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Medicine Man


Gary B

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I've been building a Medicine Man which is a 12 ft RES jobbie, designed by Roger Pullen and featured in RCM&E in March 1983.

Finished the bones quite a while ago but I've hit a mental block over finishing it. Can't decide on colours or the method of covering (choices are Solarfilm, Sig Koverall, tissue, Nylon and possibly Polyspan).

Suggestions on a postcard!

GB

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Translucent green open structure and white 'D' box maybe?

I was planning on just painting the fuselage as I've given it a few coats of dope and banana oil and I think film doesn't like to stick to it (nowhere for the expanded air to go). I haven't doped the wings yet so film is still an option but TBH I'm fairly fed up with the stuff sagging and peeling (Profilm/Oracover might be better but I would need to see the bank manager first!).

The Medicine Man is an enlarged Chieftain, I have one that was built by Roger, tempted to do it the same for a laugh. I'd like to try Polyspan but it only comes in white (can be dyed) and cost a packet for a hankie sized piece.

Never been so stuck with finishing before, nightmare!

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Hi Pete,

Well that doesn't sound so daft, the original was solid red all over. I must scan the mag front cover and post it (have permission from David Ashby).

Sorry I didn't make the nostalgia day, ran out of holiday (weekend shift worker) having used all my days up for F3J comps (worthy cause I think!). Would have loved to fly my Veron Vortex. You guys need to add an extra nostalgia date at Easter, once a year is not enough!

Dunno with this, just want to do a nice job, in case you haven't detected it I hate covering and painting in all its forms!! Used to build them and pass them on to my dad for finishing! Not an option now sadly.

Solartex is a possibility, I've got four metres of 'Vintage Red' that I bought by mistake but it just looks crap!

I would like to dope the wings to add strength and that would rule out film covering, Sig Koverall is cheap as chips but can get untidy seams and edges. Nylon is a black art!!

GB

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Looks lovely Gary. I do like the look of bare bones.

If nothing else keep those tips translucent pro film, I always think the light shining through works so well and looks great.

I always use covering to add something structurally as well, and usually design the pattern around the function.

It looks like a keeper and having a fuss free design - may make it so much easier to live with long term.

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Thanks guys, that LighTex/Toughlon looks interesting and may be the way forward. I've used Fibafilm before on a Flair Sunrise, struggled with the undercamber (Medicine Man is flat bottomed thankfully) and looking at the instructions again it would be a pain to apply Balsaloc on the sheeted panels and the back of the film.

Mmmm.....?!!!

If I stare at it long enough some inspiration might hit me!!

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Lightex is a good film and light as the name suggests. You can get drum tight with it.

Film seems the easiest option. I don't like solar film because it doesn't come off down the line. Tue good thing about old floaters is you can recover them for a new look. I find it rather saggy compared to the other options.

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Yep, can cover in the house with film without upsetting 'the management' too much!!

Solarfilm seem to have recognised the colour stripping problem with Solarspan, looks reasonably priced.

I can afford to use a slightly heavier covering as the airframe has come out on the light side.

There was another film 'Micafilm' but it seems to have dissapeared.

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Yep, can cover in the house with film without upsetting 'the management' too much!!

Solarfilm seem to have recognised the colour stripping problem with Solarspan, looks reasonably priced.

I can afford to use a slightly heavier covering as the airframe has come out on the light side.

There was another film 'Micafilm' but it seems to have dissapeared.

I have cut through the ironing board cover before now.......

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Always a risk!!

I use the glass sliding doors out of the sideboard to cut film on.

I do like the old stuff, next project is likely to be a Chris Foss Phase Lift, I know that Chris is a Nylon man, told me once that he can do a fuselage in one piece, I'm not worthy!!

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Hi Gary.

Pic of Mk2 Proton attached.

Yellow fus and red wings with black trim look great against a blue sky IMHO, and although I am colourblind, I find red a good visible colour against most skies.

This model was built twenty-something years ago, but was extensively rebuilt (don't ask) a mere 16 years ago. The woodwork is covered with tissue, the open structured tips are covered with tissue and dope with a light glass cloth over the top of that.

With the advent of less fussy launching media, my bungee models were all laid up more than a decade ago.

The model came back out of the hangar for the first time since then, last month. The wings still take a good strong launch, and it launches and flies as straight as a die with the trims neutral.

Best regards,

Jef

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Hi Gary,

Yes, I'm pretty sure it was cellulose doped on top of coloured tissue.

However, I didn't do the glassing... I can find out for definite for you, although it may take a few weeks.

Best regards,

Jef

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  • 4 months later...

Hi Gary,

Yes, I'm pretty sure it was cellulose doped on top of coloured tissue.

However, I didn't do the glassing... I can find out for definite for you, although it may take a few weeks.

Best regards,

Jef

 

Saw the guy that did the glassing today (first time since November) and he said that he used Tuffcote, not dope, to glass over the tissue.

 

However, he also said that if he was doing the job now, he would use clear Profilm and cover that with tissue, cellulose doped on.

 

Sorry it has taken so long!

Jef

 

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Cheers Jef, almost forgot about this thread!!

 

I really must get it done for this season, got too many fingers in too many pies at the mo!

 

Gary

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Shedofdread

Now there's a 'blast form the past'; using Tuffcoat to apply glass. Y'think polyester's a tad whiffy? Try using tuffcote in a small shed...

 

Thankfully, these days the shed is bigger and warm enough for epoxy :)

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Z poxy stinks as well!

 

A club mate showed a sample of glass and Poly C and it looked very nice but I'm being put off by horror stories of this water based product trashing balsa or veneer skins. They don't mention using sanding sealer first which might be a solution.  

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