BIG F-14 Tomcat scratch build project

[invertmast]

2 more pictures... Does it look like an F-14 yet?

[Thrasymedes]

Beeeeeeeeaaaauuuuutiful......

Only one question.....will it fit through the doorway?!?

EDIT: Oh yeah, and it's time to empty the trash can....LOL

[invertmast]

Originally Posted by Thrasymedes

Beeeeeeeeaaaauuuuutiful......

Only one question.....will it fit through the doorway?!?

EDIT: Oh yeah, and it's time to empty the trash can....LOL

LOL.. yea trash day is wed... it'll either fit thru the door, or the windows! the tail sections are all removable, so the fuselage will only be about 36" wide x 14" tall and 102 1/2" long.

[cfmorrell]

He says "only" 36" wide and 102 1/2" long. That's all...

[Thrasymedes]

Originally Posted by invertmast

so the fuselage will only be about 36" wide x 14" tall and 102 1/2" long.

Ahhhhhh, sí, sí, sí, ......this will be mucho mejor. Way easier to navigate through a doorway....

Hmmmmmm, would this be capable of launching a capi?

[invertmast]

So here we go....

My balsa ordered arrived today, which was a surprise b/c i hadn't even received an email saying it had been shipped... If anyone has ever wondered what 22 lbs of balsa, consisting of 90 sheets ranging from 1/16" thick to over 2" thick has looked like, just look at the pictures at the end..

I got the vertical stabilizer leading edges installed, the tips cut, shaped and installed, and after spending about 4 hours drawing up the parts and figuring out how i wanted to do it, i got the rudders built as well. All that remains on the vertical stabs and rudders, is to shape and sand the leading edges and tips, hinge then, then install the hinge gap seals. And of course, all the glass work and surface detailing..

Their are fairings at the root of the stabs that also attach to the fuselage, I'll build these later, as i need the fuselage sheeted in this area to get the shape of their outlines correct.

I haven't decided if these fairings are going to be molded into the vertical tails or the fuselage yet on the final model, hence another reason i am waiting so long to do them.. Oh plus looking thru my documentation, I found out that Grumman changed the shape of these fairings towards the end of the production run of the F-14, so i need to decide which "version" fairings i'm going to use on my model..

[invertmast]

For those wondering what i'm talking about in regards to the vertical stab fairings, this should clarify it:

Original "humped" style:



"new?" non-humped style:




For Simplicity, i'll probly go with the newer style, as it will be easier to mold and carve.

[Thrasymedes]

[Tintin1977]

Hey Invertmast, nice build thread... What type of propulsion are you going to use?

Martin

[invertmast]

Originally Posted by Tintin1977

Hey Invertmast, nice build thread... What type of propulsion are you going to use?

Martin

Twin turbines... most likely Jet Central Rhino's.. or possibly Jet-Cat P-160's

[asdf1234]

throw in some electric ducted fans!!!

[Tintin1977]

Wow, that is going to be a sweet sound coming out of it!!! Can't wait to see your maiden!!!

Very awsome project!

Martin

[Tintin1977]

Holly crap... 3695$ for the turbine!!!! I hope you get a discount when you buy 2! LOL

Martin

[invertmast]

Originally Posted by Rbeal31

throw in some electric ducted fans!!!

show me an EDF system that produces 36lbs of thrust EACH and costs equal or less than $3600 each w/ batteries that gives a 8 minute flight time and we'll talk

[invertmast]

Originally Posted by Tintin1977

Holly crap... 3695$ for the turbine!!!! I hope you get a discount when you buy 2! LOL

Martin

I hope i get discounts on more than just the turbines. lol.. Dont hold your breath though, it'll be atleast a year or 2 before its ready.

[Tintin1977]

One word for a project like that.... PATIENCE!

Martin

[Tintin1977]

Did you design the plans for the tomcat? I would love to build a foamy like that...maybe 1/3 the size of that and pur some EDF! that woudl be sweet!

Martin

[invertmast]

Originally Posted by Tintin1977

Did you design the plans for the tomcat? I would love to build a foamy like that...maybe 1/3 the size of that and pur some EDF! that woudl be sweet!

Martin

No i cheated by taking a set of plans that were already drawn up and modifying them... here' ya go.. 1/3 the size and twin EDF.. just click "The Aircraft" and the "F-14 tomcat" in the top left corner.

http://jethangar.com/

$325 for the 57" twin mini-fan 480 version kit

[invertmast]

Update for today..

the autogyro i was building is done, so i can focus entirely on the F-14 now. I got the vertical stab leading edges and tips rough shaped, just waiting on a bit of wood filler to dry and the final shaping can begin. I haven't decided which fin/rudder is going to go on either side yet, so they will be made identical and i'll put the different style fin tip on when i decide which will be which. Didn't get a picture of the actual rough shaping, but i got a picture of the wood shavings that the razor plane took off...

Also started laying out the wing ribs and plans. The wing ribs parts templates i used from the plans i bought are pretty far off on a few ribs, so i'm going to have to spend a few hours figuring out how to fix those issues... But here's a picture of the wood shavings and the plans layed out on the building table. The wings are only spaced 4" apart in the center, and the one tip is at the edge of the table, and the other tip is about 10" from the other edge of the table.. Remember, this table is Eight feet long.




For those wondering about the autogyro i was building, here it is:

[Tintin1977]

Cool stuff.. got any video of it flying?

Martin