During World War II, balsa was scarce, so Flying Aces magazine published plans for models that could be built with readily available materials such as pine and cardboard.
The Triflyer is one of at least seven models in this Victory Model class. Volaré Products is offering this simple, fun model as a kit, but this time with balsa.
The Triflyer is a fast build. Every part is laser cut except the wing’s LEs and the motorstick. The model’s wingspan is only 12 inches, but the wing area is 36 square inches because of the wide chord.
The original plan called for a single-blade folding propeller, but the kit uses a 4.75-inch plastic propeller. Five sheets of documentation and plans are included, so you can read the entire Flying Aces construction article and get a feel for the times.
Volaré Products is also the new source for Superior propellers. Check its website for ordering information.
Plunge Molding Canopies
Sooner or later you will want to build a model from scratch and will need to mold its canopy. Many years ago I made a small vacuum former that did the job. However, for the last five years I have been plunge molding my canopies because it’s simpler and faster.
The first order of business, and most intimidating to a novice, is the mold. Before shaping the block, drill a 1/4-inch hole roughly 1/2 inch deep in the bottom. Use this later to allow insertion of a 1/4-inch dowel 6 inches long in the bottom of the mold.
For the mold, I use a medium-weight block of balsa carved and sanded to the top, side, and front views of the plans. Make the mold slightly deeper than the side view to allow some overlap at the bottom. Likewise, if there is a turtledeck behind the canopy, make the mold longer to allow some overlap at the back. I typically allow 1/8-inch overlap and trim the canopy as needed.
Assuming you have used progressively finer sandpaper to smooth the mold, you don’t have to put on a finish, but I think the result looks better if you do finish the mold. Some people plunge mold a layer of plastic over the mold and leave it in place. This provides a smooth surface to plunge mold the real canopy. I haven’t tried it but it sounds logical.
After trying several time-consuming finishes, I settled on a quick finish of thin CA. Glue the dowel into the hole in the bottom of the mold to provide a handle.
In a proverbial well-ventilated area, drip thin CA on the mold. Use a paper towel to rapidly brush the CA over the mold and soak up excess. Be fast. You don’t want the paper to stick to the mold.
The CA will set in a few minutes. Don’t use accelerator because it will roughen the finish. Sand it with 150-grit sandpaper. Repeat the CA coating and the 150-grit sandpaper followed by 220-grit or 320-grit sandpaper. The mold will shine and be ready to use.
Clamp the dowel in a vise, leaving a few inches of clearance below the mold so you can wrap the plastic tightly against its sides.
I used to make a special holder for the plastic. The holder had a hole in the center slightly larger than the mold. The problem was that the plastic tended to tent away from the sides of the mold unless the hole was the exact size.
Now I use two pairs of sticks to hold the plastic sheet. For Dime Scale-size canopies I use two pairs of craft sticks. Each pair is held together with two screws—one at one end, the other roughly 2/3 of the way toward the free end where you will hold the sticks.
Place opposite edges of the plastic sheet between the sticks and secure them with the screws. The other ends of the sheet are not clamped or held in any way.
I use a hot plate to heat the plastic. Heat the sheet until it becomes soft and flexible. Because you are holding it with the two pairs of sticks, it’s easy to tell when it’s ready—or at least it will be after a few tries! Plunge the plastic quickly over the mold, bringing the sticks together under the mold.
Before removing the canopy from the mold, use a Sharpie to trace a cutting guideline around the canopy. I had some qualms before doing this the first time, but it’s easy, fun, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. I use white craft glue to hold the canopy in place. It works better for me when I put glue on both the canopy and the frame.
Bill Schmidt’s Curtiss F11C
Bill Schmidt has created another beauty: a Curtiss F11C Goshawk. Beginning with Dallaire plans that he purchased from Golden Age Reproductions, he enlarged them to a 21-inch wingspan.
For the correct decalage, Bill used the McCombs book Making Scale Model Airplanes Fly. The top wing has 1° less incidence than the lower wing. The fuselage is covered with Polyspan light and the rest is Peck Japanese tissue with Party Store domestic tissue for the red trim. The dope is non-tautening nitrate.
Bill plans to start trimming with four strands of 1/8-inch rubber hooked to a hand-carved Hamilton Standard 8-inch propeller. The model weighs 37 grams without the motor.
Comet Piper Cub
Mike Welshans has completed his Piper Cub from Comet plans for the FAC Outdoor Champs this September. See more photos, download the plans, and check out a source for the kit on the Cloudbusters website. Go to the “Plans and Scale Docs” page.
Uniflow Nylon Tank
I was monitoring the 049Collectors group on Yahoo and noted a post by Orv Ulm of Gizmo Geezer products.
Orv needed a 1-ounce tank for a 1/2A CL model and was able to generate a uniflow nylon tank complete with vents using a 3-D printer. Whether he decides to generate these commercially remains to be seen, but it’s a possibility.
Flying Stars
Walter Legan, a retired engineer, is recruiting former engineers to his Flying Stars organization. The purpose of his group is “Introducing Kids to Engineering” through model aviation.
Walter has produced an hour-long YouTube video that demonstrates building his Flying Star Catapult Glider. The address of Walter’s website, which has a link to the video, is in “Sources.”
