Jim Walker Bonanza etc.

Thanks TD-A and roddie for the suggestions.  I will give them a  look.  Ken likes the lead out guide to be the same height as the B/C the R/L position has always been a question mark for me.  

I was surprised at how much paint added to the weight of Bonanza #2, almost an ounce.  The JW engines weight vs the Cox Medallion with the perfect tank I would think would be a wash but I did not check them individually.  Personally I like the natural look Bonanza better.  





I got the TeeDee .051 in today.  It came with the sleeve, unusual.  I always kept it but many just toss it.  Impulse buy just to compare.  Holds no/little interest for me.  Now if it was a beat up castor locked.............




Oh yeah...........crazy person here.  Won this one last night.  Cheap as you might imagine.  I like the patania... and it comes with a nice looking early Babe Bee. (I'm not sure about the "black" prop drive washer). Seller is shipping it "untracked".  Strange, but his feedback is 100%.



Edit:  Do you mean this picture roddie?

I think I was trying to align the single point lead-out with the mount "button" .......... or maybe I was just trying to avoid the knot.  Dunno....I'm old.  



Only acceptable place to C/L is the field, otherwise my property is covered with trees.

Glad you picked that Firebaby up Bob….. Not crazy, An eye of the beholder thing, I like the worn patina on it as well…. IMO a coat of clear to seal it up as is…. The early Bee is a nice plus but probably not original….. If the firewall hasn’t been re-drilled might have had a tanked Cub that had the same pattern….. Seller mentioned it had been flown by the previous owner…. I think that’s cool too..

I have an aerosol Top Flight clear Robert that I have been saving. Maybe it still has fizzzzz... I'm going to find your old post that outlines the construction of a plastic bottle canopy and try my luck.

TD-A - I do have experience with in-fuselage mounted Bell Cranks. Remember these.... Silver Lining - Airtruk

Thanks for reminding me roddie. Of course I know that procedure having used it many times and it has been discussed here. It just slipped my mind. Checking it out. Thanks again - Bob

Here’s the short on a Firebaby canopy Bob…. 20 oz dish soap bottle bottom corner….. It’s close but needs a bit of massaging with heat to slip under the metal firewall….. I think an OK replica if the original is missing completely….. Yes I remember the Silver Lining projects…. Those were fun !!….. Will be looking forward to the details on your well worn Firebaby when you get it

Robert, par excellence!    

In making that missing bladder fuel tank holder, by using commonly available items, you describe my methodology to a tee.

I just dumped a box of empty plastic bottles of various sizes from medicines, health supplements, etc. that I collected over the years as potential radial cowls. Downsizing "stuff".

Thanks Robert, I guess my next detergent buy will be Palmolive in that size then dump the contents in here, my regular buy.  I use a lot of the stuff.......  



I hung the first Bonanza as roddie described.  Perhaps a couple of degrees nose high but acceptable.  I first checked it free-hand but hung it for the picture.

Thanks guys, Before I found a mostly intact Firebaby I was collecting a few random parts and was going to scratch the rest out…. Also keeping an eye out for what could be used for substitutes…. I still may piece a second one together….

rdw777 wrote:Thanks guys, Before I found a mostly intact Firebaby I was collecting a few random parts and was going to scratch the rest out…. Also keeping an eye out for what could be used for substitutes…. I still may piece a second one together….

"I was collecting a few random parts"

Maybe you saw this curious ebay ad Robert.



Listed at $15.00 BIN with $6 shipping.  No explaination, no "select parts desired" option.  Just the picture.  So I figured the whole thing and jumped on it.   It will be interesting to see what shows up.

The scratchy Bonanza evolves in a most pecular way.  Fitting it in between rebuilding the cabin and everything else.  My back is killing me.  

PS - The leadout guide is positioned exactly as described in the plans.



Got the new Palmolive bottle, looks like I have two chances to mess the canopy up.  One on each side.

“Maybe you saw this curious ebay ad Robert.”

