I need help locating some building plans for a Grumman G-164 Ag-Cat (cropduster).
I’d like to build one from scratch but have no idea how to go about it.
If anyone can point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it.
I remember seeing in one issue of FSM a photo of a monoplane cropduster that was made from scratch but now I can’t find it and I don’t remember the name of the person who built it.
I’d be happy to help you look. John E may very well know, this is up his alley. One thing in a quick www search- there seem to be more links to Schweizer Ag Cat than the Grumman or G number, so try that too.
Here is a web site for a fellow who has R/C plans for many Ag Cat models. That would be the best starting point I know of.
Thanks John, I’ll check it out.
Ok, so I ordered the plans from Bill Northrop plan service. Now what’s the first thing I need to do? I’ve never worked from plans before.
My guess would be to convert the plans down to 1:48 scale? (how?).
I think you just need to divide the scale of your plans into 48 and then reduce them by that much percent.
All you have to do is to find the differeence in the scales. Example: the plans you ordered are 1/6 scale, so you divide 1/48 by 1/6 (.0208 divided by .1666 = .1248). This means that whatever measurement you take off the plans you bought, just multiple that measurement by .1248. This will give you the dimension of that feature for a 1/48 scale model. Hope this helps!!
My Enigma machine is down, could you decode please?
rofl
[(-D]
HG1,
Often times plans for scale flying models are modified for flying stability. The wing chord is often elongated to better distribute the wing load. The epanage is often increased in area to get better control responses and stability in flight. The point is that you should compare the drawings to the real aircraft’s data and take this into consideration when you scale down the plans. You should be able to find a copying service that can copy the plans in the scale you want, but keep in mind that you can get distortion doing this. You picked a great old bird to model. Good luck.
Consider a wood mold and vacuum formed fuselage and cowling halves. The wings could be foam core with plastic sheeting. The plans should give you the shapes at various “stations” along the fuselage for templates, as well as the wing and other flying surface shapes (wing chord, etc.). The empanage can be solid plastic carved and sanded to shape. You can get Evergreen plastic in sheets of various thicknesses, and various shapes, as well as clear plastic. Just some thoughts. Lastly, in more than 50 years of modeling I cannot remember ever seeing a plastic model of this aircraft in any scale. Go for it.
Thank you rangerj and everyone else for your advice and encouragement.
I just came back from checking my mailbox (haven’t done it all weekend) and there it was, the plans from Bill Northrop.
I gotta tell you, if I wasn’t intimidated by the magnitude of this project before, I sure am now…these plans are HUGHE! I mean I don’t have a table in my apartment big enough to place one sheet open without some part of it hanging over the side!
Oh this is goin to be fun!
[swg]
Fortuneatly, my Enigma machine works (just change the font type), Kestrel wrote:
All you have to do is to find the differeence in the scales. Example: the plans you ordered are 1/6 scale, so you divide 1/48 by 1/6 (.0208 divided by .1666 = .1248). This means that whatever measurement you take off the plans you bought, just multiple that measurement by .1248. This will give you the dimension of that feature for a 1/48 scale model. Hope this helps!!
I saw a scratchbuilt 1/32 scale Piper Pawnee at a contest a year ago - I think it’s the one that was published in FSM. I seem to remember that the builder used a 1/32 Piper Super Cub cowling (from a Revell kit, perhaps?) for the nose, and built backwards from there. It was an absolutely beautiful model.
Good luck on your project, I love to see people modeling small general aviation aircraft.
Kevin
Howdy! I’m the guy that built the Pawnee. Thank you SO MUCH for the nice comments. That project was a true labor of love, as I’ve been crazy about agricultural aircraft since I was a kid. I actually started with a small portion of the front cowl from an ancient Monogram Piper Tri-Pacer kit, and scratchbuilt everything from there on back. (Trust me… there were many occasions during that build when the model came very close to being “test flown”… across the ROOM!) I’d be happy to help you out with your Ag-Cat project. 'Been collecting parts, pieces, and reference material for a potential Cat build myself for years. Let me know what you need! Again, thank you very much for the compliments…
Here’s an easy way. At whatever scale your plans are, say 1/6, draw a very crisp and accurate line on them thats as long as will fit and measure it. Say it’s 4 feet long. That would be 24 feet at the original plan scale. Take your drawings to Kinkos and tell them"see this line, make it exactly 6" long", which is a scale 24 feet at 1/48.
Too bad Monogram never released their F4B-4 in 1:48. I used the 1:72 kit on several occasions to create ag aircraft. I found that the upper wing, split and mounted low worked well. Look at using other biplanes, such as the Gladiator, it too has potential as a foundation for building an ag plane. I have one on the shelf that has been modified to accept a turbine and enclosed cockpit. Some day I will revisit it again.
Oh wow!
Man, I have to tell you, that is one awesome model you built.
I just saw that photo in the magazine but it caught my attention real fast.
I have some technical drawing that I got from the Grumman History Center here in Long Island.
Right now I’m trying to find motors (in 1:48 and 1:32 scale).
Not much luck in that, found one type, a Jacobs R-755 in 1:48 made by Engines & Things.
I was hoping to find something in 1:32 scale so I can make the model in 1:32 but it looks like it’s going to be a 1:48… for now.
How many dusters have you built so far?
Hey! Great idea!
That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks again for the positive comments… Potential sources for 1/32 scale 450 Pratt & Whitney engine cylinders are any of the old Williams Brothers kits (Gee Bee racer, etc.) Also, Hasagawa produced a Peashooter kit in 1/32 scale with some very nice radial engine pieces. The early Ag Cats ran either the 450 or 600 HP P&W motors, and it wouldn’t take that much effort to modify one of those kit 450’s to the bigger 600. If you wanted to save all the trouble, you could just bypass the round motor and “power” your Cat with one of those long-nosed turbines! (Bad idea…That would be sacreligious)The wings would be pretty simple builds, as the cord and so forth is the same from end to end. (all four are interchangable too!) I’ve got some factory drawings on loan that I could copy and send you via snail mail if you’d be interested. If you’ve got copy machine access, I’d just fiddle with the reduce/enlarge buttons until a point-to-point dimenson on the drawing matches up to the same dimension in 1/32 scale. As for my other duster projects, some are ongoing works-in-progress, others still in planning stage: 1/32nd Air Tractor, 1/32nd Revell Super Cub with belly tank and booms, 1/48th Stearman, and a 1/12th Ag Cat… Maybe even another Pawnee in 1/20th…