Fokker F36 scratch build 1/100 scale

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by chris190

Hi Isaac, there’s a detail on one of the drawings showing how this is formed; the front edge of the nacelle is thickened using as many layers of card strips as necessary inside the cowling to represent the width of its radiussed profile. The edge is rounded off with fine sandpaper back to the line on the drawn part - need to get a definite junction between the sanded and the printed surfaces. Smooth off sanded area with pva and water colour paint to match.

All the best

Chris

OK, that makes sense now.


Thank you


Isaac

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Good to know all this; I too am working on the model as we speak. I love how well the fuselage fits together. (that's where I am now).

[papermodelfan]

Thanks Chris. What a curious system for determining one's altitude! I have completed the fuselage and wings and am now starting on the wheels and the motors. Not sure what sort of stuff you mean by "pva", to fill in the cracks and imperfections, on the wheels and the cowlings. The pva that I know is a sort of thick white glue for wood. Is that what you are using? Hope to have time to post some pictures this weekend.



What a curious and ambitious craft this is. One comment: I notice that forward cockpit windows have the same odd quirk as the F-32. The front panels extend out to either side forming a sort of extra screen, pershaps so the pilot could open the side window and stay dry. Sort of think one might do on landing on a rainy day? Again suggesting that pilot visibility was an issue.

[Don Boose]

Chris -

Was the landing altitude lead lowered on a wire like a sailor determining depth with a lead?

I wonder how widespread that practice was. In some 70 years of reading about aviation, I think this is the first time I ever heard of that methodology.

Don

[chris190]

Hi Don, my information comes from "The Fokker Fours" by Rob Mulder; initially, the landing lead was dropped through a tube on the wing - when the lead touched the ground an alarm sounded in the cockpit.

Then this was replaced by a tubular sight projecting out from the front of the cockpit over the nose; the end of the sight had to be aligned with the horizon during landing.

The next and final stage was the tube below the fuselage which stayed for the remainder of the aircraft's life and at some point the cockpit sight disappeared.

It does seem to be an unusual solution but it obviously worked as the aircraft had a reasonable service life.

Best wishes

Chris

[chris190]

Hi Rob, pva is indeed white glue and I'm finding it difficult to get one that I like; Speedbond is my present UK product but I'm not completely happy with it and am now trying Elmer's School Glue. I use pva to harden off the card surface before and after sanding. Very glad you and Paper Kosmonaut are finding the drawings to your liking, by the way.

It is an odd cockpit design; for the F36, alternatives were tried - the original looked a lot sleeker but pilots were very unhappy with it - and the final version was simply built over the existing framing to provide the outwardly canted side glazing. Very puzzling the front panes projecting as they did; as you say, Rob, possibly to give a bit of draught deflection when the sliding side windows were open.

Best wishes

Chris

[Don Boose]

Thanks for the additional info, Chris.

Don

[Butelczynski]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

Chris -

Was the landing altitude lead lowered on a wire like a sailor determining depth with a lead?

I wonder how widespread that practice was. In some 70 years of reading about aviation, I think this is the first time I ever heard of that methodology.

Don

One of types of radio antennas used on old aircraft were reel antennas.One of the procedures of landing at night and in low visibility was lowering reel antenna to predetermined length.Ground contact was a signal to cut engines.

That procedure was also used in Lunar Lander if I'm not mistaken.

[Don Boose]

Thanks, Karol. Always something new to learn. I knew about the reel antennas, but didn't know about their use as aerial lead lines.

Don

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Chris, another compliment for your design here: I just did the cockpit (my build goes slow, unfortunately I have lots of other stuff to do) and I am amazed by the fit and the way you created it. The shape is very true to the real thing.
I started glueing the cockpit part at the back and I saw it didn't touch the fuselage up front. Well, how's that then? When the glue was set, I puhed the part down and the side windows a little inward. And ta-dah, there it was. The inward sloping side windows provided a better downward vision, the windows at the back might even have given some view backward I think, and the front just fell into place. With some edge glueing I attached it all and it looks wonderful.
Thanks for this enjoyable - and continuing build.