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X-Dream build by James Humphreys
So I'd thought I'd try and document the build for this model. Please be aware this is only the third model I've built so please bear with me. So I thought I'd start easily, with the rudder & elevator these are all on one laser cut sheet for ease.
Next up is the elevator parts laid out and pinned down, all parts are numbered and shown on the plan.
Elevator all glued and pinned
Next up is the rudder which is done in the same manner
The start of the central wing which consists of 2 balsa ribs encased in 2 pine? Outer ribs glued together with aliphatic glue for ease of alignment, note the cross. shaped piece with hole for the wing fuze mounting screw.
The end rib angle gauges cut out and glued together ready for the wing build
6x3mm pine strip glued to the flat edge of the lower leading edge sheet with the help of some tape to keep it flush on the underside( so the small lip is on the inside).
Next I sanded the trailing edge taping 12mm in from the trailing edge & sanding and tapering it down to about 1-1.2mm, black Mark's to show the masked off area.
So all the ribs are dry fitted to the spar web along with the trailing edge, the spar web sits ontop of the 6x3 pine strip and glued with cyano note the angled profile.
Gauges on the end rib @ 5°
next the top 6x3 pine strip cap is fitted
Next up are the leading edges and heres where I made a mistake, there should be a 2mm false leading edge attached to the end of the ribs which is made out of the edges of a laser sheet see pic
The slats on the left & right are the false leading edges for wings A & B.
I mis-took the 2 x 4mm leading edge's (pic below) as being the only one's so these were glued in and shaped per the instructions
So I'm not sure on what to do, or even if it matters ?. do I try and fit the false edge on to the outside ?
So after my mistake yesterday I decided to try and remove the reading edge and it properly, so with the help of some acetone and a Blade Success.
The picture below shows the correct 2mm false leading edge glued in
So a little bit more, the aluminium tube/wing joiner roughed up and put into place with abit of left over pine stripping to cap off the end of the tube
Note the tubing protruding out the end of the rib this will slot into the middle wing rib later, these are know glued with epoxy (not shown).
The next step is optional in the instructions but I've decided to do it, which is creating D-boxes on the 3 central rib sections (both sides) these were made with leftover 2mm balsa and glued & trimmed to shape.
So some more progress on the inner wing. Note the slight recess on the top of ribs A4 this is to help locate the back edge of the top sheet
Top sheet pinned & located in the recess on ribs A4
Top sheet pinned down
Top sheet being glued to the ribs from the underside.
Top sheet glued from inside using super glue and long canulas. I'm sure there's a better way but this is how the instructions recommend.
Top sheet all glued down any excess gets cut/sanded away flush to the false leading edge.
Next the bottom flap stop gets fitted and glued, note the two lengths of 3x3 square balsathe plan and instructions show you need 4 but there's only 2 in the loose materials so 2 had to be fabricated.
The flaps are on one sheet with the end stops attached to the flaps which need cutting off & glueing to the ribs ensuring there's 0.5mm clearance all around the flaps
Lastly the centre top sheet is pinned down & glued.
Pic shows the flaps/spoiler fitted with the magnets and washers recessed not sure as yet how to hinge them fibre hinges or tape.
Next I tidied the outer ribs and fitted the leading edge
For reference the Pic below shows leading edge, false leading edge glued against the ribs
some shaping which will be done later when the other wing sections are finished the central wing is done. ( phew that was challenging).
So the start of the next section of wings which is 2 middle sections marked B. Both will be done at the same time on the plan. The building sanding sequence/order is the same as for the main section. All the parts for layed out for the left side wing.
First glue the lower spar to the trailing edge of the bottom sheet
Then put the rib spar down and place the ribs. Noting the angle of the inner rib @ 5° and the outer @ 6°
Note the rib spar does not go all the way to the last rib
Use the template marked B7 B8
Also the trailing edge is offered up to the plan making sure it all aligns before glueing.
So these wing sections went together really quickly this pic shows the false leading edge with the aluminium wing joiner tubes glued in place, the protruding metal will be cut/ground flat.
Next I offered up the centre and middle sections with the carbon rod joiner in place, in my case each one needs shortening by 2-3mm to fit properly
Now it looks like I've been too heavy handed with the sandpaper ☹ on the balsa sheeting, although it is a good close fit against the ribs
Pic of wing sections before top sheet went on
Pic of the 3 wing sections together just the leading edge to go on then onto the wing tips.
