https://members.camfc.co.uk/discover/enHaving rebuilt a rare Ramair Ultimate (Red and white colour scheme) recently, the yearn for a Seagull version still pulled hard. The chances of obtaining the now discontinued Seagull rendition though was pretty slim. I`d despaired of ever finding such a kit, either as a built and may be used example or as a new un-built kit. It`s been about five years since Seagull took the Ultimate out of production and I`d almost given up of ever obtaining one. A chance phone call to Rob at Avicraft suddenly and quite unexpectedly produced a chap in Selsdon with an unflown Seagull Ultimate that was for sale. Immediate negociation and a super fast arrival at his home sourced a bare stripped out airframe without any hardware fitted. The canopy had a crack in it but I`ve managed to find a replacement via Rob. Other than that damage, the model was in great and almost unmarked condition. This suited my needs to perfection and at a reasonable cost. The F1 engine mount bulkhead required the blocking up of various mounting holes and other wounds inflicted when the previous owner had mounted his particular power plant. Repairs were made before both sides of the bulkhead were overplated with 0.8mm ply faceing plates to cover up and make good those issues. The motor box sides were reinforced again with ply as these areas have proven to be somewhat weak in service. I also took the opportunity to dispense with link rods which join the upper and lower ailerons together. The model now has four servos operating ailerons instead of two. To achieve this modification, I had to cut into the upper wing panels, remove a couple of wing ribs, then make four new ribs and locate them within the structure before making up ply servo mounts. Obviously replacement of some covering material was also needed to disguise my modifications. Fortunately that was on the upper wing lower surfaces so the overlapped covering replacement doesn`t show too badly. Another modification was to make new elevator servo mounting points under the tail plane of the model. Use of a big and heavy SC180FS motor dictated some weight shift aft would be needed. I`d considered installing a 120 motor but that size motor has to work hard when flying this sizable airframe. I felt the use of a 180FS would give quieter and more relaxed flying. Removing mild steel push rods from the fuselage took some aft weight out of the equation but moving the servos then added to the situation. I used previous experience to attempt to come up with a reasonable Centre of Gravity. To my joy, the finished model C of G worked out perfectly with the 180FS, muffler, fuel tank, prop and spinner installed together with the motor servo and 2600NiMh power battery all installed as far forward as I could get them.The stated C of G is between 125mm and 150mm aft of the top wing leading edge. Internet Forums suggested the model flies well with the C of G at around 135mm from the leading edge. Pleasingly, my C of G came out at exactly that with no additional lead ballast needing to be used to correct any deficiency. I`ve mounted the 180FS inverted which almost coincided with cut outs done to the engine cowl by the previous owner. A little more material was removed to suit my engine installation. Most modification work was needed in the siting of the fuel tank which would have been far too high in the fuselage and would have caused significant carburetter flooding if left as it was. The fuel tank mounting plate required to be lowered by about 30mm to align with the carburetter spray bar. Internal structure removal and replacement is not one of my favourite jobs but in this case I had few other options. A 20oz tank provides a reasonable fuel storage given the big 180 sized motor installed. The model is a very sizable 54" span biplane with a goodly amount of wing area. My slightly smaller Ramair example weighed in at 10.8Lbs and flies quickly and accurately. As expected its landing speed is quite brisk. By comparison, this Seagull version weighs in at 11.7Lbs but is larger and has more wing area. Seagull suggest a finished weight of between 9.6Lb-10.6Lbs. Even with a smaller 120 fitted, I think one would struggle to get the model much below an 11Lb weight. I`m not displeased with an 11.7Lb finished weight with two extra servos fitted and the rather heavier 180 installed. Some examples (dependent of engine installation and placement of servos) have pushed the weight up to 13Lb. They must be quite a handful at slower landing speeds! I don`t expect any issues with my Ultimate at a weight of 11.7Lb. Construction of this ply and balsa ARTF model follows typical Seagull practice. The model is well made apart from already known weak areas around the F1 engine mount. Those issues are easily delt with. The build of this and several other similar Seagull models is quite straight forward being generally well designed and produced. Whilst more complicated than a typical foam model build, a modeller with some experience, a basic tool kit and some common engineering sense should have little difficulty assembling any of the Seagull kit offerings. If still made and offered for sale by Seagull, this Ultimate model would probably retail for around £430. This represents good value for money with all the hard work done and with the bonus that the model should fly without issue straight from the box. My pre-owned model came to me for less than £200 which makes the purchase even sweeter! Those considering building a Seagull or indeed any other makers ARTF offerings will also need to budget of radio and power plant costs in addition to the pre-covered basic kit. So this model is now complete and ready for its maiden flight. News on that in due course. MikeSun, 21 Nov 2021 09:56:00 +0000Two weeks or so after my last progress report, the Ultimate is receiving the final fettles. Only the Rx aerials to locate now and a bracket to manufacture for the steerable tail wheel shock springs. The C of G was checked out at Avicraft yesterday having taken dimensions from the airframe and passing them through proprietor, Rob Newmans favoured online calculator. C of G positioning is currently at the forward end of the suggested limits and broadly equates to the position suggested by Seagull for their very slightly larger but very similar 54" version of the Ultimate. The weight of the model is probably higher than when originally flown by the last owner. In his hands, elevator servos were internally located forward of the cockpit and the .91 two stroke motor was certainly lighter than the Magnum 120 four stroke unit I