Out of somewhere, the bug has got to me again, this time my first attempt at scratch building. I chose a Mick Reeves Designed, Sopwith Camel. Mick Reeves from the UK, offers 1/4 and 1/3 rd scale planes in kit form but offers any scale in custom size plans. I chose to build a 1/6th scale. To build in this smaller size, I'm finding is a challenge to find hardware, such as the many small screws and fittings that suit this model to be built to scale.
So far I have found and purchased a Williams Bros., Le Rhone engine kit, two Vickers machine guns and a pair of Vintage wheels.
Those few items really took a lot of stones to be turned over, since Williams Bros. models is no longer producing these parts. I was surprised when I came across a company called Arizona Models that offered a 1/6th scale Aluminum Cowl. That was like Nirvana for me! One of the challenges and features I was attracted to with a Sopwith Camel, is the metal cowl front sides and top deck surrounding the guns that gave the nick name, ( Camel ) to the plane. Not all versions are exposed metal finish, but on the aircraft I chose to build, it will be. Being new to this era of planes, I needed to search for resources that have specialty parts available. Another company I found is Proctor models, which has a nice selection, to include brass hardware for mounting wire rigging and...Continue Reading

A few steps in between finish work lowering the side doors of the cowl and re-cutting the air outlets and carburetor filter opening. After reworking the shape and finishing of the glass re-work I lowered the engine side cowl on both sides, by about an inch . Using strip styrene I created a dam to build up with bondo fill, which was sanded flush to the styrene and feather into the sides to give the appearance of a single door over-lapping metal cowl door. I will make some cowl latches to give the appearance that the doors are held closed with these latches. The changes can be seen in the original cowl molding verses the changes made to my cowl.
My next step is to make the carburetor hood and inside filter , air outlet openings and finish , fill prime the cowl .

I wanted to re-do the Super Cub cowl to show scale features.
The original side cowl panels, high-lighted by cut panel lines were mid way to the sides of the cowl and not scale sized.
They needed to be lowered to feature a more scale look.
Rivets and cowl clasps were very over sized as they were cast into the fiber-glass.
I needed to start with a clean slate to make the corrections, so I sanded all the features off and cut out the remaining air intake, exhaust and carburetor housing.
Using fiber-glass cloth and Zap finishing resin I covered the holes. I held the cloth in place from the inside of the cowl with CA glue and and built up, cutting cloth to fit with another layer of cloth on the outside of each opening.
The holes were then finished on the outside with Evercoat formula 27 filler and sanded smooth with a final wet sanding to shape.
The end result is a profile of the Super cub cowl of which to add the featured details to come.
I utilized the full scale drawings to achieve the dimensions and shapes.

Just posting a little personal inspiration for recent progress and hopes to get back in the saddle again..a few life distractions slowing progress but soon should be at it again!

I wanted to recreate the details of the full scale windshield framing on my plane, but because the bulkheads and side framing are so much bigger in this ARF model, I approached the idea with a little creativity.
I knew the framing would be much wider than scale, but I thought I could come close to how the full scale windshield is framed.
First off, I needed to cut off the excess flanging used to mount the windshield.
After mutiple cuts and sanding I got the shape I wanted .
I used a false dash decking to act as a backing to lay against when mounting the windshield.
I noticed the wings had a cut out towards the leading edge root rib, used to capture the plastic of the kit windshield as the wing butted the fuselage.
I filled that root rib recess with a balsa fill and sanded it to shape, as it will no longer have the windshield frame passing between the rib and the fuselage.
After establishing the windshield shape, l flushed the windshield frame to the outer fuselage edge, I used a plastic strip shown, heated it up with a heat gun bit by bit to form the basic shape of the bottom edge of the windshield, then gave it a small bevel to resemble that of the full scale.
This strip piece of plastic used at the bottom, is duplicating a part of an actual frame on the full size plane, used to hold and mount the windshield to the boot cowl.
As the windshield is finished off, I'll paint the basic frame on the windshield, then glue this strip framing around the lower perimeter....Continue Reading