So today I started the wing end sections and oh boy did I wish I hadn't the balsa parts are small and extremely fragile, especially when you've got a head cold and the concentration of a goldfish.
So next I had to fabricate a new central rib spar as I glued the ribs into the wrong slots.
This wing is basically the same as the others apart from some small differences.
Note the gap between the two ribs along the spar, this is to accommodate a wing joiner later on. If I've got the patience I'll try and finish the wings tomorrow.
In the picture you can see the knubs/feet on the underside of the ribs these need to be sanded off with care to follow the curve of the rib, note the tiny slot/mark this is the amount that needs to come off (not all ribs have this mark). Before:
After:
The wife's flexible nail file came in handy. The outer tip was next to be rounded off according to the plan.
Apart from glueing the intermediate and outer wings together (which I'll cover again) that's the wings done.
Onwards with the Fuze Not much done today with other jobs taking up my day. First job cut & sand the parts, the sides consist of 3 parts per side. 2mm balsa, 0.8mm ply doubler, and 2mm ply edge reinforcements.
Making sure to make a left & right handed pannel, here they are glued & pinned
Next the bottom pannel is made the same way
& pinned
Next comes the cutting of the carbon fuselage tube to 660mm heritage is marked up.
And cut.
So this morning I've done some more. First I glued up the nose which is 5 sections glued together with the large hole being the uppermost part.
Next was the fuze to boom balsa tapering which is 7 pieces I used the boom as a centralized guide.
And glued
Next I did the 3x3mm spruce bottom reinforcements NOTE these are glued to the ply DOUBLER not the balsa, as the bottom of the fuze gets glued to the balsa.
So next was to dry fit the fuze bearers these are numbered ,5,4,3,&2.with 5&4 holding the boom and being the rear most.
All the bearers have a notch on the top these are fitted upwards and on the right, also note bearer no.2 the piece that's glued on needs to face towards the nose otherwise the central wing wont fit correctly.
This pic shows the rear wing mounting with screw attached the ply mount has already been threaded leave this loose in its slot (this will be glued later).
The next pic shows left/right & bottom pannels fitted the tail boom has to be placed through the bearers 4&5 before the bearers are glued to the pannels. DO NOT GLUE THE TAIL BOOM TO THE BEARERS this needs to be left loose for the tail alignment later.
View of the bottom pannel with hole for the release hook.
Pic of the bungee release
And the wooden part fitted into the bottom pannel.
A hole needs drilling for the wing screw, mount the central wing and match the screw to its mounting plate, once the mounting plate is in position it can be glued in place.
Next the central wing needs to be centralized so the distance from the trailing edge wing tip is equal on both sides.
Once done the hole for the locating peg on the front can be done.
Pic shows wing in its locating hole.
Next I did the top balsa capping on the front, forward & aft of the access pannel .
Next the access pannel with a locating tab glued on the front underside.
I also cut & trimmed to fit the top rear balsa capping BUT NOT GLUED.
Next pic shows the nose cone glued on and access hatch.
This next one shows a almost complete fuze, note the tail boom still hasn't been glued or the tapered balsa fuze/tail boom covering.
So slow progress today first off there was plenty of sanding firstly the nose.
The tapering for the boom - before
And after
Next the Bowden cables were threaded and the exit holes were done, the elevator cable is marked on the plan which exits on the top of the boom while the rudder is on the side. Top hole drilled and tube threaded.
Side hole drilled & tube threaded, masking tape is to hold in place.
Next up is the elevator bracket hinge.
Here it is dry fitted to the boom.
Next is a latch for the battery bay i decided not to use the suggested option in the plan, using a piece of wire bent at @ 90° wit 3cm length to lock under the frame the red is just some heat shrink.
The nearly completed wing just servo's to fit.
Next is a little tip I was told to do just incase I needed to swap out a servo, which is to make a channel out of drinking straws (makes it easy to thread the wires).
The two central straws are tapered.
Next I just covered the elevator and that's it,stay safe.
Finishing off covering etc.
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Gauges on the end rib @ 5°
next the top 6x3 pine strip cap is fitted
Next up are the leading edges and heres where I made a mistake, there should be a 2mm false leading edge attached to the end of the ribs which is made out of the edges of a laser sheet see pic
The slats on the left & right are the false leading edges for wings A & B.
I mis-took the 2 x 4mm leading edge's (pic below) as being the only one's so these were glued in and shaped per the instructions
So I'm not sure on what to do, or even if it matters ?. do I try and fit the false edge on to the outside ?
