BEAVER DH C2 30 INCH RUBBER POWERED FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER DUMAS KIT 306

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #30

Pic #1    6723     Glue experiment  -  nothing worked

Pic #2     6726     I got up at 5 AM and took apart the dried square balsa frame support.    No pic - just a quick sand on a flat piece of sandpaper,  and I glued it up on the E1A/E1B firewall.

Pic #3     6728     The firewall with the support square is done.   The black thrust bearing is  0.300"  diameter -  the hole for it is now cut out of the plastic cowl.    The rear cowl ring is now cut out also.

Pic #4     6732     Here is the white kit prop  9 7/16",  and a  prop wire hook of   0.040" which is quite wiggly in this prop.    A wire of  0.046"  ( 3/64")  #54   is less wiggly than 0 .040,  and this  #54 drill bit is the max diameter of wire to fit into that white plastic prop.    The hole in that white prop is  0.053" #54  max.    I need an new  3/16"  prop wire,  and a smaller prop with a matching smaller hole.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #31

Pic #1     6734     The kit supplies a Wasp radial engine outline on the stiff paper pattern sheet -  0.0085" thick -    that sheet also has outlines for the doos, windows, and wing fairing.   I started working on a color scheme.

Pic #2     6737     Test piece to see how it looks.   I added spark plug wires.

Pic #3     IM006736  EXPANDED VIEW

     I'll  try some  5 min  epoxy tomorrow,  and glue that small tab on the rear cowl ring,  into the big ring to fit into the plastic cowl.    The white glue experiment did not work at all.    I will try some,  thinned with acetone,  5 min epoxy,  tomorrow.

Hi ZK AUD Mike!   Thanks for the comment.   I will take your advise on the CA glue.   I did stock up a while back on CA  glue and thinner from Windsor Hobbies.  see   6747 .     My medium 'gap-filling'  CA will give me 5 to 10 seconds to dry,  to move parts into place.

     I finished the engine color scheme,  and I am just building up the whole plane color scheme as I go now,  but I have the engine color scheme finalized in good and waiting to be cut out,  and an already cut out,  previous colored engine version,  is sitting in the engine now,  just to see how it looks.    The color scheme is finalized and shown in Pic #4   6742    .

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #32

   I also painted up the thrust button and the forward crankcase of the engine,  with three coats of  "Silver Morning"  acrylic.    I found a good gray plastic prop  7 7/8"  with rounded tips,  and my last four prop hooks of  0.046" diameter wire of  3/64".     And two prop wire washers or a bead - to come later.

Pic #1     6742     The good colored engine ring is finished on printer paper,  and the older version is sitting in its spot on the plastic Cowl.
--------------------------------------
The key for the six-color scheme on the engine ring,  is as follows:

Two Studio "Staedtler" fine line felt tip markers were used ...
1  light blue  for pushrods and pushrod nuts at the case
2  med gray  for upper pushrod nuts and spark plugs

One crayon was used
3   a slightly darker blue,  of Studio 12 Color Pencils/Crayons,  for shading in the cylinders

Pencils were used to shade the background and engine casing
4   light pencil gray for shading the background
5   light pencil darker gray for engine casing and spark plug wire harness

One fine line black gel marker was used
6   Studio black gel marker  0.5  mm thick,    for spark plug wire and wire harness ring

Pic #1     6744     Close up of the finished "done" version.

Pic #2     6747     Cowl,   rear cowl ring (not glues yet),  Ca glues from Windsor Hobbies store.

Pic #3     6751     Looking at different pics for the engine crank case and the black (not for long) nose thrust bearing button.

Pic #4     6755     Engine crankcase and thrust button are now painted 'silver morning' acrylic.   New gray plastic  prop with rounded tips  7  7/8" ,  gray scale color of 5,  and new prop shaft  0.047"  (3/64")  x  2 3/8" long.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #33

Pic #1     6757     Pic of new gray prop and cowl assy together.

Pic #2     6759     Another close up pic.

Pic #3     6761     Pic of cowl assy in sunlight.

CA GLUING THE REAR COWL RING

     The trickiest hurdle of this kit is its removable square nose plug,  called Mortise and Tenon Joinery in woodworking.   The 1998 kit does not even say 'removable nose plug' anywhere  -   only "this will enable the cowl to slide in place without being cemented".   Insert emoji

Pic #4   Types of Wood Joinery.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #34

Pic #1     6765     The  20 thou thick,  white plastic Rear Cowl Ring,  is bent around in a circle,  to get glued.   The top of that tab is CA glued to the bottom of the other end (outlined),  of that cowl ring.    It is very springy and difficult to glue while you use pressure to hold that little tab in place,  for 5 to 10 seconds -  I practiced the motions and finger positions several times before actually gluing ...   I actually had to try gluing this three times to get the correct cone shape angle, and cone flare ... for everything to fit.

