RC Scratch Building - Fiberglass Fuselage Without a Mold

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This video outlines the process I used to fabricate the fuselage for my 1/4 scale Pitts Challenger III.
The process involves making a simplified plug and laying the final, airworthy fuselage directly on that plug. This saves considerable time over building a detailed plug and pulling a complex mold from it. There are advantages to that method, but for models that you only want to build 1 or 2 of this alternate method can save you a lot of time.
Full details on the build can be found at forum.flitetest.com/showthread...
Music by Eric Matyas
"Monster Street Fighters"
www.soundimage.org

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Опубликовано:

2 фев 2016

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Комментарии : 120

@repalmore 3 года назад

This is perfect for a one off. Though I think I have a one off in my future, I think I still want to use a mold. Just done it that way so many times it's as much a habit as a good reason. Thank you for posting. Great job on the plug.

@E744763Productions 8 лет назад

Wow, impressive method! Thanks for sharing this

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+E744763Productions Thanks!

@Raver-Meister 7 лет назад

Awesome. Love the build room and how you have a clock to show just how much effort goes into this. Keep up the good work!

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Thanks! I'll keep it up :-)

@Lazarus-aap 7 лет назад

Awesome video dude!!!

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@remkojerphanion4686 5 лет назад

This is really cool! I will be using this method for my model boats, so thanks for the inspiration!

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

Awesome! It will work perfect for that! Good luck!

@77Avadon77 4 года назад

Same here

@CarlLydickRC 4 года назад

This would be a fantastic method for boats. Good luck with your builds!

@rfcpilotaus2308 8 лет назад

You have done a fantastic job looks just like my full size wolf Cheers Sam

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+Samuel Unicomb Thanks! That's a hell of a compliment from someone who knows the aircraft well. I assume that's her in your avatar? Looks like a nice scheme!

@anamir3347 6 лет назад

Did this today. Results are amazing!!

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

Awesome! What are you building?

@anamir3347 6 лет назад

Wish I could show you. Scale fuselage for AAI RQ7. Heard it flies like a brick, but it's a good FPV platform. I also just received my pixhawk but didn't have anything to put it into 😁 hence decided to build this. Thanks a ton once again, I've never tried molds, seems like I never will now 😉😊

@leonardboisvert1557 4 года назад

I really like your method will apply your method on my next project, thanks

@CarlLydickRC 4 года назад

Good luck! What is the project?

@AlexM3478 7 лет назад

Wow, so much work

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

For the first one, yes. But the plug wasn't destroyed and I can pull another one with just a few hours of work now.

@mailmanjim57 7 лет назад

This was cool to watch. I'm contemplating making some fiberglass parts for a cycle cart I'm building, nose and tail sections of a 1931 Bugatti. and wasn't quite sure how to get the skin off the core. This cleared up a lot of my apprehension.

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Cool! I would expect this method to translate well for a lot of uses. Sounds like a cool project you have going!

@ColdAssRanch 8 лет назад

J Morgan uses this method as well. Good job!

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+dpalmer146 Absolutely! It was his builds that inspired me to give it a shot. Other than John and dag214 I haven't seen anyone using this technique. I'm sure others have done it too... it really does work well.

@BrianPhillipsRC 7 лет назад

Wow - That was sweet!

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Thanks!

@guerrillaradio9953 5 лет назад

I really like your method and results! I build my own designs fairly similarly. I have a hot wire "planer" as I call it. Take a couple cheap guitar tuning machines and wind kanthal wire across the table. Use a piece of metal stock or a caliper to set the cut thickness even. Take 1" foam and make it into 4 slices just under 1/4" thick. This is still plenty strong for gluing together a simpler airplane. Cut the formers out of the same foam. When the foam armature is sanded to final shape, lay up 2 layers of 6 oz. Cloth. Finish with a nice paint job, and enjoy a cheap, light, very durable airframe.

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

Very cool! I've seen Keith Sparks and others use a similar method to make their own sheet foam and it works great. I may give it a shot in the future. Right now I still have a good supply of 6mm Model Airplane Foam but when that runs out I may turn to making my own sheets to save money. I plan to use this method again this winter on my next build and those videos should start coming out in another week or two. That build will be MUCH bigger than this one but I'm excited to see how well it scales up. I generally have used much lighter glass than 6oz, but for this project the layup will need to be much stronger than the Pitts, so we'll see!

@fastbow9 5 лет назад

GuerrillaRadio j

@youssefelchami5207 3 года назад

Really impressive! I want to use the same method for my 1/10 scale Harrier AV-8B. I bought Blue foam which I want to make the mold from and then use this easy method to fiberglass it. Can you share more details about the stuff you used? the resin, and if you used gel coat and paint? I need to know exactly what you used please and thank you for your help much appreciated!

