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|  Hangar 2010
This is the first of our KLAMC members build projects for you to follow as they progress from that seed of an idea through to the first flight at field. Remember to check this page regularly to follow the build! Allan has taken up the challenge in order to confront his fears and possibly yours' of making that transition from nitro to electric power in a reasonable sized airframe. Big Al will be keeping you up-to-date with the construction of his ARTF YT 1/5th scale Hawker Hurricane (span 82ins for a 180 upwards) as he goes though the process of building and converting the kit to electric power and installing a realistic Merlin sound system. So, with the aid of some photos and a running dialogue of the build, finish and that rewarding maiden flight. Quite an undertaking, however, read on ... Big Al turns to the dark side with his latest build! Introduction. Hi Chaps....well....like the title says, I'm embracing my inner dark side and going fully electric on my next build. Now while the die-hard glow and petrol heads are spitting Anglo Saxon four lettered words at me, just for mentioning the "E" word, let me just say, hold-on chaps and stick around. I know next to nothing about electric flight and being part colour blind should make wiring it up very interesting. Last but not least, will it fly well! That remains to be seen.
So at the least it will give some of you a good laugh! Maybe I should rename it to something like ‘The Numpy's guide to sort-of having a go at electric flight’.. on second thoughts .. Narr! ... It’s too long.  First off the project.
OK. Here we go. The idea here is to take a stock YT ARTF Hurricane and modify it to electric flight with a Merlin sound system. Then give it a new paint job.....like that little Rat thing in the adverts on tele says at the end. "Simples!"
Why would I want to do this? Well, because I have been really impressed with our friend John Ransons models when he has attended our Fly-in’s over the last couple of years. The awesome Spitfire, the menacing Me109, the twin engined DH Hornet and soon to be seen a Vought F4U Corsair - It’s his entire fault Mr! Although I will be the first to admit that the sound is not yet perfect as you can still hear the wine of the electric motor. But it just adds a new dimension to scale modelling for me and I need to explore it for myself and to expand on my knowledge.
This shows my YT Hurricane fus on the bench at work. Lovely bit of kit this (but then I would say that because those that know me well, know of my liking of YT models.) Glass fibre fuselage and cowl with build up wings...spans 82ins, of a 180 upwards motor. Detailed panel lines and fus stringers well modelled This is what I am starting with...its my blank canvass as so to speak.  Before I make a start on my build, I turn to Airfix. This allows me to mock up a version of what I want to end up with. Apart from the colours (and I'm part colour blind don't forget) I will have to make a Volkes filter to fit under the cowl. So nothing radical but still a challenge, and something to take me out of my comfort zone and stretch my limited modelling skills.  This is my chosen power train, which I hope will be enough to get the model flying. (he says crossing his fingers) The motor is a Turnigy 63-74-170 Kv170....which in petrol head terms.... its about as gutsy as a 45cc motor, and the Kv170 means its capable of swinging a large prop comfortably. The speed controller is a Turnigy Stilton controller rated at 100Amps and the batteries are 2 5 cell 5000 lipo packs, rated at 30c. As I don't know what this model will weigh in the end I have chosen a system that should give me a decent flight time and capable of flying a 20/24lbs model. I am secretly praying this will turn out at 16/18lbs, which would give me even more of an extended flight time.....But we shall see at the end of the day. So that's the Whizzy bit.....this next shot is the noisy part.  This is the sound system.....not much to show for a couple of hundred quid is it. The two speakers are 2ins across and weigh 1 lb each....these I hope to place in the wings but I need to build the model first and then by moving the speakers about, in order to find the correct CoG, as I don't want any additional weight if I can avoid it. The circuit board is the magic part and the mini disc is to program the sounds of the Merlin into it. It come with a print diagram of the wiring....which nothing to me....I just don't understand it at all...lol and if I am honest its the one part of the project that scares me.....but, one must face ones fears.....or in my case....get someone else to do it!.....sorted!...lol My first job is to install the motor, speed controller and batteries. The motor is mounted via four lengths of thread rob from B&Q a few bolts and washers. I had to build a simple jig to enable me the correct alignment, but its a fairly simple affair. This system allows the motor to be moved up and down the rods, enabling a perfect spinner gap fit. The space between the motor and firewall has been utilised in order to fit the speed controller by attaching it to a ply plate and sandwiching it to another inorder to clap it to the rods. Here is my battery box, holding both my flight batteries and those needed to power the sound system. The holes are there to both add a little lightness and allow some cooling air to pass though.  I spent a great deal of time considering the placement of the batteries, as its the heaviest element of the build, however easy access was also a major part of the equation too. After weeks of thinking though different ideas I ended up with a plan for a removable fuzz hatch from the rear of the cowl to the front of the wind screen following the panel lines. After much humming and harring, I dropped that idea and went for what I considered the most easiest....which is to remove the wings each flight. Now this is not the most practical, but the simplest to achieve. I will add an arming switch to the model later, which means I can have the model ready to fly once the switch is removed (safety first) as an armed 2.5kw prop is a hell of a mincemeat machine were flesh (ie mine!) is concerned. With the power train sorted (to a point) its time to move on to the cockpit as I work my way down the fuselage. First job is to remove the moulded cockpit floor. This models cockpit is designed for just a head and shoulders pilot. I want a full depth one for two reasons. One is naturally to "push" myself with building one and second, I plan on flying the model with the canopy fixed open....to aide cooling air flow.  With some decent reference drawings/book I set about building the cockpit frame work, foot pedals and control stick. For those of you that know about hurricanes, part of the aircraft's "fame" was that, for the most, it was a tubular construction design covered in canvas which allowed it to suffer great combat damage and carry-on flying.  The cockpit is no different, hence all the tubes! The whole thing is made from Ali tubing, plastic tubing. wood, copper wire and anything else that looked like it would work, and its all epoxied together. The frame work assembled.....this simple construction may not look much but there is quite a large chuck of time spent cutting, fitting and measuring, then cutting and fitting again....gluing it all together required all sorts of clamps, tape and other things to hold it in place. A number of swear words accompanied the construction...I can tell you, but after a number of hours, it does look a little like it should, so worth the pain (sic) My pilot, Flt Lt Donald Moore, one of the Elite Forces figures. The Flt Lt is no longer made, and thanks to a tip off from a chap on RCMF, he was purchased from eBay for a fair price. With building the frame work a number of compromises had to be made in order to get the frame to fit the model and the pilot.....however, he, and it looks the part...well I think so...lol. I spent a weeks worth of evenings building this, cut my fingers twice, and swore a lot.....but I did push myself and despite the pain, its worked out good. The next bit is to build the detailed instrument panel and some of the other controls. (More fiddly bits....and swearing to follow no doubt.)
Looking good so far! More from Big Al to follow soon! | |
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