Author Topic: Time To Finish The Spitfire (Read 9485 times)

kevin king · « **Reply #200 on:** May 25, 2020, 11:01:02 AM »

Charles, It must be quite the learning curve going to electric. I commend you on the change. Me, I will stick to nitro till the bitter end. And, yeah, the paint and graphics stage is where you finally see your efforts pay off!😁 For me, most exciting part of the build. Uplifting indeed!

Avaiojet · « **Reply #201 on:** May 25, 2020, 11:14:33 AM »

Quote from: kevin king on May 25, 2020, 11:01:02 AM

Charles, It must be quite the learning curve going to electric. I commend you on the change. Me, I will stick to nitro till the bitter end. And, yeah, the paint and graphics stage is where you finally see your efforts pay off!😁 Uplifting indeed!

Kevin.

Interested in another Ro Jett 67?

Email if you are.

Charles

kevin king · « **Reply #202 on:** May 25, 2020, 12:37:37 PM »

@ Charles. No, My goal is to build smaller airplanes. I still have to build something for my Brand new Big Jim Greenway ST 60. I Also have the brand new Ro Jett 65 for sale that I didn't use for the Spitfire. Anyone interested contact me. I will give you a good price. I want to start building planes that are easy to load into the car. At 63" , planes like the Spitfire are a problem. No more big planes after that. Appreciate the offer though👍

kevin king · « **Reply #203 on:** May 26, 2020, 08:46:28 AM »

My 'go to' photo of what I'm modeling my spitfire after. Just love this spitfire. Strange how the pilot seems to be blacked out. Maybe the photographer didn't want to pay any royalties? Strange.

MikeCoulombe · « **Reply #204 on:** May 26, 2020, 09:04:52 AM »

Finally got around to checking out your progress.
Awesome job as usual, buddy.
I can not wait to see it in person, remember that you are always welcome in Edmonton and my door is always open.
Hey what do you want for the. 65?
Mick.

kevin king · « **Reply #205 on:** May 26, 2020, 09:40:18 AM »

Mike both Rosalie and I are looking forward to seeing you this year. We will take a week off for your contest and spend some extra time with you and the gang! By the time we leave they'll be empty gallon fuel jugs all over your field. I can't wait😁 I am working hard to get the Spitfire finished! I sent you an email, we can work out a price on the 65.

kevin king · « **Reply #206 on:** May 27, 2020, 08:24:30 AM »

More ink lines.

kevin king · « **Reply #207 on:** May 27, 2020, 12:16:59 PM »

The Ink work is done. Mainframe and parts are ready for clear. But a few things I learned about ink
and fixing mistakes. 1st as Charles pointed out, have the color sealed with a good coat of clear before any ink goes on. I tried getting away with a thin coat of clear and found it hard to remove mistakes with out smudging it up. The surface was still too porous. Especially on white. If I have to remove ink, I now do it in this order: First a plain ordinary Qtip, 2nd a Qtip dampend with Windex, 3rd a bit of Gorhams or a polishing compound on a Qtip, 4th M600 on a Qtip. I only use alcohol as a last resort. Ink pens: The best pens were Rotring Isograph. Good pens are the Staedtler Marsmatic 700. Worst pens were the Rapidograph Koh-I-Noor. Things I will never do again: remove the fine wire that's in the tip of the pen. It only takes a few bends to snap the wire trying to get it back in. Expensive lesson! Better to just flush the pen out with water when it stops working.

Avaiojet · « **Reply #208 on:** May 27, 2020, 06:42:31 PM »

Quote from: kevin king on May 27, 2020, 12:16:59 PM

The Ink work is done. Mainframe and parts are ready for clear. But a few things I learned about ink
and fixing mistakes. 1st as Charles pointed out, have the color sealed with a good coat of clear before any ink goes on. Even with a coat of clear I found it hard to remove mistakes with out smudging it up. Especially on white. If I have to remove ink, I now do it in this order: First a plain ordinary Qtip, 2nd a Qtip dampend with Windex, 3rd a bit of Gorhams or a polishing compound on a Qtip, 4th M600 on a Qtip. I only use alcohol as a last resort. Ink pens: The best pens were Rotring Isograph. Good pens are the Staedtler Marsmatic 700. Worst pens were the Rapidograph Koh-I-Noor. Things I will never do again: remove the fine wire that's in the tip of the pen. It only takes a few bends to snap the wire trying to get it back in. Expensive lesson! Better to just flush the pen out with water when it stops working.

