Converting the 30″ Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 3
Converting the 30 Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 3 During our last session in the shop I finished building the basic structural components…wing panels, fuselage and tail surfaces…of the Dumas Piper J-4. This time we are going to fill in all those remaining details like mounting the motor, ESC ,...Continue reading→
Converting the 30″ Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 2
Converting the 30 Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 2 Last time I finished up with just enough work done on the fuselage to permit me to show you a trial mounting of one wing panel on the modified cabin assembly and the new 1/16″ plywood wing carry-through spar I designed for...Continue reading→
Converting the 30″ Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 1
Converting the 30 Rubber Powered Dumas Piper J-4 to Electric RC – Part 1 Last time I finished up with the construction of the TF 100″ span Stinson SR-9 and explained that I’ll be waiting for happier weather before you get to see flight photos. Right now it’s time for something a lot smaller, but no...Continue reading→
Building the Stinson SR-9 (24)
It’s time to finish putting this airplane together ! As I write this, my Stinson SR-9 is actually finished…built…ready to go. It has been “out in public” at a static model show at the Seattle Museum of Flight, but I have not yet had the airplane anywhere near a flying field. It’s November outside....Continue reading→
How To Use “Good Old Silkspan” as a Covering and Finish Base (Part 1)
In the review of the Sig Dornier DO 217 kit that I posted a while back, I explained that I was going to depart from what the instructions told me to do when it came to covering (and finishing) the model and use traditional dope-and-silkspan materials in place of the plastic film that’s recommended. I said...Continue reading→
Peeling Paint?
Peeling Paint? I got a question the other day from reader Dale Thomsen. He reports that: “I got a Stinson SR-9 from another modeler. My problem is the paint that was on the plane is pealing off. I’m sure it is Stits covering and don’t know what to do. the paint is Sig Supercoat...Continue reading→
Building Those Old Kits – Not Enough Information?
Building Those Old Kits – Not Enough Information? On lots of the plans sheets that came with those old (stick-and-tissue, printwood, rubber powered and maybe sort-of-flyable) model airplane kits pretty much all you got was plans. Instructions that actually helped you figure out what came next were not always part of the deal. For a...Continue reading→
Building the Stinson SR-9 (23)
Now we get to one of those places where “doing scale” starts to get a higher weird factor. I can guarantee you that the many hours you may spend doing what I’ll describe this time will never make your model airplane fly better. What a well done stitch-and-tape job will do is guarantee that your...Continue reading→