John H. Rood Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Phil, thanks for that good and helpful feedback. All told, my little exercise there reveals: 1.) My existing template shape ideas will be fine and should fit your outlines well enough for my imaginary World Scale Masters Scale Fidelity Gestapo Irregulars! and 2.) I have run out of excuses and I need to just SHUT UP AND BUILD IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Back to work on the Scooter: Making the fuselage sides. The above photo is just to show again the shortened nose profile for the A4D-1 (A-4A) and A4D-2 (A-4B) Skyhawks, which is the primary departure from the published A-4E/F Skyhawk design in this mass-build. Today I prepared the 1/8th sheet balsa fuselage sides, and per our fearless leader Phil Cooke's mention on page 2 of his build, I've added an 1/8th inch or so to the height of the top piece that's added to each side sheet. I also lengthened it a tad, figuring I can always use a bit extra slack anywheres. So my top piece there are 1 and 3/8" high and 23 and 3/8th" long. I've even remembered to add the small bottom bit at the wing TE: So here is one entire side sheet where it'll be placed, taped together and ready to be flipped over and glued together. Early-on I was able to find two pieces of 4"x36" 1/8th balsa that are actually equal in weight; oh heavens... the gasping finesse of this build! It is great to be back working on the project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Underneath that odd mountain of damaging evidence are a matched pair (left and right) of fuselage sides, with their top and bottom extensions glued on the inside and now drying and hopefully happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Wings: Leading edges attached and shaped per the airfoil section. Added a 3/8"x2" sheet additional balsa spacer over each servo bay, attached with med CA. Servos now fight reasonably snugly in each bay but with adequate room for the bearer screws and for easy removal. Attached the laminated wingtips with JB Kwik, a fast-setting version of the JB Weld epoxy series. Care taken to align those tips properly with the specified airfoil washout, the tips' ply centerline in line with the proper section centerline. Edited By John_Rood on 03/03/2018 01:05:36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Shaping the starboard wingtip, plenty more to go: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Further shaping, starboard tip, topside: Underside: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Rough-sanding is now done for those wingtips; washout is in there, and the dining room table has never looked better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Back to preparing the fuselage sides: Now that the glue has dried, here are the two mirror-image sides of medium-grade 1/8th balsa sheet, placed here pretty much as they would line up along the fuselage plan. When assembling each of them this morning, I made sure to have the tape go on the OUTSIDE and the glue joint go on the inside. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I hope the dining room table hasn't damaged your wing at anytime John. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Lines transferred, sides cut. Ready now to add balsa doublers and triangle stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 This same image came up on my FB memories page this morning from 2 years ago! Enjoy your build John looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Thanks, Phil! Doublers and triangle stock now added, and the 1/4" nose floor has been sanded to meet the A4D-1 and A4D-2 profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stainforth Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 John, I thought you might be interested in this picture I took today of an A-4F Blue Angels Skyhawk at McClellan aircraft museum Sacramento. Looking a little worse for wear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 Hey John, Just looking again at your last photo - don't forget to extend the 1/2" triangular beyond the front face of F4 at the top by 1/2" to negate any risk of an over-thinned section and small hole (like a few of us found on the build!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Nice picture John of the Blue Angels A4 Skyhawk, I've noticed though that a previous model 'mass build subject' the - Hunting Percival Jet Provost - is photobombing the picture from the right ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 yes I noticed that too!! Those pesky JP's get EVERYWHERE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stainforth Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Oh! Very well spotted. Indeed that's exactly what it is - a pesky JP; even has RAF roundels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Stainforth Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Here's another couple of pictures of a Skyhawk at Wings Over Houston last October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Installing bulkheads 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the starboard fus side. All that misc junk in there is "ART", I agree, but also it is a feeble and amateurish stab at keeping angles and things straight and true. And thanks, Phil, for the heads-up again about extending that 1/2" triangle stock to a bit forward of F4. Done! Seafaring with the glorious HMS Skyhawk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 The XA4D-TS Troop Ship, Tank Carrier, and Space Shuttle. 🔱 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Taking my teflon template to 3/32 ply for the A4D's short nose profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Looking good John. Now wish I'd done a better job on mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Ade, shush! I’ve seen the photos: your model is beautiful! Gutsy venture, to go with the two-seater and that unique colour scheme. Also, your made the deadline, whereas I am a year and a half tardy, and I still have a lot more work ahead! 😇 Tonight I've installed (with Super-Phatic wood glue) the 3/32" ply nose profile piece and the 1/2" soft balsa top decking, spanning bulkheads F4 thru F7. I've not yet finalized the cross-section for the nose, so I postponed making a bulkhead to replace the A-4E/F "F1" bulhead until then. Gallons of wood glue drying there, it seems! OOPS Edited By John_Rood on 05/03/2018 23:53:20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Using wood glue, I attached the nose section, following closely what Phil laid out on page 2 of his Top Gun A-4E build blog. Apparently I need to get some larger clamps, some that will reach deeper in situations such as here. But I was able to secure the lower quarter or so of the sides via those red push pins and the usual finagling. Happy that things seem square (so far!) and everything fits well, pretty much locking into place throughout. All feels mighty strong, too. Good job, designers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H. Rood Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Easing the upper sides into a bond with F2 and F3; lacking clamps of a size I could use here, I managed to coax things via the mess you see here. The ammonia really helped, as did the warm light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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