FunBuild 2 - Stevens Aeromodel Cap 232

Mark Wolf · Oct 05, 2008, 06:40 PM

I've just started on a Stevens Aeromodel Cap 232, so I guess I'll throw my hat into the kit-built portion of the contest. Firstly, a big hats-off to SA. This is one of the best kits I've built. Excellent parts fit, detailed instructions, even the way the kit was packaged for shipping was first rate.

I start every build by first choosing a subject. I've been wanted to model a plane from the Red Bull Air Race series for a while now. To that end, I've decided to model the Cap 232 flown by Nicolas Ivanoff in the 2005 air races. I've already put Callie to work duplicating the markings and can't wait to see what she comes up with.

Here's the goal:

As with all my builds, I began with the tail surfaces. Nothing complicated, just dry fit everything and hit the joints with this CA. BTW, this is how nearly the entire model goes together.

Next I built the wing. There's no need to build over the plans as everything interlocks and nothing needs to be pinned down.

Completed wing:

Up next, fuselage...

Mark Wolf · Oct 05, 2008, 06:48 PM

Fuselage taking shape:

First dry fit...it's always a big moral boost when you can set together something that resembles an airplane!

At this point, I stopped work on the airframe to tackle one of my least favorite parts of building...painting the pilot. This model is in an oddball scale, 3/16, so I wasn't able to find an correct sized pilot. The Hangar 9 pilot I chose is slightly too big, but I think it'll look ok to those of us who don't prowl the flightline with a ruler. Be kind, my pilot painting skills leave a bit to be desired.

Unpainted:

In progress:

Completed pilot:

Now back to finishing the fuselage. To be continued...

Griffin · Oct 05, 2008, 07:09 PM

Great choice of full scale subject!

If my hands were not so full, I would love to build a SA cap.

-steve

Mark Wolf · Oct 05, 2008, 07:16 PM

LOL! Great pic!

jofrost · Oct 06, 2008, 03:09 AM

Mark ,

Nice build so far . I figured a fast build being a Stevens Aero kit

Thanks for participating !

-John

bosley · Oct 06, 2008, 06:52 AM

I have been eyeballing the Cap for years. I have had 3 of the RV-4's and they are awesome planes. Looking forward to see this come together and to see what Callie comes up with!!!

Jeff

Mark Wolf · Oct 06, 2008, 03:05 PM

I have to throw another compliment to Stevens Aeromodel. Not only is the kit first rate, but so is their service. I placed an order with them on Saturday afternoon for the covering and a few other items I needed to complete my Cap. Guess what was on my doorstep when I arrived home from work today (Monday)?!?!?!?!

The pilot may be a bit too big for scale, but I think it's close enough not to matter:

jofrost · Oct 06, 2008, 06:18 PM

Mark ,

I found the same with Stevens Aeros service and overall kit fit and finish . I recently built his Diddlebug just for a change of pace and it went together in a couple days .

My only wish is that he had more scale offerings with that same great construction

I may have to try that mini-Cap he has listed

-John

sgtdirt · Oct 06, 2008, 06:20 PM

not to hijack but here's a couple of pics of mine.
i liked the Hamilton motif too so i did it for a company i used to work for.
all the graphics done by Callie.

there are a few weak spots you'll probably need to look at. one is the where the wing bolts go through on the TE of the wing. if you hit the wing tip this is the area that will crack immediately. not a tough fix but....
i re- enforce the front wall on the landing gear wall too. the wire will pop through if you hit it hard on a bad landing.

i made some triangle gussets for the cross bars on the underside of the fuse(the ones in the wing saddle). it helps strengthen the saddle area.

sgtdirt · Oct 06, 2008, 06:23 PM

one more thing...
use more than two magnets on the battery hatch. it'll blow off.

what are you putting under the hood?

Mark Wolf · Oct 06, 2008, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgtdirt

there are a few weak spots you'll probably need to look at. one is the where the wing bolts go through on the TE of the wing. if you hit the wing tip this is the area that will crack immediately. not a tough fix but....
i re- enforce the front wall on the landing gear wall too. the wire will pop through if you hit it hard on a bad landing.

i made some triangle gussets for the cross bars on the underside of the fuse(the ones in the wing saddle). it helps strengthen the saddle area.

I've already added some triangle stock in a few places.

I'm going to run a Hacker A30-10XL on a 3s 4500 TP pack. One of the appeals of this kit for me was that I already had this power system collecting dust on the shelf.

Mark Wolf · Oct 07, 2008, 07:01 PM

Per the rules, here are my pre-covering airframe shots.

maltone · Oct 07, 2008, 07:48 PM

Good Grief! - I'm still thinking about where to start and Mark is ready to cover

Pat (Slacker....)

Mark Wolf · Oct 08, 2008, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maltone

Good Grief! - I'm still thinking about where to start and Mark is ready to cover

Pat (Slacker....)

All due to a great kit, not any building skill on my part. I probably have less than 10 hours in this build so far.

I just remembered that my pilot needed a place to sit. To that end, I whipped up a little cockpit tub from three pieces of 6mm depron. No measurable weight gain, and it'll more than replace the lost strength from the structure I removed to open up the cockpit area.

I'll also hide the interior of the fuselage from view. BTW, I'm not planning an overly detailed cockpit. The side walls will be gray and the cockpit floor just blacked out.

Mark Wolf · Oct 09, 2008, 03:56 PM

There was a package from Callie waiting for me in the mailbox this afternoon! Boy did she deliver this time!!!!!!!

