familiar with the Marauder from MM Glider Tech?

[aeajr]

Is anyone familiar with the Marauder from MM Glider Tech?

http://www.mmglidertech.com/marauder.html

This is a 115" RES sailplane. It looks very interesting. I might consider it
for my second sailplane after my Great Planes Spirit 2 Meter which I have
set-up RES.

I would appreciate any information or experience reports on the plane.

[Superman]

Send a pm to "Mr B...." which is his name on ezone. He makes and flies them and owns MM Glider Tech. I saw his fly at Vicalia and it flew great!

[thrmaln]

Hey Aeajr,

I am very familiar with it. I did the CAD drafting of the plans for Merrill. The Marauder flys quite well and can take a full peddal launch. The double surface spoilers work great and do not induce a change in pitch. I have a small writeup on it in one of my previous thermal columns if you have not read that already. Now I may be a bit biased since I have had a hand in the marauder since it's inception but nevertheless it's still a great glider and will be a definate improvement in relation to your current spirit. One of my clubmates just finished one and flew it at visalia and was doing quite well with it until he had a launch misshap. He dove to deep on the zoom and the retreiver line wrapped around the stab. unfortunately he was unable to shake the line and dove straight in from launch height. The fuselage hit nose first in hardpack dirt and all that happened was the nose was dented and the wings racked a bit. The wings popped some covering but were intact structurally and the fuselage is just fine except for the dented nose. The impact was so severe that the battery was heavilly dented on impact. The only reasin the marauder survived is the plans call out toi have the front 1/3 of the fuselage to be glassed which ended up saving the model.

I believe merril still has some in stock at the introductory price of 99.00 but I may be wrong on the current price.

Hope this helps,

Marc Webster

[aeajr]

Thanks for the info folks. Marc, can you give me the link to your article?

That is quite a crash story, especially since I recently destroyed my Spirit on a winch misshap. I just received the new kit and will start building today.

I happened upon the marauder and I liked the RES set-up and the overall design. The full pedal winch launch capability is a definate attraction.

I had been checking out the Bubble Dancer but that kit would be too challenging from all reports. The AVA is essentially the same plane, but at $700, well beyond my budget.

The spirit I am about to build is my first kit. My first one was RTF. Would the Marauder be too challenging a kit for me?

Everyone is crazy for ailerons and flaps, but having seen several RES planes place well at the ESL event at our field in September I think I might like to stay RES for a while. Simpler to handle.

[Jack Hyde]

I am crazy for flaps and ailerons. Flaps make it much easier to hit a small field or land near your feet. I find flaps are less trouble to set up than spoilers and control landing speed great. I love the control I get with ailerons and rarely fly my RES planes now. After getting used to ailerons you find you can get out of bad spots that you can't wiyh rudder only. Maybe you don't get into bad spots. I think that after a little training and practice flaps and ailerons make flying easier. You will be a little busier but you are there to fly not spectate.

[aeajr]

Jack Hyde,

Thanks for your thoughts. I will give them serious consideration as I move to my second plane. However that probably won't be for several months unless I put one on my list for Christmas. That could happen.

Since you provided advice, what would you suggest as a second glider after a Spirit 2 Meter?

I have been flying since March. I have 100+ flights on an Aerobird 3 channel V tail electric and 20 flights on an an Electrajet three channel elevon plane.

My first spirit had about 60 flights before I trashed it on a winch launch. I am sure I will add a minimum of 50-60 launches on the new spirit before I attempt another plane.

I am part of a Sailplane/electric club, so I have help when I need it.

[Mr B....]

Can I jump in and say that the RES Marauder fly's great and has won two major contest. Being the Mfg I like to fly my own stuff and show what the plane can do. I have had so much fun with this new plane that I started packing it (fun) along with the parts in the box. This kit is the best and largest kit that M M Glider Tech has ever put out.

Merrill's Marauder
http://www.mmglidertech.com/images/NewRES7.JPG

[fprintf]

I am getting sooooo close to ordering one of these planes. It is a little larger than I thought I would go, and is not laser cut, but the $100 special price right now is just so attractive.

[aeajr]

Go for it!

I have heard nothing but good things about it. Since I started this thread and a couple of others on different boards, the posts have all been good.

I would get one myself except I have never built a kit. And, since my last post in October, I purchased three planes that were already built.

A 2 Meter Sagitta 600 - needed some wing repair and the electroncis.

A 2 Meter Fiberglass aileron hotliner - needs the electronics. I have it all but have not fitted it out yet.

A 3 Meter Airtronics Legend - Full house including all ther servos. It has a lot of flights on it, but is in very good shape.

And, the 2 Meter Spirit I smashed up is actually about to be resurected. I have been repairing and rebuilding it. It should fly next month.

So I have 4 gliders now. No room in the hanger.

You get it, build it and fly it! Tell us how you like it. I hear it is not too hard a build.

If you give it the nodd, I might give it a try! ;)

[fprintf]

I have been emailing back and forth with Mr. B for a few weeks now and I have finally decided to pull the trigger. I hope I do not regret it because unlike other online vendors I never get an answer to all my questions.

For example, yesterday I sent an email asking whether the sale price is still on, and then two questions after. The response I got was a "it was an after christmas sale for those who forgot to order one before christmas" which doesn't answer my question - is the $100 price still valid. Then I got a response to only one of my second questions about whether to order fiberglas cloth (no). This is not the first time I have asked questions that went unanswered - I guess I should attribute this to not everyone people feeling very comfortable in email, or differences in attention to details.

I can only hope the plane goes together really nicely, as it is a super price for such a nicely reviewed plane. If not, not a big loss at $100 but still I *always* get responses directly from other vendors answering all my questions and then some.

I have to admit I feel guilty not listening to advice heard here and everywhere about the bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has passed. It's just that it really does look like a nice plane for the price, and certainly not a low quality plane.

Three deciding factors over the Big Bird:
1. Price per square inch. Marauder is $100 + shipping for a 115" wingspan vs. $129 for 100" Big Bird.
2. Availability. Ray sent me an email indicating they were on vacation until February 18th. That is two weeks of building which for a first time builder may make the difference between flying this Spring or Summer.

Finally, I hope it is not too big of a plane for my Histart. Everyone says no, but I have never thrown anything bigger than my 78" 38 ounce foamie off a heavy duty histart, so heaving a 115" 50someodd ounce glider up to flying speed is going to be a challenge!

