Scale RCM 1/3 Scale Champ Build

[TonyHallo]

In keeping up with dhal22 decided to work on the landing gear struts. The full scale struts are covered with aluminum sheet. Most of the photos I have looked at show that the covers had one form of ding so I wasn't too careful while I wrapped the aluminum. The top rail was added to attach the top of the cover. I milled an aluminum shoe to form the tin plate rescued from an empty acetone can, it is .012" thick. The rail is soldered on to the strut with Harris Stay Bright silver bearing solder. It took two soldering irons to get everything hot. I used double sided carpet tape to hold the aluminum sheet in place while it was formed around the strut. I have the paint on order and the weather is finally getting to the point where it will be safe to paint. I've been dragging my feet getting this thing done and painted. Keep thinking about building the Cherokee plug.

 

[TonyHallo]

I found #0 x 3/8" button head steel metal screws at Lebanon RC flea market last year, they were packaged in 500 each bags so I bought a bag. Once I got home and compared the button heads to the pan head screws I used I realized that these screws would look better than the pan head screws I used to attach the fabric. I contacted Micro Fastener and tied to buy more over the winter but they never responded to my email. I went back this year and sure enough they had more at their booth, I bought 1500. I didn't see these listed on their web site on I can only assume they happen to be surplus material. The button head screw is the top one on the photo below, pan head is the middle of the photo and a Phillip's head is the bottom screw. Note the nice smooth curve on the button head.
The screw uses a .035" allen head wrench and it doesn't take much resistance to strip the head. I think I understand why they don't bother listing them. That's OK with me because they are going into the old holes. I does take quite a bit of effort to remove the covering when it is screwed on. I just about have the stabs, elevators, and rudder recovered. Paint is here so it's only a matter of time before painting begins. If these look as good as I'm hoping I will recover the wings next year. The wings look fine but there's a few areas were I was under the learning curve so I would not mind redoing them.
I lot BS over a few silly screws!!!!

 

[TonyHallo]

I put the 7AC yellow to the cowl and landing gear struts today. When I originally painted these parts I used the same paint that was used on the fabric, Steward System EkoPoly. Since EkoPoly is designed for fabric, it does get fully hard so the paint buckled up a round the screw heads on the cowl. I thought about getting base/clear paint mixed but discovered that Stewards offers EkoCrylic which is designed for aluminum and composites and dries hard. These are painted with EkoCrylic. Still dragging my feet on painting the fuselage. The cowl nose bowl was damaged during a dead stick landing last June.

 

[TonyHallo]

I set up the 'Dexter Morgan" kill room in the back of my garage today and located most of the fixtures for holding the fuselage and the tail plane parts as shown in the photo below. Most of the fixtures were in the shed attic, I really could not remember how I held the rudder, referencing this photo I was able to locate the two brass hinges and the steel tube they were mounted on, even found the screws painted yellow! I used clear plastic this time instead of the black used previously.

 

[TonyHallo]

Don't expect to do much tomorrow.
They are imploding the 752' high stack at the power plant where I worked from 1977 through 1980 in my town, suspect there will be party. The plant called Cheswick Power Station was built in 1970, 600 MW single unit coal burner, scrubber and SCR was added but economics ( Cheap Marsala Shell Gas) caused it to be shut down in March of 2022. Cheswick was built next to the Colfax Power Station built in 1917, there has been a power station on this property for over 100 years. Ironically before I retired in 2018 I was the manager of the combined cycle power plant at the other end of the town that lead to some of it's demise!

 

[TonyHallo]

Well the stack implosion cause a power outage in the town so was without power until the afternoon. There are many videos of the implosion online, check it out. The old 752" stack hit about 50' from the road and the force took out 4 utility poles.
Put the first coat of EkoFill on today after my grandsons baseball games. My daughter and her husband gave me an Extreme Driving Experience as a Christmas gift that I will be doing tomorrow, C8 Z51 Vette or a Challenger on the track. Afterwards I will iron the tapes and do a little sanding with 320 dry paper, then another light coat of EkoFill. I sprayed about 8 ounces of material today. I like the clear plastic sheet better than the black.

 

[dhal22]

One of my vendors took me to the BMW experience in Greenville, SC a few years ago. Multiple tracks and multiple cars, I had the poor cars howling and smoking tires. My salesman exited the first car I drove and declined every ride after that. Nothing like going into a corner at 100mph knowing the car doesn't mind a bit. I was second place overall out of 30-40 drivers.

 

[TonyHallo]

I put the second coat on today after the grandsons went home, school's out so back to keeping them busy for a summer. Tomorrow I'll sand and decide if a third coat necessary or to go the Eko Prime. With the EkoFill the surface is still heat formable, once the EkoPrime goes on no more heat forming. If I can spray the EkoPrime on in the morning, I may be able to get the yellow on.

 

[TonyHallo]

I put three coats of the EkoPrime on sanding with 320 dry in between coats, hopefully tomorrow it will become yellow. Painting sucks! Still made a few mistakes working with the water borne paints but I'm learning!
Have a scale fun fly on Saturday at a club I recently joined, taking both One Designs. Might spray the 7AC orange on Sunday.

 

[AKNick]

I do love some good visual progress like this! Nothing like putting color on