Quote:
Originally Posted by murphyaa
The idea I had was to use toothpicks as the pivots, reinforce the wings with heavy cardboard (the back of a legal pad) including the gears, and then make the whole wing section as a standalone piece. I.e; build the wing center section, then attach the rest of the plane to it.
The hard part is figuring out how to do it. I may have to invest in some alternative research materials.
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That is a good idea! An inner structure is inevitable to secure the pivots of all moving parts.
As there are several Tomcat kits (and other swing-wing planes) available and most of them have connected swing-wings, you could use them for your inspiration.
Here are some Ideas an solutions:
first 3 ideas are from Hobby Model Tu-160 Blackjack (scratch build connection, not included in the kit)
2 gears + 2 push rods (bigger scales)
2 push rods + connecting level (bigger scales)
2 push rods + slider (I used this for tailerons)
2 gear sections integrated into wings (Halinksi Tomcat)
2 gears + 2 push rods (Maly Modelarz Tomcat)
sliding connection (Halinksi Tornado)
2 gear sections integrated into wings (Fly Model Aardvark)
2 gear sections integrated into wings (Fly Model Fencer)
And finally I had in mind an old plastic Tornado which used only 1 push rod connected on one wing in front of the pivot and on the other wing aft of it, idealized like a big Z.