Ufo skydiver

[greenman407]

Enhanced!

[greenman407]

Ok, I am on vacation and am here in my shop baggin away on this thing. Heres a few more views that I am using to piece it together. The last four pictures are from Mamas(RC Nut) website.

[greenman407]

Mamas, the included misc. parts are on a sheet. Note the thickness of the sheet in this picture. Am I to cut out the parts and use them as is or should I sand down the thickness of each part to the line? In other words is the overall thickness of each part good as is?

[RCnut]

Hey Mark, Sand them down to the line, Hight approx 2mm if that.

[greenman407]

Thank you sir. STAND BY FOR ACTION!!!

[greenman407]

Mamas, I take it that the same is true for the big blisters on either side of Sky? Thats what the second picture is of.

[greenman407]

Here is todays progress thusfar(the day is young). The forward nosecone is a solid chunk of plastic and the rest of Sky is very thick walled. I decided that for maximum floating height, I needed to reduce weight. So Ive been drilling and dremeling out the inside of the nose cone to reduce its weight. I will then fill it with foam. I gave the whole thing(Sky) a good sanding to reveal areas requiring attention. The vertical stablizer will be attached using epoxy as will the nose cone. Tomorrow Ill mark and cut the canopy, as well as attach the rear bulkhead. Dont worry, I know it looks rough but this is a construction thread..........ya know.

[RCnut]

Mamas, I take it that the same is true for the big blisters on either side of Sky? Thats what the second picture is of.

Yep All the bits on sheet resin are to be sanded to that level :)

[greenman407]

Here she is at the end of the day of Monday. Along with another water spout right outside the shop. The bridge that you see is the Gandy bridge that runs from Tampa over to Pinellas Park/St. Petersburg.

[greenman407]

I am missing the tube Mamas supplied for the combination matra rocket pod, jet/ JATO rocket engine. I scoured Home Depot but wasnt happy with what I found. I could waste my time looking at the local craft store or I can just order one from Mcmaster & Carr. I opted for the later. What is needed is a thin wall , light weight tube of 15/16" Dia. would be perfect but failing that I settled on a one inch diameter polycarbonate tube.http://www.mcmaster.com/#8585k14/=njnd3w

[greenman407]

Trimming the Canopy now. Ive got one shot at this. Im taking my sweet old time with it. I dont know if Mamas has anymore of these. I used pencil to mark out the panes of glass or openings if you will. Next the dremel diamond blade(small) to cut out the extra material in between the lines. Then the Dremel with a small rotary cutter to get as close as I dare to the lines. Finally a small file to get it just right.

[greenman407]

Im having to use an exacto knife in the forwardmost corners. Dont rush me.Swearing Smiley

[greenman407]

Ive been installing Doodads to the body. You know, those bumps and tweeks that make her so cool! Blisters and scoops and a few unknowns, to be sure. In the first picture, about midway down the fuselage is a scoop kinda thing. I had to make it by looking closely at the various pictures. I sculpted it out of some of the extra pieces that Mamas sent me. Right behind that is a round tube jutting out a wee bit. I used 3/16" brass tube for that. As with the other bumps, I drilled a hole all the way thru and stuck the bump into the hole and pushed it in till I got her where I wanted her. Then CAed it there. The tube I ordered from Mcmaster&Carr is supposed to arrive today. If it does we will be working with that.

[greenman407]

Practical considerations require me to drill some holes in "Sky" to drain out trapped air on the way down. You can see them here at the rearmost part of the base of the vertical stabilizer.
And might I mention a tool that helps me a lot. Ive never been a fan or cordless drills. Whenever you need one ,......the battery is dead and you have to wait to charge it. In the case of NICD or NIMH batterys, ever wonder why Home Depot and Lowes cant keep them in stock? Its a conspiracy I tell you...a Conspiracy! Ive always felt that an electric drill that plugs into the wall is the best bet. Well, along comes lithium ion. A great improvement in drill availability. At anyrate, I spied this little jewel at Home Depot a couple of years ago and it has served me very well. Purchase with it this set of quick change bits and your in business...........................OH, Im sorry, this is not Tool Time Tim.............Signing off.

[greenman407]

Extra attention must be paid to installation of the back plate. The backplate will determine how "Sky" sits in relation to "Diver". They must be inline, starboard to Port, up and down. If not it will be an eyesore for all time to come. Using a framing square I can see that its already off. I can either mark off the backend of "Sky" and try to make it perfectly square by sanding and grinding it down to the line , or I can leave it as is and using CA, apply a couple of bumps on the backside of the endplate until it sits perfect. Then the gap will be filled with the heavy waterproff gel epoxy thats being used to attach it anyway. Itll never come off. My plan, I believe is to attach "Sky" to "Diver" from the inside of Diver by using a screw. It will be kept from moving or rotating by the rocket pods sitting in there receptacles on the front of "Diver".