discussion Building Guillows Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber & converting to micro radio

[wonwinglo]

The mighty B-24 Liberator bombers extensively modified from the Guillows kit,not for the feint hearted the model presents many constructional challenges along the way but the end results speak for themselves this model certainly looks impressive.








Start by cutting out the parts from the balsa membranes,clean them all up before any assembly starts.





Start by laying out the fuselage formers each one has to be at perfect right angles to the building board,work slowly and carefully.



The secondary side keels are added each side.





The deep wing section typical of the B-24,I added some wingtip washout at this stage altering each wing rib as I went along.



Working on the fuselage with wing root attachment rib and location box behind it,this fixes the dihedral angle.



Chief inspector surveys my work.



Trial fit of the wings,wingtips modified with soft balsa blocks to get a good shape.



Ailerons are cut out.




Start made on building up the engine nacelles,note extensive additional gussets,allowed to cure out overnight before the next stages of construction.



The outrunners go in for a trial installation.








Fitting the ailerons and servo's.




Construction of the tailplane before cutting out the elevators.





Trial fitting of the tail assembly with hinged elevators.

 

[PaulTRose]

fascinating......ive got a quillows Chipmunk in the stash......too scared to start it cos i havnt got a clue so im glad to follow someone to see what is like

btw you have a beautiful coloured kitty

 

[Guest]

Great work so far.

 

[wonwinglo]

After a good sanding and adjustments another assembly.



Red Bulls P-38 joins in.






Beefing up the wing spars.



A big part of conversions are the hatches,first the infills are made,then carefully removed and sub formers fashioned and added to the hatch,then the surrounding formers are added and worked on.



Cut and re-inforce,keep going until a box can be made up to fit inside the walls of the fuselage.



This is how the end formers are made for the hatches,leaving plenty of material to blend in.



One hatchway before re-inforcement.



Cut,add,cut and add....



The upper radio hatch access.



Making up the undercarriage legs,the wheels have balsa disc membranes added for extra strength.









Rare earth magnets will hold the hatches in place.



Tail servo port side.

 

[boatman]

HI Barry lookin good an are they brushless motors you have fitted ?
chris

 

[wonwinglo]

The build continues.





Suitable contra propellers sourced from a Quadcopter.






Wiring up the loom's.



My ever useful soldering jig made from clothes peg's.



Battery box installed,note rare earth magnets for hatch attachment and the way box is built within the fuselage formers.



Feeding the wires through the airframe.



Simple fuselage cradles make working on the build easier at this stage.



At this stage the lower surfaces of the wings were sheeted with 1/32nd balsa sanded down in places to 1/64th,this adds a lot of rigidity.



Once the wiring was sorted I decided to shorten it so everything had to be undone and soldered again !



Printers litho plate was formed around the leading edges inboard,paper was added outboard for a nice smooth joint.




View underneath during construction.



Mouse catcher and head of security.



On guard.

 

[wonwinglo]

fascinating......ive got a quillows Chipmunk in the stash......too scared to start it cos i havnt got a clue so im glad to follow someone to see what is like

btw you have a beautiful coloured kitty

Chipmunk is a good flyer and easy build so do not be afraid to get building,yes thats 'Ollie' my great feline companion.

 

[wonwinglo]

Great work so far.

Thank you sir.

 

[peterairfix]

I am In awe of the work I have tried a couple of balsa wood kits one never got finished and the one that did would have never flown even though it looked the part

 

[wonwinglo]

Yes 4x 1000 kv NTM 2826 Outrunners,30 amp ESC's,Gemfan 5x4 props 3S cells,Turnigy 2211's also work well on these bombers.

 

[wonwinglo]

I am In awe of the work I have tried a couple of balsa wood kits one never got finished and the one that did would have never flown even though it looked the part

I am In awe of the work I have tried a couple of balsa wood kits one never got finished and the one that did would have never flown even though it looked the part

Dont give in Peter,they are challenging but I find them rewarding to build.