Scale RCM 1/3 Scale Champ Build

[TonyHallo]

Well I didn't realize the grandsons were coming over today, looks like painting will not begin until Sunday unless I decide to go flying, if that's the case no color until Tuesday.

 

[TonyHallo]

Put the 7AC yellow on today. The 3 mm pinking shears really helped making the transition nice with the bias cut pinking tape and the reinforcements for the horizontal stab tubes. There's a lot going on there and it worked much better. Grandson coming tomorrow and on Thursday I need to get to the Indiana Flyers Club field to trim the grass for our 9th annual Summer Solstice fun fly on Saturday. I'm the CD for the event, hopefully there will be some photos to share. Might get the orange completed on Friday then I can put all the pieces back on, and there are a lot of pieces.
I believe I corrected the cause of the poor handling I experienced in the beginning. I discovered that the rudder was rubbing on the vertical fin and sticking on the side of the last rudder command, more clearance was provided between the top of the fin and the rudder counterbalance.
Once the Champ is back together I'll focus my efforts on the Cherokee plug.

 

[TonyHallo]

I have these 33% Piper Super Cub wings that need painted, I plan to paint these before I take down the makeshift spray booth, hopefully this will simulate me into finishing the the fuselage and getting it painted. That may be a different build log.

 

[TonyHallo]

Put the 7AC orange on today. The paint masks from Aero Graphics work great. I pulled the tape off the fuselage and rudder while the paint was tacky, I'm leaving the Aeronca logo mask on until the paint is fully dry since it is quite fragile.
Located all the pieces for the Super Cub wings that I want to paint, I'll take the Champ out and put the Super Cub wings in tomorrow..

 

[pawnshopmike]

Beautiful!!

 

[BalsaDust]

Looking really nice.

 

[dhal22]

Outstanding!

 

[TonyHallo]

Assembling the tail plane, lots of little parts. I left the logo paint mask on for several days, then before removing the mask, the mask was wet sanded with 320 to make pulling it off without the logo safer, it came off real easy. There is fine detail on the logo, I pulled the mask off early on the original build and almost messed it up, no problem this time. Took about .030" off each side of the rudder clevis to make it look more scale. Need to make two pullies for the trim tab. On the original build I used one pulley and had both cables on it, unfortunately the cable move in opposite directions, a second pulley was added before the fabric was installed, just need to make two for the outside now.

 

[TonyHallo]

One of the problems with the Roto four stroke engines is the oil that comes out of the crankcase vent tube. It makes quite a mess after a day of flying. Vogelsang Aeroscale offers an oil catch tank that comes with one fitting, a tank and a bundle of cotton rolls. It seems to me two fittings are necessary, air/oil in, air out. I decided to make my own out of an 8 ounce Bennet fuel tank, steel wool and a piece of 5/32" KS tube. Weather permitting I may test it out tomorrow.
The final weight is 39.6 # and the CG is at 33% of cord.

 

[Snoopy1]

A friend with a Valach has the same oil mess problem. The only thing he started with cotton, then went to steel wool bat went back to cotton. The steel wool still allowed a lot of oil to by pass. Only difference is he had a 220 size engine and the catch bottle was at least half the size of your’s

Have a question when painting a plane do you think that silver or aluminum coat of paint is necessary. I do know it is to protect the covering from the ultraviolet rays from the sun, but on a model is it necessary. The reason I ask I have not put the aluminum coat on for one reason just more weight and also more paint to buy, do you believe it to be necessary.