Well, I can say first off that this was the model that was going to be motorized with the working contra props. I’m even happy to say I got a working example, complete with prop blades- but that was only for one night. After a number of failures, both motor, gearbox, and U-joint related, I finally got fed up enough with it to just finish it OOB.
I have got to say, this is a pretty good kit, but the decals are HORRIBLE!! If you can notice, nearly every decal shattered whenever I tried to move it at all. (That’s why the decals on the wings are slanted, as opposed to straight across) You may also notice the absence of red bars on the National Insignia. This is because they were provided as seperate decals! As I said, by this point I just wanted the model finished, so I just forgot about them.
The overall AC looks just fine. Perhaps aftermarket decals might have improved it slightly as rjkplasticmod mentioned, but one thing is for sure, It sure would have been nice to see those props spinning. Aspecialy since you put so much effert into the gearbox and all that. Keep trying.
Looks good Lucien!I agree that unless the kit is Hasegawa or Tamiya,I hesitate to us4e the decals supplied in the kit and either use decals that are known to be good or paint them on. In the case of my current project(Icm Tb-3 Zeno)the corrugated surface of the wing and fuselage dictated painted-on national markings.I do not understand why kit companies choose to use poor quality decals(I bet the bean-counters are to blame).
Looks pretty good - but too bad about the OOB decals - must have been seriously frustrating.
Also, too bad about the contra-rotating prop…it was looking promising there for a little while.
I might have a stab at it myself - and if I have any luck, I’ll let you know.
Hi,
I am here new. Sorry for my English, I learn it only. I work in the KOPRO company. Send me please your address on e-mail jirka@airplanephoto.net or latal@kp-kopro.cz and I send you new GOOD decals . The model is very nice.
Jirka
The biggest thing I learned with this model is that the concept is solid- it is possible to have working contra props. There’s only a few things I need to get a solid, working example (in order of importance):
A very strong, bend resistant main shaft that’s very thin. I started with brass, but that deforms too easily.
A strong, reliable gearbox-to-motor connection.
Space for a battery that provides enough power- AAA, minimum.
Perfect 3-axis alignment for the two parts of the prop. (Probably a machine like a drill press would help) Any tilt results in a huge gap with no way to fix it.
Smaller spinners would help. The Pogo spinner compared to the gearbox was just huge- it took a lot of power just to spin the thing without the added resistance of a gearbox. Just a bit more tinkering is needed, I think.
Jirka L.- Thanks for the offer. So long as it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’ll sent you my address as soon as possible. Welcome to the Forums!
As always, thank you everyone for your comments. They are all very appreciated. Thank you!
My friend Skeets Coleman was one of only two pilots to ever fly that airplane, and the only one, as I remember, to actually transition from takeoff to flight and back to a vertical landing. He tells some fascinating stories of what it was like to land looking back over your shoulder, and knowing you had to get it done, and done right.