stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: Eric Viglione on February 17, 2010, 02:04:01 PM
-
Well, Starfire # 2 is well on it's way to becoming air-born. Got the ever present bones shot here to post. I'll highlight a few build photo's for ya while I'm at it. Shaved a few ounces off the components compared to the first one, but not sure how the all up weight will turn out until I get that evil painting stuff done. HB~>
Starfire II is getting a PA65 instead of a PA61 like Starfire 1 has. Not that I really needed it, just came across one. This is no small airplane, and is basically identical in plan-form to a Dreadnought without the turtle deck.
Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, I forgot to put in the plywood cowl mounting tabs when I did my balsa 1/8" doublers. (these designs don't use plywood doublers). So, I found a dremel stone and plug cutter of the correct size and made them round. Worked great!
I 3D modeled my block canopy, people have asked how I do it, so am including some pics. I just bend a strip of balsa tacked to another scrap laying over the plans to get the side view and trace it out on paper. Then cut out the top view and trace onto the block. Cut on band saw, then sand to shape.
A good block plane or razor plane is a wonderful thing to avoid dust clouds, at least for removing bulk before you break out the sandpaper.
Next pix shows K&S tubing cutter, alum tubing and screw insets. This is an upgrade from first Starfire where I left the screws showing and they crushed the balsa.
Joined wing, clipped tips, engine and tank install sorted out.
Last pic shows the bone's how she sits today. Got to do those stinkin' flap and elevator fairings on the fuselage still, but I'll do them when it's mounted in the paint stand. I just taped on the rudder and control surfaces for the picture.
I'll take another pass or two with sandpaper once she's in the Byron Barker paint stand and try to round a little more and shed a few more grams of balsa. n~
EricV
-
That looks great Eric! Can't wait to see it in paint!
-
Look Out, Eric's havin' fun now!
Look great. I like this design a lot. Paint schemes dancing in your head yet?
-
Good Work Eric
It looks like your having fun, also looks like your doing a great job on the new ship
Randy
-
Looks nice!
What is the weight of wing in the 2nd from last photo?
Have lately been considering foam wings as a time and $$ saver but have never been able to build them light enough.
David
-
Funny you should mention that... yup. I haven't made up my mind 100% yet on a trim scheme, but I'll give you a hint. I don't want another white airplane. n1 I live in Florida, so it won't be black (not on top anyways), and I just bought a new metallic color from KlassKote to add to my collection. S?P
EricV S?P
Look Out, Eric's havin' fun now!
Look great. I like this design a lot. Paint schemes dancing in your head yet?
-
Thanks Dave! - My weights list isn't clear if I have one for that exact stage, but the halves were 4.2 and 4.5 ounces each, sheeted, before clipping the angle off of the tips to put on the tip blocks. This is a big wing at nearly 700squares, and I feel any tiny weight penalty is worth the extra sturdyness. Especially if you fly on rough cut grass or have friends with pens in their pockets... :o
Looks nice!
What is the weight of wing in the 2nd from last photo?
Have lately been considering foam wings as a time and $$ saver but have never been able to build them light enough.
David
-
Eric plane looks good weight of 8.7 ozs is not bad. My new SV22 wing wing weights in at 13 ozs with controls and 3 coats clear on it all wood work weight is 27 1/2 ozs.
-
Very nice work Eric.......I keep trying to get over to fly with youse guys, but you know how plans work out.....and with the weather lately........
Phil
-
Excellent job Eric! See ya soon!
-
Cant wait to see it in paint!
-
Really SWEET, Eric! Can't wait to see it. You planning on Huntersville in May? WE are hoping to be there, and even flying! LL~
Big Bear
-
Thanks guys, can't wait to git-r-done myself. Looking forward to flying with y'all soon. The weather has not been cooperative at all lately, but it has lead to some extra shop sessions at least. ::)
Bill - Thanks! But not sure if I can swing both a huntersville trip and a Nats this year, gotta pick my battles if ya know what I mean, heh. ;)
EricV
-
Thanks guys, can't wait to git-r-done myself. Looking forward to flying with y'all soon. The weather has not been cooperative at all lately, but it has lead to some extra shop sessions at least. ::)
Bill - Thanks! But not sure if I can swing both a huntersville trip and a Nats this year, gotta pick my battles if ya know what I mean, heh. ;)
EricV
Hi Eric,
Well, I can see that if you are planning on the NATS that Huntersville might be a stretch. But, if you DO make it, I will be looking for you! ;D I wish there were more contests in our Region, maybe the Atlanta/Marietta gang will come back. ( ??? )
Don't have a clue as to when I can make the NATS again.......
Bill
-
Since you last saw the Starfire #2, it got doped, silkspanned and doped and filled some more, then primered.
Got a bunch of sanding and spot-re-priming to do probably... looks like a battleship more than a stunt plane in gray, don't it? Heh...