have installed. Elevator servos have been relocated in front of the tail plane to offset the weight of the heavier Magnum. A 2600NiMh power battery is located immediately above the leading edge of the lower wing also helps bring weight to the forward end of the model. Two extra aileron servos added to the top wing tend to drag the C of G aft again....its all about mass and positioning to get a decent C of G without adding additional dead weight ballast. The C of G is well located although I shall be adding a few grams of additional forward ballast before maiden flights to ensure I don`t have a tail heavy horror on my hands. The model now weighs in at 10.8Lbs. I`d suggest this will be rather heavier than when in the owned by the previous owner. The weight is now broadly similar in mass to the Seagull produced ARFT kit version of the Ultimate. The colour scheme is quite blatently "non scale" and arose as I saw opportunities during the covering process. Having two rolls of unalocated red HK covering film in stock drove the final appearance of this model. Our Events Secretary, Emma responded to my screams for lettering and produced what you see a couple of days after I specified sizes and colours to her by email. Indeed Emma produced one of the sticky backed vinyl logos in less than two hours after I decided to change the colour scheme and layout at the last moment! My grateful thanks to her for her work on this model and also many others over the passed couple of years. A highly recommended service with very reasonable prices. Contact Emma direct for all your vinyl graphics needs. So there we have it. A fully referbished, modified and re-lifed model of about thirty years vintage. I`ve enjoyed the re-build and challenges of reworking the model. My grateful thanks also go to Colin, the previous owner of this Ultimate. I had to look hard to find a conveniently located used example of the model and was more than happy to travel to Chelmsford to collect it. I`ve sent Colin details about this rebuild thread and hope that he is happy with what I`ve done to his former model! More details about this Ultimate once I get to flying stage. MikeSat, 06 Nov 2021 15:34:14 +0000The Ultimate overhaul continues to progress well. The new paint has now dried but has flattened slightly with further curing. That will polish back up to a reasonable lustra. For those interested, the spats came from one of my crashed Ultra Sticks......lightly flatted, primed and repainted in two pack red paint, they have been married to a gashbox scrap carbon fibre landing gear which has again been painted in two pack red paint. The addition of the light weight spats together with some slightly larger and softer wheels certainly adds a bit of bling to the model as well as hopefully reducing the tendancy for this model to bounce upon landing. The cowl has seen some "minor block" up work carried out to fill in redundant needle valve and air bleed holes. Any fire-glass material retained which was specific to the previous .91 two stroke installation has been worked out. I removed some further cowl fibre-glass to allow the cowl to fit around the larger 120FS motor installation. The repairs and modifications have blended in well. Paint covers up a multitude of sins! I`ve moved the elevator servos from within the fuselage to just in front of the tail plane, building ply mounting points into the foam and veneer fuselage. The snake type pushrods and outer sheiths were completely removed from the model to save weight and to allow me to install a more direct elevator system that will use short wire pushrods and clevises. The well installed rudder pull-pull system has been retained. Althought the servo weight has gone aft, the increased weight of the four stroke 120 motor should off set that. A 2600MiMh battery pack will provide portable ballast to allow C of G adjustment during the final stages of this rebuild. The fuselage has now been recovered in Hobby King film. It comes at a great price being about one quarter of the cost of an Oracover equivalent. That makes covering of a model quite affordable. The covering material quality is first class and is every bit as good if not rather more user friendly than Oracover. Its great stuff. If you haven`t tried the HK product, please consider doing so. You won`t be disapointed. Tomorrow sees the wings being recovered. More images of that work shortly. It is very heartening to see this model coming back to life. I`m well pleased with what has been achieved to date. Sticky vinyl sheet for contrasting trim has been ordered. This is exactly the same material as Emma uses to produce here wonderful model letter graphics. Its certainly cheaper than using the Oratrim product and is suitable for cutting coloured trim such as sunbursts and long panels for fuselage sides etc. Emmas graphics will adhere straight to the vinyl and make for an easy way to colour up an otherwise single coloured model. As you will see from tonights batch of images, the model is "very, very red"! The addition of contrasting trim will add interest to the model....then its a chat with Emma to produce graphics letters. That`s the iceing on the cake and really finishes a model off. More text and images soon. MikeSun, 24 Oct 2021 20:15:12 +0000The Ultimate Bipe strip and rebuild continues at a good pace. Nothing unexpected or of any consiquence. Some control surface hinges displaced during covering removal.....ie, they just pulled out due to a slight lack of CA adhesive during the original build of the model! I don`t mind that...its better than them coming off now rather than during the early recommissioning flights. CA adhesive will fix the issue during the re-build. All the old covering has been removed from the model and the end result just needs some minor sanding, dusting off before being ready for a recover in HK material. The cowl, spats and replacement carbon fibre landing gear have all been primed and painted with red two pack aerosol spray paint specially mixed for me to match the Hobby King covering by L E Went at Selhurst. This particular cowl is not the finest fibre glass molding ever to have been produced. Various holes have been filled and faired to tidy it up. The end result should be passable. The inverted ASP/Magnum 120FS is inverted mounted on F1. Pleasingly, the majority of the cylinder head sticks well below the bottom of the cowl. A standard exhaust without extra fittings will pertrude to the side of the port side cowl cheek. It will make for a simple and easily maintained installation with all prime parts being highly accessable. Just what I want for this little bipe which is destined to be a replacement for my aging low wing Ultra Stick as well as teaching me the basics for fast flying bi-plane experience. The bipe came to me having two servo operation in the lower wing only. The ailerons were linked to the top wing ailerons via typical clevises and pushrods. A large degree of general slop was noted in these linkages so I decided to copy the bottom wing servo box detail onto the top wing, install two new servo power control cables within the top wing and make the model have a "one servo per control surface" system. A 3mm "trench" was cut along the bottom of the top foam and veneer wing before cables were buried within. Two 3mm balsa strips white glued back into the foam and veneer construction completed the modification. Once the glue had dried, the balsa was sanded level and any inperfections made good with quick drying balsa filler. 