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#54
02-09-2008, 04:47 PM
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Well, look at the bright side. At least whatever beer he has left is bound to be nice and cold. Hope it doesn't get lost in a drift.
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I don't make mistakes. I thought I made a mistake once, but I was in error. - Lee Currently working on: ISS 
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#55
02-12-2008, 11:38 PM
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Hey, guys, there's a plane build thread here!! (Pass the beer...)
Very good, Darwin. I used your tissue method on creating cone pieces. Thanks!
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#56
03-16-2008, 02:43 PM
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Recent reports of my build completion were a bit premature. Now it's done. The reason for the delay is a comination of builder's block and life ganging up on me. First, a series of snowstorms that kept me either on the business end of the snowblower or recovering from the beating received from trying to force it through snowdrifts that were a couple of feet higher than the auger opening. When the snow layer was at its deepest, one evening I flushed the john, there was a period of evil gurgles, followed by a rapid rise of water level, not only in the john but in the bathtub as well. Even worse, water first oozed, then flowed from the base of the john out into the carpeting that the idiot prior owner of the house thought would be nice in the bathroom. Yes, Virginia, s**t happens. This initiated a two week siege of tearing out the toilet, wrassling a new one into place, ripping out water soaked, stinking carpet and a couple of layers of underlying particle board and linoleum tiles (thank God, once I finally got down to the subfloor, it was still structurally sound), and chasing down the blockage in the sewer line. That was a trip all in itself....starting with the hire of a backhoe to locate the top of the septic tank under a couple feet of snow and unknown depth of frozen dirt. I'm not sure if the lilac hedge they had to come through will ever recover. The backhoe guy did locate a "cleanout"" port, called his job done, and left. The only problem was the port he uncovered was actually the 9-inch inspection port over the outlet to the drainfield piping, not the 18-inch cleanout port that needed to be located and opened to pump the septic tank and get access to the sewer pipe discharge. Out came the pick and shovel....you want something done right, you wind up having to do it yourself. Fortunately, there was a bit of a break in the weather while I was doing this piece of grunt work. After finally getting the access port open, revealed was a huge root ball right in front of the septing line connection. Five minutes of chopping with the shovel and all septic problems were resolved. When spring finally comes around, I will worry about recovering the top of the septic tank....this time, being smart and putting in sleeves over the access ports so future tank cleanings don't include the "call the backhoe guy" step.
As soon as my poor body was recovered from that siege, I discovered an inclined patch of wet ice in the driveway. My feet went one way, the mail I was carrying went another, and I remember thinking during the eternity I was suspended in mid-air "this is going to hurt." I was never more right in my life. I had the presence of mind to curl my hands into fists to protect fingers during the sudden deceleration at the end of the fall....however, wasn't so mindful of where the fists were positioned....one of which was precisely between the first point of bodily impact (about two inches to the left of the bottom of the sternum and directly over the floating rib) and the asphalt of the driveway. The next time I attempt open heart surgery, the opening will be done with a sharp implement, not with a club. Two weeks later, I swear it hurts even more than while I was writhing around on the end of the driveway. What is it about rib injuries that make them hurt more while healing than when first happening? It's like going though a bypass surgery without the benefits. Anyhow. that is excuse I use for putting off the dreaded tiddly bits part of this build, and not starting the second one. Inspired by the end agonies of the other bulds, I did return to it a few days before contest termination. Not only did the designer get way carried away with the exhaust stubs, he chose to use petal technigue rather than conic sections. It ain't purty, but I did get them done. I'll let you look at a few photos while I go get some cheese to go with the whine.   
__________________
It's not good to have too much order. Without some chaos, there is no room for new things to grow.
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#57
03-16-2008, 02:46 PM
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A few more details, and some overall shots of the completed model.
  
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It's not good to have too much order. Without some chaos, there is no room for new things to grow.
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#59
03-16-2008, 03:13 PM
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   I couldn't resist putting in the pic of the 1:1 scale WIP. When it grows up, this will be the location of the paper model building table. I'm hoping there is enough lighting to help improve the photo-taking aspect of the hobby. So, Old Troll, the Hein is now complete. I was going to hold off until tomorrow to try for the "squeaked in just under the wire" bonus, but as flaky as the weather is (which means as shaky as the satellite internet connection is), I'd better go ahead and finish the posting while there is a patch of blue outside. Regarding the "what I would have done differently" section of the build string....first, I wouldn't have tried switching to joining strip construction for the fuselage, unless I was intending redrawing the skins as the build progressed. Second, I would have used balsa instead of foam as the filler for supporting the landing gear legs. I also think I would have eliminated trying to "color the white edges" step....inability to exactly match the colors resulted in something I find even more distracting than raw paper edges. I also would have attached the radiator before putting on the wing fillets. I would have re-engineered the attachment of the propellor assembly to the fuselage....trying to follow the instructions resulted in a pretty sloppy fit, but at least it does qualify for the "propellor moves" bonus. (All wheels also freely move....and even stay attached to the LG legs). Finally, and maybe most significant....as designed, the horizontal stabilizers do not sit properly on the fuselage. As built, they are forward swept. The stab-elevator joins should form straight line, not a "V", when viewed from overhead. I believe this would be best corrected by inserting a spreader wedge frame piece into the back of the rear fuselage section to widen the fuselage at the stab leading edge and eliminate the forward sweep of the horizontal stab assy. All things considered, a reasonably pleasing final model. Not a contest piece (but what Maly kit is without major reworking), but presentable in polite society. Thanks for the contest, Ron....it has been fun. I'm afraid the Hood will remain a non-starter, but promise to do a build on it in the near future for the couple of you who follow my builds.
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It's not good to have too much order. Without some chaos, there is no room for new things to grow.
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