Kevin,

You do excellent work so don't give yourself a Gibb's slap behind the head.

About ink lines.

You know I always look for the easiest way to do whatever I have to do on my models. Generally.

An example: I no longer use color auto base paints or colored dope. I'm sick and tired of mixing paint, using spray equipment and then the clean-up. Also the cost.

I'm proud to say I've mastered aerosol cans.

For the level I elect to have my models finished at,

I can say I mastered ink lines also.

My background as an illustrator, I used Rapidograph pens as you mentioned above. Costly.

I wouldn't spend the money today. I don't have the money today.

Here's what I used for a pen on my P-40. I did a Thread.

Thickness of the line is controlled by pressure and speed. You can't change the tip and they don't last all that long. You would need a couple for some of the models I see. Only 3 or 4 bucks.

https://stunthanger.com/smf/paint-and-finishing/secret-exposed!-pen-lines-photos-added!!/

Charles

kevin king · « **Reply #209 on:** May 28, 2020, 01:09:05 AM »

Charles, spray cans do lay down exceptional coats of paint. I agree with you. They definitely have there place in the hobby. Glad you found a system that works well for you. Same with your method of panel lines on the P40 which I have read several times. You have a very good system there Charles.

kevin king · « **Reply #210 on:** May 28, 2020, 11:09:35 AM »

Getting the props done while waiting for the weather to break for spraying the main frame.

kevin king · « **Reply #211 on:** May 28, 2020, 11:10:28 AM »

Weeeee! 😁 🎵The prop on the Spit goes 'round n 'round, 'round n 'round, 'round and 'round, The prop on the Spit goes 'round and 'round, all day long 🎵😆 *Check out my video. Life is just better when you have a Spitfire in your fleet! ⬇️

kevin king · « **Reply #212 on:** May 30, 2020, 01:46:13 PM »

For the Spitfire Props I wanted to add the ROTOL name and emblems. So I made decals.

kevin king · « **Reply #213 on:** May 30, 2020, 01:50:01 PM »

kevin king · « **Reply #214 on:** May 30, 2020, 01:57:32 PM »

kevin king · « **Reply #215 on:** May 30, 2020, 01:59:31 PM »

kevin king · « **Reply #216 on:** May 30, 2020, 02:00:45 PM »

Decals

kevin king · « **Reply #217 on:** May 30, 2020, 02:53:03 PM »

Brian Eather 3 blade CF and a Zinger 13x6. Special thanks goes to Motorman. Brian Eather no longer finishes props, so it came off the mold and was sent to Motorman who finished the work on it. Very kind of you sir!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👍

kevin king · « **Reply #218 on:** May 30, 2020, 03:02:27 PM »

27 % Humidy today. Perfect weather for spraying. I made good progess. Got the clear sprayed on all the ink lines, letra sets, edges, ribs & rib bay edges, and anywhere the paint lines met. Did all the parts and the main frame. * And yes, I do spray fluently with my left hand. Thanks for asking.

Avaiojet · « **Reply #219 on:** May 30, 2020, 03:18:34 PM »

Kevin,

You are the man!

No fake BOM for you, out in the open, literally, and doing an incredible job.

Outstanding!

I wouldn't fly it, but that's me.

I suggest you build another Spitfire using all the short cuts and fly that one.

Save this one. At least for a while.

Charles

kevin king · « **Reply #220 on:** May 30, 2020, 03:48:51 PM »

You're right Charles. Nice models have hinderd my flying, but I'm just a sport flyer anyway. It's just not worth an airplane. Nailing 5' foot bottom square 8's is tempting fate. I am working on it though. A friend gave me a slow combat plane to practice learning the pattern with. Something I should have done years ago. Competition has never interested me, but if I can't fly a pattern then I'm kind of excluded from contests.

kevin king · « **Reply #221 on:** May 30, 2020, 04:50:26 PM »

Spraying the top of the Spitfire now, except I am using wetter coats and being alot more deliberate... Same deal, edges, ribs, inklines and anywhere two different colors meet, or 'tape edges'.

Avaiojet · « **Reply #222 on:** May 30, 2020, 05:46:30 PM »

Quote from: kevin king on May 30, 2020, 03:48:51 PM

You're right Charles. Nice models have hinderd my flying, but I'm just a sport flyer anyway. It's just not worth an airplane. Nailing 5' foot bottom square 8's is tempting fate. I am working on it though. A friend gave me a slow combat plane to practice learning the pattern with. Something I should have done years ago. Competition has never interested me, but if I can't fly a pattern then I'm kind of excluded from contests.

