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First Impressions: |
This fuselage is the finest piece of glass work I have ever worked on I
swear I wouldn't have to use a 1/4 of a teaspoon of filler.....unreal.
The sanding is 90% completed just the doors to go which shouldn't take
more than half and hour to complete. The number of panel lines, the
fit of parts, the wood work, carbon reinforced doors, 40 degree gear box
.....very very impressed!!!
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Here we have all the fiberglass parts in the 412 kit, the glass work is
the best I've seen, almost every major panel line is molded in ready for
detailing. At the point of this photo all the deglazing is completed
and the majority of the cut-outs are done, I decided to leave the large
openings in place until the wood work is done this way the fuselage is
easier to handle with less chance of damage. Deglazing
was all completed using 400 and 600 grit wet/dry paper with a few drops of
liquid detergent in the water as a lubricant.
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The 40 degree gear box requires assembly but it's a very simple
process, the Vario pictorial instructions take all the guess work out
of it. The gear box is than mounted in a plywood former that is
glued and than glassed into the rear of the boom at a given measurement.
The boom is large enough that I could reach up inside from the front to do
the glass work. The cut-out in the boom for the gear box will
be re-attached using small screws and blind nuts, so try to keep the cut
line thin and straight.
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The tail drive and
the 40 degree gear box have to be installed more or less at the same time
by doing this you can insure that the drive shaft is straight and
running smooth prior to glassing the gear box into place. The
installation of the tail drive is very straight forward, nothing more than
making the opening in the top of the fin and inserting the holder and
drive mechanism
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This photo was taken through the front nose cone opening here all the wood
framing is installed and glassed in. Because the floor of the
fuselage is almost flat the process is very simple draw a center line on
the floor of the fuse as well as on the wood work, line it all up and tack
it in place with some CA than get out the cloth and resin and go at it.
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Here we have the formers installed in the nose cone again it's only a
matter of finding the center lines, lining it up and glassing it in
place. This wood work ends up supporting the cockpit dash board and
so on so it's important that its right on the center line.
To complete everything above took a
Saturday and Sunday in the shop, the 412 goes together like fingers
in a glove to say I'm impressed would be an understatement.
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The doors and top deck are now installed, the top deck is no problem just
a matter of lining it up applying a few drops of CA than glassing it in
from the inside. You can see the first application of filler applied
to the seam, it will require a couple of coats to get a nice smooth
transition. The sliding doors take a lot of time but work very well
and are worth the work they slide as smooth as silk. I can't
believe how quickly this kit goes together and the fit of the parts is
incredible.
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As you
can see I've been busy working on the 412. At this point the decals need
to be added along with a light coat of Dead Flat Clear overcoat to dull
the finish and seal the decals |
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Here you
can see some of the added details most of the panel lines were already
formed in the glass work but I have added a few just for added looks. |
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No panel
lines on the glass fins so with the tape and paint method a few were added
just for appearances. |
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Every
panel line seen here was pre-moulded into the glass at the factory,
all I've done is add the rivets to bring out the lines |
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The
blisters were made with Bondo sanded to shape than glued to the surface
the rivets were added and the paint applied |
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I was
concerned about the amount of heat that may build up in side the fuse if I
fly with the doors closed so I decided to cut these openings and add
screen for an extra bit of air movement. On the full size machine
these would be radiators, but the screen will do the job I need done |
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These four pictures
show some of the extra panels added for effect, the panels are made from
Metal Duct Tape which is cut to size and applied to the fuselage....don't
forget these must be rubbed down with something smooth before painting.
A metal kitchen spoon works great |
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This
picture gives a fairly good shot of the details working together.....it
should look good on those low slow passes |
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The lighting in the
hanger makes it very difficult to produce a good quality picture.
This group of pictures were taken just prior
to the first trim flights.
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I'm
pleased to say that all went well, we added power until the machine became
light on the skids than checked one more time that everything was right.
Added just a notch more power and the 412 lifted off smooth with next to
no tendency to drift from the spot. A few trim adjustments were made
and we now feel confident that we're ready for the first test flights. It's
hard to believe that a helicopter weighing near twenty pounds would
require so little throttle to lift off, the combination of the G23
and the multi blades give incredible lifting power. |
All prices are Canadian dollars