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Dumas Kit #309, F8F-2 Bearcat by BriandKilby. Viewed 1327 times.
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BriandKilby31-Jan-11 16:18
i'm going to try what the big dogs do, and fly the bearcat rubbered powered.
SteveM01-Feb-11 09:05
Brian, since your goal is rubber powered free flight I can think of few better examples to follow than John Cooper and scigs30, both of whom have posted some of their builds here. If you saw that picture of my Dumas F4U rudder that I recently posted a comment on then you'll see it give me no end of trouble. If you read all the other comments on that photo and the ones that follow it you'll see some good advice on covering the plane. In the end I ran out of kit tissue and used some tissue from Easy Built that was much friendlier to use and didn't require preshrinking. The art of building a flying craft is just that, an art. You won't believe the lengths that scigs30 will go to in building a plane, but when you find out his 500 series P-40 can fly for 3 minutes you sort of sit up and take notice. How much time and effort you put into making sure the parts are straight and true and you get proper washout and a correct angle on the prop will determine how well it flies. My Dumas F4U has never flown and still does a nose dive so obviously we're both students in the same classroom.
intruder 140031-Jan-11 18:14
I have done that in the past and it only flew once, be prepared to pick up the pieces.
intruder 140031-Jan-11 18:19
Oh... by the way, it looks like you are using way to much glue when you are attaching the tissue, you don't need near that much.
intruder 140031-Jan-11 18:24
intruder 140031-Jan-11 18:27
Did you even shrink the tissue before applying that (if you want to call it a paint job ) paint job ? If not it definately won't fly very far.
dfrank4731-Jan-11 18:58
Hey Intruder 1400, I dont believe that your last smart ass remark was necessary. All on this site try to build the best we can.
intruder 140031-Jan-11 19:59
Hey dfrank47, I don't see anybody offering him tips on how to build these balsa wood airplanes and it looks like he needs a few to improve his builds. That's all I am trying to do because I have been building these for along time. Excuse me for being honest about the crappy paint job I wasn't trying to critisize his work & I WASN'T TRYING TO BE A SMART ASS, MAYBE U SHOULD LEARN TO KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO YOUR SELF.
TJH31-Jan-11 21:05
I hope your Bearcat flies well! I generally build my planes with the intention of flying; if they do, they do, if not, I enjoyed building. This is why we do this, to enjoy it, no matter at what level, isn't it?
intruder 140031-Jan-11 23:21
I know how a teacher feels now, I have been building/schooling my self for along time on building balsa airplanes. This popped up and I was like wow, this looked like my first airplane build, it really did -the blue. I went from this to my B-29 in approx. 20-25 yr span, and got lucky as hell to build the B-29. I have knowledge how to build if this inspiring builder has an ear to hear it. I feel sort of empty right now because of what I have acomplished with my airpanes, I seen this and wanted to fix it, sorry.
SteveM01-Feb-11 07:55
I don't have 25 years of modeling experience, so maybe I'm wrong. But it looks to me like what we've got here is blue colored tissue applied to the wood with white glue or dope then misted with water to tighten. No paint has been used as far as I can tell. Giving advice regarding someone's hobby is an area one needs to tread carefully in. What matters most is not if the person built the model to your standards, but if they had fun and are pleased with the results.
BriandKilby01-Feb-11 08:04
i had just got done applying the tissue and was going to get it ready to fly, it would be my first flying model and i'm not familiar with the procedure. some helpful guidance would be appreciated.
poppy01-Feb-11 08:06
I have been building models for 60 Yrs. The only unasked for advice I give is to Have fun and enjoy.
jgood01-Feb-11 09:43
Hey Brian. Check out the 'Links' page on this site (from the main menu on the left). There's some links to good tips on the easybuilt models site.
John Cooper01-Feb-11 11:42
The Bearcat is somewhat of a challenging model to fly, largely because it has a low wing and a lot of weight above the center of gravity. On the plus side, a model of this large scale is generally much easier to trim; however, they also hit the ground harder. I suggest adding a trim tab, angled downward, to the port wing, as low wing aircraft frequently spiral dive to the left, under power. Also it is a good idea to get the model to glide properly first. Leave off the prop (replacing the prop weight with clay) and adjust the rudder and elevator to get a good glide. When you do add the prop, put in some left and down thrust to the prop button. This will stop the model from climbing too rapidly and turning too tightly.
intruder 140001-Feb-11 12:52
I don't belong here, sorry I ever posted. I will take my pictures down tonight. Good luck to everyone with all your builds and have fun.
BriandKilby01-Feb-11 13:22
thanks for your assistance, i'll keep trying.
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