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Ron Collins F86 - foam/carbon build


Mike Chantler
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Thanks for the link Martin. Got some 180 from Toolstation but have now ordered some 600. Will be surprised if this is as clog free as the 180 but thought I'd give it a try as was so impressed. Complete revelatrevelation ? Must order some for belt sander as well.

Edited by Mike Chantler
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8 hours ago, Andy Meade said:

Great work Mike, she's looking smooth!  I'm a sanding mesh convert for a few years now too, I love it.

Thanks for the encouragement Andy. She is now much smoother, but ... has quite a few dimples curtesy of my 'local' sanding when I was getting frustrated and a PU glue seam in one place. Am now looking for a colour scheme that will most disguise the blemishes (!) Would not feel quite so embarrassed if it wasn't for all the incredible MB Sabres. Lots of great tips as well - must make a set of notes for Mike for the next build (I have a tendency to repeat mistakes lol).

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... Note for Mike...

 

If you feel that you will be staring at those 'blemishes' constantly after your final coat, just take care of them right now... you won't regret it.

Still plenty of opportunity at this stage... just fill them with some Sauce...

 

I'm out of building the Dog since a while now due to health issues, but as I noticed some small discrepancy at the junction of the canopy/fuselage, that will be the first thing to handle when I'm back t it. Otherwise, I'll be constantly staring at it...

 

Cheers

Chris

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Thanks guys, much appreciated - will sort the few dings left with some local sauce application and have a look at the dimples. Have found a few sympathetic camo schemes ?

It's the general shape that is a bit frustrating (yes - can see why the MB uses formers and planks now  ? ? )

 

 

While I remember - below is what is going through my head for the next model, as I'm going to persevere with foam a bit more after this one ?

 

Lessons/guesses/gotyas so far for Mike I think, version 0 :

1. Use depron box core (with carbon reinforcement) kind of as this build.

2. But add longitudinal spine and formers every 2". Infill with XPS blocks (ignore temptation to simply carve foam from 2d hot-wired shape!!). Use minimal glue on exposed joints to avoid glue ridges.

3. Shape using mesh abrasives 80 grit on belt sander.

4. Clear workshop (especially tools off work surface!!) and refine shape using semi-flexible sanding blocks on soft, clean worktop with 80 & 240 grit mesh 

5. Apply two coats contrasting colour sauce and use 240grit mesh, refine with 600?

6. Spray with light primer to check shape, and repeat 5 as necessary.

7. Glass with 25g/m2, infusion resin and peelply.

8. Apply one/two (?) coats contrasting colour sauce and use 240grit mesh, refine with 600.

9. Spray primer 

10. And still no idea about best top coats ...

 

I have a part built WW2 PSS that I abandoned 4 yrs a go - so am thinking about thinking I'll get it out and apply the sauce once I've finished this one ? 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

So I'm still battling with filler and sandpaper. Decided I didn't like the local sanding bumps so did more sauce as McG suggested ? Sorted out the bumps but still had lots of pinhole effects in places and gritty bits. Experimented with a few fillers ... IMG_20210806_155500.thumb.jpg.f87621d6e4353183026d7af3ae8c2c9f.jpg

 

I'm now kind of settling on a sauce mix + some spot filling with the 1k filler.  But all the experiments took me ages, and I still get quite a lot of pin hole and gritty effects.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Changed my mind about the aileron linkages after seeing an F5J Aileron linkage video by flightcomp and decided to see if I could get hidden linkages without too much slop.

 

 

 

IMG_20210901_230915.thumb.jpg.09d978882116bda6c07e1e7452068a94.jpg

 

IMG_20210901_231452.thumb.jpg.0d642c650669623b34260a7384dd8e1c.jpg

 

IMG_20210907_154758.thumb.jpg.a015aafc96bed9754fc38c8a7c9a07f1.jpg

 

After a lot of faffing I got it all fitted - but there is more slop than I would of liked - servo mounts are solid, but wee bit of slop in servo link/screwed rod, + a bit of movement in the servo output shaft. next time I will use more exposed aileron horns to lengthen the lever arm. I have some IDS drives but they looked a faff to fit in this wing but the external bearings would definitely help prevent the output shaft movement.

 

IMG_20210905_162628.thumb.jpg.ea894ea22cb66596a73291abb1411622.jpg

Edited by Mike Chantler
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  • 2 months later...

Have not done much due to work, DIY, and for some not really wanting to carve/fill any more foam! However, finally attacked it a bit and did wing tips and centre fairing. The latter stumped me for a while because of horrible experience with laminated foam. If I'd been going the balsa route I would of just built up laminations on the underside of the wing and sanded to shape. After a lot of distraction activities, I ended up re-cutting the centre section on the foam cutter, Picture1.thumb.png.8155ec8197e5bd0ee3daab645875a441.png

 

fixing the bottom foam bits to the wing, and then hand-hot-wiring the bottom bit to fuselage shape using a couple of quick front and back templates.

