Warbird Replicas Ju88 Night Fighter build

[Jon H]

I wouldn't worry about counter rotating props. If you had 1400hp on each wing then sure, but for models its really not important and even the full size 88 had them both rotating the same way. very few WWII era aircraft actually had them counter rotate with P38, late mark Mosquito's and just post war Hornets being the only ones that come to mind right away

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Jon ,

The suggestion of counter rotating props was just to counter the tendency to autorotate to the left when high power is quickly applied in a low speed high angle of attack such as a late decision to overshoot or if turning too hard causing an accelerated stall. Most multi engine planes will do this so the suggestion was just there for those that might push the sweet flying nature of the machine that bit too far

Adrian

[Jon H]

Hi Ady

The simplest resolution is to simply not slam the throttle open on a go around and remember to use the big flappy bit on the back of the fin. If you don't trust yourself to open the throttle slowly in a pinch then set a 2 second throttle delay/slow on your radio. When teaching at my club I make a big deal out of slow and steady throttle progression. It looks better and is so much more controllable.

While I understand the theoretical reasons for it, you would have to be pretty ham fisted to get into the situation you mention as torque swing is not the same issue it was on full size aircraft, and its always a better plan to improve your flying and kick bad habits as the same behaviour from a single engine model would need identical correction. As there is no cheat with a single you might as well just fly the thing in the first place!

In all I think I have owned (or still own) 4 twins and one 4 engine model. All were ic powered and all of them had their props going the same way. None of them were/are any trouble and even if I lost an engine the situation was by no means lost and it was no real issue to come down with an engine out.

In any event, I guess there are two ways to look at it depending on the type or flyer you are. Go the easy route with contra props, gyro, auto stabiliser whatever you want just to make life easy and enjoy flying for minimum effort. Or see torque swing etc as an opportunity to learn a new skill and become a better pilot over all. Personally I always go for the 2nd option as I really enjoy learning new tricks and ways of doing things. Its just so much more satisfying

[lightning 759]

hi

just a quick question does the stab/tail plane need any extra strengthen i.e wing bandage or is there enough strength with the rear spar etc

cheers

andy

[Jon H]

Given that the weight of a glass bandage is pretty minimal I would go for it as you don't have anything to loose.

You will also need all the strength you can get when I attack you from above

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Andy,

As Jon has said the tailplane needs no further reinforcement​ as it is well supported on the fuselage and the fin also adds some support. The trailing edge acts as a spar too so I would not be concerned, and in my case I have cut out a fair piece of the tailplane underside to allow the tail retract unit to fit as needed.

Cheers

Adrian

[lightning 759]

hi

progressing slowly with my kit (my choice, nothing to do with the kit in case anybody was wondering ) but if your reading this Richard I would just like to say that the foam/veneer parts wings etc. are like rolls Royce quality ,I've built quite a few kits with these type of parts but these are by far the best I've come across absolutely superb

Andy

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Andy,

This was one of the most impressive things I noted with the kit. All of the foam/ veneer parts were just superb with the grain suiting the curves precisely. The standard of kit presentation is way ahead of most if not all.

As you said "Rolls Royce Quality"

Adrian

[lightning 759]

hi Andy

Any chance of a pic of how you fix the batteries in the nacelles please

thanks

andy

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Andy,

Sorry for the delay in replying. The past couple of weeks have been hectic with builders/ plumbers in the house and now I have some normality until the next batch of upgrading. The pictures should be self explanatory but the following should help.

The flap servos were placed in the forward bottom area of the nacelle to allow the battery to drop as deep as possible into the rear bottom of the battery bay.

Note that the snake allows the battery and cable to pass by albeit with slight interference fit. The ESC is placed across the nacelle front passing the cables between the outer skin and the vertical supports. The ESC rests in the forward lightening holes and is free to move a little.

The battery goes in cable end first doubling backwards to join with the ESC connector above the Lipo.

The top front of the lipo rests forward and lays just under the nacelle cover as I built it. I have fitted 4s cells from 3000 to 3600 without problem. Should the battery lift up, the mechanical advantage of the magnets at the rear hold down any pressure exerted thus far by the Lipo bearing under the front edge of the cover.

I hope this helps

Adrian

[lightning 759]

hi Adrian

thanks for the info/pictures

andy

[lightning 759]

hi

just a update .progress continues all be it slowly . everything a bit square at the moment will leave the shaping bit to as late as possible as I would only inflict hanger rash on it while still building , the retracts might be a bit long in the leg but I had these waiting to find a home so they will have to do

Andy

[RICHARD WILLS]

Great job Andy , Elegant shape isnt she ? Its no wonder they were great performers , Its a pretty modern and sophisticated shape . High aspect wing with big motors no surprise that the Hurricane couldnt catch them .

