Gary's Brian Taylor P-47 build

I'm worried about damp affecting my BT Spitfire wing, can't bring it in to the house as it's chocka with models already!! Think I mentioned before that all the ribs where the retracts sit were cut out (they had been modified for Unitracts that didn't fit). New centre portions of the ribs were spliced in.

Strictly the 'forks' are called torque links, they prevent the fescalised (chromed/machined) lower part of the strut from rotating. On nose landing gear (NLG) struts they transmit steering motor input to the lower part.

The F-104 has a quick release pin instead of a bolt at the NLG centre joint, it has to be removed before towing with a tractor otherwise the steering motor will break (it wasn't me honest!).

Thanks guys.

That's the thing I dont like about fitting retracts Nick, the fact it always becomes trial and error and luck instead of finding a way that you can measure, cut, fit and expect to work! If anyone knows a good technique then please share!

You're correct Gary, I suppose fork is just a lazy name for them. I found that my Moth minor wing and my P-47 wing had winter damage from being outside this year. I think that getting them glassed or covered asap is the best solution if you can't get them in the house. Mine are just going to come in to let them dry out before I re-glue where the bulge has separated from the ribs. I did this with the moth minor wings and within an hour of being inside, they were back to normal and no warps. The are going to be glassed this week then can move back outside for final detailing.

Gary

Edited By Gary Clark 1 on 24/11/2020 08:18:31

Edited By Gary Clark 1 on 24/11/2020 08:19:07

Tailplane, fin and associated fairings now in place and have made a start on applying the panel line tape. A pretty fiddly job but somewhat satisfying; such is modelling.

Agreed Nick, very satisfying part of the build. Seeing yours reminds me of how much I love the shape of the razorback

TI just had my first experience spraying a model with emulsion and it went well! I've been curious about this for a while and after reading an excellent guide by Roy Vaillancourt (Vailly Aviation) it gave .e the confidence to give it a go

Moth minor looks good so will see how it is when it dries but definitely a cheap and easy way of painting. Incredibly easy to clean up after also.

I went into the garage to check on the P-47 wing and the modeling pixies have not come and sorted my retract so looks like I'm going to have to do it.

Gary

Looks great Garry. I have read that article too, so really interesting to see the results. What make of emulsion? What about fuel proofing? Regards the Pixies, I gather they and the elves are otherwise engaged at this time of the year 😂. I still have a few more fiddly bits if tape to apply and then final round of primer on the fus. Wings next. Still waiting for Klass Kote order so will have some time to double check all the control surface hingeing and the retract sequencing.

Edited By Nick Somerville on 28/11/2020 17:55:55

It's just a dulux paint I think. Needed a fair bit of thinning but coverage was great. I reckon this whole 1/4 scale plane (and its 110" span) will use around 1/3rd of a tub of paint so it's incredibly economical. I'm going to fuel proof it with Rustins floor sealer which can be thinned and sprayed.

Gary

That looks really good Gary, is it a satin or gloss? I have used matt before, then klass kote clear over the top.

Cheers

Danny

Its matt Danny but still wet in the photo hence the shine.

Also, it's only inside to speed up the drying process, my wife is understanding but not enough for me to paint inside!!

Gary

Excellent well done. B and Q do an excellent colour matching service which is great for us, take in a colour photo and its sorted.

Look forward to seeing me.

Cheers

Danny

What thinner did you use? I have read that windscreen wiper fluid works well and I have been using it successfully to thin Tamiya acrylics for my first airbrush attempts. Also have used it for wiping down after wet and dry sanding with a soft wipe and it really helps lift the fine particles.

That's one of the huge benefits of emulsion Danny, you can literally match any colour out there.

I used washer fluid and water Nick, the dulux stuff is pretty thick so took a fair bit of thinning. I hadn't thought about using it for clean ups but makes sense that it works well.

I'm heading to the garage now to tackle this retract. If I dont update within a few days then I've been sanctioned.

Gary

I've been meaning to mention for a while, got some pre thinned primer from these guys a while back and it goes straight into the spray gun and sprays great. Brilliant service and lots of good products for when it gets to the finishing stages. This is now my final primer coat of choice

Pre thinned primer

Gary

That’s great value primer, Garry.
You sound a bit like Oates, “I’m going outside and I may be a while”. Hope you can sort the retract.

Last bit of panel tape just laid. What’s with the fiddly panels around the rudder and elevators?

We have a pair of retracts correctly fitted and I'm still same!! Or at least no more insane than I was before...

From my other post, I meant sectioned btw!

In the end it was simple, just needed to move the onboard end of the bearers rearwards about 5mm and problem solved. Those are temporary bearers and then I can copy them to hardwood now I know what size they will be. The forward bearer needs moved a bit at the inward end but will cut a ply brace for the rib to keep them in place properly. I am hoping to get the bearers in and epoxied tomorrow then sort the dihedral brace and the servo placement for the flap and aileron. I'm just going to copy the other wing to try and keep the weight the same on both wings. Feels good to have made a bit of progress.

Nick, she is a beaut. Nothing else required to say

After having seen the photo Gary B had posted earlier in the thread, it gave me that frustrated feeling about giving up on the spit. The guys at sarik are cutting me a new rib set so that I can rebuild its wing at some point so feel better that she isn't a lost project. That just means I have 3 to finish building and a que of builds waiting that I can't number on a public forum incase my wife sees it....

Hope everyone is keeping well.

Gary

Edited By Gary Clark 1 on 03/12/2020 21:34:11

Great to hear Garry and pleased that it didn’t involve too much butchery.

Finished the primer coats on the wings this afternoon. I am still waiting for my KlassKote order so not much to do apart from a final dry fit and check of all the hinged surfaces. The retract sequencer needs programming, which given my lack of technical affinity could keep me busy for a while!

I suppose now is the time to start thinking of what to build next.

First time all assembled. Engine is out and in my winter hack but everything else weighed inc batteries and still looking at 6.5 kg/16.5lbs AUW once engine is back in.

7.5kg/16.5lbs is what I meant

I think that weight is about ideal Nick. There is loads of wing area on the P-47 so that will work out well and enough weight to not be bounced about too much. I'm sure I've asked this before but what paint scheme are you going for?

After seeing your photo, I thought I'd put mine together to see how far behind you I am. Turns out I just need a few more bits of detail and I've caught you up....

When I say detail, i mean 90% of the build...

My goal is to try and get the P-47 to at least the glassed stage before April as I am away for approx 8 months with work. I have also decided that I am going to design and build a shed to store my planes in as the garage is just too damp over the winter. Hopefully, if my plans are correct, I can build one that should keep the majority of the dampness out and it will be insulated to keep the temperature a little more stable, especially since the planes will be there for the best part of a year untouched.

Gary

Looking really good Nick, as Gary says plenty of wing area

Cheers

Danny