[Wind Shadow]

Just a word of encouragement...
I ROUTINELY launch my 145" full house, Harley Michaelis designed "Genie" on a Aerofoam Hvy-Duty Hi-start.
One of the keys to launching ships well, is to have a hi-start with the proper diameter tubing for the size/weight of the sailplane.
Check out Aerofoam's website for some info.
Believe me, with the right hi-start, that Marauder will launch just fine! :D

Wind Shadow

[aeajr]

fprintf

What size is your hi-start? OD adn wall thickness, or if it is a brand name, what brand and model do you have?

[fprintf]

Hobby Lobby heavy duty histart. I have no idea what the wall thickness is, but I think we have debated this before.... all signs point to the histart having plenty of power to lift this plane into the air! :)

As a followup to my earlier post, I am pleased to see that Mr. B is a frequenter of this forum. He very nicely sent me an email in response to my questions and I will soon have a plane on order (as soon as I give the kids a bath!)

[targetdrone]

Merrill has a real job to support a family and pay the bills. Making glider kits from balsa does make him rich, but it does make him very short on free time. I know lately he has been working on a friend's new Marauder so it will be ready for the SWC in Phoenix next weekend. (I saw it fly yesterday and it performs wonderfully, as all Marauders I've flown or seen flown do.) So please cut the nice guy at least a bit of slack. He was very attentive and available for help when a flying buddy of mine built a Marauder. It is a wonderful plane and a bargain at prices higher than it currently is selling for. Get one, you won't be dissappointed.

David Judson
Riverside, CA

[fprintf]

I'd edit my earlier post, but that would be inappropriate, because that is the way I felt at the time. As I indicated, I did order the kit and Merril spent quite a few minutes on the phone with me giving me some updates to the plans (shear webs on last 3 bays, and instructions for cutting the spar joint for the tip panels) and some instruction on how to add CF using dry tow instead of preformed strips. All up this has been a positive experience so far. I do intend to start a new thread when the kit arrives to document my progress if you guys don't mind.

[aeajr]

I will be looing for that thread. I almost bought this plane. Remember I started this thread. Only things that stopped me is I have never built a kit AND a club member was selling some planes, so I bought the planes instead.

[fprintf]

The only thing that is scary is now I have just bumped myself from open class to unlimited. I didn't think about that until just now. Ouch. So I may end up getting a 100" or 2 meter bird after all just so I have something reasonable I can compete with on the contest circuit.

[aeajr]

As far as I know, when the ESL flew at Syosset last year, they only ran one class of plane. There is sportsman and expert, but I think all planes were competing in one class.

Is that not the case for all ESL events?

Remember I am new at this competition thing so I have a lot to learn. I have read about 2 meter class, RES class, 100" or standard and unlimited. I just assumed ESL didn't do those classes.

Maybe it had to do with the mix of planes and pilots who were flying. I guess you can't have a 2 meter event if there is only one two meter plane.

I know the CD who runs the event here. I can ask him but I hate bugging him with dumb questions. I ask so many.

[fprintf]

I'll ask. I'll poke around the ESL site and see if there is an answer. Perhaps they use a formula to equalize for the wingspan of the planes. That'd be really cool if it was two classes cause I clearly fall into sportsman!

[aeajr]

I know they ran sportsman and expert. I just don't remember there being different classes of planes.

[gdjsky01]

Originally posted by fprintf
some instruction on how to add CF using dry tow instead of preformed strips.

fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Could you give a short writeup on this? I have some dry tow I could be using.");

fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Thanks!\nBest Wishes\nJeff");

:D :D ;)

[aeajr]

??????????????

[John Gallagher]

Originally posted by gdjsky01
fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Could you give a short writeup on this? I have some dry tow I could be using.");

fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Thanks!\nBest Wishes\nJeff");

:D :D ;)

aeajr,
gdkslu01 is talking to fprintf in the computer programming launguage of 'C' or 'C++'. 'fprintf' is a write/print command.
He's writing to the Thermal forum of rcgroups the following:

Could you give a short writeup on this? I have some dry tow I could be using.
Thanks!
Best Wishes
Jeff

John

[aeajr]

Great! I don't have enough computer wizards at work. Now they have invaded the hobby!

Seem like it is time to abend it all!

[fprintf]

Originally posted by gdjsky01
fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Could you give a short writeup on this? I have some dry tow I could be using.");

fprintf(rcgroupsThermalFp,
"%s\n",
"Thanks!\nBest Wishes\nJeff");

:D :D ;)

Very cool! :D

Merrill was talking to me on the phone so I hope I got it written down well enough.

Mix carbon tow (dry fiber) and aliphatic resin
(wood glue) in a container. 40% water, 60% glue. Make sure the tow doesn't get twisted or knotted. Add carbon tow on one side of the spar. Lay it out, make sure it is not twisted. I think I missed part here, but the tow *may* be shorter than the spar as it lays on the spar. With glove on a finger wiggle it until the
CF flows down the spar and wets out the CF and the spar. By wiggling the CF with a finger it will stretch out just enough to reach the end of the spar.

Something like that. I'd bet there are better writeups how to use dry tow in the thermal forum. I know I am going to go searching when the time comes just to make sure I get it right!

[fprintf]

Here are the instructions as I wrote them down on the phone:

1. Wingtip - need to cut spar, create a spar joint like the leading edge at an angle, not a butt joint. Should do top and bottom on both sides.

2. Can add CF to the spar. Mix carbon tow (dry fiber) and aliphatic resin (wood glue) 40% water, 60% glue. Add carbon tow on one side of the spar. Lay out, make sure it is not twisted. With glove on a finger wiggle it until the CF flows down the spar and wets out the CF and the spar.

3. Mistake on the planes. For the shear webs the plans show the shear webs stopping 3 bays out from the wingtip. They should be all the way out to the wingtips.

4. Use Full size servos, and full size battery (he uses a 1400 mah battery) otherwise the plane will need lead. All up weight is 65 ounces.

Everything is in the kit. Only need to purchase solder on clevises (and silver solder if you don't already have it).

[gdjsky01]

I've flown once with Merrill and afterwards we talked a bit. He's a nice guy. At the time he was getting ready for the IMS show and was putting together a run of kits.

Reading this thread I almost called him and said bring a kit by the SWSA competition this weekend. Then I recalled he'll be in AZ for a big contest as I believe he's got to get one more major win to get to LSF Level 5.

I am LSF level -1.000000012 :D (LSF in my case is Lousy Sailplane Flyer!)

