Scale RCM 1/3 Scale Champ Build

Well i got the right elevator covered with fabric yesterday before happy hour. Need to relearn the covering process.

 

Covered the right stab today, installed the screws, the stab has rib tape on the top and bottom, and starting the rib tape on the elevator. There are 60 screws on the right side. Had to go through all 16 pages of Champ photos to find a good photo shot of the tail to determine the correct spacing. Should finish the right side tomorrow and hopefully start the left side. The left side has the trim tab so it will be a little more work as the top control cable passes through the elevator. Heck I might just put the left side off and do the rudder, who knows?

 

Yes it is, no odor to deal with in the house. Using Stits lite fabric and tape.

 

Yes, but I bought the material several years ago, would image the weather has them in a tizzy! I need more tape. I think I may have pickup the material at the Toledo show and it has been many years since they last attended.

 

I'm using Ecofill to fill the weave rather than the thinned Ecobond that was used on the wings. Thinned Ecobond does a wonderful job filling the weave however it remains tacky forever so if there are any close clearances below the fabric you run the risk of the fabric sticking to the subsurface structure. There are a few of these on the wings that presented a problem that I had to work around during painting, there are many on the fuselage and you constantly handling it. To avoid this the manual indicates treating those areas with Ecofill before filling the weave with thinned Ecobond. According to the various videos on line, Ecofill was once used to fill the weave and was changed to Ecobond in 2017. I decided to use Ecofill rather guess where it might stick in the future. The tail parts are a training session for the fuselage, much easier to redo if needed. Ecofill is gray colored and high solids, the paint is settling while you stir it! Some of the tapes fuss up after the first coat but you iron it back. I will give the surfaces one coat of white Ecoprime before the yellow color coat.

 

More covering work today, started thinking about the cable passing through the elevator fabric and the layout of the holes. Decided the cable was too stiff for the size of the pulleys and the tension in the cable. You can see in the first photo how the wire along the trailing edge is bowed out.

Started looking thought my cable stock and found this Tyger leader. Thankfully I had bought two 10' packages, I bet I bought this 10 years ago in Key West, a little pricey, $14 for 10'. It is so flexible you can tie it in a knot.

The last photo is with the Tyger cable, nice and straight.