Jessie The Jeep Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) Some of you will know that I'm building a 1:5 scale Grumman Tigercat for a customer. It will be powered by two 150cc radial petrol engines, spans 10 feet and will weigh around 65 pounds when complete. Over Christmas, I spent around 30 hours making cockpit parts. These are attached for your interest. All the instrument faces are photographs of real instruments, reduced in size and printed on photo paper. Steve Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Brilliant work. With all those claiming to be on diets, you may even get a pilot! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) Cheers! Thankfully, my US Marines pilot arrived today! See attached. For anyone wanting to follow the build of this model, have a look here - Tigercat Build Thread Steve Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) The airframe is coming along too. Just got all the retracts installed over the last few days. Various parts are in etch primer ( green ), and engine nacelle mouldings have just been attached. These pictures of the airframe together were taken this morning before the days work began. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Great work Steve and would it be possible to see the size of the engines please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) Here's one sitting in the cowling. A five cylinder radial, 150cc capacity. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Stupid question incoming - is that a REAL radial?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Yes, it's a real radial. A four stroke running on petrol/oil mix, electronic ignition, lovely sound. If you want to hear what it will be like, here's a video of a 400cc version in the 1/3 scale Skyraider. It's not the sound over the front titles, that's just background noise - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ITRNEOdgHY8 Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 You're going to have to put on a display at somewhere like the Bunker Bash, cheaper than the Red Arrows. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 With planes this big, there are several restrictions on where they can be flown, usually only a fullsize airfield or a farm field miles from anywhere. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 You wanna see Jesse's B17... now that's big! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) Back out in the garden again on Saturday morning. Now with the engine nacelles and both engines fitted. Still to do is all the internal electronics fit out, linkages, landing gear doors, pneumatic systems for the landing gear, brakes, bomb and drop tank release, fuel systems and painting!! Take off weight is looking to be 75 to 80 pounds! Steve Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Have you applied for a 3rd runway in your garden yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 He'll have the neighbours sending around petions and Greenpeace chained to the bathroom door!. :cool2: Wait till he asks for a fifth terminal!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 What did Kenny Everett's general used to say? Bomb the Bast4rds! Amazing stuff (again), Steve. Respec' M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on the landing gear doors and the Pneumatics system. The door hinges took some figuring out, and the nose door linkages weren't that simple due to the way the nose leg steers. The landing gear takes three electronic air valves, three air restrictors and an electronic sequencer to operate gear and gear doors, plus another valve for the brakes, and two valves for the bomb/drop tank release. There is approximately 100 feet of air line operating the gear, doors, brakes and bomb/drop tank releases! The second group of photos shows the pneumatics distribution board with most of the air lines plumbed in. Steve Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodge Deep Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Yeah but i betcha can't put a Rowntrees Fruit Pastel in your mouth without chewing it! (other chewy sweets are available!) Blooody amazing as ever Steve, y'make me sick... You should be writing a book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Very Clever . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted March 7, 2009 Author Share Posted March 7, 2009 (edited) Landing Gear and gear doors all painted. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) After about a two month break from the Tigercat while the Spitfire was completed, I'm now back on it full time with the intention of a test flight at a local event on May 23/24th. So, Monday was spent sawing, filing, bending, drilling, tapping the centre line drop tank sway braces. There isn't a pylon as such on the Tigercat, just the sway braces fitted directly to the bottom of the fuselage. They are made from around 2mm aluminium strip, cut and filed to shape. There are tapped holes for M4 bolts through the ends for the steadies, and an M5 bolt holds them onto the airframe. Ply plates inside the fuselage, spreads the load of the bolt, and onto these are mounted 1/8 ply supports. These supports are for the BVM air operated releases to fasten onto. There are two small holes in the fuselage skin for each release, one for the pin to pull the release to its open position for loading, and the other for the lug on the drop tank. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) Last thing on Monday the centre wing was etch primed. Tuesday saw the fuselage etch primed and then grey primed. The wing was grey primed, and once dry, rubbed down with a scotch pad to flat off, remaining pinholes and pimples, filled and rubbed off etc, and re-primed. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) Wednesday I spent 9 hours filling more pinholes and then reapplying the panel lines where they had been rubbed off on seams etc. Areas that were re-glassed also needed the panel lines replacing. The lines were marked out in pencil and then 'Fighteraces' panel taped applied. They were then sprayed over with several coats of primer. Here's the rear of one nacelle with the tape on, and after spraying with the tape removed. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) The fuselage and wing had all the tape removed and were then left overnight for the primer to fully harden. Thursday - The panel lines and overspray dust were rubbed down with a scotch pad to remove the remaining sticky glue left by the panel tape. It also flatted down the edges slightly improving the appearance. After rubbing down the wing and fuselage, I started on the fuz, applying the mushroom head rivets with PVA wood glue in a syringe, leaving a glue spot which would simulate the rivet head. Hours of my life went by staring at those dots, to the extent where the row of dots burned into my eyes, and I started seeing dots where there weren't any. Many of the fuselage rivets had to be re-applied as they were barely visible or had pinholes in the gel coat leaving a little crater rather than a rivet. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) The second half of Thursday was spent with the soldering iron and a brass tube tip for doing the flush rivets in the wing. All of the original rivets needed re-applying as they had filled with primer to some extent. This took quite a long time to start with. After that, the wing still looked a bit bare, with large expanses of plain glass skin, as only some ribs and the main spars were moulded in. To improve the look, I then marked out the stringer positions and riveted those too which helped to fill out the wing in a more even covering. Once complete, the wing was given a rub over with the Scotch pad again to take off the high spots of melted paint. There are thousands of rivets on this centre section. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Completely stunning work Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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