I hate building

[Sesame]

I just wanted to vent my feelings at my utter dislike of building planes(planks). I get huge pleasure from building helicopters, I really enjoyed building the last and that I suppose is one good thing about having to do it again, I get to build it and not make the errors I did with the first one.

But when it comes to planks it just leaves me cold, ive one of these artf things sitting on my desk, could probably do it in an evening, but I keep getting it out and putting it away again.

Love flying them hate building them.

OK rant over :D

[Raptormadsteve]

Hi Tony i enjoy any building! planes heli's but not BRICK sheds!
Steve

[3dbasher]

[QUOTE=Sesame;50437]I just wanted to vent my feelings at my utter dislike of building planes(planks). I get huge pleasure from building helicopters, I really enjoyed building the last and that I suppose is one good thing about having to do it again, I get to build it and not make the errors I did with the first one.

But when it comes to planks it just leaves me cold, ive one of these artf things sitting on my desk, could probably do it in an evening, but I keep getting it out and putting it away again.

Love flying them hate building them.

OK rant over :D[/QUOTE]
completely agree although selling my planks as flying them bores me too, anyone wanna buy a sebart katana 30se? balistic perforance on a 3S comparable to 40 size i.c

[Raptormadsteve]

Hi Guys must admit prefer building heli's i build them fit up and set up and test fly for others to fly who dont have the time/patients for it lol.
Regards Steve

[Sesame]

[quote=3dbasher;50454]completely agree although selling my planks as flying them bores me too, anyone wanna buy a sebart katana 30se? balistic perforance on a 3S comparable to 40 size i.c[/quote]

Iwould have it off ya but too far away, the reason for the comment was the leccy katana mini sitting in my office waiting for me to get started on it.

Problem is now ive got a shiney new knight 50 to build, and servos to move.

lots of servo moving going on, just swapped out the servos in an old biplane of mine those servos are going in my rappy 30 which will go up for sale eventually the servos in that should go in the knight then a new set of semi cheap servos for my raptor 60, which now I failed to sell will end up in a scale body.

but it still leaves me with this damn kit sitting here laughing at me cos I can't get my head around all the wooden bits :(

[Steve]

That's the problem with ARTFs - you don't build them, you assemble them.

All the skill and craftsmanship has all but gone nowadays, and if you want to actually build a plane, which by the way is very rewarding and challenging to do it properly, you first have to go find either just a plan, or a proper old-fashioned kit.

I've built a bi-plane over the winter from a kit, and am hoping to give it its maiden flight in about 3 weeks time.

[fatmantom]

thats interesting as i soon have to start making something for my GCSE Product design (resistant materials) course and i have thought about making a plank from scratch. problem is i would have to design it.

do you think it is a wise thing to do or shall i make a table like everyone eles :D how skilled do u have to be????

[Steve]

A simple yet very competent low-winger is easy-peasy.

Box fuse made from 0.5in balsa slabs, rounded at the corners, half coke bottle on top for a canopy, fin and tail plane made from 0.25in balsa sheet, and wings cut from polystyrene with a hot wire, and covered with obechi veneer.

Reminds me of the Super Stuntman from Dave Bowman models, about 20 years ago.

:p :p

[fatmantom]

wooooooow!! thank you, u just cut out 2 hours research :D

[XH558]

[quote]I just wanted to vent my feelings at my utter dislike of building planes(planks). I get huge pleasure from building helicopters, I really enjoyed building the last and that I suppose is one good thing about having to do it again, I get to build it and not make the errors I did with the first one.

But when it comes to planks it just leaves me cold, ive one of these artf things sitting on my desk, could probably do it in an evening, but I keep getting it out and putting it away again.

Love flying them hate building them.[/quote]I cannot disagree with this more - I started building planks with balsa and balsa cement 40 years ago before RTF and ARTF and even useable model helicopters were even thought of. If you couldn't build it you couldn't fly it :p

I get so much enjoyment from building traditional models I just cannot tell you - its amazing. Now with cyano glues, epoxy resins, lightweight materials and fittings you can get some most excellent results. Fettling models from a heap of wood and bits to a flyable plank is - in my opinion - a huge buzz. I have built control line rat racers, and team racers (and raced them at the Nationals) combat models - aerobatic and speed models all diesel engines ... moved on to radio and various OS powered things of all shapes and sizes - but got less enamoured of the noise and smell side of things.

