Jolly-Swagman
Member
Looking great Tony coming along really well, great update!
Kits Telemaster Build
- Thread starter Tony
- Start date
Keith
Member
Check these out for covering film.... You have to order 10 metres minimum... It cost me $30 for 10 metres delivered to Australia... I had 5 x 2 metre different colours...
Have not used any yet so can't say what its like but it seems OK and it was well packaged...
RC Airplane Accessories - Detailed info for RC Airplane Accessories,RC Airplane Accessories,RC Airplane Accessories,ARF on Alibaba.com
Have not used any yet so can't say what its like but it seems OK and it was well packaged...
RC Airplane Accessories - Detailed info for RC Airplane Accessories,RC Airplane Accessories,RC Airplane Accessories,ARF on Alibaba.com
Tony
Staff member
Here is a quick update for today. I finished one of the wings. There was a lot of just holding the parts down waiting to glue, and my back wouldn't let me do the other one. But, at least one is finished. Below are some pics of all the finished parts, and a couple of the wing. I have to say, I love this stuff. I think there will be a whole hangar full of these by years end. And the best part? The wife loves the idea. I think she just gave me the go ahead to order a $120 balsa kit. This is going to be awesome...
Tony
Staff member
All of the coffee cups are off of the plane for good now. I woke up this morning, and finished the other wing. Now, all of the building is done. The only thing left to do is sand everything down, create the bevels on the control surfaces, and cover it in monokote, or ultracote. The, install the electronics, and give it a test flight. This should prove interesting since I did not put ailerons on this one lol. But, I may do just that later on down the road. They are pretty simple to install.
Here are the final pics before the covering begins. And that will more than likely be a while before I can get to those.
Here are the final pics before the covering begins. And that will more than likely be a while before I can get to those.
Jolly-Swagman
Member
Looks great with the frame all finished, I would definitely go with the Ailerons and maybe even Flaps
Keith
Member
Here's a little story that has always stayed with me...
It would be more than fifty years ago I started building balsa models after building quite a few plastic kits. I would lay the plans out and start cutting the balsa strips and pinning them to the plan. I would make the left side then while it was drying I would make the top and bottom. Then I would carefully remove the left side and make the right side. The next day when it was dry I would glue it together and carry building the rest of it. This was my approach for the first two or three models I built, all rubber powered. And everytime I would run out of balsa before I finished.? Notice my mistake.? You don't build the four sides of the fuselage then join them. You build left and right then join them with stringers. So instead of fours pieces of balsa I was using eight...
I know you are all thinking 'what an idiot' but I was only about 10 years old and had never done it before. It was a lesson well learnt and remembered,,,
It would be more than fifty years ago I started building balsa models after building quite a few plastic kits. I would lay the plans out and start cutting the balsa strips and pinning them to the plan. I would make the left side then while it was drying I would make the top and bottom. Then I would carefully remove the left side and make the right side. The next day when it was dry I would glue it together and carry building the rest of it. This was my approach for the first two or three models I built, all rubber powered. And everytime I would run out of balsa before I finished.? Notice my mistake.? You don't build the four sides of the fuselage then join them. You build left and right then join them with stringers. So instead of fours pieces of balsa I was using eight...
I know you are all thinking 'what an idiot' but I was only about 10 years old and had never done it before. It was a lesson well learnt and remembered,,,
Tony
Staff member
It has been a while since I updated this page, so I think I need to since I have done some things to the Telemaster. As you know, I did elect to keep the ailerons off of the plane, and make it a 3 channel. I'm just going to use the SG90 servos since this is not going to be a fast plane. And, with only using rudder and elevator, I don't see an issue. I mainly did this because I have never flown a 3ch before, and I want to try it. Worst case is that I have to strip the wings, and put in ailerons. Not a big deal really.
So, what have I been up to? A lot. I have covered the wings, epoxied them together, and covered the tail feathers. In the first picture you can see everything that I have worked on. This includes the wing, tail feathers, and fuse.
Below, you can see the wing. This was more of a pain than I thought it would be. First off, I coated it before putting the two halves together, so I had to cut a strip off the ends of both of them so that I could hold them while the epoxy dried. This is not a big deal, cause it will allow me to put a red stripe on the top of the wing to match where the fuse it. It will blend in really well. The second is I built this with wood glue. It's a wood plane, so wood glue is the first thing that came to mind. Well, I found out that it's not strong enough. Not by it's self. It needs nails or screws to back it up. So, I'm going to have to put quite a bit of CA on the inner parts of the wing where it will get the most load. The way I see it, it's a $33 kit. If it folds up and dies, not a big deal, I will just make it better next time since I know what I'm getting into. And I will use medium CA lol. But, after I epoxied the wing together, you can really see the dihedral in it. If you set one wing on the table, the other wing is 3" off the table. It's not a whole lot, but you have to have it to run 3 channels, and no ailerons.
