Originally Posted by vise101

Hey Guys:
I am just about to start construction on my C-130 and thought I would check for some build info. From the search that I have done, there seems to be no info about the construction of this bird.
I have a few questions before I start:
Do I need to add some downthrust to the motors? I have read a bit about a ballooning effect on take-off.
I am thinking of using 1 servo for the ailerons and possibly one for some flaps down the road. Any thoughts?
Do the wings flex a lot? I have seen some pics and the wings look a little flimsy to me. I have a longer carbon rod to use for a spar. Do I need it?
How delicate is the front landing gear? It looks kinda suspect to me.
What target weight should I shoot for?

Maybe people can post their mods here so that we all have a place to look when others start their Herc's.

If anyone wants, I can post some build pics. Let me know.

Thanks in advance for all the input.

Kevin

The down thrust will come on it's own when you install the pods.

You will not need flaps if you use two aileron servos. When you want to land raise the ailerons about 10 to 15 %. this will raise the nose, add washout to the tips and slow her right down. All that is needed is throttle control to adjust the descent rate.

The wings do flex, and they look kool when they do. They have stood up to loops, rools and inverted flight, you will be fine.

The nose gear is for stearing and should not be used for landings. Use some up trim to land on the mains, as do the real C-130s.

Don't woory about the tonage (weihgt). The motors can lift quite a load. Use small servos and don't beaf up anywhere. Beafing it up will make it fat and end up being counterproductive.

Wish you the best and hope you will post you progress. This way i can help you along the way.

Jarhead

Having just purchased one of these, this is excellent information. I need to get the conversion kit to go from 2 engine to four for starters. I'll be going with a different paint job though.

Jarhead: thanks for the build pics and all the info. Perfect. Just what I wanted to know.
Very nice job on yours by the way. I like the cockpit that you installed, very cool.

Hopefully this will be a good resource to everyone that has one.

Keep all the info coming.

Kevin

Originally Posted by vise101

Jarhead: thanks for the build pics and all the info. Perfect. Just what I wanted to know.
Very nice job on yours by the way. I like the cockpit that you installed, very cool.

Hopefully this will be a good resource to everyone that has one.

Keep all the info coming.

Kevin

You are welcome sir. Please remember to document and post as you go for a progress report. Jarhead

Hi Jarhead,

Nice bird BTW. I'd like to ask, what did you use for painting?

Saludos, Ricardo.

Originally Posted by Ricardo RW

Hi Jarhead,

Nice bird BTW. I'd like to ask, what did you use for painting?

Saludos, Ricardo.

Thank you for the kind words Ricardo. You might not believe it, but it's just spray paints. Krylon low oder, water clean up. The other spray paint I like is "DEIGN MASTER". I get them at craft stores, Hardware stores and art supplies. Jarhead

Happy Easter Fella's:
Well since the weather here is terrible, I decided to start the Herc. ( after I repaired the Zero that is )
I am going to follow all of Jarheads advice on the build, with the exception of a couple of things:
when I took my wing out, I noticed that it was warped. Well, since I already bought a carbon rod for it I decided to use the rod for reinforcing. It ends about 2" short of each wingtip. This may help with some of my landings also as they are less than "textbook procedure".
I marked the engine pods before sanding and I used some depron discs to fill in the mold marks as I figured that they would be lighter than filler.
I took pics of the pods but they are not clear.

I also took Jarheads advice and will be eliminating all the extra wiring and the connectors. This I think will save a bit of grams too. Always a plus.

Till next session.
Kevin

Top pic was using epoxy to attach the wings.
This pic is installing the carbon fibre rod. I used a small bead of probond to secure it.
I used some weights on top of the wing to make sure that it dried straight and to make sure that I had washout in the tips.
Kevin

And this is the color scheme I am shooting for. The one on the left.
If anyone has a few more shots of that color scheme it would be greatly appreciated.
Kevin

Here is a lnk to many different pics of C-130s. Jarhead

Hey Kevin.

I too am building a CC-130 but using the older RCAF silver and white colour scheme shown on the aircraft to the right in that picture (see above post)

www.rcaf.com has some great CC-130 information. You might also want to visit your local hobby shop and purchased some 1:48 scale or 1:72 scale decals of the CAF Hercs. Not so much for the decals (way too small) but they're a great source for colour scheme information. They will only set you back about 10 bucks.

My parents live in Peachland now.. it's a nice little place. Where do you normally fly there?

Hi David. Good luck on your build.
If I fly in Peachland, I usually go to Turner Field. It is a bit small for some faster stuff but great for the Tiggie and such. Nice and close for a quick fly. Usually on Sundays, a buddy and I go to Athens field in Kelowna. There are usually no people there in the mornings.
If you are ever out this way, give me a shout and we can go for a fly.

On to the build: as I have read on some other posts, the mounting for the motors is a bit suspect. Sure enough, I checked my cowls and all 4 of them have extremetly thin plastic at the mount points.
So..I made some motor mount mods. It will add a bit of weight but not too much and I think it will work great. Plus I will be able to fine tune thrust angles if I have to. Plus I also took some molds off the cowls so I will be able to make a few if I nose it in.
Wiring: I substituted some 20ga wire for the motors and wired it so that there is a lot less wires going down the length of the wing. Lot less complicated. The wires are soldered directly to the main wire. If I have to replace a motor, I will just have to resolder.
The servo leads have been extended instead of using joiners in the middle of the wing. There is now lots of room in the wing channel, should I need to add lights

Is anyone wanting me to keep posting this stuff? There does not seem to be many posts here of others doing theirs.
Let me know if I should continue.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Motor Mount Mods

Originally Posted by vise101

Hi David. Good luck on your build.
If I fly in Peachland, I usually go to Turner Field. It is a bit small for some faster stuff but great for the Tiggie and such. Nice and close for a quick fly. Usually on Sundays, a buddy and I go to Athens field in Kelowna. There are usually no people there in the mornings.
If you are ever out this way, give me a shout and we can go for a fly.

On to the build: as I have read on some other posts, the mounting for the motors is a bit suspect. Sure enough, I checked my cowls and all 4 of them have extremetly thin plastic at the mount points.
So..I made some motor mount mods. It will add a bit of weight but not too much and I think it will work great. Plus I will be able to fine tune thrust angles if I have to. Plus I also took some molds off the cowls so I will be able to make a few if I nose it in.
Wiring: I substituted some 20ga wire for the motors and wired it so that there is a lot less wires going down the length of the wing. Lot less complicated. The wires are soldered directly to the main wire. If I have to replace a motor, I will just have to resolder.
The servo leads have been extended instead of using joiners in the middle of the wing. There is now lots of room in the wing channel, should I need to add lights

Is anyone wanting me to keep posting this stuff? There does not seem to be many posts here of others doing theirs.
Let me know if I should continue.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Keep going, you're doing great.

The more info, the better, I've got a kit on the way! Keep up the good work!