3M industrial strength double sided sticky pads will be used to fix two new servos into their boxes. Aileron link push-rods are now a thing of the past. Regretably, the servos cannot be screwed vertically into the wing. It just doesn`t have enough depth. Hence the box mounting and sticky tape mounting methodology. Cleaned of residual fuel goo, the existing 16oz fuel tank fitted with new fuel tubes and pipes lives to fight another day. This is accessible via a removable lower chin panel behind F1 and before the leading edge former into which the lower wing fits using dowel pegs. The landing gear also shares this space where four 4mm HT bolts will hold the gear into the model. Fi has been doubled with3mm ply and corner gussetted to help absorb stress and vibration and effects of four stroke engine torque. Its all straight forward stuff but very necessary to give this model a new lease of life. More images in due course but this is how the model stands this afternoon. Mike.Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:30:20 +0000Anyone having read my Cermark " Rothmans Pitts Special thread will perhaps realise how much effort went into modification and referbishment of this rare and lovely model. Having put heart and soul into the project, I`m perhaps a little reluctant to fly the model without getting some advanced flying practice in place prior to commiting to flight. I estimate that I`ve put around five hundred hours of re-build time into this model. I`m in no hurry to fly the beast without making sure I`m up to the task. It is probably true to say that even the most experienced model pilots around would baulk at the prospect of taking charge of this Pitts for its maiden flight in my ownership. Flying a model of such intrinsic value is something that most pilots are likely fight shy of from due to the responsibility and the high risk of a flying smash at some point in the first flight. On the basis that it would be unfair of me to ask another pilot to fly the Pitts for me, it comes directly to me to find a better solution. I regard the Pitts as a high value model that needs to be carefully managed. The answer to this conundrum is best approached by finding a model with similar flying characteristics but without its value. So the hunt for a suitable proxy model began last week. Ideally, a Seagull Ultimate Bipe would have fitted my needs nicely. Unfortunately that model has been discontinued and I couldn`t find any used examples either locally or via the internet. Trawling the BMFA classifieds section turned up a vintage 1990`s 50" Ramair Ultimate Bipe located in Chelmsford. This was just an hours travel time and fifty miles distant from me here in Warlingham. An image and brief description detailed the model as being of foam and veneer construction similar to the Pat French designs of around forty years vintage. The construction is indeed very similar to that of my two French designed Zlin 526 models. The seller said he had run the model many years ago with a .90 two stroke fitted with a tuned pipe. The model was in sound condition and was fitted with Futaba servos but no engine. It was just what I was looking for. Although perhaps needing re-covering, a moderate overhaul and fitting of a more suitable four stroke 120, I considered the model to be suitable for my needs, a deal was done and the model collected. Added to the cost of the model was the cost of two gallons of derv for the van and Dartcharge river crossing fees. For around £100 I was on my way to getting my "Pitts trainer" requirement sorted. The Ultimate has certainly seen some action in its previous owners hands. Upon stripping of covering, just one small restructural repair has been found in the top wing. This is indicative of the model suffering something like a cart-wheeled landing at some time in its career. The repair is well executed and doesn`t require further attention. Stripping old covering from an airframe is a long winded and often frustrating business. Tonight I have the fuselage and upper wing cleaned a prepped for new material. The lower wing is still being cleaned. How long has it taken to get this model cleaned up....about twenty hours to date. Yes, covering removal is not for the faint hearted or for those without patience. I think of stripping a model as "digging for gold". Its down there somewhare, you just have to churn the muck until eventually the value is realised. At that point, you start to know you are beginning to make progress. Some might ask the question as to the viability of doing refurbishment work. Yes, it can be very gutty and tedious. Faced with non availability of a new kit, referbishment of an elderly model is often the only way to obtain what you require and desire. To get to the dream, you have to put some effort into the project. I tend to forget how long it takes to clear a model of covering. Its usually the pull of obtaining what you desire that shoves all negative considerations out of the window and the grind of a "strip and clean" gets the upper hand! Another few hours of cleaning and the model should be ready for rework and re-build. More images will be added to this thread as the model comes back together. MikeSat, 16 Oct 2021 21:42:20 +0000For those wishing to see my plan for getting myself up to speed for flying this gem of a Pitts, they should visit my thread in the Scale Section entitled " Ramair 50" Ultimate Bipe........the lead up to flying my Pitts Special". The thread describes the aquisition of the Ultimate airframe shown in the image below together with its strip down, modification and rebuild to afford me suitable fast bi-plane flying experience. Plenty of large images support the