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Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: Mark Mc on April 12, 2020, 11:45:05 PM
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I posted these over in the CEF in the thread that was started by someone else, but figured people over here might be interested. Sorry if the pics are a little big, but I just copied everything over from the CEF thread.
CEF member Aspeed posted the plans, so I printed out to size and cut out the rib templates. I thought about using the scroll saw for the ribs, but since there were only a few I decided to do them by hand. I used a glue stick to stick the templates to some scrap 1/8” light ply and cut them out. Then I used some thin CA to harden the edges so the X-Acto knife wouldn’t cut into them when I cut the ribs. I found some pieces of balsa big enough in my scrap pile to make all the ribs.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zXsW7t9t/DSCN6961.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/tYzYC5RW)
(https://i.postimg.cc/2SnWKdYz/DSCN6963.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0z2r6wr3)
(https://i.postimg.cc/GprDwB3v/DSCN6983.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/v4qT5ZVm)
The engine nacelle is 1¼” wide, so I grabbed a piece of ½” scrap and a piece of ¼” scrap and made a sandwich with the ¼” piece in the middle. I glued the engine nacelle template to this and then shaped it. For time’s sake, I decided to just use power tools, rather than hand form it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9Mgw7JdB/DSCN6965.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bDbvX0FG)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Jhqk11tv/DSCN6971.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TyKw0vVJ)
Then I used more…. wait for it…. scrap wood to make the rest of the small parts.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xC1b8WzC/DSCN6975.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rd7pYZgX)
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Looking in the scrap boxes, I had almost everything I’d need to finish. What I didn’t have was the exact spar material. I needed 1/8” x1/4” balsa sticks, which I didn’t have. But I did have a 1/8”x1/2” stick that was long enough, so out came the balsa stripper. If Y’all haven’t got one of these in your tool kit, you should get one. It’s something that I waited entirely too long to acquire.
(https://i.postimg.cc/52J2Ln1M/DSCN6986.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/D8ChKQ8C)
Then it was just putting it all together. Here’re the L.E/T.E./bottom pieces installed:
(https://i.postimg.cc/q7MBZqzb/DSCN6991.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CRXVRFCk)
And the upper spar installed:
(https://i.postimg.cc/d0HQMFCq/DSCN6993.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HJM15f3K)
And ready to cover:
(https://i.postimg.cc/pLBXZzX5/DSCN6996.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/NK5cGyXQ)
The yellow covering is the last of some of the new, poor quality MonoKote I had, and the red is something that was in the bottom of the box, but I don’t know exactly what it is. No markings on the roll.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wx2NWc2N/DSCN7012.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8sFscvqk)
The finished weight is a little more than I was hoping for at 5.25 ounces, but it’ll still zip on an .049. I’m not sure if I’ll stick with this engine. I have a Golden Bee, or I have an anodized red stunt tank I can put on something. Don’t know how I’ll go with this. Maybe I’ll just leave it as is. Who knows. I was right when I though it looked nose heavy. I cut the nose down 1/8” from what the plans said, and it’s still a tad nose heavy. Ah, well. It’s done now.
This is why I like scratch building from old plans. I get a plane that looks like no other. And using scraps helps get rid of the materials laying around. So now that it’s finished, it needs a name. What name for a plane built from leftovers that I scratched from a magazine page? Why, "Scrap ‘N Snip" of course!
Mark
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why be stuck with a nose heavy slug .how hard would it be to make a couple longer booms and end up with a good flying plane S?P
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Very nice. I like it...a lot. - JB
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why be stuck with a nose heavy slug .how hard would it be to make a couple longer booms and end up with a good flying plane S?P
Not hard. But it'd be easier to do a little math, then take a razor saw to the nose and move the engine back... The c.g. is right at 15%, so it's not bad for a simple sport flyer. We'll see.
Mark
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This was one of my favorite planes from when I was a kid. A few years ago I pulled out the old parts that I had left and scratch built another one and enjoy flying it as well. I have 3 new old stock kits on display in my shop.
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Lil' Snip's are fine little airplanes. Go best with a TD on pressure. Quick, simple bild, lots of fun!
A pic of a couple of Snip-based survivors stashed in the closet from back in the day.
(https://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=56235.0;attach=312638;image)
Andre
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What's the story on the Lil' Snip? Who kitted it or was it published? I think I have one in my 1/2A kit stack. Midwest?? It's hell to get old!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Yes, Midwest kitted it.
As drawn, the TD version had a LONG nose moment. I shorted all of my Snip-based TD powered planes. My Snip-based airplanes pictured above (that I called the "Cheap Trick") were originally built for Black Widow combat, but as you can see, I refitted them for bladder and a TD and used them fighting the OKC boys waaay back in the mid-80s. Those two pictured above are the only survivors. A light built Snip w/TD and bladder weighs about 4- 4.5 oz. They're really a nice little airplane.
Andre
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Yes, Midwest kitted it.
As drawn, the TD version had a LONG nose moment. I shorted all of my Snip-based TD powered planes. My Snip-based airplanes pictured above (that I called the "Cheap Trick") were originally built for Black Widow combat, but as you can see, I refitted them for bladder and a TD and used them fighting the OKC boys waaay back in the mid-80s. Those two pictured above are the only survivors. A light built Snip w/TD and bladder weighs about 4- 4.5 oz. They're really a nice little airplane.
Andre
Hey Mingster;
I checked and I do have a Midwest kit. Yours look like they have longer tail booms? There is a guy over in the classifieds looking for a Sterling Viper that has a very similar diamond shaped airfoil. I can remember at least one combat model published that also had a diamond shaped airfoil back in the day, and also reading that this shape for the airfoil wasn't the best for a stunt or combat ship?? I think I am remembering this correctly. I was surprised at the size of the Snip, bigger than the Kombat Kittens, Goldberg Lil Satans and the like that I used to build as a kid. I just might have to try one. Thanks for posting the pictures.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Hi Dan:
What you're seeing in the pics is my effort to take the basic Snip platform (wing/airfoil), and modify it so it was ultra easy to fabricate and build. As kitted, the Snip isn't exactly a quick build, what with a hinged tail/etc.
As I messed with the design, I ended up with longer tail booms to make them a more stable for a 1/2A. Here's a pic of one of my experiments using shorter booms. (And sort of had an intentional "mini-Voodoo" look to it.)
(https://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=56235.0;attach=312784;image)
The two "Cheap Trick's" in my post above were originally built in a batch "Cheap Trick's" for powering with Black Widow's for cheap combat flying with the family/whomever. (Thus have provision for the tank mounted Black Widow's.) The leftovers from that batch got fitted with bladder tubes, and using a Brown fiber beam mount, used TD's on them and flew 'em in hooligan matches against the combat group in OKC that were active at the time. (mid-80s.)
Diamond airfoil magazine articles:
The "Fox Feathers" was another diamond airfoil mag article.
Andre