Note the DX7 included in the pics for scale...

Every order Callie has done for me is better than the last. I can't say enough about how her work has elevated the final results of my builds.

Unfortunately, I won't have any time to work on the Cap this weekend. Covering will begin next week.

Oct 05, 2008, 06:40 PM	#1
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	FunBuild 2 - Stevens Aeromodel Cap 232 I've just started on a Stevens Aeromodel Cap 232, so I guess I'll throw my hat into the kit-built portion of the contest. Firstly, a big hats-off to SA. This is one of the best kits I've built. Excellent parts fit, detailed instructions, even the way the kit was packaged for shipping was first rate. I start every build by first choosing a subject. I've been wanted to model a plane from the Red Bull Air Race series for a while now. To that end, I've decided to model the Cap 232 flown by Nicolas Ivanoff in the 2005 air races. I've already put Callie to work duplicating the markings and can't wait to see what she comes up with. Here's the goal: As with all my builds, I began with the tail surfaces. Nothing complicated, just dry fit everything and hit the joints with this CA. BTW, this is how nearly the entire model goes together. Next I built the wing. There's no need to build over the plans as everything interlocks and nothing needs to be pinned down. Completed wing: Up next, fuselage... Last edited by Mark Wolf; Oct 09, 2008 at 07:13 PM.

Oct 05, 2008, 07:09 PM	#3
Griffin AMA #874520 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Victor Idaho Posts: 2,429	Great choice of full scale subject! If my hands were not so full, I would love to build a SA cap. -steve Attached Thumbnails 65.7 KB · Views: 169

Oct 06, 2008, 06:20 PM	#9
sgtdirt RLTW Carpe Cerveza Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mentor, OH Posts: 6,275	not to hijack but here's a couple of pics of mine. i liked the Hamilton motif too so i did it for a company i used to work for. all the graphics done by Callie. there are a few weak spots you'll probably need to look at. one is the where the wing bolts go through on the TE of the wing. if you hit the wing tip this is the area that will crack immediately. not a tough fix but.... i re- enforce the front wall on the landing gear wall too. the wire will pop through if you hit it hard on a bad landing. i made some triangle gussets for the cross bars on the underside of the fuse(the ones in the wing saddle). it helps strengthen the saddle area. Attached Thumbnails 128.8 KB · Views: 131 106.6 KB · Views: 79

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Oct 05, 2008, 06:48 PM	#2
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	Fuselage taking shape: First dry fit...it's always a big moral boost when you can set together something that resembles an airplane! At this point, I stopped work on the airframe to tackle one of my least favorite parts of building...painting the pilot. This model is in an oddball scale, 3/16, so I wasn't able to find an correct sized pilot. The Hangar 9 pilot I chose is slightly too big, but I think it'll look ok to those of us who don't prowl the flightline with a ruler. Be kind, my pilot painting skills leave a bit to be desired. Unpainted: In progress: Completed pilot: Now back to finishing the fuselage. To be continued...

Oct 05, 2008, 07:16 PM	#4
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	LOL! Great pic!

Oct 06, 2008, 03:09 AM	#5
jofrost It flew once before... Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Northwood , New Hampshire Posts: 3,387	Mark , Nice build so far . I figured a fast build being a Stevens Aero kit Thanks for participating ! -John

Oct 06, 2008, 06:52 AM	#6
bosley Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Quantico, VA USA Posts: 1,051	I have been eyeballing the Cap for years. I have had 3 of the RV-4's and they are awesome planes. Looking forward to see this come together and to see what Callie comes up with!!! Jeff

Oct 06, 2008, 03:05 PM	#7
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	I have to throw another compliment to Stevens Aeromodel. Not only is the kit first rate, but so is their service. I placed an order with them on Saturday afternoon for the covering and a few other items I needed to complete my Cap. Guess what was on my doorstep when I arrived home from work today (Monday)?!?!?!?! The pilot may be a bit too big for scale, but I think it's close enough not to matter:

Oct 06, 2008, 06:18 PM	#8
jofrost It flew once before... Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Northwood , New Hampshire Posts: 3,387	Mark , I found the same with Stevens Aeros service and overall kit fit and finish . I recently built his Diddlebug just for a change of pace and it went together in a couple days . My only wish is that he had more scale offerings with that same great construction I may have to try that mini-Cap he has listed -John

Oct 06, 2008, 06:23 PM	#10
sgtdirt RLTW Carpe Cerveza Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mentor, OH Posts: 6,275	one more thing... use more than two magnets on the battery hatch. it'll blow off. what are you putting under the hood?

Oct 07, 2008, 07:01 PM	#12
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	Per the rules, here are my pre-covering airframe shots.

Oct 07, 2008, 07:48 PM	#13
maltone Pat Lynch Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bungendore, Australia Posts: 4,322	Good Grief! - I'm still thinking about where to start and Mark is ready to cover Pat (Slacker....)

Oct 09, 2008, 03:56 PM	#15
Mark Wolf Flying electric since 1986 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: USA, IN, Brownsburg Posts: 1,489	There was a package from Callie waiting for me in the mailbox this afternoon! Boy did she deliver this time!!!!!!! Note the DX7 included in the pics for scale... Every order Callie has done for me is better than the last. I can't say enough about how her work has elevated the final results of my builds. Unfortunately, I won't have any time to work on the Cap this weekend. Covering will begin next week.