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Cox Engine of The Month
My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
Page 1 of 1
My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
Received from E-Bay a few days ago.
The motor was seized and after soaking 24 hours in vinegar, it now turns by hand in a normal way.
Here is the finished plane; after being disassembled and cleaned.
The elevator rod was broken. It's really too weak a part. I glued it back together and reinforced it with very strong tape.
I will not connect this rod to the bellcrank. It will break again. This plane is for display, not for flying



The motor was seized and after soaking 24 hours in vinegar, it now turns by hand in a normal way.
Here is the finished plane; after being disassembled and cleaned.
The elevator rod was broken. It's really too weak a part. I glued it back together and reinforced it with very strong tape.
I will not connect this rod to the bellcrank. It will break again. This plane is for display, not for flying



latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
Nice job, effective use of a rubber band. What did you use for cement?
rsv1cox- Top Poster
Posts : 9277
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
Good repair. I don't know if there is much more you can do.
They made the elevator horn longer to gauge back elevator action since the whole elevator is the moving surface. That horn is a very weak design. It looks like to reduce manufacturing costs in both parts count and assembly, that they did this, yet the real Sopwith Camel had separate elevator and stabilizer.
I guess they really expected these planes to have only one shot flights. (One flight, and it is all over.)

It amazes me, the changes in quality over time from the first Cox and Wen-Mac products to the last. The earlier ones were well done, well detailed, the construction reflected quality.
Then AMF / Testor took over Wen-Mac and Leisure Dynamics with Cox. I haven't fully researched their history, so I am more or less shooting from the hip. I see changes in quality in how constructed, how engineered. The later products were not near as good as the earlier products of the 1950's and 1960's. It seems the influence of Leroy Cox had faded away.
They made the elevator horn longer to gauge back elevator action since the whole elevator is the moving surface. That horn is a very weak design. It looks like to reduce manufacturing costs in both parts count and assembly, that they did this, yet the real Sopwith Camel had separate elevator and stabilizer.
I guess they really expected these planes to have only one shot flights. (One flight, and it is all over.)

