My RC planes

[planecrazy]

Next on the list, found myself infatuated with this years Reno races, especially
seeing Graeme Frew’s Yak 3 made the final, well done Full Noise!

Nice u tube clip of the 2017 race, love the on board from Voodoo!


“Strega” in her former guise, she’s an ex Aussie RAAF Mustang in a former life
A68-679, this pic taken in 1968 at a museum in Mildura Australia, in the back
ground a Wirraway an Australian designed and built WWII training aircraft.


Anyway I had one of these 1cell 41cm span UM Mustangs that I had stripped for
parts and got to thinking lets soup her up some what. Bit of a squeeze putting a
2cell set up in such a small airframe! I’m a bit of a scale nut so really wanted to
try and hide the battery in the fuselage and get her as accurate to the real Reno
Mustang as possible. She’ll be a hand launch-belly lander, Reno Racer with gear
hanging down, no way!

First added some strength in the form of carbon fibre spares two in the wing as
well as the tail plane and fin.


The original model has an under cambered wing so fully sheeted the bottom of
the wing with foam, as you can see the battery can be fully enclosed now.


Here she is with the electrics mocked up, moved the brick rearward to help get
centre of gravity correct.


First coat of paint, I find you need too get a few coats on to hide what’s underneath,
adds weight but hey 2cell will deal with that!


Ready for decals, a great little cottage industry company called Cali Graphics
made me up some for my mini “Strega” bit fiddly as she is so small and the decals,
especially the stripes were tricky!


Tricky because the control links for the rudder/elevator come out through the
stickers, just cut this section out as it’s under the tailplane, touched up with paint.


Have already flown her before paint so had the CG correct, she gets pretty small
fast so these colours should make her easier to see. Had to tame down the rates
around 40% ailerons and elevator, only has a 38cm (15 inch) span with a bigger
prop so twitchy was to be expected.


Went for the Lucas Oil stickers as the current sponsors don’t mean much to us
Downunder. Ready for some turn left, down low and fast, some full noise! Or in
the words of Graeme Frew give her the jandal!

[Dave Homewood]

Wow that looks fantastic!!

[planecrazy]

A few screen shots of some of my warbirds.

RNZAF Mustang




RAAF CA15 “Kangaroo”




RAAF Mustang III

[planecrazy]

I have a couple of other projects that I can’t get myself motivated to get stuck into.
In the mean time right now in Reno a Yak 3 is having her second stint at taking on
the down low in the desert air races.

This project started life as a UM Mustang, here we go.


To get a plan I copy off three view plans to the size that is appropriate and go from
there, the Yak 3 needs a taller fusy than the mustang and of course those beautiful
wings are quite different than the Mustang!


Yeah I already have a couple of modded Mustangs, one as an Aussie and the
other probably needs no introduction, sadly both Strega and Voodoo not racing
at Reno this year.

[planecrazy]

Slowly getting there with this one, paint on now waiting for decals, also pilot
and a bit of cockpit detailing, yes that black arrow with the white surround
was a curse to paint!


Really wanted access to the inside electrics so created a magnet held hatch,
have to play around with CG as well.

[Dave Homewood]

Love it!!

[planecrazy]

Thanks Dave, here's another project I have underway. Often the case with my
warbird obsession have a couple on the go at present, repainting a micro Wildcat
to a Fleet Air Arm version, interesting fact, FAA Wildcats flew the last combat
mission in the European theatre in WW II.

Not only paint first slight mod, the later model FM-2 (Wildcat MK VI, sometimes
called Martlet) had a taller and less broad rudder, bit of blue foam on the top
sanded to shape then cut a small section off the rear.
[/url]



Paint the hardest part the invasion stripes, started out trying low tack masking
tape and airbrushed them, too much bleeding under the tape and the tape lifted
the paint and exposed the white foam underneath. Solution thin pencil line then
hand painted the stripes, do not ask me how many times this had to happen nor
how many times I used colourful language!


Bit to go, pilot and cockpit details and decals, minimal weathering as she is an
airshow machine and kept in pristine condition apart from a bit of exhaust stain.



Modeling her on the real one that flies in the UK with the Fighter Collection. Very
lucky to bump into her recently at Flying Legends, July 2018.

[planecrazy]

I have a third project on the go, often do a couple at a time, yeah I do have a
type of disease, getting bored with one project, hop to another.

Always been a fan on the later model, long tail P40’s, got this used one cheap
some time back in for some kit bashing! So to achieve the longer tail carefully
cut off the fin from the top of the tail plane then sliced around 1cm in and straight
up from the front of the rudder. Added a 1cm chunk of blue foam, glued, sanded
and painted. The other mod the canopy is quite different on the later models, will
repaint the correct supports on the canopy.



