Sm Tall alk W
ell, at least out here in the Wild West, the sun is shining, temps are on the rise, and flying sea- son is in full bloom. The windy season is next, so we’re not quite coming out of the building season just yet. That being the case, when we talk about building, there are really just two alternatives, kit-building, or scratch-building—or three, if you count designing and building your own model. I’ve often heard that “true scratch-build- ing” starts with drawing your own plans, but we’re not here to split hairs. Rather to expand upon the idea of building from plans.
Resizing an existing design After doing a bit of model airplane and boat design over the years, one thing I know for sure is that getting a new design done in just the right size is not always easy, or even pos- sible. In today’s world though, resizing a plan is easy. It is also a terrific way to build the model you want in a size that fits your partic- ular flying style, available hangar space, or transport requirements. From there, it’s a simple matter of heading off to the copy shop to have the plans enlarged, or reduced. Once you’ve decided on the optimal size for your model, you’ll need to come up with a copy ratio. To do that, simply divide the de- sired wingspan by the span of the model plan that you want to enlarge or reduce. In other words, if you start with a 48-inch span plan and want to build a 60-inch model; 60 divided by 48 = 125 percent. It works going the other way too; if you desire say a 40-inch span model, and your plan is drawn at 75 inches, 40 divided by 75 = 53.333 percent. Once you have your multiplier figured out, head for the copy shop and have your plans reduced or enlarged as required. One thing though, most copiers can only handle paper up to 36 inches wide, so with an en- largement you might need to copy in two passes, or cut the plans into sections and copy each one individually.
With the resized plans in hand, building can begin. However, you will find that with the model size changed, the wood sizes will
by pat tritle You can reach Pat Tritle at 10313 Snowheights NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 or via e-mail at
patscustommodels@aol.com
PHOTO: BOB SELMAN
Bob Selman’s name is synonymous with small RC models, and the Peanut Class Peanut Miteand Peanut Mambofit right into Bob’s standard MO. Both are set up with 3-channel RC and make for some terrific indoor flying.
be all out of whack. (I would have said “catty wampus,” but that’s not really a word, is it?) For instance, it will be unlikely that the enlarged or reduced stringer notches will accommodate standard wood sizes. You will need to decide on the appropriate new wood sizes first and then resize the notches as needed when cutting out the parts so that the stringers fit properly.
Now here’s a little trick I’ve learned over the years; if you can, reduce or enlarge a plan by 50 percent, stock wood sizes will re- main consistent throughout. However, 50 percent is a pretty big jump, so if possible, plan ahead and maybe look for a slightly larger or smaller design and be a bit flexible on the finished size so that you can work with the 50-percent multiplier.
PHOTOS: BOB SELMAN
The 13-inch span Peanut Mambo(above left) uses a 2.65:1 gear motor on a single-cell Li-Po battery to power the 20-gram model. The Peanut Mite(above
24
right) also incorporates the same 6mm motor, 2.65:1 gearbox and Mini Vapor brick for power and control.
APRIL 2014
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