500 Hellcat

[elkhart]

Just finished a 500 series laser cut Hellcat. The kit went together easily, the laser cut wood is a pleasure to work with compared to the die cut kits! I covered the kit with domestic (Hallmark) tissue with a glue stick. Decals are paper copies of the kit water slides. I thinned the paper a bit with sandpaper, then touched up the edges with a marker. Machine guns are toothpicks. Until spring, it will patrol my son's bedroom ceiling. Rumor has it there will soon be a Rufe in the area!

[elkhart]

And the underside. Wheels are paper, covers outlined in ink.

[scigs30]

Looks great, should be a great flyer.

[backyardbalsapilot]

Looks great. how well did the tissue shrink up? I seem to remember Hallmark tissue having lots of little holes in it. did you cover the cowl with tissue?

[elkhart]

Thank you!

This particular color from Hallmark behaves very well. It seems to have a dense composition and a flat/gloss side. It shrinks and seals very well. And yes, the cowl is tissue covered. The canopy structure is painted, and the pilot is a two dimensional fellow colored with pencil. I didn't add the antennae wire yet, my seven year old son still likes picking it up and looking at it. No need to replace it 3x a day!

I'll try flying it when the weather clears up a bit. No idea what the weight is. I'm just hoping to get a 10-20 second flight, the "cool" factor alone will be worth it! For every successful flight I'll add a rising sun "kill" sticker. Hey, ya gotta earn that stuff, right?

[Balsa Pilot]

You said it, It's all about the fun! Neat idea about the kill flag for successful flights. Nice looking build, hope it flies well for you. I've got one in the hanger waiting for spring as well.

[backyardbalsapilot]

How did you attach the tissue to the cowl?

[Balsa Pilot]

and forgive my curiosity, but why did you cover the cowl?

[elkhart]

I used tissue on the cowl to match the color of the fuselage, and as part of the "artistic" goals of the build. I wanted this build to be stick and tissue- no paint. The tissue was applied with thinned Elmer's Glue All. With the compound curves the tissue has to applied in several pieces. A 2D graphic of a radial engine was added to finish it off.

[kittyfritters]

I used tissue on the cowl to match the color of the fuselage, and as part of the "artistic" goals of the build. I wanted this build to be stick and tissue- no paint. The tissue was applied with thinned Elmer's Glue All. With the compound curves the tissue has to applied in several pieces. A 2D graphic of a radial engine was added to finish it off.

Looks like you have done a very clean build!

Make sure that you don't leave it exposed to sunlight unless you are flying it. That Hallmark tissue, like most dark blue tissue, fades very rapidly when exposed to sunlight. If the color was all blue, instead of the gray on the bottom, you could have covered that cowl with a single piece of wet tissue. That works with Esaki, I don't know about the wet strength of the Hallmark tissue.

The 500 series Hellcat is probably the best flier of the series. Built out-of-the-box, clean and straight, it can put in some amazing flights. I've seen them do 50 seconds with no special lightening and the right propeller and rubber.

Keep 'Em Flying!

Howard

[Balsa Pilot]

That's a good idea- the no paint thing. (Wasn't being critical at all-only curious!), Howard says he's seen the Hellcat do 50 seconds, and if that isn't optimistic? Well, I just can't wait to get a good spring day to see how my F6F will do.

You did a nice job of yours, let us all see how it flies!

Regards,

Henry

[kittyfritters]

...Howard says he's seen the Hellcat do 50 seconds, and if that isn't optimistic? ...

Our club used to regularly hold 500 series contests. I've seen lightened up Hellcats and Avengers do a lot better than that. The other kits in the series, not so much, but you can get 30 seconds out of all but the Stuka and I've personally gotten 19 seconds out of that one.

Howard

[elkhart]

All comments and critiques are welcome, I'm here to share and improve my builds. It's good to know about the photosensitive nature of that tissue. The krylon is supposed to offer some UV protection. We shall see. What kind of rubber are you using in the 500's? I have some 1/8" from EZ Built, will that work? I rarely hear a kind word about the blue kit rubber, but has anyone broken it in and lubed it?