 

IMG_20211116_193606.thumb.jpg.418bd74960b92fb7f836e15bf78bec7e.jpg

 

Worked out fine I think, if not very scale like, but still, it will stop the rear step of the fuselage digging up our Scottish hills ? Now I have to cover the wing with 25g glass.

Edited by Mike Chantler
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Stuck the servos in the tailplane, a bit of a cheat, and a bit ugly. The 25g glass on top of quite light foam proved very difficult to neatly cut and I hadn't realised that I had selected the one bit of very light EPS I had in the garage for the tail ? So it ended up very messy looking ? but am not going to recut and cover new tailplane in heavier foam. Using a double layer of 25g glass at the critical bits may also have improved it. Looks fine from the top ?

IMG_20211116_193844.jpg

 

May just put filler over those ugly servo installations.

Edited by Mike Chantler
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  • 1 month later...

Made various rookie finishing mistakes on the wing, but it now has a couple coats of primer on top of 25g glass, this seems to have sanded down ok enough for a matte or perhaps semi-gloss top coat. Am going to cheat with the pilot and have ordered a 3D printer ? once it and ultra simple cockpit bits done I'll have a go at gluing on the canopy which I am dreading a bit ...

IMG_20220106_230209.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

After a period of too much work and merriment got a bit of enthusiasm back for this foam model.  Burnt one tail servo out by reversing polarity of supply - the deep fill prima ontop of red wire made it look just like a brown 0v - and having convinced myself that I'd got the 0v and signal wired up correctly, I then ignored the colours in the remaining connection lol. Then sorted tail - lining things up when you don't have a good datum is always something i hate, but actually went together ok

 

IMG_20220216_181939.thumb.jpg.246539f68eeb7291355eb3158a0061e1.jpg

 after messing around with quite a few jigs, 

IMG_20220216_183513.thumb.jpg.e14cb9f5330c0840a0fff20e41dd1051.jpg

usually i use mdf but here twisted garden wire seemed just right combination of easy-peasy to adjust while having just enough rigidity ?  

IMG_20220216_183528.thumb.jpg.7f8cb35a1406306fe008ec4010e53b46.jpg

 

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Used 3mm foam as base to glue canopy.

IMG_20220217_173618.thumb.jpg.54a58d0efed190ff24358cae87344768.jpg

Filled in gussets round tail and cockpit using light filler + WBP (no water or talc). Made slightly on the runny side and used with 20ml syringe and posh masking tape.

IMG_20220219_120848.thumb.jpg.e24efdf9a8e5a8c3a9a9976688886eed.jpg

 

Finally coming together ? 

IMG_20220219_164057.thumb.jpg.6fb51cd49423c9d7140717017b924594.jpg

This has to be the slowest build ever, and it's only cartoon scale lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

Flashed and programmed Rx, all the bits seem to work,  Sprayed wings inside at 15 degrees C, fuselage outside at  4.5C.a tent, wings definitely have better finish, but I think that this may be because I was holding the plane further away when spraying outside which gave the paint a chance to dry mid-air. Recommend temperature is down to 5C I think. Think I will experiment with Montana low pressure gold cans next time for more control.

 

IMG_20220302_094714.jpg

 

Very impressed by the Montana cans, give really good coverage straight over yellow primer.

 

IMG_20220302_092351.jpg

 

 Used BLK3020 Fire Rose - dead pleased ? as I think is very close the Canadian Team's red.

 

IMG_20220302_092321.jpg

 

 

Now have to decide how to do markings and panel lines. Experimented with .5 black pen - ok but cannot get them to look 'straight' on the fuselage! Help!

 

Edited by Mike Chantler
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Hey Mike - looking very dapper in her red clothes!  Great finish so far.  If you're worried about the air temp when spraying I usually give my cans a bath in the kitchen sink with the hottest water the tap can provide.  Loosens up the paint and increases the pressure a touch.

 

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Thanks Andy - no where near the finish of a lot of the PSS on this forum, but I'm actually quite surprised with the way she has ended up, the Montana paints are fab.  Did try bring the cans in from the garage to the house - which I think helped, but will your trick with hot water next time :

 

 

What I'm wondering about is how you get fuselage panel lines correct like on the one below and looking ok in plan view:

 

Picture1.png

 

I hade a quick try and the two sides of a single panel line were completely different, thinking of a laser level line as a guide?

Edited by Mike Chantler
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In all honesty, I struggle Mike!  Yes a laser may help, but the best tool I've found is low-tack masking tape, like yellow Frog tape.

then it's just (!) a matter of very carefully going round with your pen up against it.  Other one to try is a bendy ruler, the type I used in school for drawing nicer graph curves.  I think they have a lead core, so that they can bend about and keep their shape.

 

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