It amazes me, the changes in quality over time from the first Cox and Wen-Mac products to the last. The earlier ones were well done, well detailed, the construction reflected quality.
Then AMF / Testor took over Wen-Mac and Leisure Dynamics with Cox. I haven't fully researched their history, so I am more or less shooting from the hip. I see changes in quality in how constructed, how engineered. The later products were not near as good as the earlier products of the 1950's and 1960's. It seems the influence of Leroy Cox had faded away.
GallopingGhostler- Top Poster
Posts : 4450
Join date : 2013-07-13
Age : 69
Location : Clovis, NM, USA
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
rsv1cox wrote:Nice job, effective use of a rubber band. What did you use for cement?
I use Testors Cement for plastic.
I is not strong enough, plastic surface is too small. It break after I play with bellcranck.
I glue a second time and put some small piece fo Tuck tape.
I did not connect bellcranck rod and I will not
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
latole wrote:rsv1cox wrote:Nice job, effective use of a rubber band. What did you use for cement?
I use Testors Cement for plastic.
I is not strong enough, plastic surface is too small. It break after I play with bellcranck.
I glue a second time and put some small piece fo Tuck tape.
I did not connect bellcranck rod and I will not
Yes, a lot of stress placed on it when the control rod is inserted. Testor's red tube cement needs 24 hours to completely cure.
rsv1cox- Top Poster
Posts : 9277
Join date : 2014-08-18
Location : West Virginia
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
rsv1cox wrote:latole wrote:rsv1cox wrote:Nice job, effective use of a rubber band. What did you use for cement?
I use Testors Cement for plastic.
I is not strong enough, plastic surface is too small. It break after I play with bellcranck.
I glue a second time and put some small piece fo Tuck tape.
I did not connect bellcranck rod and I will not
Yes, a lot of stress placed on it when the control rod is inserted. Testor's red tube cement needs 24 hours to completely cure.
You are right and I wait more than 24 hours.
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
GallopingGhostler wrote:Good repair. I don't know if there is much more you can do.
They made the elevator horn longer to gauge back elevator action since the whole elevator is the moving surface. That horn is a very weak design. It looks like to reduce manufacturing costs in both parts count and assembly, that they did this, yet the real Sopwith Camel had separate elevator and stabilizer.
I guess they really expected these planes to have only one shot flights. (One flight, and it is all over.)
.
I agree, good for one flight
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
About the only negative I see, if you were to successfully say, mount the control horn to the outside then make a slot to pass the push rod to the location outside, besides deviating from factory, would be the short throw of the elevator horn. It would have to be longer, at least the same in length as the factory horn. I recall that some time back, Hobby King had some of these longer horns.
However, since it is your model, there's freedom in our choices and solutions. We can only please ourselves, and the desires of all the rest really do not matter.
To repair the broken control horn, this most likely would require plastic welding. But I gather it would be difficult to do, because it is easy to distort the elevator while applying heat, even if the welding pencil applies heat locally. Plus, unless one has experience, can easily destroy the part practicing. One would have to figure out how to reinforce the location, so it can stand the stresses. There isn't much room to do.
However, if the model is for display purposes only, then there is no problem.
Some additional info may be found in this CEF thread: CEF Nov. 2015: Sopwith Camel .049
@latole, you may already have these instructions, so if you do, please disregard my chattering here.
Thanks to @crankbndr, here's his instructions with exploded view of the parts:
Interesting comments by users 20 years ago: The Aerodrome Forum: Control Line Models
It is an interesting thread (now closed, read only), mentions some about the Cox Sopwith Camel along with other WW1 half-A C/L aircraft. It includes comments from Dave (dpcmodels) at Aerowerkes in Farmington, NM, who I believe is still making half-A retro-kits.
Here's a comment from someone who was a kid at the time, purchasing these planes using his lawn mower job money.

Dave gives insight into why he decided to produce half-A retro-kits, much of it from personal experiences while growing up. There is the child in all of us.
Those curious, the thread makes for an interesting read.
However, since it is your model, there's freedom in our choices and solutions. We can only please ourselves, and the desires of all the rest really do not matter.

To repair the broken control horn, this most likely would require plastic welding. But I gather it would be difficult to do, because it is easy to distort the elevator while applying heat, even if the welding pencil applies heat locally. Plus, unless one has experience, can easily destroy the part practicing. One would have to figure out how to reinforce the location, so it can stand the stresses. There isn't much room to do.

However, if the model is for display purposes only, then there is no problem.

Some additional info may be found in this CEF thread: CEF Nov. 2015: Sopwith Camel .049
@latole, you may already have these instructions, so if you do, please disregard my chattering here.

Thanks to @crankbndr, here's his instructions with exploded view of the parts:
Interesting comments by users 20 years ago: The Aerodrome Forum: Control Line Models
It is an interesting thread (now closed, read only), mentions some about the Cox Sopwith Camel along with other WW1 half-A C/L aircraft. It includes comments from Dave (dpcmodels) at Aerowerkes in Farmington, NM, who I believe is still making half-A retro-kits.
Here's a comment from someone who was a kid at the time, purchasing these planes using his lawn mower job money.

Dave gives insight into why he decided to produce half-A retro-kits, much of it from personal experiences while growing up. There is the child in all of us.

Those curious, the thread makes for an interesting read.

GallopingGhostler- Top Poster
Posts : 4450
Join date : 2013-07-13
Age : 69
Location : Clovis, NM, USA
GallopingGhostler- Top Poster
Posts : 4450
Join date : 2013-07-13
Age : 69
Location : Clovis, NM, USA
Re: My last purchase; Cox Sopwith Camel
Thank's GallopingGhostler,
Very useful informations I don't have,
I will look at them
Very useful informations I don't have,
I will look at them
latole- Gold Member
- Posts : 328
Join date : 2021-03-28
Location : Quebec province

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