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jrmitch120
09-14-2009, 09:50 PM
I have two questions about an Inflight Mach 10 that I'm putting together.

1) Can I finish the wings with thinned Elmer's Wood Filler? I usually do this with terrific results on my normal rockets, but I'm concerned that it may affect the glide ability of this rocket.

2) This being my first glider, I'm not really sure what to expect for the first launch. How big a field will I need if I send it up with a B6-2? Do they circle to the ground or is it more of a straight path type of glide?

I envision picking it up 6 counties away.

Thanks!

stefanj
09-14-2009, 09:59 PM
Do not fill the wings. Keep it as light as possible. Maybe a very thin coat of sanding sealer (not fillercoat), and then after thorough sanding a coat of color paint. You can sand that too!

tbzep
09-14-2009, 10:02 PM
Build one to look pretty and build a second one to fly. I'm sure Ray would like that advise. :p

rokitflite
09-14-2009, 10:52 PM
All of the ones I have built have had finished balsa (2-3 coats of sanding sealer) and full paint jobs... Just don't go crazy with too many layers of paint.

InFlight
09-14-2009, 10:53 PM
For number one, I recommend stefanj's suggestion. Keep it light, extra weight will make it come in to fast.

For number two, I have flown mine on a 500' x 500' field with a B6-2 and had it land about 100' away from me. Depends on wind conditions, etc... Setting the rudder 1 - 2 deg left or right will cause the model to turn. You can heat the glue around the rudder with a hair dryer and hold it in position until the glue resets.

The clay in the belly pod is the key. Don't get crazy, it wont take much as this model will respond to the adjustments. I had one looping a few weeks back! :eek: (wife yelled at me). It was accident, really, it was. My wife makes me cut my horns down like in the Hellboy movie. :chuckle:

I do not recommend using an A8-3 as it will try to attack you! trust me on this one. :chuckle:
C6-3's are for the brave and large fields.

You could also go with tbzep's suggestions as well. :D ;)

These birds rock if you get the setup right. I still fly my original clone, there is a picture of it in the instructions.

.

jrmitch120
09-14-2009, 11:21 PM
Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'll post pics when I get it all setup. I can't wait to get this one up and running.

Bravo52
09-15-2009, 09:43 AM
A couple of things I learned from Scott and Kevin:

The nose cone has to have a good amount of weight to get the glider to boost straight. Once you eject the NC, the weight is no longer an issue.

The boost needs to only be a few degrees off vertical. Maybe 10 deg max.

I used paper on my wings and it added almost no weight to the model. You'll want the added strength as you trim the model because it will smack the ground frequently.... :mad:

foose4string
09-15-2009, 11:13 AM
I filled mine with FNF and sanded it down really well. One coat of primer, sanded well. Light coat of paint... just enough to cover up the primer. Still a small amount of grain showing but not too bad. Looks much better than if I hadn't done anything. I was tempted with the sticker paper, and Jim's flew great with it. And, I'm confident Bravo52 will get his dialed in too. It's just a matter of getting the thing balanced. Judging by the test glides on mine, I don't think it's is going to need any weight in the front for the glider phase. Mine has the "bomb" pod attached(with no weight inside), theirs do not. I might actually need a smidge in the rear, in which case, papering the balsa might have been beneficial.

mycrofte
09-15-2009, 12:12 PM
Yeah, gliders doing a whirling loop of death is not fun! I have two of mine re-balanced (and the dirt cleaned off), waiting for the launch field to be harvested...

jrmitch120
09-15-2009, 04:29 PM
A couple of things I learned from Scott and Kevin:

The nose cone has to have a good amount of weight to get the glider to boost straight. Once you eject the NC, the weight is no longer an issue.

The boost needs to only be a few degrees off vertical. Maybe 10 deg max.

I used paper on my wings and it added almost no weight to the model. You'll want the added strength as you trim the model because it will smack the ground frequently.... :mad:

When you say "paper", what specifically did you use and how did you adhere it to the balsa?

InFlight
09-15-2009, 06:08 PM
When you say "paper", what specifically did you use and how did you adhere it to the balsa? You can do this one of two ways. Buy the adhesive postal label paper, lay the fin down on the sticky side and cut the paper away with a hobby knife around the fin. Do both sides.

Or, buy some spray glue, spray glue on printer paper and repeat steps above. There are many different methods to do this and these are the ones I use most of the time.

.

zog139
09-15-2009, 10:07 PM
Yeah I have to say go ahead and finish your model to make it look nice, dont go overboard and build a porcelain version ( See Rosko -Racer :-)

I followed the "Zicafoose" method for papering mine. Use store brand full sheet label paper for your home printer. Lay the balsa on the label and trim away with your knife, flip and repeat. Use some thin CA along the edges. Little bit of sanding along the edges and done. Go real light on the primer, sand then a coat of base white , then color of choice. Again light coats of white then light coat of your color of choice.

My clone Mach-10 does not have the belly tank, I replaced it with a "skid" to help with landings. It flys great on B6-2's and yes I even flew it with a C6-3 and it was quite awsome !

So you can do what you like, this is what I did, and since I decided I wasn't going to enter in a BG contest I went with a better finish. Even with the extra weight for the finish it still boosted very high on a C6-3. Not the best pic attached but I think you get the idea !

JRThro
09-16-2009, 12:07 AM
I'm still waiting to paint and trim mine; it's been rainy and/or humid for most of the past week. It's sanded and primed and sanded again, and ready to paint, maybe this weekend. Probably going to go with a red paint job and a mix of the stock decals and a set I got from Scott B. quite some time ago.

rokitflite
09-16-2009, 08:38 AM
Probably going to go with a red paint job and a mix of the stock decals and a set I got from Scott B. quite some time ago.

Really? What did they look like? If you need more or different ones let me know. :)

JRThro
09-16-2009, 08:26 PM
Really? What did they look like? If you need more or different ones let me know. :)
They are a set of Der Red Wulf decals that I never used, and now seems like a good time to use them.