1/2 scale Sopwith Tripehound

[Chock]

That's pretty cool news. Normally companies such as RR do stuff like that with apprentices as kind of 'on the job training projects'. That is not to say the things are in any way amateurish in their results, generally speaking quite the opposite is true, as apprentices are usually keen to impress, and you normally have to be pretty good to get a job with RR, for example, a relative of mine works for them, and he took the job with them after turning down a job with the Williams Formula One team as an engineer. He's a motorcycle racer in his spare time, and he's pretty good too, having raced for some big teams and won quite a lot of stuff.

Al

[ProfLooney]

Ok time for massive update


Well Guys my plans for the most part are finished. I still have the fittings to draw for the 1/4 and 1/3 scale kits, but that doesnt stop me from working on my 1/2 scale. The 1/4 and 3rd scale kits will be offered through AZM like my other kits are.

First some details on this Beast.

Height: 60"
Length: 116"
WS: 13 ft 5"
Tires: abt 13 1/2"

Weight: Light but prob around 60-70 lbs
Engine: still deciding but possibly a DA 150

[ProfLooney]

some pics of the plans. these are the layout for the 1/2 scale so the smaller versions may appear slightly different on the sheets.

[ProfLooney]

[ProfLooney]

Some Instruments I cadded up so I got a nice clean face which def needed at 1/2 scale

[ProfLooney]

[ProfLooney]

Here are some pics of the parts I been popping out. I have to use my xacto as when I enlarged my plans I forgot abt the tabs enlarging so you cant just pop them out cleanly you need to cut through them some. Also the cardboard are the patterns that get lasercut for bending stuff like wingtips, rudder, fin, elev stuff blah blah which on my half scale will be 1/4" tubing

[ProfLooney]

[ProfLooney]

Now in the first part pic you see I have 2 baggies labelled front spar and rear spar. I will be using box spars on this and for my webbing which will be at every full length rib like was in scale planes, I am saving all the cutouts for the spars. With removing a little on 2 sides I will have my webs without cutting out extra stuff. which saves laser time and cost. Sure you have to trim them but hey thats part of building this isnt a Barf hehehe.


Another thing is the stacks I have rubber banded up are only abt half the parts. lol and with 3 stacks of riblets to capstrip and knowing I have at least that many more its gonna be a case of beer job for sure.


I will be using a capstrip technique I invented to make capstripping easy and also to give me a very scale looking 3D capstrip.

Most people use a piece of balsa or ply on top of the rib for a capstrip. This is a pain to line up and for a scale rib you would have 3 sections of rib and have to jig them all. Most capstrips on WWI planes we on average 3/8" by 3/4 to 7/8" wide. a lot of them were also grooved to fit down on top of the rib. Just putting a thin peice of balsa or ply on top may work but how do you sand the wing so that your capstrips are all level. Most ppl will have one side higher than another because of it being hard to get a thin piece on top of an already thin rib.

My Method is to keep the rib as 1 piece. I also add to the ribs profile making it slightly larger and to the size it would be with the scale capstrip in place. then with the rib laying flat on the table I just take some square stock and glue it to the face of the rib then flip it over and repeat. takes abt the same amount of time as the other method to do and gives us enough to sand our wings level. I will show more as soon as everything is popped out and I start stripping.

[ProfLooney]

Oh there is also a Target all lined up for this project