Nice work Simon!

Yes, Simon does really nice work, making even simple designs look that bit special. Just imagine what he'll do with the Antionette.

Pete

Thank you for the compliments Ben and Pete!

The MS racer is all but finished now. As per the pictures it stands at 8.5 Oz with all electrics and battery. Balance is looking good at this time. Just two more threads of rigging (ran out of black monofilament of course), wheels and pilot to add. Also need to infil the screen with acetate...and an airscrew of course! Might use a bit more thread to simulate the undercarriage bungee.

Have bottled on the spoked wheels and splurged on a set of wheels from A2Z. Not cheap but I just don't think I could build the same quality, nor to the same minimal weight, on the kitchen table!

Rigging terminates in a No. 18 fish hook, and is locked with heatshrink and cyano.

Peter - I didn't use the step as shown on the plan. To my mind it looks a bit out of scale and the step does appear to be external in the pictures I can find. Hope you don't mind.

Simon,
That looks great mate, weight is good too.
No problem with the step, I consider that a cosmetic issue.

Pete

Thanks again Pete. I'm quite pleased how it's turned out. It's a little rough around the edges in places but the overall effect is OK. I love the rigging and I think the spoked wheels should set the model off nicely. It's only my second scale model after all!

Not quite sure why but the most viewed pic from my last post was that showing the closed loop linkages. You're a strange lot! So for completeness here's the underside with the remaining linkages. Also the faux bungee cord, wind screen and radio installation.

I've ordered the motor we discussed for the Rex and this is now en route. The wheels mentioned should also have been posted though I haven't received notification of same. Looks like I'll be turning my attention to the Rex now.

Hope you like.

Simon

Peter - moving slowly on with the Rex now. Still awaiting the motor and also the wheels.
WRT F2 the cut file only has the lower eliptical hole and not the central circular one. No big deal at all but thought you would like to know anyway.

Found this nice picture:
http://www.sil.si.edu/ImageGalaxy/im...id_image=12030

This seems to show that the lower leading edge bracing is of quite a heavy gauge if not more of an unfaired strut. Maybe more wire work required? Your and anyone elses thoughts please!

The rib tapes would also seem to be actually wooden battens as per the MS Type N. I've a few thoughts on trying to emulate this on the model if that's OK.
I'm interpreting the colour as white for the fin with some indistinct detailing and the large black cross. The rear fuse as natural canvas as are the wings. The three undercarriage 'V's are black with metal fittings (possibly painted white), the upper 'V' as white or natural metal and ditto for the whole forward fuse.

I wonder if the original was painted in this starkly contrasting scheme as an early form of "go faster stripes". It would definitely have caught the eye. Maybe a means of drawing attention to the Rex company. Again yours and anyone's thoughts much appreciated.

Simon

Simon,
Thanks mate, it's corrected now.

My thinking on the points you've raised is as follows:-

Lower rigging cables - It isn't unusual for these to be doubled, since the flying wires take far more strain than the landing wires. Sometimes they were joined with a strip of wood bound between them, but I doubt that's the case here. I'm sure it's just the number of wires making them look heavier, rather than anything else. They definitely aren't struts.

Rib battens - Yes, by all means simulate them if you feel like it. It doesn't alter the basic design, so is a purely cosmetic issue.

Colours - My thinking on this is that, since there's no real tonal difference between the rudder and the rest of the aircraft, the Rex logo is painted onto a clear doped rudder. I'll attempt to locate the Hannan booklet (in a safe place somewhere - read lost forever), but if anyone else has it, there should, I believe, be a clearer view of the logo.
Forward fuselage is almost certainly polished aluminium and it's likely that any struts not painted gloss black will be the same colour. Presumably the outer shock strut is, with a darker metal being used for the inner shock strut - although it may also be painted black - even though the other way round seems more logical.

Pete (off to risk life and limb delving into the model room)

Thanks - your points are duly noted. It's interesting though I thought the rudder did appear a different tone.

Nicely done bit of modelling!
Out of curiosity? hows that nano battery working out for you? Weight power and price :-) are appealing to me.. but I keep hearing mixed results re the nano tech bats.
Or is it still too early for you to report on the thing in use?

Thank you! So far so good with the battery. I was very surprised how small it is for the given capacity. Potential 5C charge rate. Truth is though it hasn't really seen any use - so time will tell.

Haven't found any quality modelling time since my last post. The wheels arrived as did the motor for the Rex yesterday. Have mounted up the wheels and they do look good. They don't run true though! Are they worth $30 a set? Not sure yet.

All the connectors are soldered up for the Rex and I've done a little bit of work on the pilots - shaved c.30% off their weight by hollowing out the molding. A whole 4 gms!

Pete the rudder mounting brace for the Rex isn't on the cut file. No big deal.

I must admit I have been a bit slack on the building front since my last post. Time definitely does fly by. Peter is rightly justified in thinking he should have received something by now - especially as the MS is for all intents and purposes complete.

Received a copy of FSM with the DVIII article from my Dad yesterday. I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out. I was surprised to see they had edited out all reference to Charlie and Manzano Laser - I really had tried to put in a good word! A couple of errors crept in at the editing stage but I think it presents nicely overall and will hopefully encourage a few more DVIIIs to take to the skies. As noted at the end of the article my DVIII is no more after a very scale wing failure coming out of a loop.

I have tried to fly the MS - without pilot and to be honest it wasn't a great success. I think that that has put me off slightly these past few weeks. My model was twitchy to say the least - the complete contrast to what Parfusion posted in his thread. Managed a couple of "all over the place" circuits before putting her down. This pulled some of the wheel spokes from the rim of one wheel (first point of ground contact) and the banded on prop knocked a chunk out of the cowl. I wish I could say that I had it least got it roughly trimmed out but I was too busy trying to fly the thing to reach for the trims.

The actual airframe was intact and repairs have been effected quickly so we are back to finishing painting the pilot and trying again.

My LHS (5 minutes from home) has closed also since my last post which makes obtaining the requisite materials much more of a hassel. No more popping in for that odd item. The next closest store is more of a toy store with a modelling section. Remainder of stores in Perth require me to go into the city or north thereof.

Seems like a lot of excuses to me Simon ......better get back to the task in hand.

It was a good article Simon I try very hard to keep a model flying and intact until at least the FSM article is published.... Quite often that means doing the test flights and putting it away for a time except that the distance between submitting an article to Pete and having it published seems to be stretching - witness Darrin's DVa and my DXI.

One reason I guess the Charlie/Manzano reference was edited is that FSM now advertise their own short kits so......conflict of interest
Sad to hear about the DVIII - as you say - very scale like! Did the real machine loop?

Commiserations - Pat

Originally Posted by Modelholic

I have tried to fly the MS - without pilot and to be honest it wasn't a great success. I think that that has put me off slightly these past few weeks. My model was twitchy to say the least - the complete contrast to what Parfusion posted in his thread. Managed a couple of "all over the place" circuits before putting her down.

I'm surprised to hear that. The MS is so much like my Fokker D-III that is such a gentle flyer. I would think the MS would practically fly itself. I do know one thing. That all-flying elevator is very sensitive when compared to a standard stab-elevator arrangement. It doesn't take very much deflection at all. From your description of the flight you could probably cut the elevator deflection in half. It may also help to move the CG a bit more forward.

Larry

They were my exact thoughts!