More Cox Tee Dee 010 and Avenger

Chuck up a hunk of balsa in the drill press make rounder and cut in half / And No don't send it my way . Thanks for the offer

getback wrote:Chuck up a hunk of balsa in the drill press make rounder and cut in half / And No don't send it my way . Thanks for the offer

Julian North Carolina is it...............

It just sits.



I haven't even cut out the new elevator.  Indecision is killin' me!  I keep thinking something will turn-up, then it doesen't.   There must be something like a small lightweight one inch or less ball hanging around someplace that could be adapted.  I have a couple more kits coming, cheap stuff.  I may wind up putting a Monogram turret on it and still build another incorporating the canopy and turret.

Ok, picked it up again.  Wicked little monster is becoming complicated.  

I couldn't find an acceptable ball for the turret so I just grafted a hunk of balsa on it and hoped for the best.  Result - profile turret.  




Slide through fuselage wing requires that the landing gear has to be installed after the wing is in place.  Also, my intention was to mount the bell crank under the wing.  Can't do that as it would interfere with the L/G.  So, it gets installed in the fuselage like the original Silver Lining.  Happy that I left a lot of balsa under the wing functioning as a stage.  

I resisted the urge to drill a hole in the wing and mount the kitted plastic L/G.  Wouldn't stand up to a landing so I did some bending on high tensile strength music wire which took a vice and a hammer to form.  Lot's of area but still, I think I will lay it on a piece of basswood and cement the whole thing in with epoxy.





Optional, wheels in or wheels out.  I finally found some 3/4" wheels, no luan for this one.  Ordered 8 of them.





Smallest of the series (it's an .010) but the most interesting and difficult to build.  

This bird looks awesome, Bob, my appreciation! ...what is that gel like white-ish coverage on the fuselage? fuel proofing ?

balogh wrote:This bird looks awesome, Bob, my appreciation! ...what is that gel like white-ish coverage on the fuselage? fuel proofing ?

Thanks Andras, it's a semi serious fun build, no contest winner here. No weight consideration either.

The really white stuff as you know is spackling to cover up and fill in all my mistakes. The white-ish covering is three coats of MinWax sanding sealer lightly sanded after each coat. I love the stuff, it's like applying a thinned layer of epoxy. Fuel proof? I hope so, I have coated the engine compartment with it.

I cut the slot for the bell-crank this morning, mounted it temporaily with a 2/56. The whole assembly will have to go in after paint. Corsair blue on top, off-white bottom of fuselage and under wing. For the first time, decals are no problem. Giving Levent a rest. The Lindberg/Monogram decals are a perfect fit.







Thinking about how to secure the engine. Right now it securely snaps into place but I need to figure a way to mechanically hold it.

Hi Bob, here are tanker / sprayer color schemes but without rear machine gun, perhaps for another project

http://hsfeatures.com/features04/tbm3ebs_1.htm

Airfix 1/72 TBM-3 Sprayer-Tanker, by Brian Baker

Looking nice Bob!…. The turret turned out just fine… Will look good with a couple of 50 cal’s sticking out!

On the engine mount…Maybe a 1/8 dowel thru the fuse 1-1/2” back or so…. Rubber bands looped thru the engine mount holes and then around the dowel….Would need to get the right shade of blue to match ….

rdw777 wrote:Looking nice Bob!…. The turret turned out just fine… Will look good with a couple of 50 cal’s sticking out!

On the engine mount…Maybe a 1/8 dowel thru the fuse 1-1/2” back or so…. Rubber bands looped thru the engine mount holes and then around the dowel….Would need to get the right shade of blue to match ….

Thanks Robert, I've been thinking about a block of luan or better yet pine with a screw to hold it.  I would only have to do one side.  I want it so I can remove and fuel it, then put it back in. That way I won't have to drill fuel and vent holes down through the top.



My usual cave man measure it with a stick and cut it with an axe approach.  Weight be darned, then I think - Robert weighs his balsa.    Maybe I should take up knitting.  

Bob

rsv1cox wrote:

balogh wrote:This bird looks awesome, Bob, my appreciation! ...what is that gel like white-ish coverage on the fuselage? fuel proofing ?

....Thinking about how to secure the engine.  Right now it securely snaps into place but I need to figure a way to mechanically hold it.  

Bob a plywood disk identical in diameter with the tank cover, glued into the engine compartment will serve as a firewall to which you can fix the engine with the usual screws through the mounting holes..

balogh wrote:

rsv1cox wrote:

balogh wrote:This bird looks awesome, Bob, my appreciation! ...what is that gel like white-ish coverage on the fuselage? fuel proofing ?

....Thinking about how to secure the engine.  Right now it securely snaps into place but I need to figure a way to mechanically hold it.  

Bob a plywood disk identical in diameter with the tank cover, glued into the engine compartment will serve as a firewall to which you can fix the engine with the usual screws through the mounting holes..

Hi Andras, if I'm reading you correctly.

The reason that wouldn't work is because one of the mounting screws is located directly behind the cylinder.  I would have to remove the cylinder and the intake and maybe the piston to get to it.  It would work if I mounted the cylinder in the normal upright position but I elected not to do that.  Perhaps a #2 wood screw with a hex head would do and use the short L of the wrench, but those are impossible to find.  



What I am looking at is slightly canting the whole assembly over exposing the fuel and vent tubes for easy fueling access so I would not have to remove the engine each time I wanted to refuel.  It would also open up access to the needle.



I would have to remove some more balsa to make room for the fuel tubing but that's pretty simple.



Edit add.........

I could slyly just put a drop of CA on all four corners of the backplate/fuselage to hold it in, then let a crash or razor blade remove it.  