[kittyfritters]

All comments and critiques are welcome, I'm here to share and improve my builds. It's good to know about the photosensitive nature of that tissue. The krylon is supposed to offer some UV protection. We shall see. What kind of rubber are you using in the 500's? I have some 1/8" from EZ Built, will that work? I rarely hear a kind word about the blue kit rubber, but has anyone broken it in and lubed it?

Yes, if you used Krylon #1305, labeled UV Resistant, (The older #1305 wasn't) it should give some protection.

From the quality of your build I can't believe you sound like you are that new to this. That blue, industrial rubber band has way too much torque. The only thing it is good for in modeling is tying to a stick to launch catapult gliders. If your Hellcat weighs less than 25 grams I would start with a loop of 1/8" F.A.I. Tan Sport rubber about 1-1/2 times the hook to peg length. If it weighs more than that I would go with a double loop of 1/8" flat.

I usually lube with Armor All either Classic or Detailers Advantage. A good automotive silicon lube and rubber protectant spray will work also. Work it in well, I usually put the rubber in a baggy, pour or spray in the lube, and work it around. Wipe it nearly dry with a rag before installing it in the model. Both these lubes work when nearly dry. Good old glycerine and green soap still works, but it gets all over the inside of the model and can soak through the tissue and even the balsa. Keep the number of winds low until you get it trimmed, then work up. When you get it really wound up, if there is any breeze launch a few degrees to the right of the oncoming wind. The model will want to turn left and this gives you altitude to burn off the high torque when the rubber is fully wound. (Fully wound for sport flying is about 75 turns per inch on a single loop, maybe 55 on a double loop. You're not pushing it for a contest.) Check the rubber after every flight to make sure it is not tearing. You should be able to do this without taking it out of the model. If you see any signs of tearing replace it.

Hope this helps,

Howard

[elkhart]

All comments and critiques are welcome, I'm here to share and improve my builds. It's good to know about the photosensitive nature of that tissue. The krylon is supposed to offer some UV protection. We shall see. What kind of rubber are you using in the 500's? I have some 1/8" from EZ Built, will that work? I rarely hear a kind word about the blue kit rubber, but has anyone broken it in and lubed it?

Yes, if you used Krylon #1305, labeled UV Resistant, (The older #1305 wasn't) it should give some protection.

From the quality of your build I can't believe you sound like you are that new to this. That blue, industrial rubber band has way too much torque. The only thing it is good for in modeling is tying to a stick to launch catapult gliders. If your Hellcat weighs less than 25 grams I would start with a loop of 1/8" F.A.I. Tan Sport rubber about 1-1/2 times the hook to peg length. If it weighs more than that I would go with a double loop of 1/8" flat.

I usually lube with Armor All either Classic or Detailers Advantage. A good automotive silicon lube and rubber protectant spray will work also. Work it in well, I usually put the rubber in a baggy, pour or spray in the lube, and work it around. Wipe it nearly dry with a rag before installing it in the model. Both these lubes work when nearly dry. Good old glycerine and green soap still works, but it gets all over the inside of the model and can soak through the tissue and even the balsa. Keep the number of winds low until you get it trimmed, then work up. When you get it really wound up, if there is any breeze launch a few degrees to the right of the oncoming wind. The model will want to turn left and this gives you altitude to burn off the high torque when the rubber is fully wound. (Fully wound for sport flying is about 75 turns per inch on a single loop, maybe 55 on a double loop. You're not pushing it for a contest.) Check the rubber after every flight to make sure it is not tearing. You should be able to do this without taking it out of the model. If you see any signs of tearing replace it.

Hope this helps,

Howard

Howard, thank you for the kind words. I got back into building about a year ago, and believe me there are a few models before this one that aren't so nice, and a couple that never even made it off the building board! I've learned so much on this site, Hippocket, and the Ross books.

I will try the flying tips you've listed, thanks for adding them to the post. It's the little details like that which make a big difference.

Joe