Kevin,

Sport flying is good, that's exactly what I do. I fly around doing endless circles till the engine quits.

Well, a loop or two, maybe, and half a lap inverted. Sound familiar?

I'll bet some modelers fly this way their entire lives. Nothing wrong with that.

Don't fly the Spitfire. Use it for static display to promote the hobby. You know, shopping mall stuff, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Church events are great, stuff like that. I'd even take it to Karate Dojos. Lots of kids there. And it works.

You never know who you could inspire. To just get one person interested in the hobby is a good thing. Inspiration, I still remember everyone, who I benefited from, that gave me great inspiration growing up. Especially the guys who were modelers.

Hey! You inspire me. I told you that.

So. $ell that other engine and keep the Spitfire. It's nice to look at and always will be. It won't be if you bang the crap out of it.

You can always fly it years down the road, after all, you are young.

Charles

Craig Beswick · « **Reply #223 on:** May 31, 2020, 03:08:37 AM »

Extraordinary work Kevin.
Congratulations.

Craig

kevin king · « **Reply #224 on:** May 31, 2020, 06:36:06 AM »

Thanks Craig.👍

kevin king · « **Reply #225 on:** May 31, 2020, 06:40:53 AM »

@ Charles. No, I will fly the heck out of it. I will just be careful that's all. But thanks for your kind words. 👍Appreciate it.

kevin king · « **Reply #226 on:** June 01, 2020, 01:43:18 PM »

kevin king · « **Reply #227 on:** June 06, 2020, 08:28:32 PM »

Got 2 full coats of clear on the main frame. Scuff sanded and ready for round 2. Thanks to my wife Rosalie who supports my love of the hobby.

kevin king · « **Reply #228 on:** June 18, 2020, 09:09:10 PM »

Air Ministry . · « **Reply #229 on:** June 21, 2020, 01:31:41 AM »

Very Good. Us long haired scruffy blokes need to stick together.

or do you just dress up for painting . $:-\$

With a bleedy great brass nose weight in the spinner , it'd be mega docile . Though not F2Bable . for earliest flights .
and'd be stable with the engine ' backed off ' . which it wouldnt be if you put the weight in the other end .

ANYWAY , inverted on a table top ( nose & fin tip ), the tipweight should securely pull the tip, from In'bd tip on table top .
Id try 1/2 in. Fwd of the plan C.G. at first . or even initially One Inch , if youre not after the scedule on the first flights .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting a few dozen schedules in , on some old dog , before trying it on something nice isnt to silly. Either . Even 100 or 200 flights gets you familiar with the nuaences ./
A old Nobler with a FSR 25 on 55 Ft eye to Eye'd simulte it o.k. . Or suchlike . Tho the combat wings the best idea for ' exploration ' .

A flight of repeat individual manouveres till the eyes hang out can help too. Gets the automa tic reflex conections dialed in .
You need time at new fields too , for the background to adjust .

or perception thereof at least . So UNDISTRACTED .

So initial flights at your FAMILIAR FIELD . So you know the nuaences of the winds etc etc .
or a blast on a knockabout on the day. Beforehand . so the reflexes are in .

a bit of fast combat and stunt IS Slow . So no paint fumes for a week beforehand .

Yr gunna haveta getitin ' appearance ' at the nats .

kevin king · « **Reply #230 on:** June 21, 2020, 06:42:40 AM »

Ha ha @ Air Ministry. I wasn't expecting to be recorded that morning hence my shabby appearance. Plus they closed down all the barber shops due to the pandemic. Thanks for the pre flight info. I appreciate it. 👍

kevin king · « **Reply #231 on:** July 20, 2020, 10:50:35 PM »

Spitfire's Ro Jett 67LS engine break-in.

kevin king · « **Reply #232 on:** July 25, 2020, 12:37:19 PM »

Last break-in run on the Spitfire's Ro Jett 67 Long Stroke. 7.5 percent nitro methane, 20 percent mix of castor / synthetic oil. 10x6 break-in prop.

kevin king · « **Reply #233 on:** July 26, 2020, 07:41:23 AM »

Ok ladies, time to start Buffin out the Spitfire! And a month drying time allowed me to knock out a half eh Sig Skyray.😁

kevin king · « **Reply #234 on:** July 26, 2020, 09:10:07 AM »

