Update: December 13, 2014 -
I'll be updating this post as I build and then adding a post to the thread when I update. I want the entire build on the first page. One post should do for the build, so please feel free to post at anytime from now on.
I wanted to start this build with an short explanation. I have only built one kit previous to this one, and all of the parts in that kit were laser cut. The parts that are cut in this kit are cut with a die, and so far, it has required a little more finesse and sanding to complete. However, there are many pieces that are not pre-cut, and require measuring and cutting. The whole tail is like that.
Sometime after the beginning of the year, I'm going to stop working on the plane, and start working on building a proper workbench in my man cave. Also, school starts again for the spring semester in the middle of January, so it will be extremely slow going on the build after that point. I am not looking to finish this plane in a few weeks, and I don't have a completion date in mind. It's also flying season here in the desert, so I'll be doing some of that too.
My hope is that this thread will help someone who is new to building, like I am, with the questions you may want to ask but are too shy. I tend to think out loud in my build threads, so If you have an idea, or a suggestion, please feel free to speak up... register with the site and speak up.
So here it goes
Horizontal Stabilizer:
Little Mini unboxing if you didn't want to watch the video
The wood in this kit isn't just balsa. It's pretty beefy. Not the straightest though.
It comes with an instruction manual and plans. So you could built this kit from plans if you crash it.
So lets get started with the build:
You want to use wax paper to cover your plans because you'll ruin them if you don't.
So, my space is limited, my table is relatively small, even with the work bench I have planned, I'd still need to cut plans. You just need to be careful that you get all of the information you need to complete the section you're working on. These plans were big enough, and had enough space in between, that cutting them seemed to be the logical thing to do. I think it would have been harder working with the plans uncut.
As you can see (above) It was easy to cover they plan section with wax paper this way as well.
This is the information I was talking about above. You don't want to cut this off by mistake. As you can see, it tells you the thickness of the wood, and on what sheet you can find the part you're looking for. In this case, and in the following pictures, we're looking for the center section of the horizontal stab. There are actually two 1/8" pieces on two different sheets, that you need to glue together to make 1/4".
This is the section of the manual you should be looking at at this point.
So... I consider this a "happy accident." In this image you see only one of the 1/8" center sections. At this point, I had no idea there were two even though the manual specifically says glue the two pieces together. But because I didn't, pinning the part was easier. After I had finished with the stab, I thought "man that doesn't seem like it's right." So a re-read the manual and sure enough... luckily it only took a little sanding and it fit like a glove. So you can do it this way, or the manual way, but you'll be fine either way you do it.
This kit uses U.S. customary units, so it would be a good idea to have a ruler or yard stick with inches and feet.
I had to measure the pieces according to the plans and manual in order to figure out which of the stock I would need to use. (see below also)
This is how the above stock reads on the plans
So now I'm going to build the outer frame. You want to build and glue the frame together before you install the ribs:
I used a pencil and a straight edge to mark my cuts
Having the plans makes the angles easy to mark and cut
Wider view for some perspective
So this is where the cutting comes in. I'm using a skill scroll saw (mini band saw) to make my cuts.
This isn't balsa, and CA may work for some, but it just felt sketchy to me, so I used some 12 minute epoxy.
Stab frame built and sanded
Now it's time for the ribs
Gluing in the ribs
The trailing edge of the stab is straight, but the leading edge is not, so you'll need to angle the cut. If you don't you'll have a gap on the leading edge of the rib.
So here's where I figured out that I need to glue the two pieces together. Sometimes I just miss stuff when I read. I guess this was one of those times.
Just took a little sanding at the bottom and it glued in. This is balsa, so I glued it in with CA.
So once I get all the ribs glued in, I decide to deviate from the plans just a bit. I won't be using CA hinges. I'll be using Robart point hinges. So where I will be putting hinges, I beefed up the the trailing edge. I'll be doing this to the leading edge of the elevator as well. My only problem was that I wasn't sure where I was going to get the 1/4" stock. So, I ended up using the scrap stock from the sheets I got the stab center from (see below), and I glued them together with epoxy, and cut strips to use (see below):
Stock
Gluing the pieces.