The Maurader may not be as sexy as some, but obviously in the hands of a decent flyer like Merrill and/or Ron Adams, it is a capable RES ship and I have seen his take a decent winching and zoom off the line. Also the two example on his site might look cooler done in a sexier covering job... :D

I tell you this: The only wooden ships I have ever seen take a 100% lead foot zoom off the end of the line is the Maurader and the 2 and 3 meter Gnomes. I am not talking about a full pedal winching where one just holds down the pedal the entire winching like a mouldie, but a launch where they stomp on it in a small dive at the very end.

I am not counting AVAs but they can indeed take a full pedal zoom at the end as well. But they do so with more unconventional building techniques than the Gnome or Maurader and are not a 'kit'. And since you can not buy a three meter Gnome no matter how much you beg Mr Sliff, the Maurader is an excellent suitable sub. :)

Best wishes
Jeff

[fprintf]

Apparently the Marauders you have seen fly are built according to the specs. That is, no carbon along the spar. I am thinking of adding carbon - either in tow form or preformed strips because it'll help me avoid accidents on the winch (not that I get to fly much off a winch, however)

[Ollie]

A wet layup of carbon tow is several times less strong in compression than the pultruded or precured prepreg available. Don't waste time and money on the messy wet process. Get precured prepreg or pultruded carbon from:
https://www.cstsales.com/home.htm
http://www.deltronix.com/public/acp/acp-cat.htm
or
http://www.modelresearchlabs.com/
For a discussion of the merits of pultruded stock versus wet layup of carbon tow see:
http://www.continuo.com/marske/carbon/carbon.htm

The tapered stock from CST or ACP comes closer to matching the strength to the load than stock of constant thickness and it saves money and weight too.

The Dave Brown precured carbon available in some hobby shops has the same poor properties as your own wet layup would.

[fprintf]

After some frantic searching I found it. Tapered Carbon Laminates.

Thanks a bunch Ollie for saving me from myself (again!)

So if my wing is 115" long and using tapered stock, which comes in 48" lengths, how do I handle the extra 115-96=19 inches? Can I just leave the 9.5 inches at the tips without carbon since there is not much load out there or does that defeat the whole purpose and create a point of weakness or likely breakage?

[Ollie]

The Marauder wing has four panels. So you need eight tapered carbon spar caps. The bending load at the center is maximum and at the tip is zero. At the polyhedral joint the bending load is less than 25% of the bending load at the center. The carbon spar cap crossectional areas should be close to proportional to the load. Choose the sizes and tapers accordingly. Assuming the same width throughout, you might choose a thickness of 0.06 at the center, 0.014 at the break and 0.007 at the tip. Of course other combinations are possible depending on how strong and stiff you want to make the wing spar. The shear webs for a carbon capped spar should be full width vertical grain light balsa at the center , tapering linearly to very little width at the wing tip. When you strengthen the spar you should also strengthen the joint between the panels to match.

When you start bashing a good design like the Marauder, you can get into all sorts of trouble. Suppose you strengthen the wing so that it can take a full pedal winch launch and zoom. At the high speed of such a launch and zoom maneuver the horizontal tail comes under a surprisingly large down load that may cause the horizontal tail to fail.

My advise is to stick with the stock design and fly it with due prudence.

[Ollie]

Where you place in a contest is much more (~90%) about your flying and adjusting skill and much less (~10%) about the equipment you are flying. Don't concern your self much about equipment untill your skills put you near the top of the contest finishers.

If you want to make a chain stronger you strengthen the weakest link, not the strongest link.

[aeajr]

Good analogy about the chain Ollie.

[fprintf]

Thanks Ollie. I am definitely more concerned about avoiding a mistake on the winch, and having the CF there to help me avoid a smashed airplane. My intention was never to get a zoomable plane, just something that would take the occasional "too many taps on the winch". I do understand that adding CF to this plane may be overkill. I will, instead, build it stock and consider purchasing a second one at the end of this season to make any modifications, as per your previous advice.

Thanks for the help. I think the 8 CF strips also scares me. That is expensive, if the price is what I saw correctly... $10 apiece!!!!

With regard to the weakest link, that is most definitely me right now. If it wasn't for the darn snow and sleet (and a cold right now) I should be out practicing my landings - even without the lift, I find I can do that!

[Ollie]

I think you could do the job for about $30 worth of carbon sparcaps with a more economical selection. There are packages of two double tapered carbon spar caps six feet long that can be cut in half for four of the required 8 sparcaps. Then those four can be shortened at the tip end to match the center panel length.

For the tip panels, untapered 0.007 thick strips three feet long can be cut to length and the short cut off lengths laminated to the poly break end to increase the thickness to 0.014.

[gdjsky01]

I was going to post the same thing. :D

I do not know the width of the spars in the Marauder but I'd be using 3/8 inch wide .060 in the center panels on top and .022 on the bottom. No taper. Less cost then taper and the weight penalty is not that big a deal. They come two to package. Not even sure I'd worry about the tip spars execpt to wrap any joiner boxes in CF tow and some kevlar thread.

Then again... I am no expert. :confused: :rolleyes:

[fprintf]

Got the kit in the mail today. All in all it shipped very nicely via parcel post to my door - no damage at all.

http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/unopenedpackage.jpg

And since this is my first kit when I opened the box it looked very intimidating! Lots of balsa, ply and sticks all nicely bound together.

http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/bigboxosticks.jpg

[gdjsky01]

Depending the plans, instructions, and of course the person things can look intimidating.

[list=1]
Check that everything is there and undamaged. Perhaps there will be a parts list.
Get out the plans. I like to get a copy made. But having said that, because of the expense, and because I felt I could build without cutting them up, I did not do that on my latest build. But I should have. :( If you do make a copy measure and make sure that one inch on the plans equals one inch on the copy.
Study the plans and instructions. Looking at the plans the first time can seem overwhelming. But if you take each section slow and take your time I find light bulbs start going off and things start to make sense. You don't have to start building this minute. Take a few days and study. It'll pay off. Make notes about anything and everything that comes to mind...
Decide if there are some parts of the instructions or plans that are unclear, missing, not mentioned, confusing. Plans are like patterns. What some clearly see, is completely lost on others. Then one day 'they click' and understanding comes. Contact Merrill with questions or post here.
[/list=1]

In the kit I am currently building, a two meter Gnome, IMNSHO the instructions are atrocious. They tell you to not install certain parts until later, but later never mention them again period, leave out the installation of certain parts altogether, miss steps, and in general might as well not have been written at all. They assume tribal knowledge amongst builders. Knowledge never written down, but somehow pass on from builder to builder. I call it lazy. But again that is MO and I am sure others thing they are fine. BTW: I have never seen the Maurader's instructions so they might be perfect.

