Triplane pics

[Tee Bee]

I finished my Triplane about a week ago. I'm not sure how to downsize my 1.4mb pics properly so I took a few at the VGA low res setting so I could post them. Sorry about the poor quality. Thanks to all for the great ideas and to cdwheatley for posting his pics before mine was done to inspire me to finish it quickly. I had a lot of fun with this one. Now I'm building a Sig Kadet Senior. It's an old-school RC trainer built of balsa sticks much like a Guillow's plane, but with a 78" wingspan.
http://www.virtualaerodrome.com/image_b ... ser_id=237

[lenard]

Your triplane looks great. Now that I am starting a new job I can afford to get one, but on the other hand I will have less time now to work on it .

[Tee Bee]

Good luck with the model and the job.

[cdwheatley]

Excellent work Tee Bee! Your Triplane looks fantastic, well done, and I'm glad the photos of mine were a help. What did you use to mark the aileron etc lines - was it pen, or perhaps thin strips of black decal? I love all the added details!

[Tee Bee]

For the control hinges, I used automotive pinstripe tape that I had lying around. I outlined the ailerons the way Guillow's show it on the plans but I see that it is incorrect after looking at some pics of real DR-1s. The outline should follow the seam between the wing and the aileron pieces that are glued on. Since you glued yours on after covering, the joint seam is already where it should be. The tape wasn't sticking very good(old stuff) so I used a tad of white glue/water mix brushed over them to keep them there. Now it's permanently incorrect. Noone who has seen it has noticed though. For the cockpit coaming, I used black wire insulation heated with a blow dryer to make it plyable. Thanks for the idea, cdwheatley. The wingtip skids are balsa and the step and fuselage handles are made of spare axle wire. The flying and landing wires are made of plyable green floral wire from the local craft store. I painted them flat black after installation. The covering is all Guillow's tissue applied using the "wet method" and doped with thinned Sig Supercoat several times. The white panels on the top wing were done before the red was applied using some leftover white tissue from another kit. That stuff is thin and tears very easily when wet. Not near as tough as the darker colors. I planned on adding the control horns and cables but stopped short of that figuring it was "finished enough" for now. I was anxious to start working on my Sig Kadet Senior kit. Maybe I'll install those later. I've always been fascinated with Fokker Triplanes and have wanted this model for years. Now I find myself staring at it a lot. Very happy that I built it!

[jamesgood72]

Thanks for all the info, and the pics, Tee Bee. It looks great, and I think this'll be my next build. So the red tissue is supplied in the kit?

-James.

[Tee Bee]

Yes. Guillow's supplies the red tissue but not the white with the kit. On the top wings, you'll need to score some white tissue elsewhere for the maltese cross background or paint over the red. Your choice. The new laser-cut kits are very nice to build. You won't regret it. Good luck.

[cdwheatley]

Yes, thanks for the info Tee Bee. Just one more question - what did you use to paint the cowling?!

I wouldn't worry too much about the incorrect aileron positions - I never noticed it 'til you mentioned it and it looks just fine to me anyway. I bought some red Esaki tissue for my Triplane as I didn't really want to use the stuff supplied with the kit. As you say, the white tissue Guillow's usually include in their kits tears very easily when wet so I just presumed the red in the Triplane kit would be the same. Seems I was wrong! I also have the SE5a which I'll build after I've finished my current kit (the series 500 Hellcat) but this doesn't, for some reason, include coloured tissue. Not to worry though, as I've already got some nice dark green Esaki lined up for that!

I stopped short of adding the extra details you added. Like you, I figured it was 'finished enough' and was keen to move on, but I didn't really want to run the risk of possibly spoiling it either. Maybe one day I'll add a few little extra bits and pieces to it. I can understand the pride you feel when looking at your Triplane - I'm the same with mine. Can't quite believe sometimes that it was actually made by ME!

But anyway, you did a really great job Tee Bee and good luck with Sig kit.

[Tee Bee]

Thanks. I painted the cowling with Kilz CraftCote spray paint. It went on nice and smooth, but when I sprayed the wheels with it, it reacted with the black plastic and bubbled up into a mess. Had to sand it all off and start over with Testor's enamel. The Guillow's red tissue is indeed much better than the white to work with.