story. MikeSat, 16 Oct 2021 20:42:25 +0000The Pitts is now 99% complete. Just the windshield to screw into place tomorrow once its surround paint has dried. Today saw the rigging wires fitted and tensioned...an ongoing job as rigging wire has a horrible propensity to slacken until it stretches out after several retension sessions. The most tedious part of this job was laboriously painting those flying wires with white fuel proof Guild paint using a small paint brush. The effort was well worth expending as the painted flying wires add a degree of interest and gravitas to the model. Left in the supplied bare stain less steel configuration, the wires just looked like simplistic "add ons" with the model looking quite unfinished. On the electronic weighing hook, the weight increased by a pound since I last weighed the model. Where did that come from and why does that always happen during the last few hours of completing a model?......... So now at 13.3Lbs but certainly not the heaviest example by a long chalk. I`d certainly expect this model to have a highish landing speed so that will keep me on my toes. So little to do now exept wait a week or so to let the paint fully harden and set up before subjecting it to the potentially vicious effects of methanol and nitro methane contact. Both these chemicals can do untold damage to fresh paint, non fuel proof paint and even two pack paint if the cure process is not fully complete. Once again, I`m watching paint dry! You will perhaps note the colours applied to the prop spinner. Even though I used acid etch primer in an attempt to help the top coats adhere to anything made from aluminium, I concider the use of an electric starter on this particular spinner to be undesirable. I can`t see the white and blue paint job lasting five seconds when subjected to the torque, generated frictional heat and the inevitable poly-propolene starter cone slippage when using an electric starter. What you see in the images will be used as a display spinner only. A second polished ali spinner will be fitted for flying perposes. At least the crud from the starter motor cone removes faily easily. The CofG is spot on being located a quarter of an inch forward of the bottom wing leading edge. I`ve extended a line upwards to place it immediately in front of the rear canane strut which supports the top wing. No additional balast has needed to be added to the front end of the model. The location of the 2600NiMh Rx and servo battery in front of the tail mounted servos appears to be perfect. It nice to get something right occasionally! So this referbishment is now done and dusted. Its very different now to the lack lustra forty odd year old basic Cermark Pitts that I collected from Clevedon near Weston super Mare just a couple of months ago. The model has been a cost effective excercise landing me with a model that I dispaired of ever owning. The result is more than just pleasing. Special thanks for help with this model must go to Rob Newman at Avicraft in Bromley. He supplied many components for the model as well as giving a huge amount advice. Emma Chase has been a star cutting the graphics for the model. Her work is top class and really helps the model to"ping" visually. Andrew White at Just Engines continued to find me the parts needed for the exhaust and propeller locking systems. He is great guy to deal with providing fast service and wide ranging engine based assistance. Finally, L E Went in Croydon deserve a nod for supplying top quality paint and production materials. All mentioned here have my thanks and gratitude for making this and many of my other models come to life on a predictable and planned basis. Thank you all so much. Now to the images. Please enjoy them. I`ll return to this thread once I have this model flying. MikeThu, 07 Oct 2021 20:46:30 +0000Two days after I started this thread, further work has been done to the Pitts. Rigging hard point plates have laboriously been cut and fettled from 0.5mm ali sheet. Eight are required in order that the model will look the part. A Pitts without rigging would appear to be missing a vital part of its character. Making these parts is certainly tedious but vital to achieve the right effect. My last work action this evening was to bolt the hardpoint mounting points onto the model. Rigging wire fitting begins tomorrow. The cowl, ali spinner and wheel spats have been sprayed and the masking removed. Painted in a base white two pack finish, the high contrast dark blue overpainting took time and concentration to achieve the result shown in the attached images. Frustratingly, a masking tape glue residue appeared to remain on the base white paint. Further investigation revealed that the glue had damaged my lovely white paint finish so I had no choice but to wet flat the damage out with P2000 wet and dry production paper. The positive side of this action was that after buffing up the paint with rubbing compound, I had an even better finish that I`d managed to achieve straight from the aerosol paint can. Such flatting work is common in the refinishing trade as it levels the paint and promotes a higher lustra. In truth, I should have confined the green masking tape solely to the fine line tape border and completed the bulk of the mask in brown parcel wrapping sheet or plastic bag material. So a little extra work was caused by my minor error of technique. Tonight the cowl rests quietly as the paint hardens. The paint will be fully cured in about a week. In the meantime although dry to touch, finger marks are easy to press into the relatively soft finish meaning that for the time being the paintwork requires very careful handling. Two pack paint in aerosol cans, masking materials and general consumables came from L E Went on the Selhurst Industrial Estate. If you take a sample of your covering material to them, they will paint match using an electronic spectrometer and mix the appropriate paint brew for you whilst you wait. Expect to pay around £65 for a couple of aerosol two pack cans, some aerosol primer, masking materials and consumables. Paintwork materials are not cheap! The fitted motor is an ASP/SC 180FS with an ali prop spinner. I`ve had to address the common prop lock nut and usual ticklish issue of spinner fixing. It isn`t always easy. Fortunately the operator of Just Engines, Andrew White, has solved all my previous internal combustion engine issues without drama or fuss. Without his advice and parts supply brilliance, I`d probably find IC engine operation to be a most frustrating thing. With Andrew`s help I can keep my model fleet working