But here you have an entire tribe of builders, so I'd take advantage of their expertise (not mine, I have lots of opinions and very little expertise, but do take theirs! :D)

I have not built a Maurader but I have my eye on one...

What's the black in the box?
Best wishes,
Jeff

[fprintf]

Originally posted by gdjsky01
What's the black in the box?
Best wishes,
Jeff

Thanks for the advice. The black in the box is some carbon tow that Mr. B threw in for me.

I have already had to email Merrill. The instructions are very well written and I can follow them very easily. I started at step one, the fuselage this evening. I got stuck right away when the instructions said very clearly to match up the parts with the plans very precisely. Only on my first part the upper part of the piece doesn't match up with the plans.

Once I get this resolved I am going to try and document as much of it as I can at http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/marauder.html although I am too tired tonight to add the pics so far.

p.s. I was too lazy to get the plans copies and too eager to get started. I'll probably regret it later, but I'll deal with it at that point. As of now I have 8 pin marks in them. ;)

[Ollie]

You will be successful if you keep a positive attitude about the kit and the building process. There are many different methods of work that are successful. Stick with the recommendations and instructions of the designer. He had certain prefered methods of work in mind when he designed the structure. Don't expect the instructions to fit your needs precisely. They are written as a compromise to fit the average builder that the designer thought would be building the model. You may not fit his preconception perfectly.

The most important traits for success are patience, planning and persistance. Do the best you can and try to make it an indepth learning experience. Planning ahead is essential so that you don't do something that blocks you from being able to complete a subsequent operation. First study the plans and make sure you can read them and understand them. Plan each building session by rehersing each tiny detail in you mind during the planning . Look ahead and analyze the results of the current building session plan with subsequent operations to ensure compatibility.

It is much like writing a computer program from scratch. The plans are like the computer language you are writing in and the system requirements. The instructions are like recommended coding practises. The building process is like writing the code. The strongrer the planning the less the debugging (rebuilding) later.

[aeajr]

Wow!

I am excited that you are going to document the process. I was real interested in buying that kit at one point. If it goes well, maybe I still will.

[fprintf]

I was stuck last night, not wanting to do something incorrect, and now I know I have to learn to make decisions on my own. In this case it was a decision whether it was OK for the part to very slightly mismatch the plan, or I was placing the part incorrectly on the plan (I wasn't).

I now have a new understanding that putting a kit together is as much decision making and judgement as it is following instructions.

I do still hope the "tribe" will be here if I need them.

[aeajr]

We gonna be here for you fprintf!

Build 'em straight!

Build 'em light!

Build 'em right!

Don't eat the yellow snow! ( oops, wrong thread!)

[fprintf]

This kit builds very nicely and is super fun to put together. All the double checking of alignment, triple checking 90 degree angles etc. seems to be paying off. As of 1 pm today with only a few hours into it on and off - glue a piece, do some chores, glue another piece I have the fuse all framed up.
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/fuse%20is%20assembled.jpg

In fact I have the nose and tail pulled together and the whole frame sanded now. You have to sand the inner balsa sticks to a fine point and pay attention to make sure they are sanded equally:
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/tapers%20to%20fine%20point.jpg. Ultimately this all gets clamped together:
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/good%20clamp%20on%20tail.jpg

I am just waiting for the pushrods to dry in place before attaching the sheeting, nose block, and front hatch. Then the carving and real sanding begins. I have been lax about taking pictures all the way through. But these give a good idea of how quickly the fuse comes together. The wing looks like a real challenge! I have to say I am hoping the next steps take me a little longer - only because I was planning on buying a T-bar sander and some other tools at the WRAM show, but at the rate I am going I'll be needing them sooner than next Friday! :)

I have to say this is a blast and the kit so far is just great. I am sure it will fly well. Attention to detail is a must, however!

[aeajr]

Thanks for the shots. Looks good!

[fprintf]

Well, I am making progress. The fuselage is fully sheeted and done and just needs some serious rounding of all the edges. Power sanding here we come!

http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/fuse%20all%20sanded.jpg

So after visiting the WRAM show today and collapsing on the couch with some RC magazines I finally got motivated at 8:30 this evening. I put the TE, bottom spar, ribs and shear webs together in an hour and a half. This wasn't as bad as I had feared.

[fprintf]

In the instructions it is recommended that I use full size radio gear. I expect the plane probably needs noseweight anyway, especially for a beginners first effort. Is there a reason that a large plane would be designed around standard radio gear instead of the more weight conscious smaller servos, receiver etc.?

[gdjsky01]

Originally posted by fprintf
In the instructions it is recommended that I use full size radio gear. I expect the plane probably needs noseweight anyway, especially for a beginners first effort. Is there a reason that a large plane would be designed around standard radio gear instead of the more weight conscious smaller servos, receiver etc.?


While it is always true that light makes flight, my observations (albeit only for the past 9 months) out at the two clubs I attend is, a three meter sailplane carries it's weight rather well. Much less sensitive to it's weight than a two meter, and even a two meter can fly well at 35 to 40+ ounces.

Sure, no one wants a lead sled, and you'd like flexible ballasting options for windy days, but a 3 meter sailplane is 50oz to 80+ ounces. At least the ones I've seen, and they fly well. One one would not accuse the three meter Gnome of being light, and it flys great! So I would not stress about it. As you point out, "is there any good done in putting in small, light servos, and a feather RX if then you wind up placing 5 to 10 ounces of lead in the nose?" Better that weight were used in an excellent dual conversion RX, a set of strong MG servos, and a 1800mah flight battery for all those hours you'll be floating. ;) :cool:


FWIW, I enjoy the wing building far more than the fuse. There is always soooo much sanding on wooden fuselages. And then comes the mounting of the stab and rudder and getting them straight. But you know what, when you see what you built, not some guy or lady in CZ, fly it's all worth it. IMO of course.

More (and a bit bigger and brighter) pictures! LOL!
:D :D :D
Best wishes
Jeff

[aeajr]

When you have the plane built and covered, I would try to balance it using ballast - no electronics in it.

Put weight where the servos/receiver/battery will go. Or you can just place your components where they will go and see if you need ballast and how much.

Don't forget any devices in the wings, and if you are definate what they are, then mount them before you balance and put it the wires as they will be when you fly.

What you end up with is a weight budget.

It works like this.