As you saw in the pics, I did the tail feathers as well. Nothing special, except learing how to cover them without showing overlap lines lol. Not that bad really. Only real headache is allowing the air to escape somehow. I had to put tiny holes in it to do this. And they sealed themselves up after shrinking. One thing that you will notice though is I did not use a hinge per say. And I didn't use tape either. I used the MonoKote as a hinge. And, although stiff, it does work quite well. Just a little more work on my end. In the pic, this is the hinge on the rudder.
Other than covering, I did do some wood work on the fuse. When I put the sheet on the sides, I did so before I put the firewall in place. This was a mistake. because now the firewall stuck out more than the sheeting, and the little wooden blocks would have a gap that I would have to fill. Well, I didn't like that. So, I got a piece of scrap balsa sheet, filled it in, and cut it off. Then, I put some CA down and put the front nose pieces on there, and sanded smooth. Looks okay to me. The other thing I did was finish sheeting the under side. If you look, you can see the block where the landing gears go. There is 4 pieces of wood around it. Front, back, and both sides. The front was all that I had done before. So, I put the other pieces on, and sanded them smooth. Really the only thing left before covering the plane is to run the linkage tubes out the back, and sand them flush. Then cover it and cut out the holes for the control rods. Not much work really.
And that is where I'm at on this one. I'm still trying to debate about putting a small .25 engine on this, or wondering if I should just put a 450 brushless on there. I have not made up my mind yet. What I do know is that this build is almost done, and I'm going to need another project. So, that F4U may be coming soon depending on funds. I didn't plan on joining this club, and that is going to take some cash out of my plane playin' money. But I hope you like what you have seen so far. The red and yellow contrast pretty well together. I think if I do it again, I will do a metallic purple, and yellow. Main body color purple, and yellow accents. But, that will be after I lawn dart this one like I did the foamie tele-trainer hehe.
So, what have I been up to? A lot. I have covered the wings, epoxied them together, and covered the tail feathers. In the first picture you can see everything that I have worked on. This includes the wing, tail feathers, and fuse.
Below, you can see the wing. This was more of a pain than I thought it would be. First off, I coated it before putting the two halves together, so I had to cut a strip off the ends of both of them so that I could hold them while the epoxy dried. This is not a big deal, cause it will allow me to put a red stripe on the top of the wing to match where the fuse it. It will blend in really well. The second is I built this with wood glue. It's a wood plane, so wood glue is the first thing that came to mind. Well, I found out that it's not strong enough. Not by it's self. It needs nails or screws to back it up. So, I'm going to have to put quite a bit of CA on the inner parts of the wing where it will get the most load. The way I see it, it's a $33 kit. If it folds up and dies, not a big deal, I will just make it better next time since I know what I'm getting into. And I will use medium CA lol. But, after I epoxied the wing together, you can really see the dihedral in it. If you set one wing on the table, the other wing is 3" off the table. It's not a whole lot, but you have to have it to run 3 channels, and no ailerons.
As you saw in the pics, I did the tail feathers as well. Nothing special, except learing how to cover them without showing overlap lines lol. Not that bad really. Only real headache is allowing the air to escape somehow. I had to put tiny holes in it to do this. And they sealed themselves up after shrinking. One thing that you will notice though is I did not use a hinge per say. And I didn't use tape either. I used the MonoKote as a hinge. And, although stiff, it does work quite well. Just a little more work on my end. In the pic, this is the hinge on the rudder.
Other than covering, I did do some wood work on the fuse. When I put the sheet on the sides, I did so before I put the firewall in place. This was a mistake. because now the firewall stuck out more than the sheeting, and the little wooden blocks would have a gap that I would have to fill. Well, I didn't like that. So, I got a piece of scrap balsa sheet, filled it in, and cut it off. Then, I put some CA down and put the front nose pieces on there, and sanded smooth. Looks okay to me. The other thing I did was finish sheeting the under side. If you look, you can see the block where the landing gears go. There is 4 pieces of wood around it. Front, back, and both sides. The front was all that I had done before. So, I put the other pieces on, and sanded them smooth. Really the only thing left before covering the plane is to run the linkage tubes out the back, and sand them flush. Then cover it and cut out the holes for the control rods. Not much work really.
