Originally Posted by ReidRoberts

Any sort of integration efforts between the Lightning Bug and common Bug community are quite impossible.

Sadly, that train has sailed. Bug people are carnies mostly; small hands...smell of cabbages. They are relegated to the other side of the field. They use scotch tape on their covering and fly in ratty, unorganized thermals.

Lol, sounds like they need to get their mojo back!

Here's my scratch built Lightnin' Bug that I finished up last October. At an AUW of 90-ish grams it floats better than any of the other simple R/E DLG I've flown so far. I used the smaller tails shown on the plans, but extended the tail approximately 3" according to the length of a section of lightweight wrapped tube I had available. Btw, nice kit espe! I sure wish I had those perfectly cut ribs when I was building mine, they took a while to cut out by hand!

Also, Reid, have you tried using high E or B guitar strings? If so, is there a benefit to using the .052? I have both on hand, but never thought to use the thicker strings' cores for springs.

Originally Posted by Aer0naught

Also, Reid, have you tried using high E or B guitar strings? If so, is there a benefit to using the .052? I have both on hand, but never thought to use the thicker strings' cores for springs.

I think the high B would work but I never tried it. Now I’m wondering why I never did!

I think the high .011 E is too thin? Maybe not because it all depends on the spring back length and the angle of the bends.

I used the unwound low E back in the first days of spring pull and you can make a strong spring for full power F3K throws or a docile one for the LBug. Now I can just look at the model and make the spring . If folks use springs on Sam’s very light tails, they will probably need tube inserts and glas or carbon reinforcement of the surface.

Oh, and my tails look huge compared to yours! My model is never going to impress the Bug groupies or win the big Bug prize money.

Originally Posted by ReidRoberts

I think the high B would work but I never tried it. Now I’m wondering why I never did!

I think the high .011 E is too thin? Maybe not because it all depends on the spring back length and the angle of the bends.

I used the unwound low E back in the first days of spring pull and you can make a strong spring for full power F3K throws or a docile one for the LBug. Now I can just look at the model and make the spring . If folks use springs on Sam’s very light tails, they will probably need tube inserts and glas or carbon reinforcement of the surface.

Oh, and my tails look huge compared to yours! My model is never going to impress the Bug groupies or win the big Bug prize money.

Ok, I've been using .011" or maybe .012" high E wire. Since I only fly smaller, lighter DLGs I haven't had any issues with spring tension, but if I get a larger model I'll definitely keep some thicker gauge wire on hand!

You can use unwound B or Gs (electric strings) up to .017 or .019 and buy them as singles at guitar stores. No need to unwind a acoustic string. Maybe I should re-purpose old guitar strings as model airplane springs rather than tossing them. I prefer pushrods rather than relying on a spring.

This build got sidetracked a few days ago. Got tied up doing some changes to my F3RES planes.

In this installment, we've added the sheeting to the center of the wing, top and bottom. This differs from how Reid joined his center. His method is probably lighter.

After the 1/32 sheeting the halves were joined, the dowel pin for mounting the front of the wing was added to the wing. The bottom side was reinforced with light fiberglass and epoxy. The plan calls for this construction. We'll see how it performs when it is thrown a few times.

The fuselage has been started. Formers added to the bottom, sides and tail boom added as well.

Please notice the decorative carbon tow racing strip on the fuse of my LBug.

I must have thrown that model 30 times last Wednesday and I even caught some lift. I was getting good launch height using a 1/3rd power throw vs a full competition DLG launch. I was running all around chasing the thing and having a good time.

But, of course, I dorked the fuse by stalling it in that one last turn before a hand catch. The stall break is pronounced since these models have little mass.

So the moral is: build them to dork because they're going to dork.

Reid

Finally finished my LBug. Took advantage of a warm day so y got out the rattle can of red and painted my LBug.

Mine looks like my grandkids built it in 1st grade art class compared to others that I’ve seen. On the next wing I’m going to paint the inside of the Doculam. It will make it easier to paint and the paint won’t rub off or get scratched.

By the way, I just found Doculam at Aloft Hobbies, good price fast turnaround and excellent customer service.

Cheers,

John

Lluv2flyez : How did you get the Doculam to be so tight on the wing? My experience with laminating film is that it does not shrink whatsoever.

This was actually the first time I tried Doculam ant it was very easy to apply to the wing and fuse. I used the 1.7 mil roll and had no trouble. It worked on high heat and low heat. Unlike the commercial light covering, high heat does not melt a hole in the material.

Finally getting down to covering the Lbug wing. Before somebody asks what it is covered with.... I really don’t know. It is whatever was in the box. Know it isn’t MKote (didn’t have the clear edge with the name).

Wow! Is that a LBug wing??? Looks like a 1M wing... looks good Sam!

Yes, indeed. It is a LBug wing. I'm pretty happy with the outcome (if you don't look to close).

It never fails when covering. Once I finally get the tactics (or body mechanics) figured out, I'm just about done covering it. It's always a learning experience.

It has been too long since I posted progress. Here are a few progress pictures.

The F1 former in the kit is a little bit too tall. I decided to flatten the top curve on the front end of the nose a little bit. This effectively lengthens the nose slightly, and, I think it just looks better. By making this change, didn't have to sand the F1 former down too much.

Fuselage covering is next. Tails are covered and ready for install.

Thinking of shortening the tail boom by about 3/4", given some of the comments about shoving the servos into the nose to get the best CG.

Nice work Sam!

Fuselage is covered now.

I trimmed just a little over 1/2 inch from the tailboom. We'll see how the cg goes when I put the radio in.

Mounted the tail feathers with the help of some 1-2-3 machinest blocks. I have to do a little work to adjust the LE pin on the wing mount, as the wing isn't a secure fit with the fuselage (It rocks a little bit).

Radio installation is next, followed by the installation of the throwing peg. This thing is nearly ready to fly!