More Mystery Model Stuff

Posted on by

Remember when you were a kid, found some new treasure you managed to buy and bring home (an airplane kit, maybe?) , and how you wanted to start working on it RIGHT NOW? OK, I know, you’re not a kid any more but you still feel the same way sometimes? So do I, and that’s what happened a couple of weeks ago when I found that old time “mystery” kit of an Ercoupe. I put everything else in my shop aside to build that airplane…and here’s what happened.

There are a few minor marking details still to be added, but the airplane is complete and flyable as you see it. I started with an old Cleveland kit dating from the 1940’s… an antique for sure, but so beat up that no collector would want it. As designed, this little Ercoupe was a 30″ span, classic stick-and-tissue printwood model kit intended for rubber power and free flight. I’ve talked about this sort of thing before, so it should not surprise anybody that I grabbed the chance to build this one the way I would not even have dared to dream of doing, back when. For months now I have been toying with the idea of taking the electric power and RC good stuff out of one of those tiny all-foam parkies and putting it into a “real” model. I grabbed a good deal on a Cox Extra 300 ARF, stripped out the good parts, and re-engineered the structure of the little Cleveland Ercoupe to make use of it. At this point it appears that everything is going to work fine. I am using elevator and ailerons (most early Ercoupes did not have working rudders) along with throttle on an interesting little brushed can motor running on the 2S LiPO pack furnished by Cox. All up weight as you see the model, ready to go, is seven ounces…more than the foamie, but I think well within the capabilities of the system.

The weather around here has been normal for this time of year…rain and wind, wind and rain…you know the drill. As soon as we get a promising day I’ll get her test flown and let you know if I guessed right on all the conversion numbers.

5 Comments

  1. Another gorgeous model Bob! This is one of my father-in-law’s favorite airplanes. Back in Kansas, his grandpa flew him to town in an Ercoupe to pick up mail and grab a scoop of ice cream. Can you imagine!?

    -Matt

  2. That is beautiful Bob! It will be good to see her fly. I have been looking at old movies to see if I can find what color trim graced the leading edge of N3008H. Picture quality from 1948 left a lot to be desired. The Flying Farmers took trips to California and Mexico in the Ercoupe as well as using her to deliver lunch to the fields.
    John

  3. I HAD A ERCOUPE 415D IN THE 70″S. PUT 400 HRS ON IT BEFORE HEALTH PROBLEMS STOPPEDME FLYING

    AM HOPING TO FIND A MODEL TO BUILD TO HELP RELIVE THE GOOD OLD DAYS

    YOURS LOOKS GREAT

    BOB

  4. Wow, thanks for posting this pix! My father was just telling me about a model Ercoupe he built, and I didn’t ever remember seeing one! He said it was a Cleveland kit, with a 30” wingspan (he’s almost 88 years old, and he remembered everything about it)! Turned out, he built it in the late 40s – he and his mom spent many many nights building it … she painted the tiny pieces, she was quite skilled at that, as she had a job painting the numbers on watches! They finished it just before he went into the Air Force (1951), never had a chance to fly it. When he returned, the plane and much of his other good stuff was gone (he had 2 younger brothers, sigh).

    All it took was a quick Google to find your post and pix! Bon, you brought back a ton of good memories – thanks so much.

Comments are closed.