@tjkirkpatrick9451 2 года назад

How perfect do you need the plug before fiberglassing im super impressed with your builds and you have inspired me to have a go im building a great planes super sportster 40 size cheers Tj 👍

@alexshi9320 4 года назад

Would it make sense to not remove the foam for an RC plane?

@user-se8to2lg5v 6 лет назад

Thank you

@leavitttrucking1 5 лет назад

Can you do a 33% engine cowl for a extra 260

@wingnutzster 6 лет назад

How do you apply the filler or what you call 'spackle'?

@aeophylus 5 лет назад

Scary to see how the hours passes by on the clock ! well done

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

Yeah... it sure takes a bit of time. Thanks for watching!

@jamesprice647 5 лет назад

Thank You for the Video. I am wanting to try this on some older Full Fuselage and add a Built up wing, Cox Purple 8600 Series? Sport Trainer as an example, and wove up from a Cox Black Widow to either a Cox T .051 or Probably a Cox .09 Tee Dee. Anyhow, Do you find Scratch building harder for a 18" fuselage, rather than what you are presentily finishing up? Also I havea a old Cox Sport Trainer that has a few broben area's in which I plan on improving anyway. Could I section it as it has some "To Me " Unique body features, and a couple I will take a little further.May I ask your opinion on the disecting of the fuselage and using the "Very Nice" Fuselage holder, Very Neat. As you can Tell I am a 78 year old amature, who only built Carl Goldberg and Sig when I coulld afford the 4.99 for "Lil Satin" but I am only as old as I think I am. Things are moving fast in all directions as Technology gives many opportunities that the older Generations did not have. Anyhow Thank Youj for your time, Been looking into the Hydro Graphics that are presently available through ebay. I could See one of your 1/4Scale Pitts ChallangerIII al decked out . As this is a 2016 video, is there a link to the end project or to follow the building of the Pitts? Respectfully, Jim "P". Price Jenuine-Motor-Cox

@doncunningham3124 3 месяца назад

How did you remove the foam? Acetone? Or did you just scoup out the areas needed for internal equipment?

@maxsmodels 6 лет назад

I saw a P-38 done is a similar way but he melted out the foam leaving a one piece fuselage-boom-wing shells.

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

maxsmodels that works too, but of course you can only use those plugs once :-)

@joeshmoe12301230 5 лет назад

This was awesome. Thanks. Where can you get the foam you used to make the plug?

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

I picked up this 2" foam from Lowes, but Home Depot has a similar product that will work too.

@xxukrutt 3 года назад

deluxe EPS or XPS foam? what spackle coat?

@jimtracy5136 8 лет назад

I really like your videos. I have built a lot of regular flat foam planes but I really want a more challenging and satisfying build. I have unlimited foam access and a hot wire cnc machine. I'm curious where to get plans for the scale models you show in your videos?

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+Jim Tracy This build is based loosely on the Challenger II plans available from Eureka Aircraft and the P-40 is actually a kit available from Parkflyer Plastics with pre-cut formers from kensCADmodels.com. For this build technique you could certainly cnc the formers, but to get the plug ready you'll still have to do a lot of shaping and finishing. It is definitely rewarding though and I encourage everyone to give it a shot.

@tomeraltman7491 3 года назад

Did you build or buy that build rig?

@m_jackson 5 лет назад

I just couldn't stop watching the tennis player morph. Now I have to watch it again to find out how to make a fuselage.

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

lol... There is actually a family backstory to that picture. My grandfather, who had been a B-17 pilot, kept a calendar from the 70s or early 80s up in his office for YEARS permanently on the month with that picture. My brother found it again a few years ago and got a copy for each of us to remember him by. Not that it needs a backstory... :-)

@m_jackson 5 лет назад

I like back stories :) I grew up with the same picture in my dad's model plane workshop in the late 70s and early 80s, and when I bought my house 10 years ago, I found another little print of it left in the shed. It's next to the light switch in my garage now.

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

Awesome!

@mostlyharmlessrc3920 7 лет назад

Awesome video! I'm moving into hot-wire cutting xps foam wings and fuses. For my first attempt, I'll keep the pink xps foam inside the plane and cover it with 3/4 ounce fiberglass and 2-3 coats of thinned z-poxy resin. I'm also strengthening with carbon spars inside the wing and fuse. Have you made a plane this way? Also, what spray primer do you recommend for a smaller and lighter glassed plane like I'm trying? Thanks for any advice!

