Mystery Ship

[speleopower]

A little while back I picked up a Mystery Ship kit. It's a full house fully wood built up kit. I love building wood models and hope to keep finding nice woodie kits.

I've got the model almost all framed up. Based on conversations with other Mystery Ship owners i've done a couple of modifications. The T-tail has been lowered so it's no longer a T-tail, pivot position on the stab has been moved to 25% MAC, rudder is enlarged along with the fin being somewhat taller. Proabably the most important change is to do away with the tail pushrod going straight to the stab. I have designed in a bellcrank for the fin and stab.

These changes should significantly improve the model.

The wing is standard from the instructions but I am doing some reinforcement of the spar/spar box. There is going to be a carbon sheet top and bottom of the spar wrapped with kevlar thread. Otherwise the wing is per the instructions/plans.

The only thing I would have liked to do different is enlongate the nose of the model. I might still be able to elongate it some with a different nose block.

If anyone has some other tips for the ship let me know. Hopefully, I've addressed the weak points of this model namely the stabilizer and fin.
Scott

[seanpcola]

Nice build! I have a buddy with this kit so I'll alert him to this thread. He has been advised by others with expeience on this model to do the tail the same as your's.

Sean

[lincoln]

Do anything you can to keep the wing tips light, and, for that matter, to keep the model light. Anything you can, that is, that doesn't weaken it. This is based on a few minutes of fligt experience with one of these, so feel free not to take it seriously.

[speleopower]

Thanks for the advice for lightness. I try and keep my models light weight throughout without starving the model of strength.

Oh, the carbon cap top and bottom of the spar with kevlar wrap will only go out to the first servo bay.

Scott

[lincoln]

It also strikes me that the model I flew could have used a little more dihedral. Judging by the pictures, yours needs a LOT more. ;-p

[kwmtrubrit]

Hey Scott,

I'm the buddy that Sean referred to. I have the kit as mentioned and will be watching your report with interest. I won't be getting to it in the near future, or probably not in the distant future. It takes me for ever to finish a model. Hell, I've had a Dragonfly Strong ARF for a year (christmas last year) and still it's not finished, close but not yet.

Good Luck,

Keith

[R. Carver]

Hey Scott, I think Jim used to have one of those.....

[speleopower]

Hey Rusty yeah, I think he did. One of our guys has one currently but his tail is messed up-because it is per the plans. Hopefully, mine will get around the the T-tail and stab issues. It probably wouldn't be to tough to rebuild the tail to make it more of a cross.

Yeah, I need a bit more wing angle :D

I didn't want to really deviate from the plans to much on this but had to redo the tail and now wish I had elongated the front of the fuselage some. Should be decent flying model. Here is a picture of my redone tail compared to the stock one.

Scott

[R. Carver]

The redone tail looks good, Scott. One of the guys in the club (Raed) did a T to X-tail conversion on an old Legend very similar to what you're doing. Turned out real nice. Good luck with it, and keep us updated!

[Garvey]

I found that I needed a lot more lead in the nose than the precut hollow in the nose block will allow. I suggest that you make the precut hollow a lot bigger and cast a piece of lead in a custom mould. This gets the balance weight as far forward as possible and helps to keep the overall weight low.

[MTT]

I found that I needed a lot more lead in the nose than the precut hollow in the nose block will allow.

That's right, I had the same experience on the 2 mystery ships I built.
I did not need a whole lot more, but it was more than what would fit in the hollow nose block.

[speleopower]

The instructions mention augering the hole larger in the nose block.
I am contemplating putting on a longer nose block to get the weight a little further forward.

Scott

[Garvey]

Another suggestion you might like to consider is the use of Multiplex Multilock system to retain the wings. It is a plug and socket system which allows fast rigging as the wings just plug into the fuselage giving a clean joint.
The wings are retained firmly in flight but the system allows enough 'give' to let the wings pop out of the sockets in the event of a less than perfect arrival. This permits the wings to slide a little way along the wing joiners mitigating against damage.
I used this on my Mystery Ship and was very pleased with it.

[Garvey]

Oh and another thing. I made wipers for the aileron and flap hinge gaps to clean up the wing. I don't know if it actually improved performance, but it was good for my mindset!

[Monster Mash]

I wish I would have known about the tail mod when I built mine 6 years ago. Any landing that was less then perfect would damage the tail.

I still have it boxed up in the attic, I should pull it down and revive it because it is a nice flying plane.

[speleopower]

Monster-Yeah, get yours down and rebuild the tail. Shouldn't be to hard. Your stab is already built so all you would really have to do is auger out the old fin and build a new fin. Shouldn't be to difficult.

