Build Log Top Flite P-40E Warhawk Gold Edition kit

[rcdude07]

Hopefully your dad told you that with sheeting it is much better to use regular wood glue rather than CA....CA is VERY hard to sand.
Takes a little longer for the wood glue to set, but it is well worth later.

Never used wood glue on a balsa plane build. I agree CA is tough to sand, but it does sand and sands a little better than epoxy. His tips were about joining the joints, how to wet the wood to help it bend over the curvature of the ribs, water acts as an accelerant to CA.

 

[rcdude07]

Spent about 30 minutes Saturday night sanding the top of the stab. Main focus was the transition of the LE to the ribs being smooth. Also spent time on the TE and any rough glue joints. Here are some pics of the stab halves being completed, joined, middle sheeting between both S1 ribs, a home brewed sanding block, and the end result of the LE sanding.

Next step is to make the sheeting and apply it to the top.

 

[SnowDog]

looks nice and smooth! I think sanding is one of the biggest areas that I don't miss when putting together an ARF!

 

[rcdude07]

looks nice and smooth! I think sanding is one of the biggest areas that I don't miss when putting together an ARF!

Thanks. I started with a coarse grit and used a light hand. Then followed up with a finer grit and used the light hand approach. Yeah, growing up as a kid I hated the sanding part, but find I don't mind it now.

 

[rcdude07]

Got about another hour of work on the plane this weekend. Only involved creating templates for the stab sheeting, cutting the sheeting, and gluing some of the sheeting together.






Test fitting the edges


top quarters glued to make halves

 

[rcdude07]

Top half is sheeted! Soaked a section for 5-10 minutes in water, than used medium CA to put on with. Water acts as a little accelerant to CA so the window is small to get it on good and flat to the ribs, TE, and LE.

 

[rcdude07]

Not a lot of progress since my previous update. I came down with a nasty cold that took the best out of me for about a week. I did make use of 70*F weather about a week and half ago on a Sunday and did some sanding with rough grit on the bottom of the stab ribs after removing the alignment tabs. Now a home improvement project is eating the majority of my "free" time.

 

[SnowDog]

Yep - stuff like that happens to me too...just keep and it when you can and keep us "posted"

 

[3DNinja]

Shes looking good! This is part of the hobby that is becoming a rarity amoung the newcomers. I will be watching this buildopcorn:

 

[rcdude07]

Got back to the building table yesterday (Easter Sunday) afternoon. Son chose to take a 3 hour nap, so this gave me plenty of time to work.

Got the bottom half of the stab sheeted. No new/different techniques here when compared to the work I did for the top half.

Next steps will be trimming/sanding the sheeting overage down.