Getting started - a Fiddler's Green Spad XIII Build

[Retired_for_now]

We've had lots of new builders join (me being one), so I thought a simple build of a Fiddler's Green Spad might be useful. On reflection, a biplane is not the best way to get started (twice the wings - or three with a split lower wing - and all the *!## struts). But, here it comes with appropriate observations and errors.

I start by staring at the parts and figuring out what, where, and how they go together. Then, I score all folds making sure to score only folds! Do not score parts (or tabs) that will have a smooth bend (cylinders, cones, or for this model any of the tabs on fuselage parts). You can always score a line later if needed - you can't restore the stiffness if you score where you shouldn't. I then cut out all the parts - so long as there are relatively few of them. Mark everything with L/R, front/back, arrows, etc if there is any possibility of confusion.

parts-


Once cut, I preform (fold, bend, roll) everything that might need it. Fiddler's Green models are more like origami than engineering. Simple models that do not rely on formers take their shape from the tension and stiffness of the card. Before doing anything, take a close look at how things go together. What is the final shape for each part? What holds it in that shape? What holds it in place (and in alignment)?

FG wings seem to all have a nice airfoil shape (though usually a Clark-Y rather than, as should be in this case, a thin wing). To get that, the top surface has a wider chord than the bottom. To get a well shaped, straight, flat wing requires careful, straight folding (I use a scrap block) and pre-curving only the upper surface. A random selection of dowels from the garage gives me several to choose from. Since the shape will be held by the curve, you don't want to "over-roll" the parts by much. It should be close to final shape for dry fitting but still have enough tension to hold the shape when glued.

wing folding

wing curving


With the wing pre-formed, it's time to glue. To get a straight, flat wing I spread a little glue only on the trailing edge (leave the tips for later), put the wing on a flat surface, and carefully press the trailing edges together. I try for good - but not perfect - alignment along the edges of the top and bottom pieces. It's important the wing be flat and the surface curve pleasing to the eye. The trailing edges will seldom line up perfectly along their entire length - but that's OK if the wing ends up flat and even. It's paper, we'll trim for fit after the glue has dried.

X-acto Time!


Once the glue has dried, it's time to close the wingtips. I glue up the front edges first (most curve, most visible) with a little bit of glue and finger pressure. Use the ball of your finger tips to flex the paper so the edges line up and hold until the glue tacks enough to hold the bond in place. After it's set up, apply a little bit of glue to the remaining gap and gently squeeze closed - again using your (clean!) fingertips. It may look like it won't close, but the paper will flex and curve into place.

Wing tips

On the right, front edge only glued up (note the remaining gap). On the left, it has miraculously closed!

When you're done, you have a surprisingly strong, stiff hollow beam that holds it shape solely though the stiffness of the card (bloody amazing if you ask me).

[Bomarc]

Not only new modelers could learn from this. Great stuff, and I'm taking notes....

Mike

[Retired_for_now]

Thanks Mike.

We have wings, now for something to attach them to.

Without formers, the shape of the fuselage will be determined by how you bend it and whatever closes the ends. In this case, the tail is pinched together flat and the front eventually closed by the oval engine plate. In between, the directions show a rectangular cross-section with rounded corners. To shape the parts, contemplate how this cross-section will change along the airplane's length. There are also clues in the graphics, with the gray bottom providing some rough information on where the rounded corners will form.

So, to bending. I used a paintbrush handle as a mandrel (round thing) to gently curve where I thought the corners would be. To avoid creasing, I hold the part flat in the palm of my hand, lay the round thing along the entire length of the bend, and gently press down while rolling my hand slightly. Or, place the part over the mandrel and press down along the curve of the mandrel. The key to avoiding wrinkles is to make sure the part is completely supported - all the bending takes place between two surfaces.

The tail if formed with a rectangular cross-section and rounded corners. The forward section with slightly wider rounded corners, and the front edge gently curved all around. The rings for the motor/cowling are formed by laying them flat on the palm and rolling the dowel gently along their length - rotating is slightly to keep it pointed at the "apex" of the cone or alternately -perpendicular to the part's edge.

round thing and parts


I bend the parts so they are short of the final shape, leaving tension in the card to form a smooth final part. Apply a little glue to the entire surface of any joining tabs, carefully align, and squeeze/hold until the glue tacks up enough to hold.

A digression - I've seen varying opinions on where to cut (cut outside the lines, middle of lines, cut off the lines) and how to align parts for assembly. All should work, so long as you are consistent. I usually cut outside the lines (since there will be internal lines marking folds, etc.) for consistency. This leaves visible lines on the model - but I'm not building museum quality and there's an honesty in the model that says: hey! it's paper!

