Kit #306 De Havilland 80A Puss Moth Build

[Arlo DiPasquale]

I got the Puss Moth kit on eBay a few years ago for about $25, but had other projects and commitments, so it sat in my closet. I just finished building a Dumas Grumman Widgeon (which was a really fun build), and decided to finally build the Puss Moth.

The kit I got was wrapped when I received it, and has a catalog with a 1968 copyright. I'm not sure when the Puss Moth was discontinued, but I don't see as many of them as I do of other discontinued kits, so they must have been out of production for awhile.

The wood was in good shape, and of good quality, if not slightly heavy, and cleanly die cut.

The tissue paper was slightly discolored, which wasn't a big deal because I wasn't going to use it anyways, and luckily, the decals are not mis-colored.

The fuselage went together quickly, all the parts fit well, I bent the wires into shape, and affixed the main gear wire into place before installing the bottom stringers.

I'm going to start work on the wings today, and will hopefully have the frames finished soon! I'll have updates as soon as I make some more progress.

[Arlo DiPasquale]

Finished the wings. My biggest complaint about the Puss Moth kit is that the the wing connections to the fuselage do not seem very secure. It's not a big deal because I don't plan on flying it, but if I was building it to fly, I might try to find a way to strengthen the wing-fuselage connection.


I should have the frames finished up this evening or tomorrow, and will be on to covering tomorrow. So far, this kit has been a really fun, quick build! I'll post updates as soon as I make more progress.

[rasterops]

Looks great. Good job with the tissue. Looks smooth.

The balsa scrap on the table is a familiar sight

How long did it take you to build it?

[Arlo DiPasquale]

Thanks for the compliment! The Widgeon took me about a month, but I was out of town for a few weeks and busy with work, so I could definitely have finished it faster if I had worked more consistently. As for the puss moth, I started it four days ago, I should have the frames done today and the covering started, and be done with it in about a week.

[akjgardner]

Very Nicw Work

[Arlo DiPasquale]

Very Nicw Work

Thanks!

Just finished the frames, now onto covering!


I'll be covering it with gray tissue because I really hate covering with metallic silver tissue, it never seems to go on very well and sags a lot.

[Arlo DiPasquale]

I got the fuselage covered. I'm going to be out of town for the weekend, so I won't have anymore updates until Monday.

[Arlo DiPasquale]

I was able to put in a couple hours today, and was able to finish covering the frames in that time.

Next, I will paint all the surfaces and parts that need it, and then begin assembly!

[Arlo DiPasquale]

I'm a little late posting it, but I finished the puss moth, and I'm really happy I built it. It was a fun build if a plane I pretty much knew nothing about before I started building the model.


If anyone wants the plans, drop me a private message and I'll mail them to you free of charge.