I've been pushing to complete the fuselage, so I can at least see some progress since fall of last year.
The fuselage wiring is now completed, I have a multi pin plug I'll be using to join the aileron and flap connection that I need to solder to the wires at the fuselage wing root.
Control connections are now completed to the rudder and the rudder is permanently attached in place.
I used robart Steel Pin Hinge Point hinges to replace the fiber CA hinges that came with the kit.
I've assembled the Elevator flexible carbon nylon push rod and set the distance adjustments for later assembly.
I'll soon be covering the fuselage, but will have to wait to create a tile computer program to draw the design in template, so I can cut the shapes repeatedly used though out the plane. In the mean time, the covering will temporarily look like a patchwork quilt until I can finish and overlay the completed design cut from using a template.
I's great to see the profile taking shape!

The mod's made to stiffen up the frame are noted on my prior posting, with the addition of replacing the rubber O rings with springs, ( found at the local ACE Hardware store ).
I used the DUBRO- 4- 1/2" Tundra tire to closely resemble a 1/6th scale of the Full Scale 29" wheel.
The completed gear, ready to mount as soon as the covering is on.

As I have also posted on the forum for the E-Flight 25 E Super Cub I own't add anything more here that can't be found on those few postings.
The cockpit is coming together now that I can paint.
I'll soon be covering the outside, which will allow me to install the windows enabling my completion of the cockpit.
Because , I want the covering material to wrap a little into the windows and will glue the windows into the frame after I have done that first.
I'll then be able to glue the interior side panels in place which also hold and cover the bottom part of the window flange in place.
I also have completed my mod's to the landing gear and have it ready to mount
A few pictures to show the...Continue Reading

I've noticed a frequency to the landing gear topic.
My concern is the small potential problem with it's design using rubber bands as supplied with the potential for breakage.
The rubber bands are stretched tightly over sharp edges of screw threads, as they stretch to their limits!
I've felt that an easy fix for this arrangement would be to fashion an outer tubular sleeve to prevent the cutting of the rubber as expanded, just simply slipped over the threads.
A lot of clever alternatives have been mentioned, but still focus on the rubber based method of spring.
Failure of this part can lead to considerable damage to the gear, as there are delicate weld joints and holes drilled narrowly close to the edge of the wire.
I mention this because, as this model ages, fewer replacement parts are available.
I've owned my plane for as long a time as the first comments on this forum, but have only in the past year started putting it together.
I can't lay claim to the idea of using springs in place of the rubber bands or bungee, but after having seen this idea in use, it seems faultless and maintenance free, so for my plane I've opted to use springs in place of rubber bands.
By placing 4 individual springs, I also felt that should one of them fail, there are still three more on each leg that add support for the gear leg, where if a bungee type is doubled and fails, the integrity of the support could be greatly lost by percentage of how many times it might be rapped around.
...Continue Reading

The weather! My Nemesis!
I am VERY THANKFUL! our damage and losses here in Florida was an acceptable trade off to anything otherwise.

It's been a while that I just haven't been able to build anything but patience!

I took a little time to start on the wing struts.
The metal material supplied in the kit is heavy. I know I keep saying this , but really!, why did they have to use such heavy metal.
It is almost indestructible! It seems to be a mix of aluminum and a low grade tin.

I decided to use K & S Aluminum Streamline tubing. I used 5/8 " for the leading strut and 1/2" for the trailing.
I have cut down the jury strut wing attach fittings , so that I can reduce the size of the jury struts from 9/16 to 1/4".
A little closer to scale!
Using Piper original drawings, I derived the semi- scale design and shape.

A great web-sight reference is Christian Sturm Super Cub Project. This is a full scale build with links to others and a link at the bottom of the page to Piper aircraft original drawings which I have referenced for my project. Noting the drawing s of the struts in the attached photos.

The main strut fuselage attach fitting is a Dubro 4/40 threaded coupler.
I rough cut a piece basswood after drilling an undersized hole to accept a 4/40 threaded rod that will to fit with-in the streamline tube.
I used thick CA to glue the assembly in place. On the exterior I finished off the end with a washer, which will give a...Continue Reading

Still unable to paint! I'm venturing a guess to wait another month! Every try yields disaster with the paint flashing off flat and discolored with all the humidity from rain.
So where I would have had the cockpit finished by now, the weather is adding time to be a little creative with the finishing details. Not such a bad thing when I review my choices for those cockpit details.