This is why I wanted the extra stock. If you look, you can see that if I didn't have the extra wood, I'd only have two threads holding the hinges in. With the extra wood, all 6 threads will be holding the hinge in. The extra stock is glued in with epoxy.
As you can see, the plans call for CA hinges.
Full view with the plans above
Standing the stab up on the flat trailing edge, you can measure both sides to make sure the stab is
symmetrical
After the stab was complete, I sanded everything flush, and sanded as much of the excess glue of that I could see.
So this is where I'm at. I'm going to work on the elevators tomorrow, but they are a little more complicated. So far so good, FUN!
Edit 12/14/2014-
Elevators:
Cut the wood for the elevator frame. One thing I didn't do with the stabilizer that I should have done was allow the wood to extend beyond the joint where possible. This way you don't waste time measuring and cutting angles in the wood. Once the joint is made, no need to measure. You might save a little wood the other way though.
Edit: 12/15/2014 - Don't extend the wood as far as you see here. The manual says 1/16" but if you look at the pictures it seems that they use more than that. I have just enough wood (barely) to make the rudder and vert stab "fin"(per manual), and I didn't extend the wood for the horz. stab. So if I would have done it for both the stab and the elevators, I wouldn't have enough wood to finish the tail. However, there seems to be enough 1/8" scrap that you could make the smaller 1/4" parts by laminating two 1/8" pieces together, then cutting to fit.
Gussets
You can either cut off or sand off the excess. I suggest both (cut to get it close, the sand to make it flush).
Again, added extra wood to support the pin joint hinges.
Edit: Dec. 24, 2014 -
Vertical Stabilizer:
This is the base piece to the vertical stabilizer or "fin" according to the manual.
New section of the plans. This section is the side view of the fuse, v-stab, and rudder.
Multiple you need to glue together. You could use CA, but I used 12 min. epoxy.
I haven't been pinning. I've been tacking the pieces to the wax paper with 30 minute epoxy so I can work with it to make sure the wood is aligned properly. So far its worked well.
I built the rudder with the v-stab still in place. I added a ruler for some perspective. This plane is a little bigger than I expected.
The dotted lines running between the v-stab and rudder are where the CA hinges are supposed to go. I'm not using them, but I thought I'd show them.
Rather than wait until the end, as I go, I'm touching up the low spots and scars in the wood with Hobbylite.
Filled and sanded
As you can see, I added extra wood to accommodate the Robart hinges.
Marking for the hinge holes
I'm using my Christmas present from 3 years ago. My Variable speed Dremel and the Dremel Drill Press. You need a 1/8" bit.
I cut notches in the rudder to fit the hinge knuckle. This will alleviate gaps (and is the suggested way according to the robart instructions).
From the parts bag you need to find the torque rod for the elevators and the tail wheel mount.
Edit: The hinges are dry fit. They aren't glued in yet. I will be gluing them in after I cover the plane.
Bottom Wing:
The ribs are die cut, so be careful removing them from the sheet, but if they do break, you can easily glue them back together with thin CA. The cool thing about the ribs is that they have jig tabs on the bottom. There are a couple of things you need to do though... you either need to pin or glue the spars to the plans, but remember if you use glue, make sure you use wax paper so you don't destroy the plans, and also, you just need to use enough 30 minute epoxy to tack it down. You also need to match your spars. If your spars are bowed, make sure the bows are in opposite directions so your wing will turn out straight.
It takes some manipulation and maybe a very light and quick sanding to get the ribs to align with the plans. The pre rounded Leading Edge (LE) has grooves for the ribs. So you don't need to do any measuring.
I built both sides at the same time.
Installing the Trailing Edge (TE). It also has slots for the ribs.
In a separate plastic bag of wood (wood only), you'll find the joiner. This joins both sides and connects the top and bottom spars. This piece needs to be cut to fit.
The joiner needs to be installed before the top spar.
