Peanut Build Aborted
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:35 am
The O.F.F.C. contest for August is Peanut Scale. I knew that there were some peanuts in the stack of kits in my closet (or under the workbench, or in storage containers) so, not having the time to design my own with what else I have going on, I decided to built the first one I came across. That turned out to be a Peck Miles M.18. I looked at it and decided that while it was not ideal for competition I would build it anyway.
This was one of those evening builds while watching television with my wife. It went together quite simply and was nearly complete. Tuesday, I moved the building board to my garage workshop because the house cleaner was coming. Later that evening, while moving some things around the shop to do some production cutting I dropped something on the building board...something heavy. The fuselage of this thing is, or was, slab sided sheet balsa and all made of 1/32" sheet.
Oh,well. The contest is still two weeks away and I'll just have to see what is the next peanut kit in the pile.
A day later I remembered that I had given all my other peanut kits away!
Peanuts are not really my thing for competition. When I build one it's just for fun. Well, my warped idea of fun. (I'm the guy that built the Stuka tested by the Japanese and the Spitfire captured by the Germans.) When you build to a small size I think it's best to build a model of an airplane that was small to begin with. Looking over the possibilities I narrowed my twisted selection to Steve Wittman's D12 Bonzo and the Mignet HM.280. The Bonzo might be difficult to get to turn in the Stonehurst gym and I would have had to draw the plans in detail myself. With a little research on the web (while watching television mysteries with my wife) I found a French plan for a peanut HM.293 so I decided to go for the "flea". I've had previous experience with the Pou du Ciel configuration and once I get it trimmed in pitch getting a tight turn will be no problem. It's a bit draggy to be competitive but it should raise some eyebrows.
To be continued...
This was one of those evening builds while watching television with my wife. It went together quite simply and was nearly complete. Tuesday, I moved the building board to my garage workshop because the house cleaner was coming. Later that evening, while moving some things around the shop to do some production cutting I dropped something on the building board...something heavy. The fuselage of this thing is, or was, slab sided sheet balsa and all made of 1/32" sheet.
Oh,well. The contest is still two weeks away and I'll just have to see what is the next peanut kit in the pile.
A day later I remembered that I had given all my other peanut kits away!
Peanuts are not really my thing for competition. When I build one it's just for fun. Well, my warped idea of fun. (I'm the guy that built the Stuka tested by the Japanese and the Spitfire captured by the Germans.) When you build to a small size I think it's best to build a model of an airplane that was small to begin with. Looking over the possibilities I narrowed my twisted selection to Steve Wittman's D12 Bonzo and the Mignet HM.280. The Bonzo might be difficult to get to turn in the Stonehurst gym and I would have had to draw the plans in detail myself. With a little research on the web (while watching television mysteries with my wife) I found a French plan for a peanut HM.293 so I decided to go for the "flea". I've had previous experience with the Pou du Ciel configuration and once I get it trimmed in pitch getting a tight turn will be no problem. It's a bit draggy to be competitive but it should raise some eyebrows.
To be continued...