Short video of the first test of the new vacuum table
I built this vacuum table and heater mainly to make a large canopy for a project scratch built plane I was building, (plus I thought it might be handy for other things). I had to use 1mm PTEG (same stuff they make coke bottles/packaging etc out of) as no one in the country stocks .5mm so the result was not the best, (need to get it very hot) Heater box uses the guts of a 2 bar halogen heater in the bottom, plus a 500w halogen work lamp in the side (1500W total) but still needs to be hotter. Will try and do a build post later.
That was just a quick test, - did have about a 5mm spacer on it, but the one I did for the plane had about 30mm. Depends a lot on how thin the material is as well and you have to allow for trimming. .5 mm would have gone around a lot better. You also have to have holes through the plug as well so it pulls around the plug.
The CKD furniture company I worked for (largest in the South Pacific) pioneered round edge vinyl covered table tops in NZ using a big German press which they modified. Germans said the thin Vinyl that the company wanted to use would not work,- took them a year of experimenting and proved them wrong. Machine used a large silicone blanket and oil heated platen.
Probably one of the reasons Red, also they were apparently trying to compete in a saturated market after the war. They upgraded the motor a number of times (as you would have seen) and a few other mods but couldn't compete, - pity as it could have been a ripper little plane, better looking than a lot of others and faster.
As you said, tandem is not conducive to families, and a lot of companies were advertising their 4 seaters as an extension of the family car. Gone a bit the opposite these days, not many making small planes now, mainly the Chinese, (probably count them on 1 hand now) The Streak would probably fit in the sport plane class these days.
Made this in about 6 weeks for my son who was not interested so I now use it for general on water filming etc. It was scratch built from a few photos and is all balsa construction, sealed and painted. Powered by a single 12v 380 motor with a 28mm 3 blade prop. Runs flat out at around 15,000 rpm.
I haven't run nitro boats for a number of years now Doug, same with the planes, everything has been converted to electric long ago, (all the nitro planes included.) No more mess and smell of burnt fuel in the house, no having to take a roll of paper towels and soap sprayer and wash your plane or boat before putting it in the car, and no more having to put a plastic 'nose bag' on the planes to hang them up so you don't get oil dripping on your carpet!
Re- Graupner 'Premium Line', certainly sounds like their quality has dropped, you couldn't fault them in the 70s, gone the way of all the others due to competition from the home of Oolong tea by the sound of it.
"everything has been converted to electric long ago"
Know what you mean John.
I've still got a 5ltr canister of pepped up glow fuel kicking about in the cellar.
Probably degenerated into uselessness by now🤔
Maybe I'll stick in the car or use it to start the barby😊
Re Premium line-
Belfast wasn't so bad, but had the same crappy plastic props held on with grub screws.
So she's getting threaded shafts and brass props from Raboesch 😉
On Graf Spee though I noticed a lot of resin casting faults, evidence of air bubbles and smudged detail, as well as over / under-spray in the painting and lifting of the wooden decks.
Had to inject liquid CA glue round the edges to stop it peeling ☹️😠
Best thing on both ships were the faultless hulls with double skinning!😉
One thing surprised me with Belfast though-
the recommended SLA batteries don't fit! I couldn't get them in any which way 🤔
Not to worry, they go in my 1:72 destroyer with ease 😊
BTW I prefer lapsang souchong 😋
This is my latest build and first time at scratch building. Other than the hull I've done everything else so far and learned a great deal in scratch building. The hull was built for me by John Elsy of Newcastle as I had no experience of lifting details from the basic layout plan I had, but will learn this soon. Various stages in the build to date. it has a Graupner 500 ECKO motor pulley drive. Motor sits above the propshaft on special engine mount and the shaft has an oiler. 2 ch Futaba `T2ER 40 MHz radio which is all hidden under the false planked aft working deck. it will run on a 12v 7amp gell cell battery with a FR30HX Electronize ESC. Currently building one of the cranes.
This is my model of the KG5. Futaba 2 ch, electronize ESC, 12v 7amp gell cell battery. The motor is from a Ford radiator fan and pulls 1 amp current. Scratch built in the 60.70s and revamped in the 90s by myself. it is 1/96 scale @ 72 inches long and a width of 14 inches.
Here are pictures of HMS Exeter - I built her over a period of time plank on frame hull, covered in styrene to simulate plating on the hull. The deck is all planked with individual planks - the guns are fully rotating and elevating but not firing :-).
Hi there
senile moment for me :-) as there is already a short build of HMS Exeter on here if you do a search - you will come across the build by me and there are some closeup pics on there.
here's a short clip of my RTTL tearing up the lake :-) she has 2 MTroniks 600s driving 30 ml brass props both rotating in the same direction as in the real boats and she has 2 x 4300 mAmp ni-cad batteries in. Lasts for about 15 mins full chat :-)
Saved from a farm rubbish bin and restored. It was originally scratch built from a 60s/70s RCM ? plan. Photos of rebuild are in the harbour. Not sure if it was originally built in the UK and immigrated to NZ as it's an unusual subject for a NZ build. Plans are apparently still available.
I've just found some info on Bates 'Starcraft' cruisers, UK. Looks like the original R/C plan may have been modeled on a version of one of the 'Starcraft' variants.
The farm is a fair way from the sea,- someone was not on watch obviously. Not my car, some guys doing building maint. We can park on that cobbled area you've pictured on the opposite side, (room for about 8-10 cars,-usually chokka when the yachts are racing) There is a nice little jetty built by the Gulf Harbour Model Yacht Club next to it which is great for setting up and launching. It's all part of the big Gulf Harbour Marina development and pond is actually a drainage control pond.
Was full of Koi carp to keep the weed down (carp were rented from a company by the council, but there was some dispute and the company came and removed their carp) probably missed a lot and they breed like flies, so it should come right. Pond's pretty weed free all the same. Pics of the jetty (from the HSL) with some old codger sitting on it, and the real HSL in the Bayswater Marina (Waitemata harbour Auckland), which I have been on board (once recently,-Modded- and once 50yrs ago-original form) Its' story is on the Waitemata Woodys website under W1.
The other pond is at the Onepoto reserve near the city on the waterfront. Bit of a drive (20mins down the motorway all the way) Yachts there as well. The pics with the Marine modellers club - Panmure Basin - East Auckland (the only scale model boat club in Auckland and virtually dead (pics are old), - only about 3 or 4 scale clubs in the country!) we tend to go more for the full scale here. Evening, JB
The CKD furniture company I worked for (largest in the South Pacific) pioneered round edge vinyl covered table tops in NZ using a big German press which they modified. Germans said the thin Vinyl that the company wanted to use would not work,- took them a year of experimenting and proved them wrong. Machine used a large silicone blanket and oil heated platen.
As you said, tandem is not conducive to families, and a lot of companies were advertising their 4 seaters as an extension of the family car. Gone a bit the opposite these days, not many making small planes now, mainly the Chinese, (probably count them on 1 hand now) The Streak would probably fit in the sport plane class these days.