RC India

This weekends flying was special.  One reason is that it was after almost 2 months that I was flying again.

But what made this weekend special was that a fellow flyer had brought in a Tiger Moth plane he had built from scratch over 5 years  :o  {:)}  (working occassionally, with a 2 year complete break in the middle).  Mike, if you are reading this, it was an absolute pleasure to see the results of your dedication.

More pics.  Great detail work inside the cockpit !

awesome   8){:)} {:)}, is it a 1/4 scale model, can you post some specs

sahil

Looks simple and elegant!.. Man! there is something obsenely attractive about these biplanes.. I just love them!

-Ismail

I have requested Mike to provide us with answers for our questions, and if possible more pictures and video(s) from the field.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments both at the flying field and on this site, it is very much appreciated.

The plane is a 1/5 scale Tiger Moth and was built from a David Boddington plan. David Boddington's plans are of the highest quality.  Construction is very traditional balsa and ply with open framework for the wings and rear fuselage. The covering is Solartex which although is fuelproof was given a coat of marine varnish. All up weight is 8 1/2 lbs and power is from a Saito 91FS which has more than enough power. Futaba radio is used and each aileron has its own servo. the Rudder and Elevators have wire push/pull controls and operate as per the full size aircraft.

Whilst it took a long time to build this is more due my laziness as a builder! In fact there is a little bit left to do i.e. lettering which I do hate doing and will find any excuse not to do it.

So far we have had two short flights which showed a few trim problems which were sorted out for the second flight but this ended early due an engine cut. The plane appears stable and landing deadstick was easy enough. All engine issues have been sorted and the next calm weekend we'll be out again and try to get some flying photos.

I apologise for the absence of a pilot but so far have been unable to track down a suitable volunteer from the local toy shops!

Thanks again


Mike

 :)

Hi Mike ,
Looks great  must have taken a lot of effort Great Build  {:)} {:)}
sai

Mike, I'm super impressed with the build - I must add that I have a special respect for scale builds not that other designs are inferior but jus that Scale are special! I love the TG Moth and your build is one of the best so far. (detail and size have a part to play ;))

Another pic from the field.  The picture came out really beautiful that a full resolution copy would be great as a PC wallpaper !

Some more pics, including takeoff, inflight and landing.

Hey ismail ,
why not build a Bi-Pe SPAD......
 ;D ;D ;D ???

Hai Mike Great build... {:)} {:)} {:)} {:)} {:)} {:)}

One more, to show cockpit details and the strings used to connect the wings to the fuselage.

 :salute:
mike sir,
       You got magic in your Hands
                  {:)}
                         Sir Please Send more pics of your art work
                                                                                     :thumbsup:

Absolute beauty  {:)} {:)}

Beautiful and mind blowing!!!!!!!!
i never thought such scratch building is also possible

Now Mike, if you read this.
Sacrilage yes that is the only word if you ever put a toy in that venerable cockpit. The only suitable occupant deserving to occupy the seat is a pukka hand carved bloke complete with a stubble and scarf fluttering in the wind!

BTW I have a Boddo Tiggie nearing completion and still dithering on the amount of scale details to be added. Too many and the maiden gets delayed too little and is not worth a Tiggie

A Tiger Nut   

where did all the dials in the cockpit come from? an LHS?

Pankaj I dunno if you ask that question to me.
But to still answer your query and rest your inquisitive mind here are the options
The instrument faces can be easily made in photoshop and then printed by the modeller. The instrument bezel again can be fashioned out yourself easily if you know how to and same for the glass so that the entire instrument gets depth. Nothing need to be bought from an LHS if you know what needs to be done, but alas this art is dying fast world over
Here what we see is definitely Mike's handiwork and does not look like an LHS procured job.
Mike could you let us know if the facts are otherwise?
Thanks

Good question regarding the cockpit:

Did a  search for full size Tiger Moth pictures on the internet and captured the best and most approprate images for the dials and printed onto paper. My intent was not to make an exact copy of full size but to give the "feel" you are looking at it, my skills not that great!

The instrument panel was 1/16" veneered ply which I stained (pain to get right), cut the holes to suit the dials. Fixed the cut out dials to card and sandwiched clear acetate sheet between the face of the card and back fo the panel. The bevels were cut from plastic tube, pipe etc and filed shaped to suit the dial size. The controls are from litho plate, pin heads, telephone cable etc etc all modelled from scrap, again working from full sixe pictures.

The seat is from cardboard base and covered in leatherette stripped form the fabric backing. 

All this takes time but makes a difference, thing about it is that you can do it anytime and keeping adding even after the plane is flying. Perfect for those evening when you and your wife are not talking! Ha ha!!.

Please dont hesitate to ask for any details I've missed or glossed over.

Ps still looking for a pilot!!!

Mike what did you do for the corrugations on the centre section tank?

The corrugations are from material found in stationary stores, it comes preformed and in various colours including silver. I came across it and thought it woulod be just the job. The alternative is to cut balsa strips, glue and sand them in postion and paint the whole thing - hard work.

As you can see in the picture it bends lengthways easily, so you have to score the back with a sharpe knife and tease it to shape in the right direction. I then glued it in place to the balsa sheeting with clear UHU. I put thin balsa strips as a "frame" painted silver so that it looked like a metal support frame.

Have to say I was really pleased with the end result!!

hey Mike, nice  job! always thought the tiger moth had very elegant lines. Now I am motivated to build one! But from a kit - scratch building is bit of a daunting prospect. - I have G38 looking for a vintage bipe! I thought Id share photos of my flair puppeteer - no scale touches like yours but still could qualify as stand -way - way -off scale!  :D 

Do you have flight videos of this plane (and others you own) ?

Also, please consider doing a proper introduction post in the RC People board (http://www.rcindia.org/rc-people/), including your hangar details.  The reason is that there are always people who want to communicate to like minded folks within this hobby, and some of the stuff you are doing is sort of unique (or "uncommon" these days, for lack of a better word ;)). 

nice planes guys.
what 'actual' size are they? look to be about 4ft wing span from pics............ nice size for scale details... :)
regards
don

It works out at 71" span approx!
Mike

hi.
thats quite bigger than it looked then. very nice, good work there  :) :)
regards
don

Thanks for the suggestion Mike on the corrugated material. What is it called at the Stationery store?
I experimented a bit and found out the best way to make the corrugations out of litho sheet. Upside being with some paint rubbed off the bare Alu would show up looking very convincing.