Tora! Tora! Tora! My 400 Zero

[scigs30]

Mitch, I built this same kit and built it per the plans and the weight is the same as yours. I have discovered either go all the way and do a major restructuring to make these kits lighter or just save time the hassle and build per the plans. Mine took a lot of clay up in the nose but I am able to get 30-45 sec flights with 8 inch Peck Prop. Here is my build and all the weights listed.
viewtopic.php?t=2027

[Mitch]

Nice build of yours also... these laser cut kits go together so well!

I was a bit disappointed mine did not come out lighter after all the work I tried to lighten the model. With the cg so far forward she will need a lot of ballast, but the weight of my nose block when finished might be enough. I plan to use a 9 inch prop for flights, but we will have to wait and see for that... Maybe I will start with an 8 inch and then try the 9 inch.

I have not been putting the wing fairings in, and I plan to do some test flights before I pen in the lines and add other details.

Mitch

[scigs30]

Mitch, I fully understand I have been through the sweat and labor of making these kits lighter and to find out it does not make much difference. Now I just build them as is and if the sheet wood is more than 12 lb/ft, I send it back to Guillows for replacement and they do a great job of sending me new wood. Also I like the heavy duty strip wood but the L.E can sometimes be a little to heavy so you made need to swap that out. These kits were never made to win a contest but they are fun for a good 30 sec flight.

[Mitch]

Thanks Scigs, et al,

Well, we will just have to see my final AUW and see how my Zero flies. I have some Easy Built kits, but sometimes I don't like the way they look. They are not 'quite right' for a 'scale' model. I plan to keep taking some Guillow models to my FAC contests as I like the 'look' of the Guillow kits.

Moreover I have a nostalgia attachment to the Guillow kits as I started building them when I was 10 y/o. But they never flew... I am happy with my results now and want to share my knowledge with new comers, but I am not an expert and I am always learning.

Thank you, Mitch

Here is a picture of my Zero pair. The new version is substantially lighter.


PS Since I have extra parts I plan to build the Rufe in 1/16 scale. I have the plans for the 500 model and I see the tail is not correct. I found this picture on the net and it looks like this is what Guillows used for there color scheme.



I'll see if I can make this to fly... FAC gives extra points for floats!

[scigs30]

Mitch it would be nice to see what the weights of your two Zeros are. David

[Mitch]

David et al,

Yes...but now my scale is on the ship. I can only use it there when we are in port as the 20,000 hp diesel engine is always making a vibration that makes my scale useless when the ship is underway. I wanted to weigh some things in port. The green Zero weighs 100g as is and the grey Zero is about 68g but still needs a little work on the front end and is not quite in balance.

I think the Rufe will be easier to balance, and if I can get her built in at under 100g she will be a flyer! I picked up some purple and light blue paper for the Rufe... also white and red as I plan to make my own markings with a circle cutter!

Now back to the ship... the Merchant Marine is always delivering... not much time in port... Mitch

PS My vacation starts in 3 weeks!

I'll sign off with a picture of me on the Bridge wing of my ship... 2am in the morning (last month) in Alaska with Mt Redoubt in the background.
(No flash on the photo)