It's kinda intimidating putting my junk up here with all you top notch finishers... but here's where she sits as of today.
EricV
-
That looks awesome Eric! I'm not gonna post any pictures of my junk in primer because it will look so laughably bad! But your bird looks really good there. That stuff still sanding easy?
-
Looking real good. Did you use the expoxy method for attaching the sheeting the the foam? And if you go with that tank (no reason not to) you might want to dab some JB-weld on the bottom of the tank where the tubes attach. This will dampen the vibration that can occur from those long tubes being stuck in the slipstream behind a PA-65. This vibration can cause a failure in the solder where the tubes enter the tank resulting in a leak that you won't catch until you are at a major contest. I learned that lesson the hard way...and that was behind a mere ST-51. 8)
-
Since you last saw the Starfire #2, it got doped, silkspanned and doped and filled some more, then primered.
Got a bunch of sanding and spot-re-priming to do probably... looks like a battleship more than a stunt plane in gray, don't it? Heh...
It's kinda intimidating putting my junk up here with all you top notch finishers... but here's where she sits as of today.
EricV
Looks darn good to me Eric!!!! It sure doesn't look like junk at all. Can't wait to see it finished y1
-
Since you last saw the Starfire #2, it got doped, silkspanned and doped and filled some more, then primered.
Got a bunch of sanding and spot-re-priming to do probably... looks like a battleship more than a stunt plane in gray, don't it? Heh...
It's kinda intimidating putting my junk up here with all you top notch finishers... but here's where she sits as of today.
EricV
Eric,
If you can't stand your "junk" anymore, don't suffer for one more minute: just send it to me right away and get rid of it! I can even consider paying for the shipping! See? You'll always find a charitable soul willing to help...
LL~ LL~ LL~ LL~ LL~ LL~ LL~
Lovely ship man! 8)
Keep us posted with the finishing stages.
Regards,
Claudio H^^
-
Well Claudio beat me to it. It looks much better than my stuff at this point. What is going to be the base color? H^^
-
Youz guyz...heh...thanks. b1
Steve - Your new DN is going to kick butt! The stuff sands like butter still...
Pete - Epoxy. I also had a tank failure right at the tube entry point on the first Starfire, I ended up putting in a new tank, with RTV silicone on the tubing to hold it from vibrating.
Matt - Me too! I can't wait to wrap those leadouts! (That's an on-going joke with me, because it's always the last thing I do after I'm done painting and start bench trimming)
It's a fine line with me right now to work quickly and yet still try not botch it up doing a rush job... oh, all the while trying to come up with something unique for the paint scheme but also keeping it from turning into a lead sled. I'm pretty excited about this one. #^ I just hope it matches the vision I have in my head.
EricV
-
Looks good Eric.
-
Thanks Derek...but see, told you my woodwork and prepwork wasn't "all-that"... The primer is the truth detector and doesn't lie... how embarrasing... my planes got the measles! n~
After I took these pictures last night, I noticed a few more low spots, so I just brushed on some primer here and there rather than break out the spray gun.
It ought to be ready for the first base coat after the next sanding session...
Maybe this is why no one hardly ever posts pic's at this stage... it sure ain't purdy. It looks like heck, but feels smoooooth and candle's good. I guess that's all that matters. ::)
EricV
-
Thanks Derek...but see, told you my woodwork and prepwork wasn't "all-that"... The primer is the truth detector and doesn't lie... how embarrasing... my planes got the measles! n~
After I took these pictures last night, I noticed a few more low spots, so I just brushed on some primer here and there rather than break out the spray gun.
It ought to be ready for the first base coat after the next sanding session...
Maybe this is why no one hardly ever posts pic's at this stage... it sure ain't purdy. It looks like heck, but feels smoooooth and candle's good. I guess that's all that matters. ::)
EricV
No It looks great, that is HOW it is supposed to look at this stage
Randy
-
No It looks great, that is HOW it is supposed to look at this stage
Randy
Yep!
-
Looks darn good to me Eric!!! Mine looked like that when it was in prime. If you really want to pick up on extremely small flaws, spray on a coat of silver, you should see what shows up :o
-
Thanks guys, I appreciate hearing that, because mine always look this way at this stage and I just assumed that somehow everyone else's looked somewhat different. (PE**)
You don't see a lot of pic's posted at this stage, so I'm glad I put them up and hope it helps others who may have felt the same way I did.
As a matter of fact, I think I'll start a thread in the painting/finishing forum called "Post your sanded primer pic's here". Just so we can all commiserate over what our ugly ducklings looked like before they (hopefully) became swans. ;D
Thanks again,
EricV
-
HI Eric,
Like Randy and Derek said, if it DOESN"T look like that, then you haven't sanded it properly. ;D
Big Bear