My prior paint scheme was 4 colors, inclusive of silver trim, but now it is more simple three colors, white, black and red.

The plane I am modeling has a lot of carbon fiber pieces in place of the conventional materials used.

Though I couldn't come across the scale representation of carbon fiber for this project, I enjoyed the effect the 3D carbon vinyl sheeting I have used will give.
The product is 3M 1080 CF12 Black Carbon. Peal and stick! You can use a heat gun to it if needed to shape tight curves and such. To see that type of detail look close at the middle panel to see the rectangular panel added for the cabin heat and fuel tank shut off, used on the full scale.

The carbon vinyl sheeting will be used on the wing tank covers, some inspection covers on the wing, exiting control covers, elevator access covers and some trim in the cockpit.

Another trip to Jo Anns Fabric yields another treasure I used for the wing inspection covers. I purchased a package of eye balls one would use making a stuffed animal or doll.
The clear part of the eye ball was domed just enough that...Continue Reading

I've given the cockpit a second coat of paint, and when the humidity dies around here , I'll finish up a couple areas.
In the mean time while waiting, I disassembled the main gear, sanded and primed and gave the parts their second coat of a new color!
Still holding out for better weather.

So I got a little restless and decided to cap the wing tip curve with a bow of basswood to give it just a little more depth in appearance, though the motivation was how do I re-do the kit's navigation light and attach my own design to the wing tip!
If to look close at the wing-tip picture of the new basswood BOW, where it passed across the old light mounting area you can see the misshapen sanding the factory did to fit the light. The new BOW crosses this area with a large gap that I utilized with light plywood bracing as a channel to drill the wire routing hole.

As carefully as I could, I completely dissembled the kit's wing tip light cover from it's metal frame housing and then detached the light cover from a framework used to hold the two pieces together.
As I rapped the aluminum to build my replacement frame, I shaped a 1/8th inch piece of lite-plywood to help form the shape while bending and also give a base to recess the light cover just enough to mount the lens into it's new frame.

Being that the BOW is now a little wider at it's edge, I was able to drill a hole centered to the wing tip BOW and run the wire easily to the Navigation light.
I drilled a...Continue Reading

If it weren't for the rain !, still waiting to have less humidity here.
I caught a small break yesterday and was able to shoot some primer and finish off a couple of small parts, running in and outside as I sprayed.
Not ideal conditions for painting.
Still yet, using Dupli-color acrylic lacquer in the rattle can, I primed a few pieces successfully!
I like this product because, when it dries, it is a good hard finish and not soft like enamel.
It also is a light spray out of the can, making finer detail easier to cover.
In my haste to keep moving when I use enamel, I always end up leaving smudge marks by touching the surface too soon.


Now to sand and fill the blemishes and the interior will now have a good start towards adding the colors I'll be using.
Looking at the panel picture attached , I have shown a crescent shaped panel for covering the rear window frame. It is used to overlap the glued edge of the clear plastic window that is glued to the frame. For the rectangular windows, I will add the same wood thickness, in strips, to hide the clear plastic window frame as it is glued in place.

The front floor board is now complete.
I added the rear seat brake pedals, made from plywood and push rods from carbon fiber, to the front break pedals.

Though REALLY out of scale, and incredibly cramped, it does the trick to fool the eye and turned out like I wanted! Trompe-l' oeil

Given the short reprieve to add a little paint , I was also able to finish the cockpit control sticks.
I have shown in one of the pictures, how simple and effective it is to use heat shrink tubing as a cover over the tape to add the look of a hand grip. The top of the stick is a servo eyelet filled with plastic filler, sanded and painted flat black.

I was able to complete the flying wires for the Empennage today.
I used 1-72 brass bolts with nuts and washers to attach the fittings to the tail.
The cylindrical tube that the threaded brass coupler is inserted, is a 1/8" aluminum tube cut to 3/8" length.
The factory drilled holes on the vertical and horizontal stab were opened for a 4-40 socket cap screw.
Very large and again, weight ads up, so I opted for a smaller screw and lined the drilled vertical and horizontal stab hole with a nylon tube to accept my smaller screw choice.
Using the Sullivan 2-56 thur-hole, for wire up to .034, threaded brass coupler, I was able to simulate the attach fitting used on the full scale Cub.
Again, it's not scale, but a close resemblance.

