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Let us watch your model in the making, from when you open the kit to air-borne! Don't feel you have to chronicle every step, unless you want to. Just send an occasional picture or two and an explanatory note and we can catch up with your progress from time to time on this page. It will only appear when there's something to report and we can keep as many projects going as you wish. I must reserve the right to select and crop pictures, though, otherwise the page will take too long to download. 

Most shots on this page are thumbnails - click on them for an enlarged view

Not actually still in progress, as Matt has just completed it, but this model is worth a very close look.

The model in question is a beautiful old (1976) vintage 'Top Flite' P-47 kit that Matt found as an untouched and very complete kit at the 2001 British National Swapmeet and which he obtained for £55.

The model has been constructed over the last three months. It took three weeks to cover it in Aluclad alone, applied panel by panel after first covering the whole airframe in tissue/dope - so it has really been covered twice!

It has the full compliment of functions - flaps and retracts - and modifications that Matt made to the kit comprised of:

Flaps: slotted type employed now as opposed to plain butt hinged types supplied;

Tailplane: Supplied as ¼" balsa sheet in the kit for the rudder, fin, elevators and tailplane. Matt changed this by building the unit up from ribs, sheet-covered to his own drawings.

Undercarriage: Consisting of Rhom Air units, the main gear doors are from laminated sheets of litho plate, as are the smaller secondary doors which are also functioning.

The scale prop pictured is a hand-carved static, made entirely from balsa.

The model awaits its test flight and is fitted with an OS91 Surpass and weighs 8½ lbs ready to fly.

Click your way round these thumbnails to see more details of Matt's P-47.

Derick has reached the painting stage of his RADAR, and thereby hangs a tail!

About a month ago, he lost his Twister after hitting the line for the sailplanes (High-Start launch). Derick lost elevator control as a result (probably because of direct damage from the line) and the Twister hit the ground very hard, so the paint job on his new RADAR is in memory of his late-lamented model!

Looks very pretty, doesn't she? There's a couple of Derick's camera ships in the background, I see, as well the Twister picture for reference. 

Those photographs in the picture are some of Derick's aerial shots - one or two of them have appreared on ModelFlight. Derick now has an album of his aerial photography up on the MSN Communities site - read a bit more about it on hotchpotch.

As you know, I have been using expanding foam for repairs and I have been thinking about building a plane from scratch, using the foam with a basic balsa framework, and at last have started it. I have built the first wing section using a D-shaped leading edge for strength. 

It is a very simple construction and will use this simple frame construction for the other main wing and fuselage which will then be filled with the foam and sanded to shape before covering with plastic film. We were recently given a Fox 19 motor which will be used to power the plane, the dimensions of which will be roughly the same as a Twinstar. It is all a little experimental and we don't really know if the project will be successful but we think that the plane will be extremely light but strong using this method. Anyway it will keep us out of mischief for the winter!

Comments or ideas are welcomed from other club members. Thanks for a really good mag which I really look forward to receiving and I wish you and your family and all the other members a very happy Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. 

Nadolig Llawen i chi. 

Keith

Thanks for the kind greetings, Keith. I Look forward to more on this project, especially filling and shaping the foam.