FGMM Sikorsky S-39

[Swampfox]

Originally Posted by bagpiper

If the wife can order bucket loads of scrap booking "stuff" I deserve 2 sets of these.
Jim

Modeling tools in trade for scrap-booking stuff? Sounds like a fair trade to me;-)

SFX

[Swampfox]

Originally Posted by ghshinn

When I saw what you did with the balsa, I checked out the actual drawing. It almost seems as though the tail booms are designed to place reinforcement of some kind inside them.

Garland

It just begs to have something in there for a spacer. Glad you agree.

SFX

[papermodelfan]

I have tried Future Waxing several of my planes to give them a less "papery" finish, more satin shine, and to make them easier to dust off. Most of them tolerate it well, and look better for it. It really illustrated the internal stresses on the design for the S-39.

[Swampfox]

Originally Posted by papermodelfan

I have tried Future Waxing several of my planes to give them a less "papery" finish, more satin shine, and to make them easier to dust off. Most of them tolerate it well, and look better for it. It really illustrated the internal stresses on the design for the S-39.

I'm assuming you apply it with an airbrush? I'm thinking a traditional bristle brush would saturate the paper..... I'll have to keep this in mind when considering other finishes.

I'm now considering building a couple of paper bulkheads to install inside the fuselage.

SFX

[Swampfox]

About the only thing I had time to do today was

Glue the engine and mount to the wing. Hope I got that thrust angle correct.




And attaching one of the pontoons to its strut. I used magnets, slug weights, and a deck of cards to get everything level and immovable.

Hopefully more time to work on this tomorrow.

SFX

[Swampfox]

In the last 3 days I've been busier that a "Fox" in a hen house. Between building this model and the Color mixing tutorial I've done nothing but card modeling and that 's it.

I finished the fuselage of the S-39 but did not stop to take build pictures. I'm bummed that I just got so intent on building that I just spaced it out.

I did add bulkheads to the interior and then filled it with cotton balls to make it ridged. I know you can't see that, but it did help to make it stiffer.


Here is the completed fuselage.


and the bottom.


Fuselage with pontoons


With tail wheel added.

[ultra]

so good so far man

but what scale is it

[Swampfox]

Originally Posted by ultra

so good so far man

but what scale is it

Everything I build is 1:48. This was reduced from the original by 96% and printed at 48th.

[ghshinn]

So, you added bulkheads. I've filled interiors with cotton, tissue paper, etc., but I've never made any interior bulkheads. Was it difficult? I'd like to know how you did it, if it's not too much trouble.

Garland

[Swampfox]

Originally Posted by ghshinn

So, you added bulkheads. I've filled interiors with cotton, tissue paper, etc., but I've never made any interior bulkheads. Was it difficult? I'd like to know how you did it, if it's not too much trouble.

Garland

Sure, it was really pretty basic.

I just cut out rectangular pieces of the scrap card-stock that the model was taken from. I used the rough dimensions of the inside of the fuselage section that I intended to place them in and added about 1/4" for little tabs on each end, just something to hold in place with white glue.

I bent the 'tabs' into existence, added a dab of glue and placed them into position. I sometimes cut them short so I just slid them into a position that they 'fit' the width of the fuselage a little better and let them dry.

That was about the size of it, nothing 'scale' about them at all, purely a structural aide. They created little boxes of space inside the fuselage.

After they were dry I carefully stuffed cotton balls to the point where they reasonably well filled the little box space's I'd created with the 'bulkheads'.

Again, sorry I didn't think to take pictures of the process, hope this explanation helps.