dispite frequent commisioning, running or maintenance issues. Andew will shift Heaven and Earth to come up with parts and solutions and I`m indeed grateful to be able to contact him by phone to discuss any engine problem I may have. If you operate model IC engines, then I strongly suggest you use his services. You won`t be disappointed. His latest part suplied to help with locking nut issues is the supply of a large, weighty, 40mm diameter over-nut cover. This gives me a liitle extra required nose weight as well as having a tapped 4mm thread to allow fitting of a 75mm ali spinner. That`s it for tonight. Enjoy the images. I`ll be back with more over the next couple of days. MikeWed, 06 Oct 2021 22:22:16 +0000Only recently did I discover how difficult it was to source a ply and balsa 60" span RC Pitts Special kit either as a self build wood kit or as a pre-covered ARTF. I`m not interested in small cheap, budget disposable junk models. I`m a long term true aero modeller rather than a short lived plastic toy plane operator. Hobby King or FMS foamies are not for me. Although Blackhorse show their Pitts Special BH85A ARTF kit on their Vietnamese site, not one UK agent has one in stock. The same situation at European outlets. Priced at a whopping £588, this airframe only Pitts kit certainly isn`t aligned with typical Seagull offerings which are more towards the £360 new price point. (As at 04/10/2021, £1 equals $1.36USD) Seagull do make and market the similar wood ARTF Steen Skybolt at around £360, but I already have one and I wanted a Pitts to convert and re-cover to dipict an aircraft of the Rothmans Aerobatic Team of the 1970`s. I used to watch the four ship Team display at the wonderful Biggin Hill Airshows as a teenager. Now in my sixties, I desparately wanted to step back to my youth and produce a RATs Pitts Special. Short of scratch building from plans or using unsatisfactory short kits of dubious quality, my options were strictly limited. Hanger 9 offer a rather larger and significantly heavier airframe wood ARTF but in that case, a £900 kit price tag puts that kit totally outside my budget. That said, their kit is far too heavy to be flown by me within UK Flight Restriction Zones adjacent to operational UK airfields. My model flying takes place within the M25 orbital motorway around London and most of the contained flying sites operate very near to provincial airfields. Biggin Hill, our immediate airport is one such example of an airfield that only allows nearby model flying under those FRZ Regulations. A weight limit of 7.5Kg/15.7Lbs maximum take off weight dictates what we may or may not fly in such locations under EASA Regulations and Article 16 legislation. A maximum flight altitude of 300ft and a distance rule of 5km or 3.1 miles from those active, full size aircraft operational bases also applies. So no large, heavy models for me unless I travel out of area. Models weighing much more than 13Lb also cause me a problem. I`ve a severly damaged lower back with attendant sciatic nerve issues. I find models weighing much more than 13Lb cause me pain and distress so I have to look carefully at what models I build and operate. This summer I started to look for a pre-used Blackhorse Pitts. The internet produced nothing, then quite by chance I found a pre-owned American Cermark Pitts on eBay. Research and You Tube videos indicated this ARTF model flew well and might make an ideal canvass on which to start to build up a model of my beloved Rothmans Pitts. A trip to Bristol, some 130 miles distant found me an unflown vintage airframe complete with servos AND a very low time ASP180FS nitro motor for a bargain £240 paid to the seller in cash. I was well pleased with the purchase and found myself with something that would easily convert to single seater spec with my own personal choice of livery. Shortly after returning home, this model went under my knife and all the old, embrittled covering went straight into the rubbish collection bin! The airframe was totally undamaged and was not soggy with fuel oil residue. I was a very happy guy having sourced just what I needed and at a very acceptable price. I never walk away from a used model without looking behind the accumulated dust of long term storage. Believe me, there are some real gems to be found hidden under the rubbish. Buy sensibly and realistically cost out a potential referbishment project in terms expected cash outlay together with time required to bring a used model back to prime condition. Be realistic, buy the good stuff and walk away from the junk. Having cleared the model of covering detrietus, I began modification of the airframe. I covered over the front cockpit with 1.5mm balsa sheet, added longitudinal stringers to fuselage sides, and removed a cheap and nasty tail wheel unit. A rather more suitable and robust alternative was sourced from my wrecked Seagull Funky Cub that I flew too slowly and spun into the ground! I never really liked that model and found myself being quite joyful with the quantity of useful salvagable parts that then found their way into some of my other models. Unexpectedly gaining eight usable servos, a good four stroke motor, battery and receiver in one hit is like winning the jackpot!! Anyone want a broken (very, very broken) Funky Cub suitable only for firewood? I`ve not shed any tears for that Cub.......... Three weeks after the Pitts went under my knife, it has seen the rudder servo moved to the tail adjacent its brother elevator servos. This arrangement gives a slop free push rod installation for rudder and elevator control surfaces. A quick weight and balance review saw a new 2600NiMh Rx and servo power battery installed just forward of the tail plane to achieve what has since proved to be the right place to install that battery. This is counter-balanced by the huge lump of metal ASP180 FS on the front bulkhead. I`ve added a flexi exhaust from Just Engines which gets the engine muffler outside of the engine cowl with its location being between the ali landing gear. The muffler points slightly downwards allowing exhaust residue to be directed away from the underside of the fuselage. Modification of the fuel tank floor complete with a new 20oz Dubro fuel tank sees the fuel pipe to the carburettor sitting at the same height and the carb spray bar. Carb flooding due to syphonic action is not expected. The core colour of the new Hobby King covering is white. Dark blue HK covering provides the trim detail. The undersides of all four wings are covered in light blue Solarfilm. No other manufacturer produced any film even close in