Be honest - this is just beautiful, isn't it?

tim

I have to confess that this lovely little model has been fast-tracked to the top of The List in short order!

I have the magazine, I have the plans, I have the balsa, I have most of the powertrain all to hand.

There's already been a bit of discussion about the Wasp in this thread here;

Wasp thread

At the risk of upsetting the purists, I'll be changing the wing and tail aerofoils, fitting a small outrunner in the nose and rudder/elevator controls. The undercart will also be shortened slightly as I won't be twirling the drawn 14" prop (probably going a 9" or thereabouts). The model is destined to be covered in semi-translucent, silver Solite film - not only will the structure be visible in flight, but the overall impression should be a sort of Flash Gordon/1930's pursuit interceptor crossbreed.

Power is probably going to be 2S Li-po.

Comparing the AMI plan to the very detailed Czech variant, it's obvious that the Czech modeller has had to shorten that long nose by an inch or so, and also fitted the cell pack behind the wings to obtain a workable CG position. Mind you, he's using a geared S280 motor which may well be heavier than a little brushless unit. As usual I won't be adding the cell pack or radio gear until the model is virtually completed, and then I can shunt it about as I need to.

The stated AUW on the AMI plan is 5.4 oz. Mine will probably be triple this figure, so the structure will need some strengthening. The obvious weakpoint is the centre-section of the upper wing. The changes in grain direction there will cause problems unless I use a little bit of forethought! A couple of solutions have sprung to mind so far;

As the bottom wing has no dihedral, then build it to take all the flight loads (spruce spar etc), and then use the interplane struts to transfer all the stresses from the top wing downwards. Or maybe fit fit bracing wires from the bottom of the fus up to the upper wing. Either option should work - it's overcoming little niggles like this that make this hobby so enjoyable in the first place!

I want to laminate the tip outlines on all the flying surfaces (just to give me something to do....), and the gull centre section spar, LE and TE will also need laminating.

The model will feature demountable wings for storage/transport, and a hatch for removing the battery for charging.


Piece of cake really..........

Anyway, the first step was to laminate the tip and fin outlines using water-soaked 1/32 balsa, glued and taped around foamboard templates.

tim

A true scale Flash Gordon ship will require you to fly it hanging from a broomstick on a piece of just visible thread ,with a smokey sugar rocket poked in the rear & an old hoover for sound....

Originally Posted by Snorks

A true scale Flash Gordon ship will require you to fly it hanging from a broomstick on a piece of just visible thread ,with a smokey sugar rocket poked in the rear & an old hoover for sound....

...and the smoke (!) climbed vertical - in space...



Wasp is a lovely ship....could well have been drawn by Bob Kane in an early Batman-magazine....

this should be good.
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Regardless of the froofooraw in the other thread about the authenticity of the plans it will be nice to see something of this style gracing the sky.

Looking forward to the results as well. Best of luck with the build and flying Tim.

what's the " Canadian" referring to in relation to this model?

Tim,

That's a cracking model. Can't wait to see the inflight shots of this one.

>what's the " Canadian" referring to in relation to this model?

Quite simply ... the 'Wasp' was designed and flown in Canada and won a Wakefield event in that country

Originally Posted by Ian Easton

Tim,

That's a cracking model. Can't wait to see the inflight shots of this one.

T'is gorgeous, isn't it? I just hope I can do it justice!

Just a little bit of progress this evening in that I've cut out a few parts for the lower wing. You haven't missed much - really.

Can't help but think that this design, scaled to up to (say) 60", given a semi-symmetrical aerofoil, ailerons and 700 watts would make a luvverly sleek aerobat......

tim

With the small scale size of the wings more like a biplane class racing model.

Why don't we have a biplane class in RC pylon racing anyway? Seems like it's very popular with the homebuilders as seen at Reno and other races.

Tim, having seen your previous work I think we can all reast easy knowing that you won't disgrace the Wasp's roots any time soon.

If it helps any at this late time I remember reading that the original was a basic box with some side stringers added along with upper and lower semi formers to provide the oval shape. Apparently Zaic got a bit carried away with the elliptical shape of the sketch. But the arched inner wing root sections is true to the prototype.

The source of this was our MAAC magazine historical column. Perhaps someone like Applehoney or TLyttle can confirm my sometimes if'y memory.

Originally Posted by BMatthews

...... knowing that you won't disgrace the Wasp's roots any time soon.

I think it's the (wing) roots that are going to give me trouble! I'll try not to let them down....

tim

i never thought there's a Wasp Rc Plane, as im only familiar with Skyartec's Wasp Heli

Jig.... think jig and you won't go wrong. The issue would be to have to draw up a special set of upper wing plans that are able to curve around the wing building form so that the ribs are spaced accurately.

If you need some CAD help with this let me know. I'd be more than happy to help out for such a Canadian project.

I may even have some left over red tissue maple leaves to send if you're thinking of traditional finishing methods.

I got carried away with a maple leaf motif on a Canadian model a few years back and I think there's still a few leaves left from that. If nothing else I know I've still got the template I used for cutting them out.

Originally Posted by BMatthews

Jig.... think jig and you won't go wrong. The issue would be to have to draw up a special set of upper wing plans that are able to curve around the wing building form so that the ribs are spaced accurately.

I'd already pondered this! The ribs are equally spaced on the plan (Ie., not foreshortened by perspective) so it looks like all I have to do is to wrap the actual plan (or a tracing thereof) around the curved building 'box'.

The good news is that the lower wing has started to take form on the board! I've adopted a spruce spar, but ignored the swept-back location of the drawn item. This might mean that the riblets are disproportionately long towards the wing centre, admittedly, but having a straight-through spar is going add a lot of strength.

tim