My first Little Satan build

HI Guys

The little satan in built. Everything is done, now I just need to do the finishing. Sanding, Painting, ....

I used a transparent blue for the wing. This is what I have got. Could not get any red at this stage.

Here is the bottom side of the wing covered


Here is both sides covered but not shrinked yet


Here the wing is complete


Here is the plane done and all parts glued




Hope to get the rest done this week.

Theo

That's a very clean job Theo, well done!!

Looks perfect. Nice covering job.Won't be long now.
I'll have some tips for you for launching it, the hardest part of flying a Li'l Satan.
Rusty

Very Nice Theo!! You'll have some fun with that for sure!!!!   

Excellent work Theo. Have you settled on an engine yet?

Thank you Guys

I appreciate it.

Thanks Rusty, I will appreciate the tips for launching.

I will be using a Black Widow on the Satan.

I also have a Norvel that I want to try later on.

Theo Kleynhans wrote:Thank you Guys

I appreciate it.

Thanks Rusty, I will appreciate the tips for launching.

I will be using a Black Widow on the Satan.

I also have a Norvel that I want to try later on.

The first engine i had on mine was a BW. It's the best starter engine and likely balances easiest. I finally got tired of it running out of fuel so soon and not doing sustained inverted flight. If you bolt a Norvel on it you'll really have a pocket rocket! Which Norvel do you have?
Rusty

Hi Rusty

I actually do not know which one I have. It is an old R/C one. I bought it from an onother guy as is. I have run it once or twice to get it run in. I did it to the instructions of the new norvel's. It runs nicely. Was difficult in the beginning to get it to run, then I used a big tank and lifted it above the engine, and it ran fine.

This is what it looks like:




Would you be able to help me identify it?

I do not even know if it is a 049 or a 061?

Theo

Theo, the .08 ink marking just below the exhaust indicates that you have a .049. The next step is determining what version you have. While I feel this is a Big Mig version, there could be a possibility of it being a AME version. The Big Mig is known as the sport version while the AME is a slightly faster runner. Removing the glow plug will reveal either 5 small ports in the cylinder for the Big Mig or 3 large cutouts for the AME. In addition, I see the tiny hole on the engine lug between the mounting holes. This is for a spring starter which believe was common to the Big Mig Startup version which came with a plastic tank. Ken

Theo, after you get the hang of flying the Satan with your Black Widow, that Norvel would be a fun engine to bolt onto it. You could use a radial mount backplate like I did, that the engine screws onto. They are available for Norvel and Cox Tee Dee/Medallion from Texastimers.com.




I'm looking forward to seeing this plane fly.
Rusty

Thank you for the nice info Ken. It looks like you are the engine specialist. I will remove the glow head and see what I can see. I am actually waiting for the plastic tank for the Norvel. Another guy is giving me one. I should have it next week.

Thanks Rusty
I also cannot wait to get the satan in the air. I am actually getting a plastic tank that fits onto the Norvel engine. So I will see how that goes, then I will change it if I have problems.

Can someone maybe help me with a high resolution scan of the lil Satan decal? I have a scan, but it is terrible resolution. I would like to get a sticker made for it.

Theo

I've got a new decal I can scan for you. I'll make a note to do it this afternoon.
Rusty

Theo, I scanned my Li'l Satan decal into a Bitmap (.bmp) format. It's 600 dpi, which is the highest resolution I could get, and the file is 13.6mb. Probably too large to e-mail. I tried hosting it on servimg.com, but their max is 2mb. Here's a link to the image on Photobucket.com, but it turns out they compressed it into a Jpeg (I should have known).
Open the link and you may have to click the "+" button in the lower right corner to view full size before saving it to your computer.

https://2img.net/h/i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/rknrusty/Airplanes/LilsatanDecal001_zps69303a13.png

Here's what it looks like on the forum. Actually it's over sized. The whole sheet is 2.5" x 5".


If this is still not good enough, let me know and I'll figure out some other way to get the high res file to you. Or you tell me if you know an better way. Somewhere to host a 13mb PDF, maybe?  Or maybe a .tiff might work better.
Anyway let me know.

Also, if you need something ordered from the US, maybe we could have it sent to one of us, who could then re-send it to you and save some money.
Rusty

Thank you Rusty

The one you saved is perfect. It is much better than the one I have. Thanks again.

I will take you up on the postage Rusty. When I need something, I will let you know.

At the moment I am still busy finishing the Satan. It is taking more time than anticipated.

Theo

Yep, the devil's in the details. It takes me forever to get the last bits done. I've really enjoyed watching it come together.

You're a really good builder, but I'm happy to see I am getting the hang of it too. I've learned most everything from these guys at CEF and RCgroups in a shorter time than I taught myself since my first balsa model in my 20s.
Rusty

Thanks a lot Rusty.

It have been a great build an really nice to get all the info and support from the guys on here.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Theo

Morning Guys

My Lil Satan is done!!!

After sealing and sanding the wood area, the grain and wood colour with the blue wing looked so great, that I decided to not paint it a colour. So I only used clear.

This is my Lil Satan:






The final weight is 62grams (2 1/8 oz). With my Black Widow it is 120grams (4 1/4 oz).

It is a bit nose heavy. The balance point at the moment is here:


What do you guys think? Should I add some weights to the back? Where would you recommend me to stick the weight?

Theo

Theo, If it's your first flight, or first flight with the plane, try to fly it as it is now. Maybe, it will not maneuvre well but at least it will not go up and down by itself. I know what I'm talking about. Later on, you can adjust the CG to near where it should be.

Lieven

Theo Kleynhans wrote:
What do you guys think? Should I add some weights to the back? Where would you recommend me to stick the weight?

Theo

I had wondered if it might be feasible to wrap some fine resin cored solder around the back end of the pushrod to try and balance a nose-heavy situation.  I've never heard of it being done, but just thought it would be easy to fit, easy to adjust and fairly neat.

Rod.

Thanks Lieven, I think I will go that route and fly it as is first.

I am thinking of trying that Rod. I am sure that will work and will be easy to remove or add when needed.

Ken, I have checked my Norvel. There are 5 small ports. So it is a Big Mig 049.

I got the plastic tank that attaches to the Norvel, but it looks like it will move the engine forward even more than a Black Widow. Will this not be a problem?

Theo

Theo, I can't comment on the Norvel tank. The Big Mig is a good version and it will bring a lot of enjoyment.  What I have seen from tank mounts like these and also the Cox versions is that they're problematic themselves in regards to control line use. I have never used one nor would I. I would either make my own tank or run the engine on bladder. I've read that these tanks can leak in the backplate area and that the plumbing really needs some reconfiguring. Here's some good info http://www.aeromaniacs.com/norvefsetup.htm   Any wing I have owned has suffered from fuel draw using tanks. The maneuvers are generally too quick and the fuel is running away from the pickup. Certain tank shapes and designs will prevent this problem. All of the wings I fly are flown on bladder pressure. It's just too easy and it takes all of the problems out of the picture. Combat wings turn far superior if the engine is on or recessed into the leading edge. While the Norvel tank mount may work, I don't know off hand what the weight of the Norvel is VS. the Cox. I have used Dave Brown mounts for the Norvel. If you do the same, I highly recommend drilling and tapping the reinforced fiberglass mount. Anytime I used the provided sheet metal like screws, the mount always failed on the back screw holes. Ken