Colin
Looking good ,I like the idea of yours for setting up for cutting the cowl
David C
PowerPlanes International Maule M5 Lunar Rocket
Re: PowerPlanes International Maule M5 Lunar Rocket
Well sorry, been forgetting to take photos and update this blog as the building has progressed.
There have been a few issues - like how to make and fit the wing struts. The original kit used document binding strips as a basis for these with wire loops pushing into holes in the fuselage at the bottom, and at the wing end, wires fitting into brass tubes fitted into the bottom of the wing - and after mocking up the first one I did not like either the materials used or the fixing method.
As an alternative I stripped some sheet and shaped the strips to an aerofoil shape. I then used magnets rather than the wire fixings and am quite pleased with the results.
Another problem was the fairing over the u/c leg. According to the plan this was a simple wire triangle that was soldered to the u/c leg. No indication of final finish but I guess it was intended to be Solarfilmed over.
Again when I made the first, when comparing it to the original, the fairing was far too small so again that was binned and instead I made wood fairings with brackets attaching it to the u/c leg - a vast improvement.
The kit showed just an open cabin area which I did not like, so I made a removable cabin floor which hides the radio gear and servos, other than the battery monitor. Some seats, a pilot and a printed copy of a real Maule dash completes the cabin.
So now it is finished and the next step is to take it down to the field to start running in the SC52 FS!
Here are some views with the final image including my transmitter to give an idea of scale ...
There have been a few issues - like how to make and fit the wing struts. The original kit used document binding strips as a basis for these with wire loops pushing into holes in the fuselage at the bottom, and at the wing end, wires fitting into brass tubes fitted into the bottom of the wing - and after mocking up the first one I did not like either the materials used or the fixing method.
As an alternative I stripped some sheet and shaped the strips to an aerofoil shape. I then used magnets rather than the wire fixings and am quite pleased with the results.
Another problem was the fairing over the u/c leg. According to the plan this was a simple wire triangle that was soldered to the u/c leg. No indication of final finish but I guess it was intended to be Solarfilmed over.
Again when I made the first, when comparing it to the original, the fairing was far too small so again that was binned and instead I made wood fairings with brackets attaching it to the u/c leg - a vast improvement.
The kit showed just an open cabin area which I did not like, so I made a removable cabin floor which hides the radio gear and servos, other than the battery monitor. Some seats, a pilot and a printed copy of a real Maule dash completes the cabin.
So now it is finished and the next step is to take it down to the field to start running in the SC52 FS!
Here are some views with the final image including my transmitter to give an idea of scale ...
- IMG_0522_small.jpg (99.49 KiB) Viewed 4631 times
- IMG_0539_small.JPG (68.32 KiB) Viewed 4631 times
- IMG_0526_small.jpg (98.46 KiB) Viewed 4631 times
- IMG_0538_small.jpg (94.42 KiB) Viewed 4631 times
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David Cowley
Re: PowerPlanes International Maule M5 Lunar Rocket
Colin
This looks GOOD ! Let me know when you are going down to the field.
David
This looks GOOD ! Let me know when you are going down to the field.
David
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Bowdd
Re: PowerPlanes International Maule M5 Lunar Rocket
Colin
This looks great. Let me know when you maiden this as I would like to see it fly.
David Bowdler
This looks great. Let me know when you maiden this as I would like to see it fly.
David Bowdler