I missed that one, I was watching the one with the drop down menu for awhile…. Bought a rudder, a few bellcranks and fire walls….. Will be interesting to see what shows up in your package….. If you wind up with a surplus of metal props I may want to buy one just for display….

I roughed out that bottle/canopy with a utility knife and made it oversized…… Then trimmed on it here and there with some heavy scissors…. That plastic is tougher than it looks… Be careful and don’t let the knife slip!!…. I used heat from a candle to soften the plastic to try and form fit better…. A heat gun may be better if you have one…..Not as pretty as an original but works OK…..  Let me know how it works out

Finished.  Fuel tank wired in with foam double sided tape between tank and fuselage and control line wires installed.  Rough but flyable.  

rdw777 wrote:Glad you picked that Firebaby up Bob….. Not crazy, An eye of the beholder thing, I like the worn patina on it as well…. IMO a coat of clear to seal it up as is…. The early Bee is a nice plus but probably not original….. If the firewall hasn’t been re-drilled might have had a tanked Cub that had the same pattern….. Seller mentioned it had been flown by the previous owner…. I think that’s cool too..

Curious thing about that Fire Baby ebay sale. After I bought it, two days later the seller listed the exact same picture and description in a new ad. I asked him about in an email. He responded that I should read the ad as it states one of two. ----- Which it didn't. The second ad ended without a buyer.

Anyway, he has shipped it and USPS has it in it's posession. A fairly new ebay seller with seven sales but with 100% positive feedback. I think he just did not want to admit that he made a mistake by relisting the ad after it had already been sold.

Mistakes.........I've made a few, but too few to mention.............Frank Sinarta

rsv1cox wrote:Finished.  Fuel tank wired in with foam double sided tape between tank and fuselage and control line wires installed.  Rough but flyable.  

Nicely done..!
Just in case you're looking for a new project....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-tail#/media/File:UltraflightLazairSeriesIII.jpg

that came out really good looks like the box art to me ! You going to leave the one just wood grain ? Nice weights too .

I loved the ultra light with the inverted V tail, way beyond my capabilities to model though.  

Yes, the first cloned Bonanza stays natural.  

Really, really done!!  Got me to run a selection of engines for it.  Mounted the best running one.  The Medallion ran great with the T/F 5 1/2-3 but I will probably run something else when it comes around to flying.  I'm going to use the same handle that came in the parts box when I got it. I'm not concerned.




Roughly finished, but that's just me now-adays.

She looks great..!
The suspense of waiting to see it fly is unbearable.....
What does it need for wing tip weight...?

TD ABUSER wrote:She looks great..!
The suspense of waiting to see it fly is unbearable.....
What does it need for wing tip weight...?

I hadn't thought of it. Dacron lines look to be short. I'm looking for just an uninterupted circle to make me happy. What it needs is nose weight, lead from a .22 cartridge ought to do it. Fresh paint needs a week or two to settle, but my every intention is to give it a try, that and the natural Bonanza too. First thing to leave the model will be the wheel pants. Expendable.

rsv1cox wrote:

Curious thing about that Fire Baby ebay sale. …

That is strange Bob, Surely it was a mistake to re-list after it was sold…..Certainly would not be more than one to fit that photo description….

Bonanza looks great!!…. Does the box art justice ….. I bet Jim Walker would not have dreamed of his models still being built, copied and cloned, collected and discussed all these years later….Hope you can a give flight or two a shot

Thanks roddie.  That did the trick.  Much better balanced now.  I took the opportunity to change the prop to a Cox 6/3.  Maybe a better choice for the Medallion.  Can't find a spinner for it though.  Goes as is.  With no rudder I angled the engine out a bit more than normal to compensate.  Bruse on the wing is from the drill I used to drill the holes for the fuel tank wire.  Big drill, little bit.  I should have used the Dremel.  



BTW, while cleaning up the cabin this morning I moved a gifted bird feeder out to the front porch.  Nut Hatches have found it and are taking it over.  COSTCO seeds.  Not exactly Bird Station Zebra but it will have to do.  




And Robert, if JW is watching what I'm doing to his creations he's probably turning over...................