And Levent, that is beautiful colors on that model.  Maybe a subsiquent effort.

This afternoon I looked at this one on ebay - Accurate kit like that one.



Just looked at it again and it's sold.  $29 + shipping.

Bob, yes a wood screw is hard to apply. But a socket head bolt with a nut and washer behind the firewall might do.

balogh wrote:Bob, yes a wood screw is hard to apply. But a socket head bolt with a nut and washer behind the firewall might do.

Thanks Andras, that's an alternative, I'll look into it.

Bob

A flathead screwdriver tip can be bend at 90 degrees to remove engine like these L shape screwdrivers



https://www.amazon.co.uk/SITAKE-Screwdriver-Magnetic-Philips-Flathead/dp/B088R8W3X5

Personally, I would not want to take the engine out every time to fuel it !?!? It is turned to a more complicated model and beeing small don't help . But i am sure you will get it figured out .... Me would drill a hole through the top of the fuse and run a hose to the filler with the engine secured . But that's Me lol

Me would drill a hole through the top of the fuse and run a hose to the filler with the engine secured . But that's Me lol Pumpkin

That's the smart and easy way out Eric.  I take the dumb and difficult.  

I have those off-set screwdrivers Levent.  But they wouldn't work either.  If you look at the screw head it's recessed inside the tank with no way to twist it.

Squezze job in pictures:




Soaked with sanding sealer, mostly dryed over-night and flatter than a pancake.







As you know I don't like cloth hinges (and I don't do sewn hinges - I have my standards ) but with 1/16" balsa you have little choice.  A dot of CA to hold it, paint with really sticky sanding sealer and squezze over-night.

The more I think about it, the more I like it.  Angle the engine over slightly to expose the filler/vent tubes and fueling becomes no problem.  And, better access to the needle.  But I have already relieved the fuelage for it, so more filler.  




Now I have to cut the slot deeper into the tail for the horizontal stab and elevator.  I think I completed the other three all together in less time.  

I'm getting really excited about paint and decals.

Moved the horizontal stab forward to scale and made an elevator control horn out of balsa hardened with CA.  Bushed it with bronze tubing.  Cut a control rod which will just clear the wing avoiding a double bend.  Secure with a washer and probably a drop of epoxy rather than soldering it on.  L bend, no Z bend which would not make it through the bushing. Ran out of metal/plastic control horns.




 

Next landing gear.  Light at the end of the tunnel.

Almost finished, warts and all.  Thought it would be neat to leave the wing fold creases, it's not.  

Used a set of the Monogram kit's decals to finish.  Still have to detail the paint migration and filet the wing, clear formula 560.  .020 three blade prop would be replaced if ever flown.  Still debating the cockpit detail.  New scale wheels lost in the mail for over a week now.  Present ones are from the Monogram kit.  Kits are cheap, it would cost more for the decals if I ever found them.  Nice scale match.  

Might dust it off and overcoat with gloss or matte clear.  

Very nice little plane Bob, you completed it real quick...cannot wait to hear how it flies. Did you finally fix the engine with bolts?

balogh wrote:Very nice little plane Bob, you completed it real quick...cannot wait to hear how it flies. Did you finally fix the engine with bolts?

This model about kicked my butt. I would hate to be judged by it.  It was Joe Louis and I was it's punching bag.  Fought me at every turn.  

Hmm, a name I haven't thought about for years.  I used to watch him on B&W TV when I was a kid defending his heavyweight title.  His memorabe fights for me were between him and Rocky Marciano.  

Joe Louis, one of my heros, unlike his modern day counterpart Cassius Clay who skipped out on serving his country Joe was a patriot.

From wikipedia

As World War II raged on, Joe Louis donated almost $100,000 worth of his earnings to Army and Navy relief societies. In 1942, he joined the Army. During his service he was part of over 96 boxing exhibitions and performed for over two million members of the military. After an eleven-year and eight-month streak as heavyweight champion—the longest run




But...........I haven't secured the engine yet.  I want to remove it and run it out in the garage first.  (I will report on it)  It is a tight no wobble fit as is, and I am thinking about just securing it with a drop of CA at the four mounting plate corners.  Some skeptics maybe but I'm sure that it will stay put.  If it doesn't, it's going to add to the thrill of flying it.    Mark maybe.  It may shed the aerial, pitot tube, and machine gun.........but it ain't gonna lose that epoxied on and framed landing gear.

Bob, when smeared in castor, the engine may not stick in place as well as when dry, I am afraid.

Some special CA like this one will work, normal CA may adhere to the plastic tank less, but the try will tell. The range of plastics it works on is at the bottom of the blister pack.

That's new to me Andras, and good point on the castor.

But CA will be between luan and balsa, however paint will be inbetween.

The Avenger turned out nice Bob, Congratulations!…. The sky’s the limit on scratch builds…. I hope you’ll pick another subject soon …I would vote for a spot or two of silicon to hold the engine…. Could be easily undoable if desired…

rdw777 wrote:The Avenger turned out nice Bob, Congratulations!…. The sky’s the limit on scratch builds…. I hope you’ll pick another subject soon …I would vote for a spot or two of silicon to hold the engine…. Could be easily undoable if desired…

Thanks Robert, you're being kind.

It occured to me that I hadn't checked the balance, not bad for a scratch build. A tank of gas and it should be perferct.

Already started on another, the tail-less other half of the Avion P-51 ebay purchase. Beautiful engine that rebuilt nice, but the matte paint even after five days is fingerprint sticky, just like the Avenger. Base makes no difference balsa or plastic the same. Gloss doesn't have the problem. I might have to over-spray both with clear.