I need 14.5 0z of weight up front to balance the plane - 2X std servo is 3 oz, Std Receiver 1.5 oz, switch 1/2 ounce. Battery monitor/plane locator 1/2 ounce. Wires 1 oz. That comes to about 6.5 oz. Leaves 8 oz for the battery. Your battery pack at 1500 mah is 6.5 oz. Leaves 1.5 for lead which is enough to give you some CG adjustment. Good set-up.

Now, if your budget is 11 oz, then you go to HS-81s at .6 each and save 1.8 oz. And so on till you get the weight down.

If your budget is 20 oz, get the 1800-2400 mah receiver pack to pick up some useful weight.

I would say you want a little lead ballast in the nose so you can easily take it out to move the CG around.

You get the idea.

[fprintf]

Originally posted by gdjsky01
More (and a bit bigger and brighter) pictures! LOL!


Sorry about the quality of the pictures. They are taken with a Palm Zire71 PDA and in most cases with a very dark background (it is the basement, after all). Think of one of those new picture phones and you get the idea.

If you want to browse through *all* the pictures I have taken so far point your browser over to http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder . I haven't gotten to my building diary, to organize the pictures, especially after seeing Mr. B's excellent pictures on his website.

[aeajr]

looks like you are moving right along. Nice workshop arrangement.

[fprintf]

I have heard it so many times, measure twice (or more) and cut once. So for the third time I have cut a spruce spar cap one rib too short! Argh!!!!

It is something to do with a mental block I have on the plans. The center section of the wing is built without one shear web/rib combination at the fuse end. Well each time I look at the plans and somehow decide to cut right where the last rib is standing up at me. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Good thing the wingtips are shorter than the center section, as I think I'll be able to use the 3 shorter spruce pieces there. Yesterday I had to go to the LHS as I had sanded a shear web just slightly too short. Rather than tip a rib toward the web to get it to fit I went and bought a new piece of 3/16 balsa.

So far this is fun, but exhausting work! Only one and a half of the center sections done so far. Fuse is done, but not fully sanded or rounded over. Gotta get busy as flying season will be here before I know it!

[aeajr]

This is such a great thread. Fprintf, thanks for sharing your progress and your photos. Keep it comming man! I am loving this. I might actually have to build my first kit.

[gdjsky01]

One of the great things about building with foam, wood, etc, is there is almost no mistake that can't be fixed with a trip to a hobby shop. If you have a fiberglass fuselage, and you f-it up, you are hosed. Or at least you have a lot more work to fix it. A moulded ARF is even worst. You have to buy whole sub-assemblies.

You know fprintf, you choose to share your mistakes with us building the kit. Ever wonder if the guys in the former eastern europe block making moldies, or the folks in China maing built up ARFS, share their mistakes when building them???? Bet they don't. So rejoice. A mistaken cut spar is a trip to the store to get a new stick of wood! Were you to choose to to say nothing, no one at the flying field would ever know!

Best wishes,
Jeff

[fprintf]

I have to say that venting my frustrations on here is somewhat relieving. Kind of like telling your best friends about a tough time you are having and knowing there is a friendly ear to listen, just lets you get it off your chest.

I agree about the Czech builders, although if you have seen their planes you might believe that they *never* make mistakes! Such a covering job they do!

In any event, in most cases all of this can be fixed. Last night I screwed up again by not sanding my shear webs quite flat enough. So there were tiny gaps along the top edge of the shear webs in places. Hopefully this is an easy fix - mix up some microballoons and 30 minute epoxy and push it into the gaps with a finger tip or perhaps a syringe.

[gdjsky01]

Better to vent here. There are lots of outlets. But here there are plenty of helpers.

One thing I would advise you take to heart. Remember in the Houston Hawk thread the messages about visiting Jack Womack's shop for the first time? And watching Jack build? He measured, and dry fit, and measured, and dry fit, and measured again. Tedious might be the word that comes to mind. Methodical might be another. Time consuming is a given. Sanding: I just posted about that in the balsasailplanes yahoo group. I am creating a 90 degree sanding jig. Crude drawing from the end

Two flat peices of wood put together at exacty 90 degrees



| |
| |
| |
| |
| |<----- Sandpaper glued here
| |
---------------------
---------------------



Then I can place the shear web on it's side on the bottom peice and rub it on the 90 degree wall with sand paper on it. So I don't round it or get gaps. Sometimes the urge to get it done makes me rush. And then I make mistakes. That's why building for me is always a one or two hour deal in the evening, then knock off. And why it's nice to have something to fly while building the next one!

LOL!

Best wishes,
Jeff

Just an idea.

[wingsnapper]

Just hang in there and keep plugging along through the fame up. The majority of critical work lies ahead. While I've just about given up on building the "perfect" sailplane, I do have a few things to stress to a new builder. In flight one of the most important thing is to make sure the angle of attack is the same at all points of the wing . This step is effected by not only the frame up of the wing itself, but also the reationship between wing and tailgroup. It does no good to have a flat wing that is hard to control.. ie application of up elevator causes both pitch up and some added roll just for fun. I'm just telling you this because of the trouble I have had with my last build. Although everything looked ok when viewing from the tail, flight performance told me otherwise. I noticed the tendencies and shimmed the wing to correct the problem. It truns out that the fuse had a slight twist that threw everything off . A lot of people settle for trim adjustments at the sticks, but that does no good when airspeed is always changing. You simply have to start with a true airframe. Good Luck!
Fellow frustrated builder JS

[gdjsky01]

BTW: Unlike JS, I am not a frustrated builder. For me, building is therapy. After a long day having to put up with upper management's assinine behavior (can you tell what kind of day I had?), I am happy to come home and work with wood.

Best wishes,
Jeff

[Ollie]

Jeff,

A daily dose of "Dilbert" helps when you can't spend some time in the workshop.

[aeajr]

I wonder what kind of builder Dilbert would be.

[Ollie]

Some of the best builders are rational like Dilbert. I have known excellent builders who were tool makers, engineers, airline pilots, fighter pilots, ministers, medical doctors, dentists, carpenters, social workers, teachers and, salesmen. No profession has a lock on craftsmanship. Some of the personality traits that all the best builders I have known have developed are patience, long attention span, attention to detail, persistance, motivation, manual dexterity, excellent spatial visualization and general cognitive ability.

[aeajr]

Leaves me out! Hello RTF and ARFs. Ha Ha!

[fprintf]

Oooof, leaves me out too. I am way too impatient for this stuff. So I'll just say that my building skills leave a lot to be desired and that while I am sure my plane will fly just fine, it just may not be a contest winner. I'll leave the desire for creating an perfect plane at the basement door for this plane and vow to apply the knowledge I get building this plane on my next plane during next winter.