shade to that required. My Solarfilm supply came from a local model shop as redundent stock. It is such a shame Solarfilm closed their factory two years ago due to the influx of cheap Chinese covering materials onto the Worlds markets....now I find myself predominently using the Chinese products as the alternative Oracover products are so incredibly expensive. Like most modellers, I`m not imune from making financial savings where I can. I`m undeneighably a part of the cause, the issue and the outcome! The glass fibre engine cowl and wheel spats have been wet flatted with abrassive paper to remove the previous Cermark colour scheme. Repairs were not required so I sprayed grey primer on the parts before again wet flatting and spray painting all parts with two pack, fuel proof white paint. I shall leave the painted parts to harden for a few days before masking up and adding dark blue two pack spray to match with the fuselage. Letting the white paint harden before over painting with the dark blue is worth doing. If you rush the job, finger prints are likely to appear in the white base coat and the job will not be a good as it could be. I can wait. I`m not in a rush, prefering a tight looking result rather than one that looks like a dashed bodge. (Lashup!) I`m fortunate that our Emma within our model flying club owns a sticky vynal cutting machine and is able to produce model registration letters, logo`s and trim to my own sizes and specification. Results of Emma`s wonderful efforts can be seen in the images below. Without those prized graphics being available, my model building would be made so much harder. Nice work, Em. Thanks. Contact Emma directly if you have any sign writing requirements. My finished maximum weight looks like completing at just over 12Lb without fuel. To my astonishment, reading some of the internet forums indicate that some examples of this model are flying with a weight that exceeds 14Lb! One example seen used a massive Hacker electric out drive with a monster 10S power pack. A weight of 13Lb doesn`t seem uncommon. I`m pleased to have created an example of such a low weight. That is very encouraging. I`ll have no difficulty placing the Centre of Gravity at 1/4" in front of the LEADING EDGE of the LOWER WING as suggested in the user manual as a good starting point for initial test flights. So I still have alittle more to do before the model goes the field. I must make a new cockpit wind shield, add some flying rigging for aesthetic perposes, finish the cowl and spat paint jobs, check the CofG, sort rates, expo, end points and ensure the motor runs and idles reliably. Those jobs complete, the model will be good to go. I`ll add more images here as the model completes. MikeMon, 04 Oct 2021 18:31:26 +0000Piano wire now gone.Sat, 04 Sep 2021 16:39:46 +0000Got about 15X assorted props from 12" down going free, and an assortment of wheels for aircraft, loadsa piano wire for various use, loadsa servo horns etc. Any body interested for spares? Contact SpiffyWed, 11 Aug 2021 15:11:25 +0000Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:16:45 +0000Two Futaba Transmitters for sale in nice Ali Case complete with buddy lead for teaching purposes. 1. Type T9CP 9 channel Computerised TX presently with 35MHz module, can be converted to 2,4GHz with plug in module (not provided). 2. T6EXAP 6 channel 35MHz TX with buddy lead to connect to 1. for teaching. Both with necstraps etc. Batteries not tested recently. Reasoable offers please - phone spiffy (terry) on 07960604894Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:09:03 +0000Feisler Storch and DC3 Twin also now sold.Mon, 12 Jul 2021 15:16:34 +0000Tomtit sold, wot trainer sold, Sea King Heli also sold. Still up for grabs - Feisler Storch 8ft span -German Camoflage and markings -super STOL aircraft, Dakota DC3 twin in Eastern airlines livery with Robart retracts special for this model, and fitted 2 X 4 stroke engines and 9 servos fitted, and lastly and old super 7 airframe -no gear or engine. Offers pleaseSun, 04 Jul 2021 16:15:52 +0000As a mental relaxation break from building my second scratch build, Rothmans colour schemed Stampe, dispersal of another £350 to our Rob at Avicraft landed me a 80"/2032mm Seagull ARTF Chipmunk kit resplendant in the bright Cub Yellow colour of Royal Canadian Air Force ab initio livery. Great for dull days or at flying sites which have tall green tree surroundings. Models can tend to disappear on landing finals against such backgrounds and I`ve taken to putting yellow strips on leading edges of many of my other models to overcome the issue. This Chipmunk goes one better...its all bright yellow! Seagull also market a grey and green camoflaged version but I instantly rejected that as camoflage was the last thing I wanted!! The kit requires a 120FS or suitable 20cc petrol equivalent or larger motor. Deano on You Tube flys one with a Laser 155 and it is best described as having a surplus of power..... Another modeller has fitted a 180 FS motor which the airframe apparently tollerates without disintigration. Certainly the examples I`ve seen flying on videos including electric versions, seem beneign in character and don`t seem to fly with any malevalence. My example will be moderately powered with a Magnum 120FS glow engine. This Magnum is a badge engineered version of the well known SC or ASP engines. As I understand it, engines destined for the North American market sector seem to be known as a Magnum. Andrew White at Just Engines assures me there is no difference in parts or mechanical specification so parts from ASP/SC or Magnum may all be interchanged across the motor range. That said, the Chinese factory producing these motors has now closed so parts are getting somewhat scarce. In some instances Japanese OS parts fit the Chinese engines although thay tend to be rather more pricey than the cheapo Chineese components. If you have a pile of Chinese engines and want to keep them functioning, buy parts immediately from JE BEFORE they run out. I`m told it won`t be long until that situation occurs. The kit assembly went quickly and easily with no issues other than to note that I considered the fuel tank floor to be too high for my tank and engine combination. Ideally the centre line of the fuel feed pipe exiting the fuel tank should line up with the carburetter spray bar. Too high and the tank will tend to flood the carb and fuel will leak wastefully onto the ground. In addition the engine may run rich or lean during positive or negative G aerobatics. I chopped out the tank floor and lowered it to my needs. A second floor