Then we move to helicopters - as a challenge to myself several years ago after a break from building I bought an Ikarus Piccolo for as I have said I became disenchanted with noisy smelly glo motor planks ....and after several weeks I mastered the little devil ... then came the bling and the fettling and making it fly better and the bug bit me for the sheer mechanical fettling challenge of helis. Bought an Eolo and mastered that - to a point - and have blinged that but have slowly moved away and back to my first love as I saw the huge potential of brushless motors and lipo batteries and cheap small radio gear.

So I began building planks again - joy of joys - now its more fun than ever and quiet and clean too :D I've converted a 15 year old OS plank to brushless and it flies 10 times better now than it ever did before.

Recently, however, I have also bought and enjoyed - GWS Slow Stick - GWS Foam Spitfire and Tiger Cub and even a Depron Shockflyer and I can see they all have their place - but certainly not as models to build - just put together and fly is all.

We are moving into a new age - what I describe as the NOW GENERATION.
Everyone wants everything NOW - and so we have moved to ARTF and even - horror of horrors RTF. There's no patience - no desire to see something grow slowly and develop - Soon no one will know how to glue balsa together and all the skills will die like so many old skills before.

If you've not thumped a diesel engine to life with your bare finger - or fettled 1/16th and 1/8th balsa sheet into a living and breathing flying machine and not cad designed laser cut bits either - ones you've cut out yourself - then in my humble opinion - you aint lived ;):cool:

[Ashley Davis]

[QUOTE]If you've not thumped a diesel engine to life with your bare finger [/QUOTE]
I've had the life thumped out of my finger by a diesel engine.....does that count?

[Kwickkwack]

Ive started many diesel engines with my hands, but you would a job fitting them in a model, they usually weighed about 250kg:eek::eek:

[Nutz]

I only know ARTF, assemble and go...........Never built a kit and don't want to either.

Suppose you could look at me as the Ikea man :0 of R/C, although you still need to glue/epoxy ARTF, I think that is why I went for my TT trainer MK2 many years ago, every thing just bolted together.

I do enjoy repairing airplanes but not building or assembling.

It is different with helis, I love assembling and setting up helis, I feel I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to setting up and will spend hours checking and double checking things.


One question who else balances there Radix? As I am yet to find anyone else that does. I know people say you don't need to but if it 0.5G out it is getting 0.5G on the lighter blade.

(OMG Ikea is not listed in the ieSpell dictionary)

[Sesame]

[quote=Nutz;50564]One question who else balances there Radix? As I am yet to find anyone else that does. I know people say you don't need to but if it 0.5G out it is getting 0.5G on the lighter blade.

(OMG Ikea is not listed in the ieSpell dictionary)[/quote]

I had to laugh at this one as I did the last set I had, trouble is they went down with the first Knight.

started building the second and like you there Nutz I love the getting it perfect. I was playing with the shims on the starting shaft for ages last night, I had a choice build it to fly at the weekend which I see as perfectly possible or take my time and have it done properly for next weekend, no contest next weekend it will be.

Back to the thread, I didnt think this little comment would stir such great feelings, i'm glad it has its great to see different peoples oppinions.

Personally if I never had to build another plane in my life I wouldnt care. I have built them plenty of them, when I first started in the hobby, build from plans or basic kits was all there were. using tissue and stuff. then the advent of solar film, then solar tex etc. made life a little easier. I don't think I made a bad model either most looked very good. However, I soon discovered the building is not where I get the enjoyment.

[jimbob]

I have to agree with Managers post - personally I love building planes AND helis. I dont consider putting an ARTF together building though, which is why, as has been said here, I also have to ARTFs sitting in the garage untouched.
I do however have a Flair Bristol Fighter on the building board - 6 weeks and still have yet to start to build the top wing.

For me, theres something special about turning a box of wood into a flying machine. When I open the throttle and my BE2 trots off down the runway and commits aviation, Ive achieved a lot more than when I fly my ARTF after a couple of evening assembly.

At the end of the day its personal preferance isnt it! Each to their own and all that.

I do find it a little sad that the country that produced so much magnificent feats of engineering the world over now has a generation that would rather assemble a chinese made model than build an English one... Make our sons (and daughters) build models with us :)