[fprintf]

Just as a counterpoint to my earlier postings (which seem to grumble a bit about the building process), yesterday was a good day for building. Got the other center wing panel sheeted and ready for adding the spoilers.

I think I have found something very relaxing about this process: sanding. Yep, I find that gluing (and all the aligning, clamping, worrying about gaps) is the most challenging for me. I find the sanding to be very relaxing - a couple of swipes of paper or the block plane, check the piece for straightness and symmetrical roundedness, a couple more swipes, repeat. Yesterday I sanded the noseblock on the fuse and knocked the sharp edges off the rest of the fuse. Now the thing is actually starting to look like a plane I might like to fly.

So now I am motivated and the weekend is here. :)

[aeajr]

FprintF,

This is going to be an outstanding plane, and when you bring it to Syosset for the ESL event, I am going to be green with envy!

And then I am going to beat you! Ha Ha!

[fprintf]

Just a little gamesmanship here:

Don't count on it. Last Sunday there was some spotty lift coming through our field and I still got more than 5 minutes on a few flights with my foamie. Plus I have my landings down to +/- 5 seconds right at my feet. :D :D I plan to become terrifying sight to fellow newbies on the ESL circuit, so you better get out there and practice even in the wind and cold or plan on running away. Oh no, Stuart is here, better just give up and go home! ;) :) :) :)

Seriously, next up I am going to make a tape and mark a spot on the field and practice landings. Landing at my feet is fine for unofficial flights, even when I don't move from the launch chute during the flight. I typically walk halfway toward the chute to simulate walking to the landing area while I am flying, plus it gets me closer for the next launch.

Anyway, the tape is going to be marked in two ways: a mark for LSF I and a mark for LSF II landings, and then on the back side standard graduations by inches. Landing on the spot is only 1/2 the challenge - getting the plane there right on time is the other challenge!

[ejett]

I have an article about trimming (flight adjustment) sailplanes by Sherman Knight which I can forward to you if you are interested. It covers the subject very well. Some of the things in the article are needed to be done during the construction phase.

PM me if you would like a copy.

Ed Jett

[fprintf]

Well the plane is coming along nicely. The center sections are done. One tip section is done. I got stuck when creating the correct angle on my joiner box so I sent Mr. Brady an email earlier this week. He recommended that I call as it was easier to explain over the phone.

He was extraordinarily helpful and gave me some tremendous hints not only for ensuring the correct polyhedral angle on the joiner box but also on the leading and trailing edges. And *then* he gave me some more building hints I hadn't even thought to ask. Very nice! Now I have some techniques to apply to tasks for the next week or so.

I'll post pictures once I get this plane pulled together. Right now it is pretty bare bones and looks rather odd with only one half of the wing complete on my building board. I must say that once you have done something once, the subsequent attempts are *very* quick. For instance, the first cut of the spar took over 45 minutes plus searching the internet for techniques - probably took me a whole day to screw up the courage to cut the spar angle. Now that I have done it I bet it'll take me no more than 10 minutes including drying time. :)

I can't wait until my next build already!

[fprintf]

April 1st. Built the tail and have it all sanded except for the elevator 45 degree bevel. I had forgotten to insert the 1/4" hardwood into the elevator so I had to wait for that to dry.

So I screwed up the courage to try and fit the tips to the center wing panels. Surprise! The things actually line up really well and will only need a tiny bit of sanding. I had spent over a week preparing the joints with a little bit of sanding here, trial fit, some more sanding etc. In fact I used a power sanding and sanded a huge gouge out of my thumb that has me pretty scared of my power tools, so manual sanding is it for now. Anyway, they line up well and tomorrow I will probably carve out some time with the epoxy to get them fitted together.

A razor saw is a *must* with this project. The instructions require a razor saw to separate the tip panel from the center panel once joined, and unfortunately I have a razor saw that is only 1/2 inch tall. So it won't cut through the entire wing at once. Time to make yet another trip to the hobby store!!! :)

I bet it will be May 1st by the time I am done with this plane. Covering is always difficult for me and there is still so much sanding left to do!

[aeajr]

fprintf,

You are doing great. You are truly an inspiration to all of us who would be afraid to tackle a project like this. I read every post with excitement, as if I was bulding it myself. Keep going!

Oh, and you need to post some new progress photos! We need the visual touch to be one with you in your journey.
:D

[fprintf]

Well aeajr, that is partly my intent. I have never built a kit before and it is quite fun. I hope I will be able to post some progress pics after this weekend once I have the wing all together. The leading edges probably won't be sanded, but at least it is starting to look like a plane!!!

Thanks for the interest!

[fprintf]

Each time I say I am going to have something done I go off on a tangent. So the plane is not nearly as complete as I had hoped due to having to take my time to get the dihedral just right. I still have slight gaps between the spars, but the epoxy filled it nicely and the plywood dihedral braces have fit perfectly.

Apologies again for the quality of the pictures. It really is a garbage digital cam on the back of this PDA, with only 640x480 resolution.

Here is my hatch and noseblock pretty much sanded smooth. I am not happy with the shape of the noseblock as it is just slightly lopsided and turns *up* just a little too much for my taste.
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/fuse_hatch_sanded.jpg

[fprintf]

Pics of my homemade adjustable towhook. In order to strengthen this up a bit I might add a layer of ply. It is bonded pretty strongly to the front and read formers, but the only thing that stops the middle from bending is the strength of the hardwood block and the balsa fuse bottom.

http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/fuse_adjustable_towhook.jpg

[fprintf]

Pics of lots of individual parts ready to be assembled
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/lots_of_sailplane_parts.jpg

and pics of the tip dihedral being set
http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/setting_tip_dihedral.jpg

Finally, pics of the way the spoiler is set up. Notice the single tube for the thread but the two boxes. This is for the upper and lower spoilers.

http://fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/spoiler_detail.jpg

[fprintf]

Here is a picture of my son holding my wing this morning. It all fits together, although it is *way* heavier on one wing due to an overabundance of epoxy. Once I dremel out some of the drips and overflow it won't be quite so bad. Here I am asking him "please do not drop the wing" as he is starting to tilt it over.

[fprintf]

So my wife is now starting to get interested in this plane. Last night she asked me what kind of covering scheme I am going to use on the plane. I said "my usual, yellow on top and dark blue on the bottom". She said she would prefer if I did something different - like Red, Blue and White.