My main goal was weight.
By eliminating the .062 rod supplied and bulky nylon clevis, I was able to lightened the tail further.

The tail feathers are now ready to be covered.
Black , oh yeah!
It took a while to decide, as there are many good looking design ideas for the Super Cub, but finally I chose a scheme .
Honestly, it was a tough choice to make. some designs I admired are very challenging to work with iron on covering. Knowing that, I wanted some detail but without lots of over lapping in the design application.

I still need to install the elevator push rod to finalize the rear fuselage details and I decided to use Sullivan flex rod for the elevator operation.
Flex rod is fairly light...Continue Reading

I still managed to scratched out a little build time with company visiting and July 4th.
I had earlier mentioned I wanted to tie the elevator half s together as one.
The kit as designed calls for a split piano wire connecting individually to each half.

I wanted less weight than two heavy rods and given the size of this plane and my intent to putt around the sky in slow scale like flight, I feel that to connect the elevators as one and use one push rod would work just fine.
Again eliminating the additional weight.
My thoughts are, if this were a 3-D Cub, that might be a more positive control link necessary if to use two push rods, but I have come up with a very simple design that is strong and torsion-ally very ridged. When trying to use any type of flat stock as a connector, I found a surprising amount of flex. When choosing the carbon tube, the flex disappeared.
So the connection is simple. I used a extremely light weight 4 mm hollow carbon tube which will be glued to each half of the elevators.
Using a 3/8" x 1/4'"bass wood block, I cut a receiving hole to mate the carbon tube. The basswood with the hole drilled, was cut to a one inch width.
I cut out a section of the leading edge of each elevator, glued and shaped the basswood block to the rest of the shape surrounding it.
When it comes time to install the horizontal stabilizers, the elevators will be covered and hinged to the stabilizer and secured to a level status with each...Continue Reading

I used to enjoy rain.............now it's like Johnny, take your medicine, it's good for ya! I'm not making this stuff up.....it has been non stop! I just lost a half hours posting as lightening struck near by and the power went out.
Couple pictures of my nemesis!

One more interior panel and the cockpit sides will be finished and ready for paint, well some day! I shot those progress pictures and the main access door entry.
I've been looking at the landing light crevice and wanted to add something simple but effective.
As I looked into reflectors, I finally found a 12 mm plastic bowl suitable for a 5 mm LED, for a great value at .25 cents each at Fiber Optic Products.
I felt like I found gold to come across the size I wanted. Trouble is I have to paint them. but ALCLAD II paint to the rescue.
I've used their Chrome ( G ) before on a Stearman project, for the radial engine valve covers. I was pretty satisfied and surprised it turned out bright. A couple pictures for the end result. So I will spray the white reflectors with this finish.

I have used a lot of the very lite ply .020 in the cockpit and decided to frame the sides of the cut out of the landing light to clean up the edges.

My plane had a lot of dings and surface grinding by people that are looking at a time clock and not the project. If you look at the right side of the light box you will see a balsa insert block used to replace a very badly shaped crushed leading edge of the...Continue Reading

Oh the weather.............just can't paint!
I was able to finish the floor boards with a final coat of polycrylic, possibly because it is a water based product,
( nothing flashed off ) , but when I shot the glass black for the pedals after primer coating, the surface turned rough and the gloss disappeared.
So...... that is going to become a re-do! Not for a while!
This has to be the wettest summer yet.
Enough moaning and groaning.
I've mounted the tail wheel with the carbon fiber arm and heavier duty springs.
Where I thought I might use the dome top aluminum nut used to cap the post of the tail wheel that came with some of the parts purchased for this project, I ultimately felt it was too large and opted for a simple wheel collar, so I cut the threads off the post of the tail wheel housing and applied a flat spot to it for the wheel collar set screw.
The picture side by side shows the improvement in height, lifting the tail by a 1/2". I believe it will also help get the tail on step gently as the wing angle of attack will already be better suited to lift, rather than at a more acute angle of attack!
Without having to apply a sudden burst of power increasing P factor, should tame the tendency of the plane to be squirrel y and require large rudder corrections before take off and no lift to the wing.
Having read the forum and feed back about this plane and tendencies, I formulated a couple of ideas to try, such as this one, in hopes of...Continue Reading

Still raining and lots of humdidity!
Can't use it as an excuse, there's lots to be done!