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Andy. She's looking good. Impressive flight performance as a model. One I'm sure you will really enjoy.

Adrian

[Ady Hayward]

Hi folks

The Ju-88 hasn't died a death though it has come mightily close a couple of times. Its just a case of keeping two blogs up to date for each project and posting pics to the albums before they can be included becomes a pain where a hundred or more pics are loaded for the one blog. For those still looking in the complete blog is here:**LINK**

Adrian

[lightning 759]

Hi

short update .,

building time is very limited at the moment so I had to put some paint on just to keep myself interested , I quickly came to conclusion im crap at doing German schemes so after two failed attempts & rubbing down I just made one up with what paint I got left basically primer & dark grey , so before I get shot down for non scale scheme that's my excuse .

in real terms not really a awful lot to complete before fitting out .

Andy

[Jon H]

I doubt anyone will notice its not scale. It looks fine to me.

If anyone gives you any flak just ask if you can see their perfect scale Ju88 so you can copy what they did

[Ron Gray]

What's not to like? Looks good to me.

[Ady Hayward]

Hi Andy,

Nice work. The splinter pattern camo was common across the Luftwaffe so I wouldn't worry about it. Once you get some crosses on etc it will really start to come together. I find with my one that in certain light/ cloud conditions it disappears at certain angles which is quite disconcerting so a scheme with greater contrast is a much safer option. Keep us posted on the progress as it is really nice to see the kits get finished and flown. The Ju88 is one of my all time favourites, maybe even the best in many years of RC model flying so I think you will not be disappointed with its flying characteristics.

Adrian

[Jon H]

I have found a few times that my nicely camouflaged and weathered warbirds do a bit of a disappearing act. On my La7 i end up flying a red cowling and spinner, my seafury turns into two red dots (roudels) and a yellow spinner and my Hurricane turns into a single white spec (the spinner) with an even smaller yellow spec (the gas detection patch on the port wing) near by. Its a bit of a worry the first few times but you get used to it in the end and just fly the parts you can see

[Ron Gray]

Tried glasses Jon?

[KiwiKid]

Andy, I have noticed several modelers using a similar camo on their bomber Ju-88s, so there may have been some fighter variants in similar liveries. Things apparently went a bit crazy on the paint front towards the end of the war as paint was in short supply and the Luftwaffe paint shops started using old stocks from earlier in the war and making up their own schemes. Some quite lively discussions ensue on the plastic modelling forums - LOL.

It would probably be preferable to fly the model on sunny days. I have a Luft '46 model with a similar camo job and it is pretty easy to orientate against blue skies, but on overcast or cloudy days you just need a bit of focus so you know the model's attitude even if you momentarily lose orientation.

[Erfolg]

I personally do not get to hung up aver WW2 German camouflage colours.

The early war years are far more certain, upper surfaces being Dark Green and Black Green, more often than not. A night fighter then apparently would have a black under surface.

As the war progressed, things seem to become far less clear. Certainly for night fighters where more often than not, they were painted as per day time fighters. To some extent, camouflage was about being on the ground mainly, as both sides were using radar, on the aircraft, even Fw 190s.

With my own semi scale models generally I have tended to look up images of aircraft. The trouble is these are often less certain than the purist would like. In some cases down to the film and printing processes used, in other cases, the aircraft had often been repainted by one of the allies, then to the museum where conservators, would paint the aircraft as they believed it should be.

I recently saw on television that the current trend is to get back to the original coating where it remains, make an allowance for colour changes with age. Some even try and leave the airframe in whatever paint covering that remains after scraping back.

Kiwikid

I particularly like your flying wing. I am sure you know that it most certainly know it did not really exist. The extent of the general myths became apparent when reading "The German Fighter" by Rudiger Kosin and a few other procurement officers in the RLM and Luftwaffe Secret Bombers of the Third Reich. The vast majority were from brochures as part of the Tender Documents against a Specification in an Invitation to Tender. As such the majority stood no chance, even those being awarded a contract often saw it cancelled. Interesting al the same.

As for your model Lightening, I would be proud to own such a model, even more so if I had built such a fine example.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Just thought I'd let you know that the prototype is still flying well . It completed its 100th flight yesterday . The sound system is still working well and the model is very realistic . I guess that is part of the appeal - creating an image that we can no longer see .

[Andy Meade]

Beautiful shots Rich