle? Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 I should mention that foamboard usually comes in a thickness of 5-6mm sheet. It can be thicker but I've never seen it thinner than that.It is labelled as display board in the art and craft shop but what the actual foam is......I wouldn't know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devcon1 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi Rosco. Great. Another little sibling. I'm watching with interest particularly regarding weight and power train, looking forward to pictures when you get going. Regards John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McG 6969 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Welcome to the Mass Build, Rosco. Fine to have another build with a different approach. I'm building mine as an 'hybrid' version, having a mix of materials like ply , Depron 3mm, a bit of CF & glass fiber cowl. Only my wing will be a classical balsa build as per plan. The main idea is to learn to work with these different materials & techniques in one build. Quite steep learning curve for a first build, I guess. As to compare the two materials, the foamboard I can find in Belgium is 5mm as you said. With the paper on it is stronger but also heavier - about 30% - than 6mm Depron. The density of the foam is higher but with the paper removed, you can't bend it easily without breaking it. But again, as you wrote, it could depend on different brands & different countries. Enjoy your build Hakuna matata Chris BRU - BE / CTR Display Board Control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Be interesting to watch this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hello Rosco All the variations on a theme I like John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Sorry guys, still no pics as I keep posting from my phone!So......I've now got my plans sorted but still need to source my foamboard. I'm hoping to get some in the next few days. I have come to a point where my plans can be transferred in a couple different methods to produce the model.By this, I mean that the plans can be transferred to be individual parts or as an unfolded part.Without pictures, it is hard to describe. I have normally built as individual parts ie. The fuselage base and the fuselage sides are 3 individual pieces.The Flite Test guys have their parts as 'unfolded' items ie. the fuselage is one one piece.If I go with the individual parts, then I can pretty much follow the mag's plan.If I make everything one 'unfolded' piece then I will have a little bit of work sorting out the mag's plans to suit.Another area that I need to think about is glue.I have always used 'hot glue' with no problems. The only thing is that it can add some weight to the finished model....something else for me to think about!Hopefully my next post will include some pic's.Until then....Happy buildingRosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hello all. Not much more has been done, in fact, nothing more has been done since my last post. just to clear some stuff up, I have added two of the FliteTest vids on their Spitfire build. The actual build vid is quite long but if you skip through it (or watch the whole thing if you like?), it will hopefully give you a grasp on the concept about the way that I will be building my Ballerina........... Rosco Edited By Rosco on 05/02/2016 10:12:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hello all.I must say that having a look through all the Ballerina builds is a time consuming task in itself and is sometimes hard to keep up with what's what!!They all seem to be ticking along quite well so keep up the good work.I don't know how many of you guys are following my build but I hope it hasn't put anyone off that I'm doing it in a bit of an unorthodox way?Continuing on then.....I'm disappointed that I didn't take an opportunity to get some foamboard earlier on in the week because now I have to wait for a little while longer before I can get some.I have organised the plans to be 'templates' for laying up onto the foam. I think I'll end up cutting parts out as individual sections and then glue them all up together. I also have some ideas about how to lighten the airframe but I don't know if it will work until I've got the foam sections cut.It annoys me that I can't post pics from my phone because I'm not infront of my home PC alot therefore you may end up with a whole bunch of pics that are not relevant to where I'm at with the build, but I'll post them when I get a chance anyway.My model will end up a little bit more 'square' profiled that all the other 'streamlined' versions but I will be endeavouring to round it off where possible.So for now it's just a waiting game for me until I can get some foamboard.Stay tuned and apologies for not having much to post about so far.Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Will be watching Rosco. I like the idea of an FT style Ballerina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Looking forward to pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyD Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 i agree with you a time consuming task reading through all the builds,im followin though,i need to read them all to collect all the tips and good ideas for future projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hi again to all, Thanks for dropping by guys It is nice to know someone is interested although I'm guilty of lurking around your builds and not making my presence known Anyways......Finally I have made it to my computer Now for the let down.............. After all the pics I was going to post, I decided that you all probably didn't need to see what the plans looked like again so I'm not going to post those pics! I did take some so that you could see a size comparison to the original plan but I deleted them, however, I will take another just so that you can get