Cessna 170 Laser Cut Kit Build ( # 302 LC )

[SpiceMan]

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Greetings everyone.
Well, I recently discovered this forum site, while I'm in the process of building my first Guillow's airplane kit in many years. I got pretty excited about this one because I was pleased to see that Guillow's has made the excellent business decision to start improving their kits as "laser cut" models. So I decided to give the Cessna 170 kit a try for fun. After opening the box, I must say that was HIGHLY IMPRESSED with the quality of this kit. All of the laser cut balsa sheets were neatly grouped together, and sealed in a light plastic bag ... very nice!
I retired 3 years ago ( as of July 30th, by the way ), and for about two years now, I've been hooked on RC airplane flying. Since I get as much enjoyment ( if not more ) out of building airplanes, as I do flying them, I thought it would be fun to try a "rubber powered" bird, and see what happens.
So here are some pics and comments of this EXCELLENT Cessna 170 kit that's "in-process". By the way ... I highly recommend this kit to anyone out there that's thinking about building a laser cut balsa airplane! Very builder friendly, with an excellent step-by-step instruction sheet to follow.

[SpiceMan]

The fuselage went together nicely. Everything fit perfectly with the laser cut balsa.

[SpiceMan]

Some more views ...

[SpiceMan]

Wing root ribs and stringers added now. I wanted to wait to do this, after I could determine the proper angle of the root rib, so it would fit flush against the cabin wall.

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[SpiceMan]

Stick in the instrument panel ... why not?

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[Wildpig]

Hi Spiceman,
Thanks for the build thread. I really want to go out and buy a Laser Cut kit,now. Your model looks great.

So she'll be a flyer?

[Scott]

Great build pics,Spiceman.I've got one of this unbuilt kits,so
I'll be following your thread.

[SpiceMan]

Hi Spiceman,
Thanks for the build thread. I really want to go out and buy a Laser Cut kit,now. Your model looks great.

So she'll be a flyer?

Greetings Wildpig,
You're welcome. Just to let you know ... I built a Guillow's "die cut" airplane many years ago, and it was pretty good. BUT ... you're right to go for a Laser Cut kit. I've found that the balsa "fit" and "alignment" in this kit has been superb! I'm thinking that the folks at Guillow's have really got their act together with this improved technology of production. I'm also thinking that any one of the 300 series kits would probably be a great starting point. If you're planning to make it as a "flyer", I'd recommend a "high-wing" airplane.
As for mine, yes, I'm planning to attempt to actually fly this one, that is, if it doesn't turn out to be "too pretty", Ha, Ha.

[SpiceMan]

Great build pics,Spiceman.I've got one of this unbuilt kits,so
I'll be following your thread.

Thanks Scott.
I'll try to document all my steps, and provide as much info that might be helpful, as possible.
P.S. If and when you decide to build yours, you might consider using MEDIUM CA ( that is balsa wood compatible, from your good hobby shop) to use as the glue. That's what I used, and it works GREAT and dries FAST!

[SpiceMan]

To secure the cowling to the fuselage, I decided to glue scrap pieces of wing spars where the B1 Formers connect to the Keel pieces, and then using a very small pin-vice, drill holes through the cowling and into the spar wood. I'm using 4 tiny servo screws through the cowling to hold it in place ... which makes for a very firm mounting, yet allows the cowling to be removed, if needed. This method kind of detracts from the "scale look" of the airplane, but I prefer to build my crafts to be as easily serviceable as possible.

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[Scott]

Great build pics,Spiceman.I've got one of this unbuilt kits,so
I'll be following your thread.

Thanks Scott.
I'll try to document all my steps, and provide as much info that might be helpful, as possible.
P.S. If and when you decide to build yours, you might consider using MEDIUM CA ( that is balsa wood compatible, from your good hobby shop) to use as the glue. That's what I used, and it works GREAT and dries FAST!

Thanks for the tip about the glue.Neat cowl idea,with those servo screws.

[SpiceMan]

Great build pics,Spiceman.I've got one of this unbuilt kits,so
I'll be following your thread.

Thanks Scott.
I'll try to document all my steps, and provide as much info that might be helpful, as possible.
P.S. If and when you decide to build yours, you might consider using MEDIUM CA ( that is balsa wood compatible, from your good hobby shop) to use as the glue. That's what I used, and it works GREAT and dries FAST!

Thanks for the tip about the glue.Neat cowl idea,with those servo screws.

You're welcome Scott.

[SpiceMan]

In the process of building the two wings, I just so happened to leave the main spars at full length ( thinking I'd trim them off after I installed the root rib ). Then it occurred to me that perhaps if I left them in tact, and shave each one to half-size, that I could extend them into the cabin and glue them together for wing rigidity.

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I placed an un-used F1 rib against the top of the cabin to mark the spar positions, and then just carefully slice the openings with a blade. This is NOT what is shown to do in the plan ( for a flying model ) but I'll just have to wait and see if it works.

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[SpiceMan]

Now that all of the wood-working is done, I thought that it would be interesting to do a weight measurement, before I go forward with the covering process. Here's everything ( except the prop and rubber band ) weighing-in at 32 grams ( or 1.13 oz. ).

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[Wildpig]

Good idea with the spar splice. I sometimes tie the trailing edges together, too. By adding a piece of balsa similar to T.E. stock. Slide it under the tail end of the F1's and on top of the T.E.

Glad you posted the weight. I was going to ask.