was installed above the tank and suitable extra reinforcement or modifications added as needed. This Chipmunk suffers slightly from the same tail heavy build condition as the big Seagull produced Stearman bipe that I built a year or so ago. The tailplane is skinned in plywood and that directly causes weight and balance problems. Like the unit found on the Stearman, this tailplane is built to be able to swat a cricket ball. It is somewhat overbuiilt and several modellers have complained about this on Forum sites. Short of building a lighter tailplane, moving elevator and rudder servos forward and installing light weight carbon fibre push rods, the tail heavy condition cannot be avoided. Some six ounces of lead sheet are now located directly in front of former F1 together with a 2600 6v NiMh radio power battery. It is also worth noting that all modellers that have made comment on the various Forums, all suggest the CofG be moved forward from 130mm from the LE at the root to 115mm at the root. That immediately helps the model towards improved and less reactive initial flying. My installed six ounces of lead obviously help towards achieving that desirable condition. (Yes, I do cuss the weight of the tailplane and may indeed later move the servos forward and install lighter carbon pushrods at a later date...I`ve no objection to lightening a model as a mass.) So that is how my model turned out and I`m not surprise the tail heavy situation occured. Dependent on how this model performs once it has flown, I`ll decide what weight shifting and removal might be required. Many kit makers fail to get the C of G position to a sensible place when they write their build manuals. Quite why this issue constantly crops up is behond my comprehension. The build was quick and reasonably straight forward. Only the tank from move and the C of G rework spoiled what would otherwise have been a five star kit. I`ll give it four stars only in view of these problem areas. All issues however are curable...its just that it is irksome to have to go to such lengths when you pay £350 for an ARTF kit....yes and that is with also having to stump up for the radio gear, IC motor or LiPo batteries and a chunkly electric motor. Total cost then is probably £750-£800 to get to a flying condition. The model assembled and modified in just three ten hour sessions over three days. The results can be seen in the attached image selection. More info once I`ve flown the model. MikeSat, 12 Jun 2021 20:49:15 +0000With my first Stampe build complete, it`s time for a second one! Using the same French Bulconcept plan used with a short kit sourced from Guix Model, I decided to produce my own kit of reproduction parts and save the rather high cost of importing a second Guix kit. Before building the Guix Model kit, I pen traced around all the parts onto appropriately sized core balsa and ply stock. I produced two reproduction kits for future use once I`d finished the first Stampe. The future has indeed arrived with the first Stampe being ready to fly. I`ve today started to build from one of my reproduction kits with fellow Crodon member, Martin Wood having aquired my second repro kit for his own use. Eventually, we might see three finished models all flying together.....One can but hope. Now I have quite a mammoth task ahead. Cutting the balsa parts from sheet material is easy enough, but the plywood parts are going to take rather more effort. I`m fortunate to have a powerful, quiet and smooth running Draper fret saw in my workshop. It should make short work of the cutting but believe me when I say there is an awful lot of ply parts cutting to be done. No images tonight in this first thread post. Once I`ve something to show, I`ll add more text and images to this new thread as the build takes shape. MikeMon, 24 May 2021 23:13:00 +0000Just a day after finishing this Stampe and clearing the decks of all the building detrietus, another Stampe build has been started! This second model will be a rendition of one of the 1970`s Rothmans sponsored aerobatic team aircraft seen so reguarly at airshows of the time. I carefully copied the parts used to construct my model of G-AWEF prior to commencement of this second construction. Two balsa and ply kits were pen marked onto a stack of raw sheet material and then set to one side to await a build once G-AWEF had been completed. I retain one of those copy kits with fellow Croydon member, Martin Wood aquiring the second. Eventually, we might see three Stampe models airborne at the same time. So as I look towards at least another four month build, my parts cutting has just begun. The balsa bits are easy enough to reproduce but the ply part reproduction even with the help of a decent Draper electric fret saw appears to be quite a daunting undertaking. Inevitably this Rothmans Stampe will take rather more work than build G-AWEF which was of course built up from a basic Guix Model short kit. I`ll open a separate thread on this second Stampe construction, again within the Scale section of this web site. As the first model moves towards flying, I`ll continue to update this thread as the fun of test flying commences. MikeMon, 24 May 2021 22:56:56 +0000Sea King now soldMon, 24 May 2021 09:48:16 +0000Between the monsoons, I took the Stampe outside for a photo session. It looks much more at home in an open air environment. The colours really start to pop under natural light. Here are some further images then of the Stampe in the open air. Emma pinged me to show me here latest Tiger Club motifs. A huge improvement on the experimental water slide transfers. Thanks again, Em! I`ll add further images once the model gets to the flying field. MikeSun, 23 May 2021 13:43:48 +0000I see my last post about the Stampe was on 9th April 2021. Following that I took some time out from this model as I experienced "engineers brain drain" and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the mass of small and intracate details needed to bring the model to completion. The answer was to rest the grey cells on a simple and straight forward ARTF referbishment project. Rob sold me a large but sound, albeit rather tired Pacific Aeromodel Gee Bee Sportster. That took a couple of gentle weeks attention before that was ready to fly and I was ready to continue with the Stampe. With no more excuses left in the box, I recommenced work on the Stampe. To my joy, the model suddenly progressed quickly and fairly easily again. The rigging wasn`t the faff that I`d envisaged and many other jobs completed in short time. My brain drain was just caused by spending too many