I wanted to hide the servo and lighting wires so I started with fabricating a roof with wire guides. I'll be using an EMOTEC plug , ( found at Esprite models). because everything is small I'll have to enclose the plug into the wing root, that way the plug and wires will be less out of view when viewing the plane from the access window in the top of the wing.
I decided all the kit push rods had to go! All the kit supplies are VERY HEAVY. With all the plane torn apart as it is, it makes it so much easier to consider alternate methods.
I opted for pull pull wire....a very light weight system.
The Kit used heavy piano wire and full length nylon sleeves. All that has been removed!
I will join the elevator half's and use one carbon fiber push rod . I wanted to use a push rod centered from the inside center but it is just too small an area.
I mounted the Rudder servo in the cockpit, so the idea and design slowed my progress to detail the cockpit, but now that it is in place, onward ho!
Having mounted it inside takes more of the weight off the tail.
I have read lots of comments in the Super Cub forum about adding nose weight.
Where I can, I try to avoid additional weight to be added. Moving things around is always my first course of action.
Since I removed so much of the interior framing and with what wood has been used for detail added, it is less weight total than that removed...Continue Reading

It's still raining!, I haven't seen this much rain in Florida in a very long time!
So wanting to push though with progress on my Cub, I filled the Boot cowl area of the fuselage with sheet 1/16th inch balsa to level it to the false frame wood stringers.
That way, when the rain stops, and the humidity subsides, it will be ready to sand, ( outside ) !
As shown on the starboard side, the forward top of the Boot cowl, where additional wood has been added, has been sanded flush , so that it is now level with the attached stringers.
As the fuselage nears completion, I'll take the entire frame down to a minimum thickness, enough to show the relief intended.
On the full scale plane, this forward area is covered in Aluminum sheeting. I wanted this area of my plane to be somewhat similar to the full scale.
The windshield area will now fit similar to the full scale, in that the post next to the entry has a stringer running down it's length which will allow for the windshield to fit flush against it's edge of that stringer.
When the windshield is mounted in place, the side post will be capped with the framing that also perimeters the base of the windshield, to hold the windshieldt in place .
I have cut about 1/4" of the model's windshield flange away to add the attachment detail I mention. Still a bit away from that part of my intended changes, but since I added the wood I though I would mention the reasons why.

I added a couple more cut outs to the forward...Continue Reading

It's still raining, absolutely no way to paint! , so I got a little work done on the front floor board.

Though it's cramped as I knew it would be, I decided to add rudder and brake peddles and the appropriate connections to follow.
Even though it's not scale, I felt it looked too empty without them.
So, all those holes drilled either side of the elongated oval slots that the peddles fit thru will have the pictured chrome strap attached with a brass hex head #90 screw. When it is time to mount all of these parts they will just be glued in place from below.
On the full scale, underside the floor board , the peddle tube is captured with a strap that raps around the tubing allowing movement of the tube, so that the brake peddle can pivot back and forth.
On my floor board, the strapping is just for detail!
Again good ole Jo Ann Fabrics... these little strapping things are called spacer bars on their packaging. There were three sizes to the package. I've already used two of the sizes on this cockpit.
So a quick shot of today's work having cut out all the appropriate holes and drilled the screw holes for the straps on the front floor board.
Nothing glued or painted yet.
I'm leaving the floor board natural with a acrylic satin water based paint. The floor boards all have been sanded for their 3 rd coat, yet to be applied.

I finished off the front joy stick for the control joke.
The handled was made using trim tape rapped around the stick in four locations, covered in heat shrink tubing. The top is an eyelet filled with plastic filler and painted flat black.