Winter work.

[KurtB]

I’m yet to get the trolley jack out, but the notebook and pencil are ready for the snagging list. 

So far, I’m doing engine mounts, speedo sensor, wheel arch liner (if I can find one that’s not extortionate), washer jets, alternator rectifier and anything else I spot while doing that little lot.

Like many folks I’ll have to fit it in around other jobs created by the long haired General... 😊

[Phil S1]

Since selling my Elise and entrusting the servicing of my Evora to PJS Sportscars there hasn’t been much in the way of ‘winter work’ for me to do so for me it will be little more than a detailing session this time around. I have however been spending a good deal of time of late on a different project.

When I first started work many years ago I spent all my spare time and money racing radio controlled 1/12 scale electric cars, with some success it must be said. Alongside that I also had a brief foray into radio controlled slope soaring, nothing fancy, just 2 channel rudder and elevator controls. Circumstances changed (married etc) and I moved onto other things, family, diy and real cars.

Late last year one of my old friends from the car racing days who has flown model aircraft ever since got in contact to say they would be flying indoors at our local leisure centre and why don’t I pop along. So I did and was amazed at how the technology has moved on over the last 30+ years. What really got my interest though were pictures of a slope soarer that another of my old friends had built. An old Mig aircraft, built from scratch out of plywood, Correx and finished with self-adhesive vinyl in the style of the American Reno Racers. I had never heard of Correx, for anyone else who hasn’t either it is a twin-walled fluted material commonly used for housing ‘For Sale’ boards. The more I looked into it the more I knew I needed to build a Mig of my own. My friend had recently upgraded his radio control transmitter so I bought his old one off him and started gathering all the materials I needed for the build, a large part of which happened over the Christmas holiday. The plans for the Mig and many other aircraft are freely available for download off the internet. Once printed off at full size build could commence. The fuselage is made from plywood formers and sheets of 2mm and 3mm thick Correx which is ‘de-fluted’ (cut) on one side to allow it to be shaped around the formers, the two being stuck together with hot glue.

The wings are folded from a single sheet of 2mm Correx using a plywood spar and 3mm Correx for the ailerons. These are partly bonded with impact adhesive and the rest with hot glue.

Gradually it started to take shape

Then, when it came to deciding on a colour scheme it just had to be a Lotus-inspired one and one immediately sprang to mind, not the Gold Leaf colours as you might have expected though. It had to be ‘Essex’

The canopy by the way is made from the bottle of a well know Cola brand.

As you can see the Mig has ailerons as well as rudder and elevator so I now need to spend some time using a flight simulator on my PC linked up to the transmitter to practice all my crashing before taking to the air for real when the better weather arrives. When it does I’ll be heading off into the Peak District to find a good hill to fly from, fingers crossed I may even be able to fit it all in the Lotus to do so!

Sorry for the slight thread hijack 

 

[Martin R]

Good work Phil, top thread drift