Another C-47 Update
Sorta forgot to update for a while there. I have gotten pretty far. In these pictures, the plane is held together with pins, as I have not sanded the leading or trailing edges of the plane. I just wanted to get an idea of the size, and how it would look. It's been fun so far, and with school out, I can work on it all summer. I also put tissue on the fuselage, as it is finished. I am debating on putting landing gear on it. Thoughts?
I (vaguely) remember clumsily attempting balsa models when in the cub scouts, but certainly nothing like THIS. 🙁 There are those "modelers" who assemble plastic parts (like I used to do) and then there are MODELERS - like yourself.
Looks like it's gonna be quite a monster from what I can deduce from the pic you [thoughtfully] added to show the relative size.
As for the addition of landing gear, that's your call, but I wouldn't. I'd wanna hang it from the ceiling in a 'clean' configuration. BUT...as the gear doesn't completely retract anyway, you'd still have to attach some tires/wheels, so...
Kinda big to display otherwise.
Looks good. I tried a balsa wood aircraft once...once. I learned that two year olds and balsa don't go together very well
George, your comment brought this movie to mind! "Ya shouldn't build balsa models Johnny. I built a balsa model once...Once."
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
You know, I could totally see that now that you've mentioned it.
awesome...i remember attempting the old monogram spee-dee bilts with no success
My experience with adding landing gear on my balsa planes had mixed results.
If I flew the model, the landing gear always was damaged or torn completely off after only one or two flights if I was lucky.
If I kept it as a display model, they lasted longer, but still eventually fell off anyhow. They are not designed very well, since the main concern is weight on these smaller balsa flying models. Because of this they are rather flimsy.
If you're going to fly this one, please make sure that everything is aligned properly and no warps are in the wings or tail surfaces. The next thing to check for is balance. Make sure it's balanced according to the instructions. You can be just a little nose heavy, but never tail heavy... that will cause the model to stall out and crash.
If it were mine, I would not add the landing gear, unless it was going to be a non flying static model. You can always hand launch the plane, so the landing gear will not be needed. Fly it over tall grass and belly land in. You won't need the wheels.
Did you shrink the tissue paper with water yet ? You can do this several times. Each time will draw the paper a little more tight, and help to pull out excess wrinkles. I have even used a hair dryer to help dry the paper. Just be careful not to touch the paper when it's wet. It will tear easily. Once you get the paper tight enough, brush on a few coats of clear Dope. That will make the paper stronger and even more tight. Make sure you have a lot of ventilation when your doing this, because it will stink up the whole house and is not good to breath in a confined area.
It looks like you have made some great progress on your DC-3. Thanks for sharing this update with us. Please keep up the good work. I'll be looking forward to seeing your next update. 🙂
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I guess I'm not on the same page with ya, Louis...I was under the [apparently] wrong impression that this wasn't intended to be a powered model.
There are no wrong opinions on this one. At the start of the build I was debating between powered and not powered, and I am waiting till I'm finished to decide. So your opinion is 100% correct in assuming it would be a static model, because I have not decided.
And I did shrink it, but I guess I did not apply a final layer of clear dope yet. Thank you for pointing that out.
Thanks for the updates Jordyn. I remember you asking questions about going with either rubber power or possibly electric for a powered flight option. Once you apply the dope, it will make the tissue paper a little stronger. You can add several coats of dope. Each time it will draw the tissue a little tighter, and make the paper a little stronger.
The down side is each coat of dope adds a little more weight should you decide to fly it... Hope this helps.
It sure did. Thank you
Balsa uhh… Did several gliders as kid, small skale was good or rather good enough but at the end always ends up broken. The big, If I remember well wing span over 170m-230m, ended up several times broken before I ever finished it.
I have no wish to discourage you and still have some affection for those, aspecially full flying planes with wireles commands, only their fragilness ceep me off to get one...
Dont worry, I have broken it SEVERAL times. You didnt discourage me. It's a learning experience, and if anything, it encouraged me, as it shows I'm not making mistakes that other, more experienced modelers havent made. And I would encourage you to try again, as it is fun, and gives you the ability to relax. Breaking it, as it seems, is just part of the journey to the finished product. Dont be scared to hurt the wood. It IS balsa wood, one of the most fragile woods available. And shortly after posting this, I broke BOTH of the engine mounts.
Looking good, Jordyn! Keep at it. Can't wait to see the finished product.
I've built a few of these when I was younger. Always wanted the Guillow's B-29! Now in the age of electric motors and micro servos one could get this to fly a bit easier than the old Cox.049. (Not to mention having to synch two or four of them!)
I've wanted the B29 and the B17. Huge projects, but worth it. If only I had a job to make the money to buy one. One day.