Mistakes and compromises - My Wen Mac 60% balsa 40% plastic P-26 Peashooter

Good job sir, That’s actually military kind of thinking….Use what you have around you to get the job done….. Besides, nothing wrong with it being a bit hybrid

Some of my favorite people George, Willie Wonka and Frank Barone.   and Teri Garr, especially Teri Garr.  

Thanks Robert, labor of love.  Or just labor!

Balances about 3/4" back from the leading edge.  That box of parts benefited or completed three other Peashooters, mostly cowls.  

Wing on the far right plane is half balsa.  The balsa wing on the hybrid was made by wetting and forming over a real plastic P-26 wing securing with about a dozen rubber bands and left to dry for several days, multiple coats of sanding sealer helps it retain it's shape.





Starting decals.  I built this with the thought of flying, now I have so much time in it I'm having second thoughts.  But...............

Bob, regarding the missing cowl top on your restored 40% plastic, 60% balsa Peashooter, you could use some thin flashing metal used for HVAC or gutters, aluminum from a cola can or plastic from a 2 liter bottle for cowling AKA Walt Musciano Scientific style. Doesn't have to 100% mimic the original, just enough to cover the engine, small sheet metal screws to hold it down to the fuselage plastic overlapped say 3/16 of an inch.

Make a cowling ring fabricated from balsa rings, hardwood (if one has a lathe), or end of a right sized vitamin supplement bottle. Then find a simple way to attach in 3 or 4 places. That would complete your creation.

As far as flying? With that much effort, I'd probably not want to risk it, but rather model a P-26 after its outlines may be as a profile fuselage balsa scratch build. Take it a step further, put that favored A.C. Gilbert .11 Thunderhead in the nose of it with tank mounted slightly below the venturi for reliable suction draw. @Kim could try it out at his farm location.

But, you did a fabulous job of restoring with only remnant parts, truly a miraculous rebuild that would tickle the fancy of any forensic anthropologist!

I always like a happy ending story watching your progress! Your time and dedication are top notch. Keeping all these from the landfill one model at a time, or sometimes more than one at a time.....

NEW222 wrote:I always like a happy ending story watching your progress! Your time and dedication are top notch. Keeping all these from the landfill one model at a time, or sometimes more than one at a time.....

Thanks Chancey

That box of parts yielded three P-26's.

The top fuselage on the left is the one used on this aircraft. I had cut it back all the way to the firewall, decided I went to far grafted it back on and just cut off the mangled part. The half wing at the top got a grafted on piece of balsa and made up another one.



They really ran these things.



I don't have the courage to attempt a nose job on it George, I think I'm going to just let it hang out there.

rsv1cox wrote:I don't have the courage to attempt a nose job on it George, I think I'm going to just let it hang out there.

Bob, I know you don't have to do anything. I was referring to your balsa / plastic hybrid model:



I was just suggesting something very simplified without the radial engine restored in the nose, like what Walt Musciano would have done. But, you already did a huge amount to restore it.

Actually, to duplicate the fat fuselage of the P-26 is amazing what some modelers did. I looked at Outerzone at some of the CL examples between 21" to 23". They planked, then sealed before doping, giving an authentic looking model, more than I'd ever want to entertain to do. (I prefer fairly simple builds. The most complex I ever did was Carl Goldberg's half-A RC Skylane 42. It was beautiful when I completed, but involved more building than I most of the time was willing to do.

Hence, I stuck to simpler sport models.

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t16077-new-in-the-box-p-26-peashooter-thinking-my-last-plastic-airplane#208519

rsv1cox on Feb 27, 2022 wrote:Original owner selling his childhood un-flown, un-started Wen Mac P-26. I was the only bidder. Wall of shame candidate. Check out that lever on top of the cowl, upscale throttled version. Icing on the cake. Good way to call it quits as I was finding it difficult to find spaces to stuff the things. Weird positioning for the stars and bars. Kid! I will have to find a way to remove them. always stickers on these.

Versus:

rsv1cox on Jul 20, 2022 wrote:

Bob, I thought this one you found back in February was the last one you'd own.
I guess they are really addicting!  

rsv1cox on Mar 2, 2022 wrote:

Davenz13 wrote:Another website I frequent is vft (Vintage Flat-track) which has, at the beginning of the For Sale section, a pictorial list of anniversaries and birthdays of various machines and people. Today I saw this picture there.

Colorful little thing isn't it! Guess they didn't plan on flying it in a combat zone. Would have made a heck of a target.

After doing a little reading, found an interesting tidbit about the bright color schemes. Back during peace time, they still had some skepticism about aircraft safety. All the missions in US were training missions. Therefore, they painted the aircraft in bright colors, so they could easily locate them if they went down, easier to find during rescue missions.

Out of nine, my only complete unfueled/unflown one George.  Those inproperly placed stars and bars decals peeled right off.  



I haven't given up on doing a cowl.  I have a history of coming back to these after a while.  I really like this paint, plastic wears it well and the color fits most Navy aircraft of the era.  I removed the original Wen Mac prop and replaced it with one that a PO painted, nylon, probably wouldn't run it but it matches the model better.  More lipstick.  



Also hung the two Wen Mac Corsairs, included the handles that came with them.





About as simple you can get.



Walls getting a little crowded.  

Awesome restorations Bob! I have found a really good source of thin aluminium, and in rounded / cylindrical sections if you wish, is the aerosol paint spray cans, deodorant spray cans, and household bug spray aerosol cans. The bug spray aerosol cans see to be much thinner than the others and really easy to work due to that. I find them to be a very handy resource for some of my models. Fantastic Wall, and restorations.

Yabby

Yabby wrote:Awesome restorations Bob!    I have found a really good source of thin aluminium, and in rounded / cylindrical sections if you wish, is the aerosol paint spray cans, deodorant spray cans, and household bug spray aerosol cans. The bug spray aerosol cans see to be much thinner than the others and really easy to work due to that. I find them to be a very handy resource for some of my models. Fantastic Wall, and restorations.

Yabby

Yes, I look on these small aluminum drink cans with a curious eye thinking how I could use them for cowlings.



Problem is they would work well on balsa models but plastic models have a lot of detail molded in that could not easily be replicated.  But, thinking I may give it a try.  

I'm not having any luck doing something similiar.





What suprised me with the Peashooter is the over two ounce weight reduction.  Considering the 1/4" hunk of balsa required to ensure horz stab stability and the platform for the lower fuselage plus the added paint it's pretty significant.

Anyone want a Peashooter?, this isn't a bad deal considering the throttled engine.  Wierd fuel line that I don't understand.  He would take $125.00.  Been there with him.  Buy it so I don't.  Sort of like Jacob posting ads for engines that he has too many of that are for sale on ebay.  



Decals, etc.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/314034577782