an idea of the size difference. The one pic that I have posted is to show my plans cut out like templates. The idea is that I will trace around them to give me the parts to form the airframe. Obviously I need to make two sides for the fuselage so all I will do is trace it twice onto the foamboard. Same goes for the wing. This way I will have identical sides/parts. I know this is stating the obvious but it is all part of the build. The FT boys have their models as 'unfolded' cutouts in the foamboard when they build them however they also leave the paper on the outside of the foamboard. The paper adds strength but also helps to 'fold' the parts whilst building. I will be removing the paper from mine but as I just mentioned, it does help to prevent cracking when the foamboard is bent so I'm going to try to get a proper airfoil camber on mine without the paper. Hopefully I will be able to give it a slight curve as opposed to the 'square' profile that you can see in the FT vids on the Spitfire' wing. I can always fall back to that option if the camber 'bend' proves tricky (which I'm not anticipating that it will). Enough blabber, so......here are my templates. Nothing fancy but the start of my build and the build pics nonetheless. (apologies for the poor pic, they will get better I promise ).................. Rosco Edited By Rosco on 07/02/2016 12:16:50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Oh, I forgot to mention....... I have done foamboard builds before so I am aware what boundaries foamboard can be pushed too. It is actually quite a strong medium to use for building models. Once I have the foamboard cut out and paper removed, my model will literally be 80% complete within a few hours from start to almost finished. I will still need to add a few things such as motor mount and servo mounts but the basic airframe structure will be done Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Are you making it like a "swapable" with the electronics in a pod? Yes once the parts are cut I can see it'll be almost done. Very tempted to have a go myself...but depron? hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hi Chris,I've no need to make it swappable but it is a great concept if you have several of the 'swappable' models.I'll just glue a firewall/bulkhead in place and that's all it will need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Hello all,Unfortunately my build has hit a bit of a snag! I finally got out to my art and craft shop that has foamboard and guess what......They don't have it anymore.I have another place to source from luckily.Stay tuned.Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Well... I'm happy to say that I now have some foamboard in my possession.It's a smaller sheet than I used to get from the other place but there should be enough.I won't get started for a day or two but I will eventually get started.Until then,Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Hello all,I'm happy to say that today I got some time to get started on my build.It was a bit on and off but it's started and I got some pic's although I think my phone camera lens is stuffed. I just wasn't able to get nice clear pic's,Anyway......I'm not near my home computer so I have no pic's to post atm but when I'm able too, I will.I spent the day cutting out all the parts and sorting the wing. Hopefully I'll get some time tomorrow to get a bit more done.Progress pic's later..... Until then,Rosco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Good news is that I have some progress pic's Bad news is that the pics look 'misty' because the lens on my phone's camera is 'misty' and can't be fixed Here they are anyway.............. One piece of foamboard 100cmx80cm. It annoys me that it wasn't actually 100cm wide, it was 99.5cm. We don't have the 'Dollar Tree' FT stuff here so this cost me AU$15..... Basic tools required......... Time to trace the parts ont the foamboard. It can sometimes be a bit like tracing the parts onto balsa where you try to get the most parts out of one piece however ther is not really a 'grain' to worry about with foamboard........... It's hard to see in this pic but I leave the paper on so that I can trace the parts onto it with pencil. The only thing is that you cant be heavy handed as it will leave a mark in the foam where you have pressed with the pencil but I find that at least if any changes need to be made, you can just rub the old lines off with a eraser (again, not to heavy handed) and then redraw them........ Once happy, I just go over the lines with a marker........ Edited By Rosco on 15/02/2016 10:01:27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Next.......Time to cut it out. A sharp blade is a must. There are two ways this can be done. One is to roughly cut it out. The other is to cut it exactly how it is marked. My preference is to cut out the larger parts how they need to be, and then cut out the smaller parts roughly. If there is not enough 'overhang' though, doing the fine cutting of the parts can be difficult because the small amount to be removed can end up 'tearing' away from the part, especially if the cutting blade is becoming blunt....... Here's what I mean.......The blade has 'torn' rather than cut...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Sorry, just in between doing some things at the moment ...... Carrying on then........... My wing airfoil profile template (later to become a rib).......... Relief cuts to help with the wing bend. I did try to bend a test piece but this foamboard seems to be a bit stiffer than the stuff from the other place so I ended up doing like the FT fellas do, I just folded it to the shape so it is a little more square as opposed to being round. I don't think it will be a problem though..........it works for the FT boys.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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