Because I hate sanding scratches so much, and they seem almost impossible to remove, I'm going to try sanding all the clear with 2500 or finer. Hate sanding scratches!

kevin king · « **Reply #235 on:** July 26, 2020, 10:43:50 AM »

Ya man, I like it. Sanding out with 2500 and a fairly ridged foam sanding block? I can't see any down side to it.

kevin king · « **Reply #236 on:** July 26, 2020, 11:22:52 AM »

But then again I sand the dope flat after almost every coat so there isn't a lot of orange peel at this stage.

kevin king · « **Reply #237 on:** July 31, 2020, 08:31:19 AM »

Wow. Of all the chemicals i'm exposed to at work and in this hobby, never thought it would be Windex that would do me in. Over the last 4 days I was wet sanding with it then yesterday found I had trouble breathing. Its the ammonia in there. Feels like I breathed in fire. Lungs and throat feel scorched. Never want to even see a bottle of it again. Ever. Will stick to water and dish soap going forward. Good news is all the paint is flattened with the 2500 grit. Next step will be to polish with 3M Perfect It 2.

kevin king · « **Reply #238 on:** July 31, 2020, 04:29:56 PM »

The pressure is on too get this plane done for Edmonton contest. Elevator sanded with 2500 grit wet or dry, polished with 3m #2 Perfect It. Still have to polish with #3, then apply the Glaze, then sealant, then wax and final assembly.

kevin king · « **Reply #239 on:** August 09, 2020, 02:48:39 PM »

I can't do it. If I brought the plane to the contest I couldn't fly it. It's not finished. Tried my best though. Not eating, not sleeping and rushing took its toll on my health. It should be the most enjoyable part of the build. They will have to wait another year. Instead I brought Tsunami out. Put the engine back in, gave it a nice greasy coat of Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze, one coat of Jet Seal's Sealant and paint Protectant to seal the shine in and protect the paint against UV light, followed by a coat of Mother's pure Brazilian paste Wax non abrasive formula.

kevin king · « **Reply #240 on:** August 09, 2020, 02:53:34 PM »

I have to say, for an 18 year old airplane, the all dope paint job on Tsunami still looks great. I firmly believe that without the silver undercoat, a plane would never last as long as one that does. UV rays, even if they are indirect, will eventually rot your plane from the inside out. It's just not worth it to me anyways, to try and save an ounce of weight by skipping this step, or worse, using a primer that has absolutely zero protection from the sun.

Air Ministry . · « **Reply #241 on:** August 14, 2020, 09:10:23 AM »

Ya missed a bit ! .

Theres still some polish stuck in the rudder hingeline .

kevin king · « **Reply #242 on:** August 14, 2020, 10:12:15 AM »

Quote from: Air Ministry . on August 14, 2020, 09:10:23 AM

Ya missed a bit ! .

Theres still some polish stuck in the rudder hingeline .

HA HA! Sorry, but I don't do hinge lines. 😋

TDM · « **Reply #243 on:** August 18, 2020, 06:21:15 AM »

Very nice indeed Kevin. It is in the same kind of building quality with the best I have seen. I would love too see some videos with flights.

kevin king · « **Reply #244 on:** August 18, 2020, 10:33:48 PM »

TDM: Here is the last flight on Tsunami after the contest. I was basically just using up the last 6oz in my fuel jug so I didn't have to bring it home with me. I told Mike there would be "empty fuel jugs all over the field" when I was done, so I was just following through on my word. Except I put his name on the jug so he would get the blame for littering! 🤣🤣🤣

kevin king · « **Reply #245 on:** August 18, 2020, 10:36:54 PM »

Mike, just joking, I threw the jug in the garbage after.😁 It was great flying with you again! *Photo by Bruce Perry.

kevin king · « **Reply #246 on:** August 26, 2020, 12:04:02 PM »

Back from the Prairie Fire Contest in Edmonton. We had a great time. First class contest. Thank you to Bruce Perry and all his crew that put on a great show. We will be back in 2021.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Ok, time to finish off the Spitfire. Rabe rudder installed.

kevin king · « **Reply #247 on:** August 28, 2020, 11:26:03 AM »

Hard to believe I am going to have this plane done soon. I started it 15 years ago.

kevin king · « **Reply #248 on:** September 05, 2020, 01:46:41 AM »

After 40 hours of polishing It's finally finished. Thanks to all that followed along. Thanks so much to the people that contributed. . You know who you are. And thank you Charles for all your encouragement along the way!
Kevin King.