I can forward a set of plans for my tail design to you. Or just copy what I have posted. You wouldn't really need to move the stab pivot since the stock location is ok.

Garvey-I've never seen the Multiplex Multilock system. Any links?


Thanks-Scott
p.s. no progress this week. I've been really sick plus I broke my tail bone in a simple slip and fall on my tile floor! :eek:

[Garvey]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824082

The Hobbydirekt link has some good pictures.

[speleopower]

Not much building the last couple of weeks. Been to sick and sore.

For the bellcranck I sandwiched a 1/64" piece of plywood between 2 layers of .014 carbon sheeting.

But I did get the fin, rudder and stab 90% finished still have to cover them and glue the fin onto the fuse.

Now time to get back to the fuselage.

Scott

[speleopower]

New Mystery Ship tail. Here is the tail finally all framed up ready for final shaping, sanding and covering.

Scott

[speleopower]

A little progress today. Laminated .017 carbon top and bottom of spar and wrapped with kevlar thread. Should be a reasonably strong spar.

Scott

[speleopower]

Wing panels are joined for better or for worse till death by winch occurs :rolleyes:

Tomorrow beginning the upper sheeting process.

[speleopower]

Today's work. Fuse sheeting and setting up for final alignment and gluing on of tail feathers!!!

Scott

[speleopower]

Hope to get the TE and LE sheeting done on the wing this weekend. Problem is I have to let each section cure before going on to the next. My table is not big enough.

I hope to get some glass work done on the stabilizer halfs tonight.

Has anyone else gotten their Mystery Ships out of the closest to fix up?

Scott

[speleopower]

Didn't get any glass work done and found an alignment issue with the tail luckily before gluing. Had to have a friend come over to help diagnose the error. Got it figured out and the fin glued in.

We found I had squared the locating tube for the stabilizer in the vertical plane but not horizontially. Had to crack it and re-epoxy it correctly. Also, found a bow in the fuselage. Not sure how that crept in but it won't affect flight much. More of a vanity issue than flight worthy issue.

Measured the wash-in/wash-out of the inner panels and they are within less than .3 degrees of each other.

Scott

[speleopower]

All ready for final shaping, glassing and radio install.

[kwmtrubrit]

SHe's looking great!! Not long and you will be soaring with the eagles.

Keith

[dougalert]

85 to 90% finished with only 75% to go! I built one too. I know. Doug

[kwmtrubrit]

85 to 90% finished with only 75% to go! I built one too. I know. Doug

Wow, makes me want to get going on mine. Not yet though unfortunately. Did you do anything to toughen the "T" tail and fuse at the tail end?

Keith

[speleopower]

dougalert-What did you do with the tail? Especially the linkage arrangement. I had several reports of poor tail function with the original tail linkage layout.

Yeah, I've got a lot of sanding left to do. That goes fast for me. Then servos which shouldn't be tough.

Yours looks good.

Scott

[dougalert]

I built it just like they show in the plans but I did everything that I could to really build it well. Never had any problems with the plane at all. The tail held up fine. I did not reinforce the spar. I flew the plane at 72oz and it preformed very well.

I flew the plane quite a bit and won a few "woodie" awards but I knew that at some point I would blow it up, so I sold it. The wings did not flex at all and that told me the first time I got over aggressive on the winch there would be no warning, just a shower of confetti. If I blow up a plastic plane I cry a bit and buy a new one. I just couldn't stand the wait for this one to explode.

Build the spar like a train trestle and have fun!!!!!!!!

[speleopower]

Yup, my spar is carbon sheeted top and bottom and wrapped with kevlar thread then covered with balsa sheeting. Not much else I could do. I won't zoom launch it so it should fly quite well for a long time...I hope.

I really don't like ARF models so I build my own. I have a Harely Micheals Big Genie that I have started on as well!!!

Scott

[dougalert]

I have flown most of Harley's recent designs. He lives close by. The Smooth Genie Pro is a very nice ship and I am really looking forward to flying the SGP fuse with the big wing. That should be a real mean machine. I have a SGP fuse with a Pike Perfect wing and that makes a very nice plane....Doug

[speleopower]

Got the fuselage shaped and finish sanded along with 85% finish sanding on one wing panel. The fuselage ate up a lot of 80 grit sandpaper going through the plywood fuse sides.

It's lookin real good so far.

I am thinking about finishes now. For the fuselage, rudder and stab halves I am thinking of just doing a standard fiberglass job (I hate shrink wrap finishes). Then for the wing and control surfaces polyspan and dope. Then paint everything with my airbrush.