So I am thinking I might try transparent blue on the bottom wing plus the fuse, transparent red on the top of the wing, and possibly white leading edges *and* stars spotted on the tail, fuse and wing. It'll be kindof patriotic, but I have no idea how well it will show up against the sky. It might be a bit ambitious for a second covering job.

[marty o]

I bought a second hand Marauder this past weekend and got to fly it on Sunday. (I love RTF's). I should say my son flew it. He got a little possesive and I mostly watched. It flies really well. The builder put some carbon on the spar and says it will take a full-pedal winch launch, but we didn't test that. He said it weighs 55 ounces. I haven't weighed it yet but it feels about the same as my 53 ounce Scepter. The Marauder didn't seem to notice the 10 mph gusts at all. Will have to wait for a windier day to really test its ability to penetrate. Good luck with your kit. I'm sure you'll like it.

[fprintf]

Originally posted by fprintf
"although it is *way* heavier on one wing due to an overabundance of epoxy. Once I dremel out some of the drips and overflow it won't be quite so bad."

Well I took off the extra epoxy tonight and what a difference. In the center section alone it is pointless to balance the section because one tip joiner has the metal incidence pin and the other does not. So all balancing from this point forward will be after everything is sanded and the wing is all together (but before covering).

[fprintf]

Today I spent all day sanding the plane. Here is a picture of my sanding location - right outside the basement door, vacuum nearby and plenty of sanding blocks.
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/outdoor_sanding1.jpg

The leading edge is fairly airfoil looking, but I am sure is wholly inaccurate compared to what a real expert can do - I really needed to create templates for this airfoil on profili for the various thicknesses along the wing as the template on the plans seemed only good for one or two spots along the wing. I am really quite proud of my hoerner tips - I used an old broom handle covered with two grits of sandpaper and they look really sweet!

In any event, the really big news happened this evening. I started covering. I started with the tail because it is manageable and I can practice covering curved surfaces without wasting too much material. It is easier and tougher than it looks. Straight sections are a breeze. Covering the tips is a real challenge. And using transparent covering means that any overlapping pieces show up as darker lines. So you can't just slap the covering on willy-nilly.

http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/tail_covering.jpg
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/tail_light_shining_through.jpg

Oh well, off to do some searching on covering with transparent covering successfully *and* how to make tips wrinkle free.

[stephen.s1]

It's lookin' good, and I can't wait to see it up close and personal. You're turning into a fine builder, methinks.

This weather has been somewhat less than great. (my excuse for not being out on the field)

s

[Ollie]

You can eliminate a lot of wrinkles arount the tips by leaving the covering about two inches oversized so that you can grab it and stretch it very tightly over the tip as you heat the film. The heated film becomes slightly rubbery where it is heatd and can be stretched over athe compound curve of the tip without wrinkles. Trim of the excess and iron down the narrow fringe for a smooth covering job.

[aeajr]

Great shots, especially the one with your son!

[fprintf]

April 1st. Built the tail and have it all sanded except for the elevator 45 degree bevel. I had forgotten to insert the 1/4" hardwood into the elevator so I had to wait for that to dry.

So I got the tail all covered, ready for hinging, walked upstairs to show off the tail group to my wife and guess what I forgot to do?!? Yep, forgot to go back and add the 45 degree bevel to the elevator as I posted above. :rolleyes: An hour later and I was in business, though, as the covering came right off with a new #11 blade and a straight edge. I was miffed, though, because I had cleaned up the basement from all the balsa dust, and now I just contaminated it again.

So after the tail was covered again, beveled and ready for hinging I noticed one of the tail bays had all kinds of balsa dust in it. Well, it is going to stay there as a testament to the fun I have had building this. One thing not readily apparent about a Monokote hinge (or Ultracote, since that is what I am using) is to leave a little gap between the moving surfaces. On my first try I butted the elevator and stabilizer right up against each other. Then once the covering was cool it was so tight that I could only get up elevator! :mad: Tear off the hinge line and try again but this time leaving a 1/16 or 1/8 inch gap. Now it moves quite nicely and I really like how neat a covering hinge is vs. using hinge tape. Sweet!

The transparent red covering on the fin/rudder goes perfectly with the transparent blue stabilizer and elevator. My 6 year old daughter is going to help cut out the white stars that'll be strategically placed on top of the covering. :eek:

[stephen.s1]

Stuart,

A nice way of leaving clearance for hinging when using iron-on covering for hinges is;
put the elevator on top of the stab, top surface to top surface. line up the LE of elevator with the TE of stabilizer. Iron your hing material to both edges. Open the hinge and iron on the top (conventional) hinge. Now you've got a double thickness of hinge, and proper clearance. This assumes you've beveled one surface ;) .

My way: TE of Ele. 90°, LE of stab 40 and 40° to a point. Slot the CL of both surfaces to a depth of 1/4" or so. Insert your previously prepared 1/2" 1.5 oz FG strip*. Use tiny amount of CA along the gaps top, and bottom. It'll never come apart.

*FG stretched out to present weave on a bias, Taped to waxed paper on both ends. Thin Epoxy applied and wiped off. Cut strip to desired width. When ready to use, peel wax paper off, insert in slot, glue, and you're done.

See you this weekend?

[fprintf]

In retrospect I should have done it exactly at Steve describes. Instead I did the flipped over control surface hinge *after* I had ironed the top surface hinges.

That CA hinge sounds rather complicated. How do you get 40 degree angles (as opposed to 45 or 50)? Eyeball or careful measurement?

[ejett]

Just pull it diagonally with the weave and tape it down. The exact angle is not magic. Dr. Drela has a note on this on the CRRC website.

http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/construction/markdrela_clothhinges.pdf

Ed Jett

[fprintf]

I am having a devil of a time covering the wingtips. I carved an upturned tip and whenever I try to use the tip of the iron to hold the covering down it creates wrinkles. If I use the heat gun to take the wrinkles out the Ultracote comes unstuck. I may just forget about covering the tips and just put a couple of coats of water based polyurethane on them. I'd hate to sand them down a this point.

Oh well, forget about the tips for now. There is a whole plane left to cover. I'll do those last and see what some web searches can find me on covering concave (or is it convex?) surfaces.

[combatflier]

I am responding here for several reasons. I am really interested in getting a kit again, and love sailplanes. This is the kit that really stands out to me, 3 meter (approx) and the spoilers, and price. I will be converting it however, so, right now, my main question is this, do you think it can take the electric power and is there enough space in the fuse for a large motor (b50-8s, roughly 540 or r/c car motor sized) and sub c batteries?