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

That method will work great. I love Z-Poxy resin and you'll get great results with it. For spray primer I've used quite a few. Any high-build automotive primer works well assuming you've got all the pin holes filled in the glass. I've used a lot of grey rustoleum primer that works well and on my current build I'm using a plastikote primer in white. So far so good.

@mostlyharmlessrc3920 7 лет назад

wilmracer Thanks for the quick and detailed response! Glad to hear that cheaper spray primers work well too. Subbed!

@peterxyz3541 5 лет назад

Doctor who fan 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

@2010dennis 6 лет назад

Could you make two fuselages with the same reverse mold or is the destroyed when you take the fuselage from the mold? The first time I saw this process they called it a reverse mold.

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

You can absolutely create more than one from the mold. I still have this mold and will do another at some point. Some people choose to destroy the plug and cut it into sections to give them perfect templates for formers. Since I carved this plug using existing formers I had no need to do that here.

@ChristKrew-Rev1.8 7 лет назад

Can this be done with a PNP foamy as to be able to make room for larger batteries, scale cockpit with pilot and other things? I would think this is basically the same process without having to build a plug from scratch. Also as an option for parts when they are not in stock for those days that are not perfect and you break something lol. Outstanding Video!

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Absolutely. You would just put the light coat of glass on the PNP foamy, get it clean, and build the fuse up on top of it. The glass is relatively thin so you shouldn't throw things off too much, but you do need to be aware of the thickness of the glass making the "new" model a hair larger.

@ChristKrew-Rev1.8 6 лет назад

Was wondering which thickness to use for the glass? Again thanks as I will be doing this as a fall project and was thinking mold and not plug. Thanks again for the great ideas!

@josephshubin8465 8 лет назад

i neeedddd help. im building a rc b-2 bomber based fpv plane from scratch. i am using pink foam for the nose and plywood fuselage/wings as well. then i will cover them with depron. do i cover them with tape then pva/ wax and then fiberglass? i am thinking of using water based poly as resin. or should i use resin?

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+Joseph Shubin It really depends on what you're trying to do. Water based poly is OK but I find resin is stronger and tougher. Covering your wings with tape and PVA/wax will prevent the glass from sticking to the foam, which may or may not be what you're trying to do. Are you on any of the RC forums? If not I would recommend heading over to forums.flitetest.com and starting a build thread there. I'm on that forum so if you do that look me up and send me a PM and I'll be happy to help.

@mwise8127 6 лет назад

Outstanding. Wish it was a tad slower in places, would have been nice mix of fast slow and understanding. It just solved my dilemma on what to do with a 1/4 scale cowl. Thanks

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

My pleasure! Glad it helped. If I do another timelapse like this I'll consider slowing it down for the more detailed steps.

@iggi70 5 лет назад

I was mesmerized by your clock. Can you put a date calendar next to it?

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

Too funny. The clock was mostly for myself so I could track how much time the process actually took. If I remember right this was spread out over about 2 weeks of evenings. I have a new build that will be starting next week and I'm planning to use the same technique on a MUCH larger fuselage. Maybe I'll figure out a good way to show actual days. I have a 2 year old now though so the calendar may move faster than the clock :-/

@dhirendraverma2501 5 лет назад

What are the advantages of the method that you didn't use?

@CarlLydickRC 5 лет назад

If you mean the advantages over building more permanent molds, the advantage is that I didn't have to take all the time to do so. Basically to use that method I would still have to build the first detailed fuse and finish it out with panel lines, rivets, and any other details I wanted, which is basically the final step in the process I showed. To make traditional molds I would then have to create parting planes, lay up tooling resin and many layers of heavy glass, and create a hollow mold in several pieces that fit together. THEN I would need to clean and prep those molds, lay up glass and vacuum bag them, assemble the molds, and attach the seams. If I wanted to make a large number of identical planes this is the preferred option, but for a one off you can skip those steps and still have a great quality product.

@josephsneed1918 7 лет назад

I love what you did, but have a few questions. 1. What type of foam did you use and where did you buy it? 2. Did you lay fiberglass on the plug, paint over the existing fiberglass, then put the finish fiberglass layer on top of the painted fiberglass surface? If so, Why can't you just spackle the plug, paint, wax, and cover with the finish fiberglass? I was a little confused as to what exactly you did at that point. 3. Is it strong enough on its own or would you need to add chop strand to the backside? Thank you for your time.

