Piper PA-18 Super Cub by Guillows

[ZIP.58]

The main reason for building this model is the "100 Years of Guillows" anniversary and the associated FAC contest. The existing Nieuport model cannot be used because it has been modified too extensively (from version 11 to version 23). I also found a photo in a family album from my active flying days. It shows the Piper Pa-18 Super Cub HB-OVZ, in which I had my first flight as a teenager and was later towed up in a glider. On the internet, I found additional photos of the OVZ and one of its sister aircraft (3 aircraft). One of these shows the paint scheme from toward the end of its service life, before it was replaced by the Robins. The model will also feature this paint scheme.

Peter

[ZIP.58]

Preliminary Work:
The kit has been purchased and is being inspected. Everything is included, and the parts are cleanly laser-cut. The blueprint and assembly instructions include perspective drawings. This is a world of difference from the Nieuport kit, where all the parts had to be cut out of the printed sheets. The wood quality is significantly better, and the pieces vary in weight depending on their intended use. It's not just quarter-sawn wood.
As usual, I made a copy of the blueprint and used it to mark the color scheme, creating the decals at the same time. Since the photos showed side views, they could be zoomed on the screen to match the model's scale. Copies of parts of the plan on tracing paper allowed me to determine the exact size of the decals and work them out. These are produced from thin white covering paper or decal paper using an inkjet printer.

[ZIP.58]

Tail Section:
Stretch the construction plan over the workboard and protect it with clear plastic film. Then begin construction with the tail section. The necessary parts can be carefully cut out of the balsa strips using the tip of a scalpel. The brown burn marks were removed with fine sandpaper, and the parts were glued onto the plan. Reinforcements were added for later tensioning and provided with a hole for threading them through. Everything was sanded clean and smooth, then placed on the scale for weight checking: 2.35 grams.

To be continued
Peter

[Crabby]

Nice work Zip. And nice cut of facial hair I might add.

You remind me of a loveable nutty professor I had back in the day. He WAS nutty not you.

He would accidentally step off the stage during his rambling dissertations on bacteria in the intestinal tract of the paramecium. He was always in a state of some sort. He used a cane or crutch a lot.

Keep truckin on that Piper. I built one whilst caring for my son's broken femur. It kept me dialed in and focused... another good reason to have a model airplane going all the time. As well as a fat novel like Moby Dick.

[Marc Guerriero]

Nice work! And might I say, Ahhhh Switzerland, home of the Bolex movie camera! Several of which I have owned in the past.

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... continuing

Wings:
Copies of the plan created earlier were used to mark the drill holes for attaching the wings to the first two ribs of the wings and the fuselage sides.
This will be done using 3mm-diameter round rods. A recommendation for this can be found in the assembly instructions or the plan.
Next, the two wings were assembled on the plan. Since there were no specifications regarding the V-shape, I used an existing J3 model as a guide and glued the first rib in place so that the wing section has a 5-degree V-shape per side. After sanding and finishing, these two weighed 11.55 grams. To complete the wings, I also constructed the two struts as far as possible.

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Fuselage:
Some preliminary work is required here as well. Since the powertrain is assembled outside the model and fed through via an aluminum rail, the frames must be cut out accordingly. This was determined using copies of the construction plan and transferred to the frames.
After that, construction of the hull began. Initially following the plan until the first half was securely built, then working freely. When attaching the stringers, I deviated from the assembly instructions and the plan, as access to the rear anchor point of the rubber must be maintained.
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Next, the rear anchor point for the rubber band is attached. The two bearing pieces with the holes were glued in place so that they fit perfectly and were aligned. The aluminum U-channel, which was intended to serve as a rail, was cut to size at one end and machined so that the drive train's bobbin would fit into the recess. Small brass tube pieces with the same diameter as the spool were inserted into the holes in the bearings. A matchstick, sanded to size, serves as a lock. Once everything fit, reinforcements made of 0.4 mm plywood—which were tapered and sanded down—were glued to the bearings, and the tube pieces were sanded flush.
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Next, attach the upper fuselage half and cover the cowling with 0.5 mm balsa wood. Then fit and glue the landing gear assembly in place.
One thing must be said: The laser-cut parts fit cleanly and perfectly, including the stringers, which come pre-cut in the kit.
Apart from removing the laser burn marks, no further finishing is required.
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Now the lower half of the fuselage is finished, the planking is completed, and the whole thing is neatly sanded and finished. To check, I put the fuselage on the scale: 9 grams—
I'm satisfied. With the fuselage, the woodwork is now complete, although some wooden parts are still needed. So I placed all the assemblies on the scale, which now reads 24.8 grams.

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Engine cowling:
This is a thermoformed plastic part with molded-in features and recesses. Due to the way I route the powertrain and integrate it into the model, this part must be modified accordingly. Three auxiliary frames are installed, and the kit's propeller mount is replaced with an adjustable mount. Here's how: The front section of the engine cowling is cut away along a recess. On 2.5 mm medium-hard balsa, the three auxiliary frames are marked on the plan according to the contours of the cut line and the bulkhead, cut out, and sanded to fit. The same applies to the necessary recesses for the propeller bearing and the guide rail.
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One thing is already clear: these changes mean the model no longer complies with FAC contest rules, but that doesn't bother me anymore. I have a special connection to the original, and that's what matters to me.
So I continue building, gluing the first two auxiliary frames into the cut-off fuselage nose and the cowl, and sanding the parts flat. The three pieces needed to ensure the fuselage nose fits properly are made from leftover spars. Once glued and sanded, the fuselage nose sits cleanly and with precise contours. The adjustable propeller mount also fits perfectly.
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