That said, I will continue to watch this thread daily till the plane is completed and flown, it interests me greatly. Also, I either skimmed too much or didnt read if you decided on which servos to use yet, what did you choose? full sized or micros? still undecided?

[fprintf]

I really should let Mr. B respond since it is his design, however I will say that this is a rather large fuselage reminiscent of nostalgia designs compared to some of the more recent, mini or micro-RC optimized designs.

There is a tremendous amount of room inside the nose and back through the center of gravity. I don't know how big a 540 motor is, but the front former is about 1 1/2" x 2" (just a guess, I can post the exact dimensions when I get home if you need them), so I'd guess there is a lot of room there for a motor. There are formers that you may have to modify to allow the batteries to fit if you use a long stick/flat pack arrangement. If you stack the cells in a hump or pyramid pack I'd bet you can fit it between the formers.

As for servo sizes, I will be using plain jane Hitech HS422 full size servos inside the fuse for rudder/elevator and probably use a HS81 for the single spoiler servo in the wing.

[Soar_dude]

fprintf to cover the up turned wing tips you cut out more covering then it takes to cover. Over hang it 1 inch all the way around then you start at the trailing edge in the curve the tip and work you way out a trim iron makes it a little easier. Work you way forward and out with the iron. I have done a few horner tips for my gliders on some it helps but others it was to draggy and made flat tips.
Good Luck
Soar Dude

[fprintf]

Thanks! I'll post pictures when I am done. I have been procrastinating doing the rest of the covering because of those tips, but now I think I will just get it done this evening.

[combatflier]

thanks for your opinion, the motor is about 35.8mm, or, roughly 1 1/4" in diameter I believe. I dont think there will be much trouble fitting it, but, hey, im not sure. Anywho, your project is looking great, and i cant wait to see more progress and a maiden :).

[combatflier]

For anyone that has flown this plane, or after you maiden it, do you think it will be strong enough for electric power? I talked to a "superbrain" on sailplanes and he thought it sounded like a GREAT idea, but... he wasnt so sure that the wing would hold up to electric, i thought it would because it could hold up to a winch pretty well i believe. But then thought about the fact that i would be adding (guessing) 30+ oz, or another 1/2 of the weight, so if i get in trouble, dive, and pull out, the wing may become two wings...

I think that i will also, if i do indeed choose this plane, build it with large carbon joiners, rather than whatever is used in it. I dont mind adding 5-10 oz to the plane if it means that i will have a plane that can take the abuse of electric power...

p.s. If you think im intruding on your thread I can start another :), but will keep my eye on this one. GL on covering :D

[Ollie]

The pull on a histart to launch a 3-meter plane is around 10 to 20 pounds. That's a lot more load on the wings than the weight of electric power equipment. Just don't try to pull out sharply from a high speed dive.

[combatflier]

lol, thanks Ollie, I dont think if I do go this route I will use it as a hotliner, but i'll try really hard not to lawn dart it too.

[aeajr]

Lawn darting a sailplane. I know how to do that if you need lessons. Ha Ha!

[Mr B....]

Do not try to cover it all in one peace. I cover it in sections up to the tip. Then cut a over size peace for the tip and start at the center of the TE, tack it down and work up the center of the radius to spar. Work from the center out to get smooth. Now tack it down on top of the rib and work down around the edge of the tip by pulling at the same time. Hold it in place and run the iron past the edge of the tip so that it will be smooth with no wrinkles. Move the iron back away so that the material will cool. Continue this all the way around the tip until everything looks good. When satisfied trim with the razor blade and go back over with the iron to secure the edge.

It looks like you may be flying soon.

Merrill

[fprintf]

Thanks Merrill! I will try that for sure, perhaps tomorrow and post pics of the results.

[fprintf]

Well the hints worked! I got the tips covered, albeit a little sloppier than I would have liked especially at the trailing edge. Oh well, at least the leading edge and upper surface are clean. Unless someone turns over the wing they won't see my jagged covering cutting job. ;)

http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/tipcoveringjob.jpg
Here I used the iron on high heat and a spare cotton t-shirt to press down the covering after I followed Mr. B's instructions to the letter. The toughest part was cutting the covering after it had shrunk a little bit - it doesn't cut evenly or very nicely.

Here are both wingtips covered:
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/wingtipscovered.jpg
A look at the tips from the root. Just a little overhanging covering onto the root balsa.
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/rootwingtip.jpg
Just the right wingtip. Apologies for all the fuzzy pictures. I wish I had a high quality digital camera but you get the idea!
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/rightwingtip.jpg
My favorite part of this color scheme is the way the light shows through the covering. Blue and Red covering equals a beautiful purple color. Here is a wingtip with the blue transparent showing up:
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/righttipunderside.jpg
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/anotherwingtipshot.jpg

Finally, the majority of my day was spent learning how to manipulate fiberglass. I used epoxy finishing resin, an old business card as a scraper and latex gloves to keep my hands from getting too sticky. Man, the edges of the fiberglass love to get all stringy and turn into a bunch of epoxy mess. I did try CA and that seems to work pretty well also. I did a mixture - I would CA the fiberglass mat into place and then mix up some resin for the full coating.
http://www.fprintf.rchomepage.com/marauder/fuseglassjob.jpg

Funny story here: I turned up the heat way up on the covering iron to do the tips. Hot enough that the cotton T-shirt remnant I use as a sock started to smoke. Anyway earlier in this post you can see the pictures of my 2" foam building board. What was not apparent to me was that the higher heat of the iron goes straight through the little dish thingie that comes with the iron. So while I was messing around with my #11 blade to cut the covering I started to smell burning foam. I instantly knew what had happened and turned around to find my iron had burned a perfect image of itself all the way through the board to the desktop below. :D So I spent the next hour or so cleaning up the iron and removing the foam from the desk top, getting the goo-gone to remove the 3m77, and setting up fans to remove the smell from the basement.

Now that the fuse is close to covering and I have one more layer of fiberglass to add onto the center dihedral, I am getting more confident than ever that this plane will fly sometime in May - maybe even early May. It sure is starting to look sweet. I even covered the spoilers in solid white. They look *awesome* as white rectangles against a transparent red background. Once I get the wings covered I'll show them off a bit too.

Until next weekend or my next set of questions... adios!

p.s. If you would like to see any particular pictures and don't mind them being fuzzy, let me know. The same can be said if you have any building questions or dimensional questions about the plane. This has been a blast so far!

[Mr B....]

Next time try a broomstick with 50 grit it work well for me.

http://www.mmglidertech.com/images/TWing17.JPG