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

The plug was made from 2" insulation foam from the hardware store. Pretty sure it is Owen's Corning. DOW has similar products. It all depends on where you live as to whats available. The paint on the plug (before the finish layer) was high-build automotive primer and I did this just to get the plug as smooth as possible to make pulling the finished pieces easier. That part could be skipped and TBH the final product would not suffer much as the imperfections would only be visible INSIDE the fuselage. It is quite strong, but does still require internal structure to mount to and to resist twisting forces. I overbuilt this internal structure and I'm now convinced I should have cut the thickness of each former in half. I would have saved a ton of weight and I dont believe strength would have suffered at all. Thanks for watching!

@somerton123 8 лет назад

good method but how do you get it off the plug, you could have slowed that down and shown how to get it off. Also can you reuse the plug for another fuselage?

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+somerton123 Sorry if that part wasn't clear. For the cowling I used the panel line as a guide and used a fresh xacto blade to cut it off. I did it in several light passes so I didn't damage the plug underneath. Same technique on the other two cuts but I used tape as a guide as there wasn't a panel line there. The cut is closed with fiberglass tape on the inside and the seam is sanded and blended and won't be visible in the final product. The plug is fine and ready for another pull. I wouldn't use this method for mass production but if I only wanted a handful of pulls it would be fine. I didn't have to do it here, but the other advantage is I could cut up the plug to get templates for formers that would perfectly fit the skin

@somerton123 8 лет назад

Thanks for the additional info, I am planning a DC3 for this method of construction.

@therandomlieutenant 3 года назад

How do you join the parts back together once you slice it and remove the plug?

@CarlLydickRC 3 года назад

In this case I had alignment marks in the form of panels lines, but before you cut make the part off the plug make sure you have alignment marks. I scuff up the inside of the seam, tightly tape the pieces together being careful of alignment, and then lay down a few strips of fiberglass and resin along the joint. Once fully cured I fill, sand, and re-prime the seam from the outside and It is ready to use.

@therandomlieutenant 3 года назад

@@CarlLydickRC Thanks for the reply, can you tell there is a seam there once you do that?

@2010dennis 6 лет назад

Could you use carbon fiber cloth instead fiberglass cloth?

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

Absolutely. I wouldn't waste carbon fiber on the plug itself, but for the final fuse you can absolutely use CF. Just be aware if you're building RC stuff that CF will interfere with a lot of receivers. There are options out there but it is just something to keep in mind.

@ChucksSEADnDEAD 6 лет назад

Is the interference from insulation properties? If so, could an antenna be placed in a fiberglass fin?

@oussama405 7 лет назад

you don't use inner structure ?

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

Next video in the playlist covered the internal structure. To be honest I wish I had gone even lighter with the internal structure. This one ended up overbuilt (particularly the wings). I could have halved the thickness of all the ply and been fine. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OutlHUQ1Zpw.html&

@leonardboisvert1557 4 года назад

My next project will be the Canadian CF - 100 Canuck Mark 4 Scale 1-6.75

@AeroTesting 4 года назад

What name this foan you used for make this fuselagem first u make parts one by one can give me link what locate sell it

@CarlLydickRC 4 года назад

It is insulation foam I get from the local hardware store. www.insulation4us.com/owens-corning-foamular-250-1-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-2657.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwq832BRA5EiwACvCWseP7at0BmyH9phzpimu-KywOWpi83ccylntZrUtPDfYZ7_GoXGXmTBoCPccQAvD_BwE

@AeroTesting 4 года назад

@@CarlLydickRC Thank you so much

@hyperusgudgeym1724 6 лет назад

I am trying the impossible: 500mm Scale Bf109 E with a similar technique. I am using foam and a balloon. Still working out the details.

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

Good luck! To keep it light but still strong enough you're probably going to need to incorporate some carbon fiber tow into the layup. I'd be curious to hear how it works out. I don't think I've seen this method used on anything in that scale.

@hyperusgudgeym1724 6 лет назад

Me too, tried google to see if anyone has done it: havent found anything. The problem is that its going towards 200grams. I have calculated 100 grams for the airframe alone, maybe its lighter??? Atleast i hope for that, It will feature Retractable landing gear and the more important part at that weight: Flaps. Hope those can be used on take off.

@hyperusgudgeym1724 6 лет назад

Oh yeah, completly Forgot. I will use torque rods for the ailerons for the scale look. Probably something similar to the tail so it looks as scale as it can get. After that i will paint and weather it so it looks like one of those plastic models ^^

@stevebergeron7242 6 лет назад

-BwGuns- Hyperus ujm

@shadow4280 7 лет назад

Can coroplast be used with fiber glass?

