Cox Red Knight

bottomgun Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:55 pm

I picked this up from a local hobby shop owner for $25.00. He sold it to me after mentioning to him that I like restoring old Cox models. It came taken apart but everything was there with no missing parts. I have some .020 rebuild items coming soon so I dismantled the engine while I'm waiting on them. Doesn't appear to have any damage except for some discoloration on the rudder and one of the wing struts. I decided to paint the emblems on once again, but since the originals were completely missing, I copied some WW1 emblems off the internet and sized them down to fit properly. I then made templates and cut out stencils. Compared to the other projects I've done, this was an easy task to complete and only took me two evenings to do.

My container of parts. Motor is complete and all hardware and body screws are there.

Mask for white base coat on upper wing.

White base and then black inserts applied that evening. The weather here is very dry and has been averaging about 87 degrees so the acrylic paint dries very fast.

Superpoxy clearcoat applied this morning. I'll let this cure a few days and I'll assemble the plane back together when my motor parts come in.

Marleysky Tue Apr 05, 2016 6:43 pm

Looks real good! Just what brand/type and method of paint application are you using?
I've not ever seen a Super Epoxy Clear? Is it a spray or brush on? Looks invisible in your pictures!!

bottomgun Wed Apr 06, 2016 9:23 am

I'm using Tamiya acrylic paints that are airbrushed on. The Superpoxy is a long discontinued two part epoxy paint system that was available from K&B Products. You mixed the two parts together and then thin with their reducer to spray on also. It came in a full array of part A colors and clear coat that you could either have in a satin finish or gloss depending on what part B hardener you used. It's very tough and fuel proof as well. The good news is that a product called KlassKote is available and virtually the same stuff. I would have ordered their colors as well but I didn't want to spend the extra cash when I still had clear coat left and it works well over practically any paint you can use on plastic. About two years ago I sold a Jemco AT-6 trainer that I built in 1984 and painted using Superpoxy. The colors are as bright the day I sold it as they were when I first painted it. I still have some left over colors from that time and they're still good to use.

roddie Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:00 am

I love to see these plastic models being restored. You're doing a very nice job! By accident.. I was searching the internet for the full-scale "Sky-Bolt" kit-plane.. and found this. Do you suppose there's any correlation? Great read.

http://www.steenaero.com/KnightTwister/history.cfm

stuntflyr Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:15 pm

Hi Roddie,
The Knight Twister is a tiny biplane designed long before the Pitts Special which is the basis of the Cox Mini Stunt/Red Baron/Red Knight/Art Scholl Pitts Special which came from the original Little Stinker.
Cool airplane, designed by Vernon Payne with cantilever wings and tail so no wires to cause drag, and super good looks, but the designers were different people.
I have been a Knight Twister fan since childhood and think they're the best looking and potentially highest speed biplanes. N7D, a KT-85 converted to an O-320 with constant speed prop cruises at 210 mph at 24 in HG and 2400 rpm, has a top speed of 250 mph. Having had two Curtis Pitts' little Pitts Specials, I think my next little airplane will be a Knight Twister. I like the 55 sq ft area wings on the KT-85 version (the Pitts Special has 96 sq ft) though a buddy has a wrecked project of the little bit larger Sunday Knight Twister with 75 sq ft wings.
Chris...

bottomgun Thu Apr 07, 2016 7:16 pm

Interesting history of these two Bipes. I got my .020 stuff in the mail earlier today and assembled the motor along with a new glow plug. Attached it to the firewall/landing gear pod and fired it up. Runs great. Assembled the whole plane together this evening and it's ready for show or fly.

**Cribbs74** Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:59 pm

Bang up job! It deserves to be flown, at least once, with video so we all can share in your good fortune. Just do it over grass!

bottomgun Thu Apr 07, 2016 9:06 pm

I'll probably get this one in the air with a video made while doing it. I need to take up one of my PT 19's first to get my feet wet again. The last time I flew any type of line control plane was about 1975.

getback Fri Apr 08, 2016 4:52 am

They look GREAT bottomgun The colors stands out nicely love those red wheels under the skirts , hope you can get out and do some flying . Eric

roddie Sat Apr 09, 2016 4:57 pm

A very handsome little airplane!

Cox Red Knight 0041010

bottomgun Sat Apr 09, 2016 7:51 pm

What really amazes me especially for a plane this little, is what it was like for the people at Cox during their heyday to design semi scale planes that were normally made of lightweight balsa, and by using plastic and making parts interlock using only a few small screws or rubber bands to hold it all together and still being able to make them fly.

Mark Boesen Sat Apr 09, 2016 9:59 pm

lol, who dat!

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