And that is where I'm at on this one. I'm still trying to debate about putting a small .25 engine on this, or wondering if I should just put a 450 brushless on there. I have not made up my mind yet. What I do know is that this build is almost done, and I'm going to need another project. So, that F4U may be coming soon depending on funds. I didn't plan on joining this club, and that is going to take some cash out of my plane playin' money. But I hope you like what you have seen so far. The red and yellow contrast pretty well together. I think if I do it again, I will do a metallic purple, and yellow. Main body color purple, and yellow accents. But, that will be after I lawn dart this one like I did the foamie tele-trainer hehe.
Jolly-Swagman
Member
Looking great with the Monojote covering you have done so far
Tony
Staff member
Thanks guys. I'm hoping to get the stripe cut this week and finish the wing. I have not decided how I'm going to center the wing on the fuse yet either. The instructions don't really hit on this matter. they talk about putting a piece of scrap at the front of the wing so the wing can't slide forward, but nothing about the wing sliding from side to side. I will more than likely put a couple scrap pieces of wood on the under side of the wing and do like I have done on the foamie trainer.
I still need to order the control rods as well for the tail sections. After I get those put in, I can sand them flush and coat the fuse. Crap, I still have to make the landing gears as well... It never ends lol. I love it.
I still need to order the control rods as well for the tail sections. After I get those put in, I can sand them flush and coat the fuse. Crap, I still have to make the landing gears as well... It never ends lol. I love it.
Tony
Staff member
Well, I never did get that stripe cut lol. I have been working on the Edge 540 mostly, and trying to get things going out at the field. But, I thought I would update this thread on what I am doing right now. I have started to install the servo tray, and I'm hoping to get the control rod guides installed and glued in today. Then, after a final sanding, I will be able to cover the plane. Once it's covered, then I can install the battery tray, and start getting it ready to fly. there is still quite a bit of work to do, but should be done pretty quickly I hope. I have just taken on another venture, so my time is limited, but this is still number 1 in my book to keep updated.
Tony
Staff member
I thought I would update this thread since I actually pulled the telemaster down and started to work on it again. At this time, the fuse is being epoxied to the horizontal stabilizer. Once that is done where I can remove it from the jig, then I will put the rudder on it. As it's sitting here drying, I noticed that the elevator is warped a little. I'm pretty sure that I can grab the heat gun and make it flat by shrinking the monokote. After I get the tail feathers on the plane, then I will start to wire in the servos for the controls. This is going to be pretty simple since there is only an elevator and rudder. No ailerons to mess with.
once those are on, then I will put the landing gears on, and order the motor, ESC, wheels and anything else that it needs. Then, it will be time for the maiden. I will have a couple pics when everything is done drying.
once those are on, then I will put the landing gears on, and order the motor, ESC, wheels and anything else that it needs. Then, it will be time for the maiden. I will have a couple pics when everything is done drying.
Tony
Staff member
Well, after epoxying the tail feathers on, there is a very noticeable warp in EVERYTHING! I over shrunk the monokote on the fuse that caused the wood to bow, the elevator surface looks like a politician, and for $36 it's just not worth putting any more money into. I think this one is going to head to the trash and I'm going to do it again. Just not sure when that is going to be. Well, at least the build was fun and i learned something. There were a lot of mistakes in this one that I won't make in the next build.
RandyDSok
Well-Known Member
I'd suggest that you not trash anything... bring it to the field with you and ask for suggestions... it may save you a bit of work on something new or different.
The Telemaster is a well loved trainer ( as are many others ) and it would be nice to have one in your hanger if not for yourself, for someone else that you may try to help learn to fly some day.
Randy
The Telemaster is a well loved trainer ( as are many others ) and it would be nice to have one in your hanger if not for yourself, for someone else that you may try to help learn to fly some day.
Randy
Tony
Staff member
I doubt that I will trash it, I will more than likely put the wing dowels in the fuse, and install the wing, and hang it up for show. It will be a reminder of how to do it correctly lol. I was going to install a wing dowel so that I could bolt the wing on with wing nuts (haha) that way there is no chance of a rubber band breaking. Who knows, I may break out the heat gun and try to shrink this monokote to straighten out the tail feathers. I had to do that on the wing lol. One of these days I will learn how to lay monokote...