Any ideas?

Scott

[speleopower]

My model is all finish sanded and ready for covering.
I am doing all fiberglass on the fuselage, elevator and rudder. Wing is going to have a fiberglass leading edge and then will be covered in polyspan and dope I hope.

I might get lazy and do a plastic shrink covering on the wing. I'm not a fan of plastic shrink covering anylonger.

After looking at the picture of my elevator with glass on it I don't know that I want to paint the model. The wood work looks good! :cool:

Scott

[speleopower]

Glassed one side of the rudder and the other side of the stabilizer.
Looks good.

[kwmtrubrit]

Not long 'til air time Scott. Looks good. What did you use to stick the glass?

Keith

[StevenatorLTFO]

Hey guys,

I just picked up a built Mysteryship at our club swap meet, and I need the CG, if one of you could measure yours, I'd be much obliged.

Steve

[speleopower]

The CG per my plans is at the wing spar.

What is the tail like on your new model? If it is a T-tail I would consider rebuilding it as a cross tail.

Scott

[speleopower]

Lots of sanding and a couple coats of paint and here is the fuselage.

Still not sure what I want to do with the wing covering. Maybe transparent yellow over the open structure with white on the leading edge with pure yelow on the control surfaces???? I don't know.

Also, going to put some splashes of color on the fuse as well.

Scott

[Spiker]

Nice build!
If you ever plan on entering a competition your nose is too sharp.
It must be minimum 7.5mm radius

[speleopower]

I'm not a competition flyer. Mostly I just like to build and fly on occasion.
I will run your concern with the nose by my CD friend to see what he thinks. The picture makes it look a little bit sharp.
Scott

[speleopower]

Here is the reply I got from my friend who is a Level V LSF.

Scott,
The AMA rule on nose radius is described under AMA RC Soaring Regulations, Section 3.3, which reads, "The FAI nose radius restrictions shall apply to one (1) view only, however, knife-edge frontal area is prohibited." The FAI Specification for nose radius is a minimum of 7.5 mm (.295").
This means that the nose can be rounded at 7.5 mm radius (in both directions) or just look like an alligator's snout in either horizontal or vertical direction.


If I want to compete at more than a local level I would have to change the nose shape.
Scott

[StevenatorLTFO]

The CG per my plans is at the wing spar.

What is the tail like on your new model? If it is a T-tail I would consider rebuilding it as a cross tail.

Scott

Mine is a T Tail, I'm not sure if I'll bother to change it, or go with what I have. It won't be flown at all in competitions, I have moldies for doing that, so I don't know how much I'll be changing around on it. Course, right now, no real job, so I have plenty of bench time on the horizon.

[speleopower]

On the first page of this thread is a design we did for the tail on mine. It should be a much more sturdy and better performing arrangement.

Scott

[speleopower]

Got the main wing covering started today. Transparent Yellow over the open structure then white on everything else. I've got some skyglow reflective tape that will go on the leading edge then maybe some dark strips on the bottom of the wing somewhere.

Scott

[speleopower]

I have almost forgotten how to cover an airplane! I am trying to cover the wing in large pieces of covering. So far I am doing ok with it but it's tougher than I remember to cover.

Scott

[speleopower]

Here is the model with all the covering on. Now I have to tape hinge the ailerons and flaps plus regular hinges on the rudder.

I don't know that I like the color scheme. :mad: I will add some other color accents when I get something figured out.

Scott

[speleopower]

Another picture.

[glidermang]

speloepower:

Absolutely gorgeous. I wouldn't add anything, as long as you can see it in flight.

Yours, Greg

[StevenatorLTFO]

Looking good! Maybe a little accent on the stab to match the wing, but I do like it!!

[speleopower]

Those are the base colors. Once I figure out the trim colors I'll go ahead and airbrush them on. I was thinking of doing some sort of stylized question mark because it's a Mystery Ship.

Then some sort of chevron or swish marks on the nose checks and maybe some kind of canopy markings.

Scott

[Hossfly72]

There's always the Riddler costume from the old Batman TV series!
That would be interesting on a Mystery ship. Would definitely draw strange questions from uninitiated bystanders!

[speleopower]

humm let me think about that paint scheme ummm..........no :)

I'm thinking a question mark with check swoops and maybe some sort of swishes on the wing tips.

I do want to get some sky shine for the bottom of the wing.

Scott

[speleopower]

Wow, one month and I've not updated. I did build a BVM Electra wing in the mean time.

Working on installing the electronics. But realized I didn't have any mini servos for the wings...oopss. Gotta wait till the next paycheck to get some.

Scott