So after my mistake yesterday I decided to try and remove the reading edge and it properly, so with the help of some acetone and a Blade Success.
The picture below shows the correct 2mm false leading edge glued in
So a little bit more, the aluminium tube/wing joiner roughed up and put into place with abit of left over pine stripping to cap off the end of the tube
Note the tubing protruding out the end of the rib this will slot into the middle wing rib later, these are know glued with epoxy (not shown).
The next step is optional in the instructions but I've decided to do it, which is creating D-boxes on the 3 central rib sections (both sides)
these were made with leftover 2mm balsa and glued & trimmed to shape.
So some more progress on the inner wing.
Note the slight recess on the top of ribs A4 this is to help locate the back edge of the top sheet
Top sheet pinned & located in the recess on ribs A4
Top sheet pinned down
Top sheet being glued to the ribs from the underside.
Top sheet glued from inside using super glue and long canulas. I'm sure there's a better way but this is how the instructions recommend.
Top sheet all glued down any excess gets cut/sanded away flush to the false leading edge.
Next the bottom flap stop gets fitted and glued, note the two lengths of 3x3 square balsathe plan and instructions show you need 4 but there's only 2 in the loose materials so 2 had to be fabricated.
The flaps are on one sheet with the end stops attached to the flaps which need cutting off & glueing to the ribs ensuring there's 0.5mm clearance all around the flaps
Lastly the centre top sheet is pinned down & glued.
Pic shows the flaps/spoiler fitted with the magnets and washers recessed not sure as yet how to hinge them fibre hinges or tape.
Next I tidied the outer ribs and fitted the leading edge
For reference the Pic below shows leading edge, false leading edge glued against the ribs
some shaping which will be done later when the other wing sections are finished the central wing is done. ( phew that was challenging).
So the start of the next section of wings which is 2 middle sections marked B. Both will be done at the same time on the plan. The building sanding sequence/order is the same as for the main section.
All the parts for layed out for the left side wing.
First glue the lower spar to the trailing edge of the bottom sheet
Then put the rib spar down and place the ribs. Noting the angle of the inner rib @ 5° and the outer @ 6°
Note the rib spar does not go all the way to the last rib
Use the template marked B7 B8
Also the trailing edge is offered up to the plan making sure it all aligns before glueing.
So these wing sections went together really quickly this pic shows the false leading edge with the aluminium wing joiner tubes glued in place, the protruding metal will be cut/ground flat.
Next I offered up the centre and middle sections with the carbon rod joiner in place, in my case each one needs shortening by 2-3mm to fit properly
Now it looks like I've been too heavy handed with the sandpaper ☹ on the balsa sheeting, although it is a good close fit against the ribs
Pic of wing sections before top sheet went on
Pic of the 3 wing sections together just the leading edge to go on then onto the wing tips.
So today I started the wing end sections and oh boy did I wish I hadn't the balsa parts are small and extremely fragile, especially when you've got a head cold and the concentration of a goldfish.
So next I had to fabricate a new central rib spar as I glued the ribs into the wrong slots.
This wing is basically the same as the others apart from some small differences.
Note the gap between the two ribs along the spar, this is to accommodate a wing joiner later on. If I've got the patience I'll try and finish the wings tomorrow.
In the picture you can see the knubs/feet on the underside of the ribs these need to be sanded off with care to follow the curve of the rib, note the tiny slot/mark this is the amount that needs to come off (not all ribs have this mark).
Before:
After:
The wife's flexible nail file came in handy.
The outer tip was next to be rounded off according to the plan.
Apart from glueing the intermediate and outer wings together (which I'll cover again) that's the wings done.
Onwards with the Fuze
Not much done today with other jobs taking up my day.
First job cut & sand the parts, the sides consist of 3 parts per side. 2mm balsa, 0.8mm ply doubler, and 2mm ply edge reinforcements.
Making sure to make a left & right handed pannel, here they are glued & pinned
Next the bottom pannel is made the same way
So this morning I've done some more. First I glued up the nose which is 5 sections glued together with the large hole being the uppermost part.
Next was the fuze to boom balsa tapering which is 7 pieces I used the boom as a centralized guide.
And glued
Next I did the 3x3mm spruce bottom reinforcements NOTE these are glued to the ply DOUBLER not the balsa, as the bottom of the fuze gets glued to the balsa.