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

So to be honest I've never worked with coroplast, but for this technique of fuselage shaping I don't think it would work at all. This method depends on being able to sand the model to shape and then put a layer of glass and paint on the plug so you can lay the final glass on top. Coroplast wouldn't sand like foam.

@shadow4280 7 лет назад

wilmracer I'm worried the resin will melt the plastic, I'm trying to build a small boat.

@CarlLydickRC 7 лет назад

I would be surprised if that happened. I use Epoxy resin and generally it is foam/plastic safe. Give it a shot on a scrap piece but I would bet it would be fine You could always try water based polyurethane (WBPU) instead of resin too.

@shadow4280 7 лет назад

wilmracer thanks, I'll give it a shot

@rfcpilotaus2308 8 лет назад

No the aircraft in my avatar is the pitts s2a ( you have probably already guessed I'm a pitts kinda person by now) but my challenger is a yellow black and red design

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

+Samuel Unicomb I spent weeks searching the web for images before starting and I think I might have a bunch of reference shots of your aircraft (or one like it)... N703WT? If so I'm sitting here right now tracing shots of your Pitts into sketchup to size the tail surfaces :-)

@mylesjarvis7571 8 лет назад

Cool video :) I have been wanting to try this but just afraid to take the plunge. I have a fuse i would like to turn into a plug but making molds would just be to time consuming as the plug itself will take long enough! LOL If I could pull off 5 or 6 fuselages from it, I would be a happy guy. Removal of the fuse from the plug is what scares me though...

@CarlLydickRC 8 лет назад

I was worried about that part too, but it worked out amazingly well. I'd say if you've got a good coat of wax and PVA on there you won't have a problem at all. Using an actual panel line for the cowling helped too. Give it a shot!

@makantahi3731 6 лет назад

it is positive mold

@daveandrews6670 3 года назад

Subed, cheers.

@alexandrevaliquette1941 6 лет назад

It is beautiful, but a lot of skilled manual labour, cleanup, wasted material, noise, toxic fumes... A 3D printer (380$us, shipping inc.) and 30$ of plastic filament will save you a lot. It is more precise (0.05mm) and you can print any upgrade or replacement parts, almost silently, in your living room, at the push of a button!

@alexandrevaliquette1941 6 лет назад

I own a ANET-A6 3D printer, but for this work, I will reccomand this large one: www.gearbest.com/printers/pp_1072330.html Software: Cura (free slicer) and Fusion 360 from Autodesk (free as well).

@alexandrevaliquette1941 6 лет назад

Learning the software: 3 days with free youtube training.

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

There is a time and place for 3D printing and I also own one and use it for RC. The printed stuff has its limitations though and knowing more composite methods for building gives you the option to use the best method for the particular task.

@alexandrevaliquette1941 6 лет назад

I totaly agree. For example, I don't know what would be the best ratio weight/durability (fiberglass Vs PLA or PC or other filament). An hybrid version would be to make a negative mold with a 3D and put fiberglass into it for the final product.

@CarlLydickRC 6 лет назад

That has been my thought for some time but I've had very little hobby time lately to try it out. Use 3D printing to rapid prototype the plugs, acetone vapor bath, primer, and sanding to clean them up, and then traditional mold creation. OR, see if it could be feasible to 3D print the actual female mold for the parts and skip the plug portion. I suspect it would be hard to maintain fine detail AND eliminate the build lines inherent to 3D printing, but it might be worth a shot.

@daviddennison3339 2 года назад

after all the work , why didn't you make a mold ??? you were there.

@CarlLydickRC 2 года назад

I think you missed the whole point... I didn't make a mold because I don't intend to produce large quantities (or maybe even more than 1). I still have the plug that the FG fuse was molded over and it would be easy to make another.

@daviddennison3339 2 года назад

@@CarlLydickRC I have learn a lot from your post and i am making a 35% 540 edge using your method.Thanks for the inspiration.

@tinolino58 Год назад

To much sanding!!

@CarlLydickRC Год назад

TBH so much of composite building is finishing work and sanding. It wasn't too bad with this build.

@ripperstoolbox 3 года назад

slow the f down.

@CarlLydickRC 3 года назад

Lol... I see the metrics for my videos. I know the attention span of RU-vid viewers :-)

@skullcraftcustoms 3 года назад

Do you have to seal the spackle before you start applying the fiberglass does the resin soak through the spackle and try to eat away the foam

@CarlLydickRC 3 года назад

I never have. I'm using Zpoxy resin (epoxy) and can safely apply directly to foam with no sealer. The spackle does soak some in but no risk to the foam.