Anyway, fuselage parts glued to shape and dry fit together. Doing a dry fit is important - it shows you how the parts go together, it shows you where critical alignment areas are, and it actually helps form the shape as you bend the pieces into place. Once you have a dry fit that looks good - apply a little glue and make it permanent.

fuselage


Sometimes, it just ain't right. I assemble fuselage sections, cowlings, etc. in stages. I glue up a small area at a time - starting at the spot most visible and critical for alignment. This ensures I have that spot right - and the rest should follow as I glue up a bit at a time. However -

cowling


However, it's paper! And, it's on the bottom where it's less visible. A small snip, lay down and glue one side, then overlap and glue the other and it's like it never happened. Also, a little work on the edges with various colored markers, sharpies, or a pencil helps too.

done


Once the glue tacks but before it's dry, I go over any overlapped seams with a heavy tweezers (small, smooth, flat gripping face) and squeeze the edges together. This compresses the paper and "sinks" the seam, making it less of a visible distraction on the completed model.

[member_3]

Definitely NJFB (not just for beginners) - excellent basic modeling techniques here that all of us can benefit from!

[jagolden01]

Looks good, Retired. Any of the builds on-line offer something for everyone - wether it's a refresher or just that one new thing that helps in building.

[Padre]

I think that sometimes a simple build looks better than the more difficult ones, and you are demonstrating that with the Spad.

[bob martin]

Great stuff, Retired

I alway have trouble with the wings and getting the rear end of the fuselage to line up.:D

Bob

[Ron0909]

I love seeing blow by blow builds on any subject. It doesn't matter how experienced one is. We can always learn new ways to do things and some of the best way to see innovation is by the newbies! Anyways, awesome job and I can't wait to follow through the rest.
Ron

[rockpaperscissor]

This is a very well documented and informative thread, R-f-n. I've built a number of Fiddler's Green models, but have yet to take on one of their WWI birds. I'll be watching with interest.

[Retired_for_now]

Thanks all, for the encouragement. I do simple 'cause I just don't have the patience (or maybe skill yet) to do the detailing (parts, fit and paint) evident in y'all's builds.

Onward and downward (but not so small as Texman's work). Key to any build is detail, either in the graphics, fidelity of the detail, or just in building it clean. So, first up is the hard one - round things again.

FG supplies inner/outer wheel faces and recommends Cheerios or buttons to fill out the wheel. Other models include tabs (of varying size and number) around the outer edge of the wheel and a band for the tread or call for laminating several disks. I'm not going to eat or wear the Spad, I'm usually less than successful with getting round wheels from the tabbed variety, and keeping a stack aligned is tough. Out of desperation, this is what I do.

Cut a long strip of card/paper as wide as you want the wheel tread. Coil it tightly. Measure the diameter of the finished wheel and match it up with your handy circle drawing template. Place the coil in the right sized hole, let it spring out to fill the hole, then apply glue to the edge of the coil. When that sets, flip and do the other edge, then make sure the end is tightly wrapped and glued. Apply the wheel faces and sand/trim the whole thing. The finished coil is thick enough to give you a wide gluing surface and is forced to come out round by the template. Color as desired.

wheels




In this case, I sanded it even. This leaves a rough surface as you can see. This model will be a ceiling hanger, so it's not critical. If you need a smooth surface you can easily trim things up by paring with your knife.

Inter-plane and cabane struts are the defining part to a biplane. In this case, FG recommends using toothpicks to stiffen up the parts and gluing them to the surface of the wing. Instead, I laminated them for stiffness (total of 3-ply for struts; heavy card/cereal box for the landing gear) since that will work better for my planned method of attachment - remember the bit about pre-assembly thinking (more later). I used a thin layer of my usual Titebond II between layers, more reliable than the glue stick and a little bit stiffer when dry.

laminae


And some big bits - and notes on Bob's point, alignment is hard.

Building a straight fuselage requires careful assembly of individual parts. However, it is made straight by dry fitting. Keep fiddling until is looks straight to your eye, and with reference to the grid on the building mat we all seem to have. Then, the wings have to go on square. This bipe has a split lower wing, meaning it needs to be both straight (both pieces) and square (don't 'cha just love it?).

So, I cheated. Forgot to take a photo, but I cut a 3" long piece of card three times the width of the lower wing root. I folded it in thirds to make a long, wide beam and slipped it into one wing (no glue), slipped the wing into the slot in the fuselage, then slipped the other wing over the insert and into its fuselage slot. The folded piece of card tried to spring flat, providing tension to tighten the fit enough to hold the leading edges of the wings in alignment.

Note, I didn't cut the slots for the wings until just before I inserted the them. I also cut them to the line, tested the fit, and slowly enlarged them until I had a snug, but not tight fit to the wings' shape. Too tight a fit and the fuselage distorts and pops into shapes you don't want to see. A slightly loose fit you can live with.

Once the lower wings are dry fit, I use the cutting mat grid to line things up - several times. Line up the fuselage along a grid line (prop spinner to tail) then tweak the wings square using the perpendicular lines. Eyeball, shift and repeat. Remember, you're looking for leading edges square to the fuselage lengthwise, and square to the tail (coming later) when viewed from the front. For this model, I then flipped it over, applied glue only to the lower seam where the wing enters the fuselage, then flipped it back over to recheck alignment (see above, repeat).

wings ...


The upper seam is not glued, allowing me to re-tweak the alignment as further pieces are added.