This is where the strut will fit. It's easy to make the mistake and use another R1 rib, but this takes an R3 rib which doesn't with the LE or TE.
Test fit
They actually have a die cut piece to join the front of the LE, but if you cant find it any scrap piece will do.
Shear Webs (connects the top and bottom spar for strength).
This is how a trimmed. You'll need to cut these to fit from a sheet of balsa. They don't come pre-cut.
It's time to sheet. It is crucial that the spars be flat. I made weights out of playground sand, a plastic bag, and an old sock (clean). I made sure the jig tabs and bottom spars were all touching before I sheeted the wing.
Top of the wing LE and TE sheeted. You'll notice I have excess spar sticking out. I'll cut that off later.
Capping the ribs. This is done to make covering easier, and even. You'll need to cut these from stock. They are not pre-cut.
Cut off the excess spar and I'll sand these down and cap them.
Sheet the center. Again, you'll have to measure and cut from stock. If you notice the yellowish spots, that's where I've been filling cracks and low spots with Hobbylite.
When I took this picture. It was my plan to only use one standard size servo. However, after reading the manual and thinking about it, two servos would actually be easier to install. I'll explain more in a few images.
The end caps for the wings are not pre-cut, you'll need to measure and cut. See the next couple of pictures below:
So I needed to build some servo mounts in the wings. I had the wood from this broken wing left over from the Sukhoi crash. So I salvaged some balsa sheeting from it.
this is the bottom of the wing. You see the servo mount to the left. Also, even though I won't be using the torque rods supplied. I still installed the grooved triangle stock to the TE. I also installed the bottom wing mount.
I measured and installed servo mounts for two "mini" servos. I'm going to use two Hyperion DS16 FMD's. They are a bit slow, but the torque is outrageous. One is almost triple the torque of the servo recommended for this plan (Futaba S148). Here's a comparison of the Hitec Mighty mini, the Futaba S148, and the Hyperion DS16 FMD:
Servo Comparison
I used popsicle sticks for support.
so I filled the hole for the single servo, but then realized I'd need a place to run the leads. So I cut this hole. I'm going to treat the edges of the hole with something so the edge doesn't cut through the leads... gas engines vibrate...
Time to make the hinge holes. I decided to take this a little slower and drill them by hand. I could literally watch each cut which made for less mistakes.
Used 3/16" and 1/8"
I use the 1/8" first, but then use the 3/16" for only a few cuts to recess the knuckle. I do this on the TE of the wing and the LE of the aileron.
Extra wood from scrap to support the hinge.
I forgot to show the bevel of the ailerons but this is the completed wing.
Edit: 2/11/2015 continuing the build - It's been a while since I've posted any build photos and actually It's almost done. School has slowed things down a lot. Anyway I'm going to pick back up with the fuse and top wing.
FUSE:
This step is a bit tricky and requires some thinking. It's very easy to get this wrong an glue the front sidewall doublers up upside down or so that you've made two of the same side. For that reason, you want to dry fit both side walls at the same time and before you do any gluing. Make sure to mark them. Also, your right side will be 1/4" shorter in length than the left side to give the firewall a thrust angle. You'll need to cut the right side doublers 1/4" shorter as well. The manual explains this quite well, but it's worth mentioning because there are other die cut pieces cut to account for this angle.
You need to look at the plans and check the manual. The alignment here is crucial.
Time for the rear sidewall doublers
I've offset these notches here for clarity, but they need to line up. see below:
Notice your control rod guide slots, and make sure they are lining up as well
Now its time to glue the fuse. I did it in sections starting with the tail and I used 30 minute epoxy instead of CA. If you're careful, your weight gain will be minimal. I did use CA for some of the extremely thin parts, but the bulkheads are pretty stout and using CA seemed a bit sketchy.
Weights help
Drilling the holes in the landing gear well, and gluing in the blind nuts.