     There is only one piece of that 20 thou thick white plastic sheet in the kit.   Game over and thread kill,   insert emoji here  if you don't have any extra sheets of that plastic,  and you make an incorrectly glued up Cowl Ring,   and there is no more ... 

     Luckily, ....  The gods of free flight were shining down brightly,  being that I  already have two big sheets of two feet by one foot,  of that  0.020" thick white plastic,  that have been sitting around for years ...   It really saved me, considering that I had to cut out and glue up, (comma, breathe), three rings before getting it right.   Scowl ...  Insert emoji here  BEWARE fellow modelers.   Stunk up the bathroom for 2 days,  slow fan,  and I was extremely quick and lucky on the third time,  believe me,  and I never got any CA on me at all which was a wonderful experience,  in and of itself.

Pic #2     6769     The newly finished colored engine ring on printer paper,  is now cut out and sitting in the vac formed Cowl.   My printer ink color was misbehaving.

Pic #3     6771     Prop,  prop wires,  tiny brass washers,  Crocket Hooks,  Cowl,  and black outlines.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #35

Cowling

     Here is the Crux of the situation.   That flat plate of the nose plug that has the square walled nose plug built up,  the edge of that flat plate (E1 assembly of E1A and E1B),  that flat plate must be glued,  by its round edges only,  to the inside of,  and flush with,  the back flared edge of the Rear Cowl Ring.    NOT an easy task.   Insert mad emoji here

     The rear Cowl Ring is the shape of a sliced section of a cone shape,  such that,  one open end is slightly larger than the other open end.

     So,  the front opening of that rear cowl ring must be small enough to slip into the rear of the Front Vac Formed Cowling,  but large enough at the flared larger opening to accept the E1 balsa plate assembly edge.   

     The square male end of the removable nose block that is glued to the firewall plate,  that square noseblock,  seats and locates,  into the square female hole of the forward fuse plate former.    Mortise and Tenon joint.

Pic #1     6773     The stiff paper engine outline 8.5 thou thick,  is cut out free hand very incrementally,  on a fresh new cutting board,  and sanded inside and out.

Pic #2     6775     Ready to stack the black tracing first then the colored engine on top.

Pic #3     6777     There is still a little flare of plastic sitting proud on the  vac-formed  Cowl,  yet to be sanded.

Pic #4     6781     Sitting on the plan front view.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #36

Gluing up the Rear Cowl Ring(s)

Pic #1     6781     Test fit of the nose block round  1/16" balsa plate,  to the back of the Rear Cowl Ring,  shows that I made the cowl ring large opening,   too small!  - cannot fit the balsa into it!

Pic #2     6783     Cutting a second Rear Cowl Ring out of a big  2 foot x 1 foot sheet of  0.020" white plastic.

Pic #1     6785     Progress.

Pic #2     6787     Finally on my third attempt.   Everything fits now !!   The second attempt also failed.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[Lastwoodsman]

BEAVER DH C2   30 INCH RUBBER POWERED  FREE FLIGHT PARK FLYER   DUMAS KIT 306   

Sat Jan 3 2026

Reply #37

Pic #1     6789     The tiny plastic burr at the rear of the vac formed Cowl,  has now been sanded away to a smooth transition.

Pic #2     6793     The rear Cowl Ring has to go in to the proper depth dotted line.    This tricky procedure will be done later with Medium CA gap filling 5 to 10 seconds to dry to allow for adjustment time before drying ...

Pic #3     6795     Vac-formed Cowl and Rear Cowl Ring final fit of front view of the plan.

     My third try of that Rear Cowl Ring, was just fine in order for it to slip into the front cowl,  but a smidgeon too small of the larger flared opening,   to accept the  1/16" balsa plate E1 assembly.   But it was so close it was OK.   I just sanded in the bevel edge angle ,  from the flare angle,  into the edge of the E1 assembly,  which brought it so very close.  Then,  I sanded incrementally all aound the edge keeping the same bevelled angle,  and I finally got a super tight fit !  It should be pretty close when I match it up with the front fuse former(s).

    I will edge glue this all up later,  too.   

And that's my story.

Lastwoodsman
Richard

[gravitywell]

I can't tell you how many hours I spent as a wee lad in Whiskey Flats (The poor side of Whitehorse) down on the Yukon River watching the Beavers come and go.  Man, that growling motor always brings me back.