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Well, I knew that question would eventually come up.
Umm, short answer is no. IMO, the sliding tray was ingenious. I never had any problems. I will be staying true, pretty much to the original construction methods, but I will be utilizing modern servo elevon control. Having said that, I am planning on mounting the servos side by side in the body rather than in the wing. This is a 17oz glider for light conditions so I'm not concerned about control authority. But using modern servo setup will allow for easier tuning. While we're talking, the original kit had custom cut leading and trailing edge stock. I don't have that nor is it available locally, so I will fabricate LE & TE's from balsa that I have on hand. I'm considering laminating a sandwich of thin carbon between two pieces of balsa for the leading edge for impact protection. I'm kinda getting ahead of myself here so we will see later in the build. |
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Last edited by Slopemaster; Oct 02, 2018 at 10:50 PM.
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Todd,
When you get a chance, could you post a picture of the sliding tray for the benefit of those who may not have seen one ? Thanks |
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Sliding tray
Hope this helps.
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Plans
I'm just doing a data dump here and posting some pictures of the plans.
The camera phone didn't cooperate with orientation no matter what I tried so I gave up. This thread is about the build, not how to use a Iphone. The little sheet showing the optional nyrod slide tray. my first build I did the wood slider as per the main plans. I will probably go with elevon mixing instead. All the main parts are cut, with the exception of cap strips, sheeting, LE, TE and wing tips. I will fabricate those when needed. Will post all the parts later. |
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Last edited by Slopemaster; Oct 02, 2018 at 10:49 PM.
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Ken,
Thank you for the kind words. You do some nice work yourself. I really like the job you did on your P-80 Shooting Star. First class! The finish looks like glass in the photos. I would love to start my Slope Master at the same time you are but like you I don't build real fast and I have a couple of models on the table now that I am trying to finish. I'll be watching you! And, thanks for sharing your post's here for all of us. Geppetto |
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Thanks Geppetto.
I think I found a spot today that has an acceptable LZ for the Slopemaster and my Spectrum. It's just east of the main launch where my main site is. A lot less rocks. The only draw back is it will require a more northerly wind. Our prevailing wind is NW which is why we fly the main launch. I'm gonna try it next time I'm out. |
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Fuselage parts
I'm gonna do separate posts for the major parts.
If you look carefully, you will note that some of the parts have orange on their edges. Parts with orange edges are the original kit components. Marking them orange allowed me to know when I sanded the fabricated parts to the original part (template). I used a pencil and traced all the parts and cut them close but final sanding was done with templates. This was especially important with the ribs. When I started sanding away orange, I knew to stop. The only drawback using the balsa templates is that it's possible to remove a small amount which would degrade the accuracy. But for a couple of kits I figured no big deal. |
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Last edited by Slopemaster; Oct 02, 2018 at 10:48 PM.
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Vertical fins
Vertical fins, self explanatory.
I went ahead and glued up the fins for two gliders. Original fins remain in kit form. One thing to note, I selected a heavier balsa for the front half and top tip pieces. The aft piece is a little lighter wood. My thought was strength where it will be needed most. |
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Wing ribs
Wing ribs.
This glider has a fully symmetrical airfoil. The original ribs had a slot on the LE and TE. I cut the same slot in the new ribs. This allowed me to hold the ribs in alignment while I finish sanded to correct size and shape. Most of the ribs are 1/16". The two ribs on each side of the wing fins are 3/16" balsa. The root ribs are 1/8". I had to fabricate a total of 52 ribs! It took a bit of time and effort, but I now have two complete kits in addition to the original and it didn't cost me a dime. It's time to start gluing some pieces together. |
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Last edited by Slopemaster; May 28, 2018 at 12:11 AM.
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DT56,
Thanks for your interest. I will probably start gluing parts this week. |
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You’re a machine Ken! Looking good!
Geppetto |
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Fuselage construction prep.
I've decided to start the fuselage first. Why, cause it's easier. I hate building wings, so I procrastinate.
The kit came with a 2x2x6" solid block of balsa for the nose. My self inflicted goal is to utilize only the wood that is in my big box, that I posted earlier. I have several pieces of 1" triangle stock that should fabricate nicely. Using a little elementary school geometry, I figured it out. Yes, I could go to Hobby Town and look hopelessly for a big block of balsa but that would take the fun out of it. Gonna have to fabricate the wing tips too. |
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