hours in succession on this particular Stampe build. Its certainly taken a lot more mental effort than building an ARTF. An ARTF takes the need to "think" away from you and all you really do with one is to bolt it together. A scratch build is totally different with the builder having to make or source every part and make decisions about the construction process. Mentally, too much of that can be very tiring and cause the "brain drain" I experienced. To restore the grey matter, all I needed was a short break from doing any real thinking. Once rested and refreshed, all went well again. It is difficult to estimate the time needed to build this particular model. If I were to take a stab at the figure, I`d say I`ve spent nothing less than a thousand hours on this build with the engine cowl consuming about 15% of that figure. It was quite an epic which turned out vastly better than I was hoping for! It had to be right........an engine cowl is like looking at a prime part of a nice car. Everyone looks at the bonnet before anything else!! My Fly Baby Bipe build also included a period away from the project. The same fatigue issue occured on that construction. The hardest part of this build was indeed that engine cowl. With nothing available on the commercial market place, I had little option but to build the cowl from ply and balsa. Mega hours of work went into this item....certainly more than the fuselage which was quite a fast construction by comparison. Pleasingly I made contact with the owner of the full size G-AWEF via the Headcorn based Stampe Display Team. My email was sent to Angus Buchanan who was sole owner and operator of this particular Stampe. Angus was part of the four aircraft display team which has previously been seen at many UK airshows over recent years. Angus responded quickly to my enquiry mail and showed huge enthusiasm for eventually viewing my model of his aircraft. An invitation was extended to visit Headcorn with the model once the Covid issues were less restrictive and once I had flown and set up the model to my satisfaction. I was well pleased with forming my link with Angus and greatly looked forward to the Headcorn visit. Email correspondance continued reguarly with us both chatting away like old friends about G-AWEF. Then a thunderbolt dropped on Sunday 9th May 2021. Angus had been flying a practice session with his fellow Stampe Team members when the unthinkable occured. Seemingly Angus had flown through a stalled turn but on exit, the aircraft was seen to drop into a spin at low altitude hitting the ground without making a recovery. Angus died instantly in the Stampe that he owned and loved. News agency images show the Stampe had ploughed into the ground in a nose down attitude causing the airframe to disitigrate to the state of total and irrepairable loss. That Angus should perish in such a terrible way came as a huge shock and upset me greatly. I sent my condolences to the family and to the Stampe Team. I also made direct contact with the Team leader Chris. who thanked me for my concern and reaffermed that in due course, he and the other team members would dearly like to see my model of Angus`s Stampe. Following news of this aircrash, it seemed so strange that I could be talking by email to someone just hours before he parted this life and that my last email would never receive a reply. Fairwell Angus. I`m glad to have made your aquaintance even if only over the internet. Working on my Stampe felt very hollow having learned of Angus`s passing. That said, I badly felt the need to complete my model as a tribute to Angus and also to G-AWEF. Tonight, is 22nd May 2021 and apart from a few brushfuls of red paint needed as touch up finishing, the model is finished and ready to be test flown. This is likely to happen at the Falcon flying field due to the larger field area available at that location. Fickleshole might be just that bit too small for comfort. My Stampe C of G is all good with the model weighing in at 9.9Lb/4.49Kg dry. The model weighs 400g/0.8Lb more than the designers prototype. That said, my model doesn`t give the impression of being over-weight when lifted. It still feels "light" given its large mass and 66" wing span. Its only a pound and a half heavier than a 60" ARTF Ultra Stick with a 4500mAh 6S LiPo and it has nearly double the wing area. Watching the video of the designers similarly powered electric prototype, it appears nimble and light on its wings. I`d expect my I/C conversion to perhaps have a little more rough weather "penitration". Sometimes, that is no bad thing. An over-light model can get seriously blown around in choppy weather. This Stampe is a "stand off" scale rendition to be used for general sport flying. It is not intended to do 3D, race around pylons or otherwise be flown in any othe manner than scale. It has a low air-time vintage, (pre Surpass) rear push rod OS 90FS which I feel to be an appropriate and suitable power plant for the job. So there it is. One French sourced short kit Stampe built and ready to go. Interestingly, Martin Wood is about to start a build from this same French design and I also have another home traced wood kit ready to build as a Rothmans Team aircraft. Emma jumped the gun and has already cut me the vinyl graphics! Thanks Emma. Another build starting soon then.... The Tiger Club motif presently on the Stampe are trial waterslide transfers. Emma is working on producing a higher quality motif which I hope to see shortly. All these things take time. No pain, no gain, etc, etc, etc. I`ll add further more atmospheric images to this thread once I get the model outside for a photo session. MikeSat, 22 May 2021 21:35:21 +0000Wot trainer also now soldFri, 21 May 2021 13:23:05 +0000Wed, 19 May 2021 13:04:30 +0000Veron Tomtit now soldSun, 16 May 2021 15:31:18 +0000Wot Trainer with .40 2-stroke, all servos and flightpack fitted. Veron Tomtit Biplane - 57 4-stroke, servos and flightpack fitted (32" span) Concept 30 Helicopter complete with some spares (Canopy, starter cone, linkages etc) fitted OS 2 -stroke, servos and Gyro. My Scale Storch complete with flightpack 8ft span as flown at Sandown Park exhibitions and various shows for DB. German Camo finish. Scratch built from modified plans. Superb slow flyer, STOL performance. Vintage but still flyable. DC3 with twin 57 4-strokes, 9 servos fitted in Eastern airlines livery. Unflown, taxied only. Fitted robart retracts, split flaps etc. Reasonable offers to clear- all these have been in store so will require some TLC phone Spiffy on 07960604894 to view or haggle.Thu, 22 Apr 2021 16:10:20 +0000