Greetings to everyone. Some folks, over on RCG, told me of this site. So, I had to check it out. A great site! First off, I have never been a person with the ability to do the stunt pattern(s). Same with RC. Mostly because I do 99% scale in both CL, early years, and RC. But, I alway's loved the sleek beauty of some of the stunt planes, as a young person. But, I can do some basic stuff, which is usually better than most I flew around, surprisingly.
The first time I saw the Ares, I was 10yrs old. It was the most beautiful stunt model I ever saw. The man who built it, knew what he was doing. It made me feel good, that he used a well run McCoy .35. These were the only engines I could afford. IIRC, the .19 was 6.95 and the .35 was 8.95. He finished it leaving sections of wing and stab in clear, with several color trim. I think it was kitted by Ambroid, then. I vowed to build one someday. Well..53yrs later and I'm finally doing it. Last time I flew CL was 40yrs ago!
A local friend decided I needed a push, to join some of our RC club members in flying CL, and purchased the Brodak Ares. One of the first things to catch my eye, was a beautiful glass cowl. My thoughts were to build this in a visual classic style, allowing some modern practices. So, the glass cowl stayed and the cloth hinges were used. I never could do a respectable job attaching cloth hinges. Over the years I learned much more than I knew then, so I decided to try something new.
The wings/stab/elev are covered in Poly-Span and sealed with reg hardware store satin lacquer 50/50. Oh..did I mention that this is electric? I have been 100% electric since 1998. I used Balsa-Rite to attach the PS. I also used it to attach the supplied cloth hinges with an iron. Few coats of lacquer and the best dang job I ever did on these type of hinges. I had planed on doing three section hinges, but not enough ribbon, settled on two section.
At present, I still need to hollow out the balsa blocks and set up a few hatch areas for access. Fuselage will be covered in GM silk span. Even with the blocks not hollowed, it is quite light. The pic of the Brodak model shows an offset rudder. Plans call for no offset. I split the diff and made the vertical as a flat bottom airfoil, ala Nobler and a few others. No wing tip weight either. This is my first "I" beam wing. I'm pleased with the way it came out. Very stout and light. For the purists, I plan on making a mock McCoy red-head in the cowl.
The electric system consists of a Extreme Flight Torque 2818/900, ZTW 40 ESC and the timer still to be purchased. Graupner 10-5E 3b and 4s-2200 Zippy. 450W available IIRC. Have patience with my progress, as I build a lot for other people. Thats how I support our hobby.
Fuzz (Steve St.Martin)
Topic: 1959 Bill Werwage Ares Electric(Brodak) (Read 5866 times)