Time to measure and run the control rod guide tubes. Using a mixture of Talc (baby powder) and epoxy, I filled in the gaps between the tube and the fuse. Not only does this leave a nice flush look, but it makes your plane smell good too
Setting Up the Stabs:If you've ever built an ARF, more often than not, your stabilizers come covered and uninstalled. Even the EVA that I built before this plane had you cover your stabs before you install them. This plane has been around for a long time, and as you build it, you can see some old school tech. However, they have incorporated the building of the the turtle deck around the installation of the stabs (as you'll see below), and I'm didn't feel experienced enough to step outside the plans that much. I'm sure there is a way to cover the fuse and stabs separate. I didn't want to try, so I stuck with the plans.
The reason you build the lower wing first, before anything else becomes obvious in this step. As with any plane that I've built, ARF or otherwise, it is crucial to get the horizontal stab lined up with the wings.
Attach the lower wing and install the horizontal stab. I've covered how to do this in other builds so I wont be covering it here for the sake of time... and also, I got engrossed in the build and forgot to take pictures so I'm rationalizing.
Gluing up the Vert Stab or "Fin" as the manual likes to call it.
find where to mark the guide for your turtle deck on your plans. See below too:
Using a centerline mark I'm made on the H-stab, I line the V-stab up on it and pin into place (both sides).
After placing center marks on the fuse all the way to the nose, I lay down a STRAIGHT piece of stock on those marks to give me a better visual of the centerline.
Constantly checking and rechecking.
This is a simple process, but very time consuming because your vision can be fooled. It's best to have a contrasting background. The process is actually quite simple, but I made it tedious.
Turtle Deck
Top Deck
This was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and took some figuring out. Also, I needed to do some sanding to get the pieces to fit properly. I used CA here.
Joints like this one really made no sense to me. It seems like this whole top deck could have been constructed with less wood and a more simple design.
Sorry for the blur, but this gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. Three pieces like the arch in the turtle deck could have actually done the same thing. There's really no need to do all of this. I mean... I did it, but it seemed unnecessary.
Again, the rounded triangle stock along the sides of the top deck is a poor design. It just adds weight, but like above, I did it anyway.
Mount the cabanes without the cross bracing before you sheet the top deck. You quickly find out what a pain it is to mount the front cabane is if you have meat hands.
Top deck sheeted. Could have done it with one piece. I was really baffled that someone thought this top deck design was a good idea. Having done the top deck for the EVA, I realized how overly complicated they made this. Also, If you feel comfortable, you could also make a top hatch here since the top deck is only cosmetic. There are literally multiple other routes they could have gone with this. sorry /rantoff.
After the sheeting is done, reinstall the cabanes
At this point it's time to build the top wing. The build is almost exactly like the bottom wing so I wont cover the parts that are similar.
Top Wing
The top wing minus the center sections is completely built, so now its time to install the bolt plates. However is not as simple as just installing them. Adjustments need to be made. Please note that I haven't glued the center ribs in yet. During the top wing fitting I will be adjusting their position by using alignment marks on the bolt plates and the top wing. In the picture above I have drilled the top plates and dry fit them using masking tape... but I cut them way too short. I left myself no room for adjustment.
I found some scrap stock that I could use, and as you see, I left a lot more than was necessary this time.
Marking the center so I know where to drill the holes.
This image shows how to adjust the bolt plates before gluing. The manual calls to mark and take the wing off, but I decide to glue the adjacent ribs before taking the wing off so the center hole stays exactly where I adjusted it. I also epoxied the center rib at this point. If you notice, I've already sheeted the the D box on the wing because the process is the same for the leading edge as it is for the front edge and this is easier to see. The leading edge center rib is not connected to the trailing edge center rib and is glued separately. So this is why I was able to sheet the D box before I installed the trailing edge bolt plate (hope that made sense).
This image above and the one below shows how much I had to offset the center ribs and bolt plates to get the wing tips equidistant. The ruler is placed on the center line.
You have to cut a hole in the sheet large enough for the nut and the tool used to take the nut on and off. This was a bit excessive.
Going to stop here for today, i still have a few more pictures to go, but I have to go to school, and I'm FINALLY installing my new workbench this afternoon for which I'll do a build thread
I'll continue this at some point, but I can't really be sure when.
