Well, it took some time to return to this blog, but there were so many activities over the Christmas and holiday season that I was only temporarily able to do some work on the 1-23. But as things were going slowly, they nevertheless went steadily and there we are with a finished wooden frame.
Sheeting the fuselage was not very complicated but just "work" with lots of white glue, clamps and pins. After one`s best efforts and while 1/8" balsa is a relatively stiff material, the result is not to be compared with the even surface of one of those sleek, molded glass airplanes of today. But then, the sheet metal of the original airplane is not as even either as it appears on the photos. Thus the bumps and dents in the surface are a "perfect" replica!
The sheeting so far finished, the nose cone was the next step. Here I used again the same procedure as on the small 1-23 some years ago. A brief description might be of interest to the readers:
As a first step, I copied the side- and top view of the nose section on paper and transferred it onto lite ply. The two pieces were then notched in order to interlock at 90° and the silhouette checked against the fuselage.
After glueing and final contour check, the sections were filled with soft balsa...
... which was then, in a first step, cut to the side and top contour ONLY! The reason: In the following final shaping, you can refer to the reference contour just by turning the fuselage over a small(!) angle and thus facilitate the sculpturing considerably.
After progressing that far...
... another hint:
Leave the work behind, leave the workshop and do something else ;-)) After some time, you will return wanting to see your achievement - which will most probably show some minor imperfections. Give the nose cone some minor touches with the sanding block, leave again and repeat this procedure a few times... and you will end up with the best shaped nose section you have ever seen...
The rear end was next and again, I used a detail which has been proven in the 1:5 1-23. In order to facilitate the mounting and removal of the elevator, I cut a hole into one side of the rear block and left a hole from underneath. Using a screwdriver, I can spread the elevator pushrod clevis and see the elevator horn from the side.
The cockpit frame was prepared in the meantime and this more or less concluded the woodwork for the time being. And this is how the 1:4 1-23 H is looking now:
These photos now are documenting my next "problem": Since many , many years, we have not had such a cold winter with such an amount of snow and really cold temperatures - and my little and comfortable workshop is well integrated into the house, which is forbidding itself excessive sanding and painting work. Therefore sanding, repairing and filling nicks and dents and sanding again will have to wait until the weather gets better and will allow outside work in the garden...
So, please, bear with me until I can go on and report the next steps into final finishing the plane - but don`t worry, the next "wooden" project is already under way...
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