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.
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.
EricV
Topic: Starfire II (Read 4689 times)