More on this one and the other two soon........

[planecrazy]

Yak 3 ready to fly, paint and decals, mild weathering as she is an airshow machine,
mods to the fusy, wings, scratch built cockpit, scored the decals from a Russian
seller. Have flown her pre mods, she was tail heavy so have glued some lead under
the motor and made her so the battery can go well forward.

[thebrads]

Well done that man! I'm impressed with what you can achieve with foam, and at that scale. I've played with foamies, but i haven't achieved anywhere near that good looking!

[Dave Homewood]

Great looking Yak 3, Peter!

[planecrazy]

Oct 18, 2018 19:40:41 GMT 12 thebrads said:

Well done that man! I'm impressed with what you can achieve with foam, and at that scale. I've played with foamies, but i haven't achieved anywhere near that good looking!

Thanks while, weight is your enemy with these jobs, I find a few coats of paint help
get a better finish by filling in the foam, yeah you get shorter flights and perhaps a
small drop in performance. Doesn't worry me too much, happy to sacrifice a bit of
performance for looks.

My P40n done and dusted, did her up as a fighter that has a bit of history, the
last aeroplane to claim a victory in the New Guinea campaign, flown initially by
a Ft Lt Dennis Baker who named her. Then the mount of the only indigenous
Australian to fly in the Australian air force, WO Len Waters flew over 90 combat
missions in the south west pacific conflict.

The real machine.


Mods include lightning the tail and modding the cockpit to portray a P40n, paint,
decals and weathering, recessed the exhaust and added the aerial. Yet to fly,
expecting her too be a little tail heavy so have allowed for the battery to fit well
forward if required.




Len Waters story
alchetron.com/Len-Waters

P40 A29-575
www.awm.gov.au/collection/P02808.001

[planecrazy]

Also finished my Wildcat repaint, she represents the airworthy job that flies with the
Fighter Collection at Duxford in the UK. The Fighter Collection's machine represents
an aeroplane that flew off the aircraft carrier Tracker with the Fleet Air Arm.




My 515mm span foamy, mods include a taller less broad fin of the later FM2 version
and of course paint, a curse to paint those invasion stripes. Started with low tac tape
but keep getting bleeding so end up hand painting, yes there was swearing!
[/url]



The real one.

[planecrazy]

Always been impressed by the P47, just big and brash, got a second one cheap
in an end of year sale, had a spare Mustang canopy, converting her to a bubble
top, yeah posted this a while back, lost my motivation and now I’m back! Used
some blue foam for the lowered back sanded to shape.


Here she is mocked with my SEAC RAF razor back Thunderbolt, was a little
surprised how much smaller the canopy is compared to the Mustangs.


Lots of schemes to choose with this job, decided a warbird needed warpaint so
going with Gaby Gabreski’s mount as she would have appeared flying with the
8th AF out of England in July 1944.


Did some searching on the net and it seems there are various versions of this
scheme, went with one that only had invasions stripes on the bottom as they
are a curse to paint!


The camo on this one is really a bit of a mystery, quite unusual from what I have
found on the net. Now I know camo is supposed to be uneven but it seems this
machine had a really randome paint job, little peaks and troughs all through it
wonder if was a personal thing for the crew and pilot. Of course what I have
found out about her on the net could be completely wrong?

Fortunate to bump into a real one in the UK early this year and let me tell you
there is nothing like a Thunderbolt both taxiing on by and flying!






Big friend with not so little “little friend.”

[planecrazy]

Gabi’s P47 Thunderbolt pretty close to taking flight, just need to glue the canopy
and flat seal the decals.


Wonder if anyone knows why the canopy would have been sky blue?

[planecrazy]

Here we go again, couple of beautiful British biplanes, something about British
aviation back in the day, beautifully simple yet complicated all at the same time!

One of my favorite quotes, way back in 1953 a journalist asked Edmund Hilary
why he climbed Mt Everest, his answer plain and simple “because it’s there!”
Love it, so why cut up a perfectly good ultra micro rc plane because you can!

Flew the Stearman and she was nice even landed her nice on the grass.


Haven’t even flown the Waco just bound her to see all was fine then went to it
with the exacto, have done a lot even though it doesn’t look like it!




Anyone game to have a guess at what these two will end up representing?

[Dave Homewood]

Since when have the Boeing-Stearman and Waco companies been British, Peter?

[planecrazy]

Dec 7, 2018 21:21:45 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Since when have the Boeing-Stearman and Waco companies been British, Peter?

Whoops I guess I have been too cryptic, what I am converting them into will be British,
anyone game to guess the Waco probably easier than the Stearman?

[versuch]

Gladiator ?

[planecrazy]

Well done that person, got that one right!