YT FW 190 build thread

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I've been meaning to start my FW build for literally years now, so I'm hoping by starting a build thread it will inspire me to complete the build. Wildly optimistic I know but here goes.. I won't document the build chapter and verse, just highlight areas where I have doubts or otherwise diverge from the manual. NB: this is the 74" version and will be Laser 150 powered.

 

First bit to tackle is the wing. A buddy of mine recommended sorting out retracts etc before attaching the two panels at the last possible moment to minimise hangar rash (the manual suggest attaching the panels quite early). He also suggested mounting the retract can to the wing instead of the fuz - thus eliminating another point of failure (the air-line coupler from fuz to wing).

 

Anyway first up attach the surfaces:

 

FW190 - 1.jpg[/attachment]

 

(the ailerons are attached using plain old thin CA as standard - I've never seen the need for pinning CA hinges having never seen one fail in flight and plenty of ailerons ripped apart during a crash while the hinges remain solidly stuck to the remains..)

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I don't much like the hard balsa servo bearers being epoxied end-grain to the mounting plates, but I'm going ahead with it anyway:

 

 

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Next up I made up the wing surface connectors. I've heard people say you shouldn't use swing keepers on a model of this size, so I dutifully soldered up some 3mm rods and installed:

 

FW190 - 5.jpg[/attachment]

 

Perhaps if I'm really bored one evening I'll "upgrade" these to nice soldered linkages, but it's a really difficult job to do well - even with a nice hot gas iron in my experience!

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The supplied ABS (I think) wheel wells are junk - poorly fit and fracture at the slightest look of my snips during trimming. Yet again my buddy warned me to expect this so I just sprayed the wells (badly) matt black:

 

FW190 - 8.jpg[/attachment]

 

A good tough plate design for sure but I couldn't drill holes just the right size for the supplied self-tapping screws. Either I drilled too small and the screw snapped, or bigger holes that don't have enough "bite" and will probably collapse on landing. So I've ordered some M3 blind nuts to go in the back to bolt them in nice and secure. My guess is originally the plates were all-ply and self tappers that size made sense as they will probably snap in a heavy landing, saving the wing from structural damage. Fingers crossed I don't have too many heavy "arrivals" as the new arrangement is going to be far less forgiving..