Spring project 2007

[stephane.savard]

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402239Small.JPG/NIKOND402239Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402240Small.JPG/NIKOND402240Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402241Small.JPG/NIKOND402241Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402242Small.JPG/NIKOND402242Small-full.jpg

[pauldaigle]

Must be a SPAD, but which one? Hummmmm!:wacky:

[stephane.savard]

hmm! well, it is definately is coroplast! but which one is a mystery. I thought people would like to see how one of these are built :)

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402243Small.JPG/NIKOND402243Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402244Small.JPG/NIKOND402244Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402245Small.JPG/NIKOND402245Small-full.jpg

[pauldaigle]

Judging by the wing design, it could be a Mustang with no flaps?

Then again, who needs them for combat! :freakedout:

I see you are using contact cement, did not have much luck with that myself, even after a light sanding of the coro. Seems like the joints want to spread apart under stress. I still prefer a light torch on the coro and some CA glue. But, it is an art, the coro burns easy and I have been back to the drawing board a few times with that method. Let me know how the contact cement works out.

If you use it for combat, you need a very good bond on the joints because of the stresses involved, and, the usual bonding methods are just OK at best.

I tried contact, goop, CA, plastic model glue and Bondo on the coro, and the best bond was still with CA.:blink:

Anyway, it looks like your on to something, so let me know how the joints stand up. Give them the 5 second test with a screwdriver twist.:yes:

[stephane.savard]

Better yet... The MiG-7 coroplast plane has been through combat several times, as well as generally flying WOT with tight turns. It was built with contact cement. I don't even sand the coroplast, or even clean it. I apply contact cement to both surfaces, wait 10-15 minutes, then join the surfaces. It does NOT come apart, so make quite sure the surfaces are perfectly aligned, 'cause there is no second chance. If you haven't seen the MiG fly, others here can attest to it's durability in flight and on failed launches!

oh.. and it's not a Mustang (I don't like the mustang)

[stephane.savard]

I got much less done tonight than anticipated, but still going well.

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402246Small.JPG/NIKOND402246Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402247Small.JPG/NIKOND402247Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402248Small.JPG/NIKOND402248Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402249Small.JPG/NIKOND402249Small-full.jpg

[Dwight Macdonald]

Looks good Stephane. The wing has more character than the Hershey bar ones that are very common.

I have a float plane made from the same material (US Aircore kit) which is held together with contact cement ... floats and all (holes sealed with silicone sealent). I used the same method to glue it that you described Stepane and it bonds very permanently ... needs to be soaked in solvent to separate.

[stephane.savard]

Well, I'm not superstitious, but today one of my contact glue joints on the MiG let go, ha! only part of the trailing edge. But it won't stop me from keeping on using contact glue.

Actually today at the field was an altogther terrible day for planes - 3 dead sticks, of which only two planes survived to fly again, and 2 other crashes - one on takeoff, and the other was my MiG. The MiG did not suffer any damage after I lost orientation during a "bank and yank" maneuver. Going just about stright down, it flew through at least one tree and hit the ground at considerable speed. The airframe suffered absolutely no damage apart from a slight dent in the leading edge. The only real damage was that I sheared off the engine's needle valve (I ordered a replacement from Great Hobbies), and a few fins off the engine head are now missing. Curiously, the prop is undamaged!

[stephane.savard]

Time for another update, I'm about 1/3rd of the way to a first flight! Also, I think at this point, a few people may begin scratching their heads - I'm now moving beyond S.P.A.D :)

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402250Small.JPG/NIKOND402250Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402252Small.JPG/NIKOND402252Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402253Small.JPG/NIKOND402253Small-full.jpg

http://stephane.savard.googlepages.com/NIKOND402255Small.JPG/NIKOND402255Small-full.jpg

[pauldaigle]

Whos MIG crashed?

Judging by the order of your pictures, you have not yet finished yours.

Not to say I told you so, so I wont, but those contact joints dont give me alot of comfort. The coro is too slick for a good bond without a light sanding or a heat treatment to take off the waxy stuff on top. Then again you say it works, so I accept your method. Maybe the acetone in the contact makes it cling better, but, I would still sand the contact surfaces before. Your call.

p.s. Too bad you dont like the Mustang. To each his own.:yes:

[stephane.savard]

The MiG has been flying since last year... It has flown 5 total combats, and at least a dozen flights more. What's more, it has crashed in about as many times. The MiG is very difficult to hand launch and all the crashes were on "take-off".

I also recommend sanding the joint with a bit and then cleaning any sanded residue off before joining - this is actually the instructions that are written on the can of contact glue. But, I tend to forget to do just that and only remember to sand the joint after the joint has been made, oops.

When I built this MiG, I remember sanding the trailing edge on one wing panel, but not the other... I really wonder which one it was that failed :)

[stephane.savard]

There hasn't been much of an update due to, well, technical difficulties :(

This is the risk we take when building a prototype I suppose! All I am going with is a 3-view of the actual plane, and I had a technique for building the fuselage that turned out to be a bit ambitious. So, I took the fuselage apart and I'm starting over - I'm not going to abandon it since I already have the wing all nice and ready! So part II of the fuselage build should be along in a few days if all goes well this time around :)